Genuine Gemstones for Your Jewelry Projects - Part 1

Jewelry making has become a hugely popular craft pursuit. Craft stores offer a large array of beading materials and most cities even have bead stores devoted to nothing but supplies for creating your own distinctive jewelry. Of course, an internet search will turn up hundreds of sources for beaders.

Once you start buying beads, look out, you are quite likely to get hooked. For some reason, beading is more highly addictive than most other craft pastimes. Something about beads feeds an appetite to get more, more, more, and squirrel away the beautiful little objects like a magpie.

Since creating jewelry is an expression of your own unique imagination and artistic ability, any material that works for you is valid. Shells, wood, glass and all sorts of other materials can be used for terrific jewelry.

Something about semi-precious gemstones, however, takes us to a higher level. Perhaps because every culture in the world has valued these minerals for centuries and used them to fashion their most important objects, we feel a certain awe at their intrinsic beauty.

If you've already mastered a few basics and made some earrings, a simple necklace or bracelet and are craving more beading experiences, consider upgrading to real gemstones. Scared of the price tag? Relax, beads for real gemstone jewelry are more affordable than you might imagine. I certainly have no intention of buying a genuine pearl and garnet necklace with my budget, but I made one for myself for about $16.

The trick is to become familiar with gemstones that are reasonably priced and learn how to buy them. Traditionally, five gems were labeled "precious gems". They were diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and amethyst. Over time, amethyst became more abundantly available and was demoted to the "semi-precious" category. Let's not even consider the first four; that type of shopping is strictly not budget friendly.

The semi-precious label covers hundreds of naturally occurring rocks and minerals, so many, that some are quite obscure, including names totally unfamiliar to even ardent jewelry makers.

The price range within the semi-precious gemstone category is just as wide. For example, lapis lazuli, a gorgeous deep blue rock, has become very popular over the last few years and commands higher and higher prices. This might not be a good place to begin if you are on a very modest budget, but if you'd like to go in a similar direction, sticking with the same look and color, sodalite is quite affordable. For the same size and number of beads in one popular catalog, lapis costs $76, while sodalite is about $12. Many folks couldn't even tell the difference.

There are a few general rules about buying gemstones that we need to keep in mind:

• Gemstone beads are commonly sold temporarily strung, on thread or monofilament line. A string is typically about 15"-16", and if a merchant sells a different length, it should be clearly stated.
• Bead sizes are stated in millimeters (mm). Americans aren't accustomed to thinking in terms of millimeters, so don't be caught by surprise with what you receive if you order online. Most any ruler will show a millimeter scale, but for a rough estimate, 3 mm is about the size of a peppercorn, a very small bead. At that size about 135 beads fit on a 16" string. A 6mm bead is about the size of a small pea, and you'll get about 67 in a string.
• Round beads are just one of dozens of available shapes. Squares, rectangles, teardrops, discs, and irregular nuggets are other common cuts. Rondelles are puffy discs, the same shape as M&M candies. Briolettes are teardrops with the hole at the narrow tip, rather than going lengthwise. They are reported to be the big fashion trend for this year's jewelry.
• Grade is very important. "A" and "B" grades are the best, of course and bring the highest price. Get into "C" and "D" grades and you'll find more irregularities, surface blemishes, and perhaps less consistent or weaker color. I find that "B" grade gems are fine in most cases and represent a good savings over "A" quality. "C" grade gemstones may be disappointing, but in certain cases, when you're aiming for a rustic look, they may be acceptable.
• Enhancement definitions are essential to keep in mind. Is your genuine gemstone bead really genuine or just a cheaper material dyed or processed to look like something more expensive? For example, howlite is a white opaque stone with veins of light gray. In its natural form, it's a nice stone, but it's frequently dyed turquoise color. Personally, I feel this produces a garish, unattractive material that doesn't hold a candle to real turquoise; certainly, the value isn't close.

  More importantly, the Federal Trade Commission requires all sellers and resellers of gemstones to honestly state whether the stone is natural or enhanced in any way. All enhancements are officially defined by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA). There are many forms of enhancement, and some do not represent an attempt to fool the buyer, but are actually legitimate steps in processing the gems. Turquoise will absorb body oils and turn from the lovely blue color to a greener shade, and it's also a very soft stone, so it is routinely stabilized with a resin or wax. That's fine, but legally the seller must clearly state this.

  Heating is another common and often necessary enhancement. Aquamarine, citrine and Tanzanite are all heat-treated to deepen the color. Carnelian has been heat treated since ancient times when it was literally thrown into the fire to deepen the color.

  With these buying points in mind, in part 2 of this article, we'll look at certain specific gemstones that represent good values at today's prices and bring the jewelry maker beautiful and versatile options.