Top Ten Gift Ideas for Gemstone Collectors

Many people of all ages collect gemstones as a hobby. Children might start a rock collection and gradually acquire some gems as well. Adults might enjoy collecting gemstones and setting them into jewelry. Others might enjoy just collecting and showing off their gemstones. You can find gemstone gifts in any price range for any gemstone lover.

If you know the favorite gemstone of the person you are shopping for, consider buying it in a fancy shape. While some gems are too expensive to be found easily in interesting cuts, other gemstones are found in unique cutting styles. Blue topaz can often be found in a round cut that shows a star in the center. Ametrine (a combination of amethyst and citrine) can be found in designer cuts. Gems such as lemon quartz are frequently seen in unique cuts and large carat sizes as well. You probably won't find gems such as emeralds cut into very unique shapes however, especially in fine quality.

A lot of gemstone collectors really get the most enjoyment out of identifying the gemstones they acquire. If you know this to be the case, consider buying a mixed gemstone parcel as a gift. Be careful to make sure that the gemstone parcel contains only natural gems and not lab created gemstones (unless you know for sure that the person you're shopping for would enjoy lab created gems as well). Parcels from some sellers will contain more variety than those from others. Shop around and find a diverse mixed parcel of a carat weight that you can afford. Buying gemstones in parcels is often less expensive than buying loose single gemstones.

If the gemstone collector you know is just starting out, you might want to buy them a few essential tools of the trade. A jeweler's loupe is absolutely essential and not too expensive either. You'll want to buy a jeweler's loupe of 10X power. Some other ideas would be gem holding tweezers, calipers to measure gemstones in millimeters, a scale that will weigh gems in carats, various filters for identifying gemstones, or a microscope if you have a higher budget. Sometimes you can find items for a beginner all contained in a kit as well.

Books can also make great presents for gemstone collectors of all levels. Beginners might appreciate a guide to identifying gemstones, while long term collectors might appreciate books about the specific gemstones they are interested in. You can find books about gemstone identification, colored gemstones, diamonds, pearls, treatments of gemstones, and even the history of a specific gemstone. There is a book out there for every gemstone enthusiast.

A great gift idea for someone who likes to make their gemstones into jewelry is castings. You can find gemstone castings in solid gold or silver, or even overlays (however, I don't personally recommend buying something with gold over a mystery metal as the overlay may wear off over time). If you're not sure of the skill level of the gemstone collector you're buying for, the easiest type of castings to use are the snap in castings. Anyone can snap their gemstones into these. If you know the person you are buying the gift for has a lot of gemstones, there are a few common sizes of gemstones you should safely be able to assume they own. The safe bets include: 6x4mm and 5x7mm ovals, 5mm and 6mm rounds, and 4mm or 5mm squares (or princesses). Out of several parcels I've bought, I've found these sizes to very frequently be included. If someone bought me some castings of those sizes, I would have no shortage of gemstones to fill them.

While most of the advice in this article is for gemstone lovers who enjoy faceted gemstones, much of it can also be applied to those who enjoy cabochons. Cabochons can also be found in fancy shapes such as the sugarloaf. Identification tools will still be helpful, as will books. You can also find cabochon castings for the cabochon gemstone lover. So don't be afraid just be the person you are shopping from doesn't fit the faceted gemstone loving norm.

Since I have to rank all of the above mentioned gifts into a list of just the top ten, here they are in the order that I would hope for these items (or would have, considering many of these items are things I already own):
1. A mixed faceted gemstone parcel (or cabochon parcel)
2. Jeweler's 10X loupe
3. Gemstone identification book
4. Gemstones in fancy shapes
5. Favorite gemstone guide
6. Gemstone tweezers
7. Calipers
8. Carat weight scale
9. Castings to set gemstones into jewelry
10. Microscope

You can find gemstone gifts to fit any budget. Whether you are buying a jeweler's loupe for a beginner, a mixed faceted gemstone parcel for that person who loves to identify gemstones, or a favorite gemstone in a special cut for the serious collector, you know you are buying a gift they will truly appreciate.