topic Re: Favorite Gems? in Jewelry

Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 17:46:10 GMT

I have not much "valuable" jewelry at all (predictably, even my taste in jewelry runs to vintage costume jewelry, art deco, ha) but have definite preferences in jewels, and love to read about them.

I tend to like cabochon cuts and gems that are somehow organic. Pearls, lapis, old, oversize cameos, amber, garnets, mother of pearl, ametrine, green tourmaline, turquoise, blue onyx. I like things with "markers" or flaws, and irregular shapes.

Have a special affinity for "brown" stones-- leopard jasper, rutilated quartzes, tigereye, coffee obsidian.

Favorite book on jewelry: "Famous Jewelry Collectors", by Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes. Luscious, close-up photos of the legendary gems of Merle Oberon, the Duchess of Windsor, Barbara Hutton, Helena Rubenstein, Paulette Goddard, etc.

Elizabeth Taylor's book on jewelry is great, also.

What do you like?

Re: Favorite Gems?

Gram W — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 18:19:03 GMT

@Oznell. I am 72 so have been collecting for many years. My mother and her mother shared some pieces with me before they passed. I prefer my statement and organic gemstone pieces. My husband and I stopped at many shows over the years. We purchased organic pieces because we liked the design and natural shapes of the stones. We never gave a thought to future monetary value.

Now a retired widow I have purchased a book on gemstones to learn more about the stones I have. Thank goodness I had kept most of those pieces in their original box so I now know what they are. I did not realize I had so much. So glad I started this project. I am logging the information for my DIL and organizing in jewerly boxes. I am sharing with the girls now and they will get the rest later. It is a pleasure seeing them enjoy wearing my pieces. Now all unpacked I am enjoying pieces I forgot I had.

I now have arthritis in my hands. This has made it hard for me to put on my gold and silver chains and bracelets. Also those chains are delicate and small in size. I have babies in our family and their little hands love to play with necklaces and earrings. I have purchased a couple of magnetic findings from QVC to use on my chains and they work well. They are larger than the chains but are hidden by my hair.

I enjoy reading books on old jewerly and seeing how styles have changed over the eras. I will take a look at the book you mentioned. Thank you for sharing this.

Re: Favorite Gems?

rickiraccoon — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 18:41:39 GMT

I inherited a lot of jewelry and loose gem stones from my mother. They're fun to pull out and admire every once in a while but I have know idea what I'll do with all of it. But my most favorite gem is the blue diamond, I can't help it just love them. That's what I wear and buy mostly. It doesn't bother me that they're "enhanced" I just think they're pretty and my all time favorite.

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 20:48:27 GMT

geller girl, you express a jewelry "philosophy" that I am in sync with-- I also would purchase without concern for monetary value. Only get what you love! What a neat project to be organizing and categorizing items that you want to go to various family members. I would find that fun also, as I like to imagine which relatives would most appreciate which items. And in the meantime, you get to enjoy them fully...

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 20:50:58 GMT

rickiracoon-- Blue diamonds! They are beautiful and the blue sparkles like no other blue stone. I think of them as very ethereal. How lucky to have your mother's things...

Re: Favorite Gems?

SANNA — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 21:43:59 GMT

Rubies,SB turquoise,pearls, garnets, diamonds,smokey quartz

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 21:59:08 GMT

Sanna, love those. Several of them combine beautifully together, too...

Re: Favorite Gems?

Carolm — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 22:13:19 GMT

Gemstones -- a subject near and dear to my heart! I started collecting about ten years ago and I now have a wonderful granddaughter to pass them on to, when she gets a little older. There are so many beautiful gemstones, and I love a lot of them. I agree with #Oznell, blue diamonds are gorgeous. Another gemstone I love is tsavorite garnet. I have a Burmese ruby that really does glow, and I love mystic topaz and amathysts even though they are relatively inexpensive. And, over the years, I've developed a preference for precision cut stones, such as cushion cut and a shield cut, and a portuguese cut. So many to choose and not enough money!

Re: Favorite Gems?

MyGirlsMom — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 22:21:33 GMT

diamonds - tanzanite and pearls

Re: Favorite Gems?

sunshine 919 — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 23:35:43 GMT

I love blue sapphires, because they are my birthstone. However I just saw colleen present a watermelon quartz doublet that is absolutely gorgeous. I think I like all of them. Whenever I watch a jewelry show I find that I like many different stones.

