Hello my new friends,My Name Is Rosemary i am 64 and am looking to enjoying making new friends and learning a new skill i am fascinated by gems and there making by mother earth,i want to learn how to id gems correctly starting a gem collection, And learning to use equipment properly. i recently brought some so called emeralds but when tested with a presidium tester it did not give emerald as the id, instead tsavorite the purchase included and plastic card to prove it was emerald lol i guess the old saying that you are never to old to learn a new skill, i love gems and jewelry my first job was working in a jewelers in Oxford UK called Rowel and Ballard, the closed down 40 yrs ago but i loved it now is my time and i want to learn from you all god bless stay safe and i look-forward to making new friends
Welcome Rosemary.
I also love gemstones and have amassed quite a large collection over the years. The first thing I learned is you must be careful when buying stones from vendors in certain countries because some are unscrupulous and sell fake stones. If the price seems too good, stay away. You don’t get something for nothing. There are many reputable vendors abroad and here in the US. I was fortunate to get into gemstone collecting years ago, when they were fairly abundant and the prices reasonable, and this is when I purchased the majority of them. To learn about my newly acquired gemstones, I searched the internet for information, bought books on geology and gemstones and more recently books about the local rocks and gems in my state. Learning from others is also great, but I find reading about them on my own provides me with the best information, because some people think they’re experts, but they aren’t.
You can also take online classes that are provided on this site or you can join a local rock/gem club, which I just did and am very excited about.
Have fun building your new collection and knowledge.
Mitzi