Jewelry

[Burnsite]

I love London topaz and the other blue topazes, but my very favorite gemstones are jade and pearls.

[songbird]

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@Margui wrote:

@ @Songbird : Creepy looking?  Perhaps you have never seen  Blue and pinks opals from Peru, and blue opal from Oregon, USA and fire opals. Those opals are gorgeous.

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I have seen them.  And yes...I still hate them.  I'm including the most expensive Australian Lightning Ridge ones.  I don't really know why.  Perhaps because they are almost always cabochons.  And I usually like cut gems.  But I associate them with something morbid.  In fact I don't care for most of colored gems. The semi-precious ones are worst.  Even the colored diamonds aren't so appealing to me.  Mostly because diamonds are so costly that regular colored ones are offered cheaply,& look drab, while the vivid ones that look half way decent cost an arm & a leg. The colors are so washed out, almost putrid looking. What I love are the cornflower blue sapphires and pigeon blood rubies.  And pretty much any color corundum.  Those are my stones. 

[Kalli]

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@Nomorebirthdays wrote:

My wedding set is an alexandrite in yellow gold with a diamond on each side. Now they are are made with black rhodium which I do not like. And yes it is very pricey, I love it but now I would never spend that much if I had to do it again.

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@Nomorebirthdays, I'm curious about your alexandrite ring - I bet it's lovely!  Was it difficult to find that stone for your wedding set? Where did you get the idea of using this stone?  

[SANNA]

Turquoise, garnets and pearls.

[Margui]

@songbird: You possibly associate opals by that old wives'  tale that mentions that opals are the source of bad luck. But it's your choice. Everyone has different tastes. And you are off topic by mention rubies and sapphires ( precious gemstones) not "semi-precious" as the title say.  

Is there any Semi- precious gemstone that you like?

[itiswhatitis]

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@Margui wrote:

@itiswhatitis Actually some gem websites refused to use the semi-precious term. All of them are precious. A good quality alexandrite cost more than the famous four "precious gemstones".

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Yeah, I know.  However as long as the GIA refers to them as such, that's what I'll do.

Alexandrite is not a semi precious stone.  Alexandrite is of course, an Exotic gemstone @Margui

[Margui]

@itiswhatitis:  Alexandrite is not common, is a rare gemstone, but not so much like Bixbite ( red beryl). That gemstone is even more rarer than alexandrite. Love rare gems. Have you head about Pinolith/ Pinolite? 

[itiswhatitis]

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@Margui wrote:

@itiswhatitis:  Alexandrite is not common, is a rare gemstone, but not so much like Bixbite ( red beryl). That gemstone is even more rarer than alexandrite. Love rare gems. Have you head about Pinolith/ Pinolite? 

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@Margui, yes it's considered an exotic gemstone.  Tanzanite is too (even though it comes from only one place in the world.

Alexandrite is not a precious stone by definiition of the jewelry trade.  Actually there are stones even just as rare or rarer than Alexandrite.

[itiswhatitis]

https://www.jewelexi.com/gemstones/exotic-stones

http://www.lorettacastoro.com/exotic_gems.cfm

http://www.markhenryjewelry.com/

[Margui]

I saw your list of exotic gems, but  one of them is not rare, nor an exotic. Goldstone is a man made stone. And Cinnabar is beautiful but deadly. It's the main source of mercury, a poisonous metal.  If you want this gem, make sure is the fake one; the real one can kill you.