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:03:35 GMT

HannahsGram, thanks for mentioning tsavorite garnet, I had forgotten that I love those, too. Tend to like all garnets as they are my birthstone. I have one small twisted gold ring set with tiny, clear, brilliant grass green tsavorites.

Your mention of Burmese ruby got me dreaming. I don't expect to ever own any, but they are entrancing...

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:05:23 GMT

MyGirlsMom, yes to tanzanite for sure! Such a haunting color. I also like iolite, which hovers in the blue/periwinkle color range too...

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:08:55 GMT

yellow919, sapphires are one of my fantasy stones-- big, velvety, blue like Diana/Kate Middleton's. Interesting that you like watermelon quartz, I too love that red/green combo. In fact, all bi-colored stones. Ametrine's combo of purple/golden also intrigues.

Re: Favorite Gems?

Greeneyedlady21 — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 21:44:09 GMT

I love sapphires, it's my birthstone. And garnet because that's my Mom's and I just think it's beautiful anyway. I like many different gemstones-I have pearls, a pink tourmaline ring, a sapphire and tanzanite band ring, a morganite ring that I got from qvc...it's washed out and not top quality but I like it because it's unusual. And others I can't even remember.

Last year I bought a small inexpensive labradorite ring from Etsy, never had that stone before. I think it's such a pretty and unique stone. Gems are fascinating.

My Mom has a beautiful 3 stone emerald and diamond ring and a diamond band. Both are beautiful. If I ever hit the lottery I would buy myself a top quality diamond and a top quality emerald. One day my Mom's will be mine, they will mean so much to me because they were hers.

Re: Favorite Gems?

SilleeMee — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 01:13:44 GMT

One of my all-time favorite gems is aquamarine. I know a lady who buys aqua from local miners here in Colorado. I purchased a small piece of rough several years ago from her. It's a small crystal, practically clear...one of my prized possessions!

Colorado Amazonite is beautiful, too. I hope to find a piece of rough from a local. The mines are not far from me. There's also some very nice rhodochrosite around...from a now-closed mine and it's extremely valuable and expensive! Love to get a piece of that! It's said to be transparent with few inclusions...and it's dark rosey pink.

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:28:50 GMT

greeneyedlady, you reminded me that I love labradorite! In fact, I think I like most "phenomenon" stones like that, that have some kind of iridescence or moverment to them. Moonstones, too. You have some great pieces.

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:32:42 GMT

SilleeMee, I have no clear aquamarine, but I do have a chunky milky aqua in a cushion cut that I love.

Rhodochrosite is a "yes" for me b/c it is so distinctive, and I love pink stones...

Re: Favorite Gems?

Greeneyedlady21 — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 22:03:14 GMT

@SilleeMee I love aquamarine too. I have one in an antique setting that belonged to my grandmother. Sadly the stone has a crack in it. It's a good size stone so it's noticeable. The setting is beautiful, I love antique jewelry.

I like milky aqua too, keep meaning to get myself something in that.

Re: Favorite Gems?

itiswhatitis — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 03:39:09 GMT

@Oznell wrote:
HannahsGram, thanks for mentioning tsavorite garnet, I had forgotten that I love those, too. Tend to like all garnets as they are my birthstone. I have one small twisted gold ring set with tiny, clear, brilliant grass green tsavorites.

Your mention of Burmese ruby got me dreaming. I don't expect to ever own any, but they are entrancing...

@Oznell:

Morganite

Blue Aquamarine

Yellow Beryl

Zircon (all colors)

Garnets (tsavorite, spessartite, rhodolite, red)

Tourmaline: Paraiba, Indicolite, Rubellite, Pink

Sapphire (all colors without glass lead filling)

Diamonds

Andusalite

Alexandrite

Tanzanite

Peridot

Diamonds

Iolite

Madeira Citrine

Smoky Quartz

Spinel: Black, red, blue

Rubies (with out glass lead filling)

Csarite/Zultanite

Pearls

Diamonds

Kyanite

Prefer facted stones

Re: Favorite Gems?

Oznell — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 11:33:09 GMT

itiswhatitis, that is one comprehensive list! Great gems, reminding me of faves I had forgotten, like indicolite and the various spinels....