where to buy gemstones?

[marlies]

hi guys,

I'm looking at buying some gemstones for some of my work, and have been looking online. I'm a bit hesitant with buying from the interweb without seeing the stones in real life however I don't really know where to buy from. My usual supplier in Holland is a bit far away. Any advice where to get stones from? I've found gemselect online and it looks good, any experience? No spam I promise.

Cheers, Marlies

[mizgeorge]

I like buying in person, and for everyday stuff, I don't think you can go wrong with visiting a rock n gem show - http://www.rockngem.co.uk/show-dates.html

If I can't get to one and need something specific, I find Marcia Lanyon and A E Ward very reliable, and both are UK rather than US based.

http://www.marcialanyon.co.uk/index.jsp
http://www.aewgems.co.uk/

I've also had some great buys from both etsy and ebay, but you do take more of a chance this way!

[Dennis]

Yes, everything George said, but Rock'n'Gem shows vary and my favourite is at Kemptron Park. I could also add that these days when I want something unusual, I go to Marcus McCallum in Hatton Garden, or look for Lorenz Edelstein Design when they are at IJL Earls Court.

When I was more mobile I went to Inhorgenta Munich in February. It is well worth the visit, but you need two to three whole days to do justice to it. There you will find every kind of stone imaginable and probably stock up for the year. The only problem for me was that hardly any one took cards and the only cash point was near the entrance, miles away. You can book tickets and accommodation together, but it is worth going with friends to while away the long evenings, because they close quite early. Dennis.

[Kwant]

I like the idea of Wards and have often spent time on their website, but ....... there are no images. Do they, when you are ready to order send pics or is it just a suck it and see kind of thing?

[Dennis]

Well they mainly sell traditional stones in conventional sizes. I go there by bus and it's always busy, but there's nothing to take your breath away. They do have quite a pretty booklet which you might find useful for reference, particularly of available sizes. That said there is some variation in the packet of any nominal size, which can be a pain when tube setting. So it is best to specify, for instance, that you want a matching pair in colour and size.

[art925]

hi guys,

I'm looking at buying some gemstones for some of my work, and have been looking online. I'm a bit hesitant with buying from the interweb without seeing the stones in real life however I don't really know where to buy from. My usual supplier in Holland is a bit far away. Any advice where to get stones from? I've found gemselect online and it looks good, any experience? No spam I promise.

Cheers, Marlies

Marlies, where are you in NL and who is your usual supplier? Maybe I can help you with alternate suppliers in NL
Les

[marlies]

Hi Les, I'm not in NL anymore. Moved to the uk. That's why I'm looking because in Holland I knew where to go :)
If I needed anything fancy I always used De it was always like entering a sweet shop there.

Basically I'm looking for 15-20 stones 3.2 mm round in different shades of green. Not cabochons but diamond cut.
Looks like I might email Wards and see what they have.

Thanks Marlies

[Dennis]

Not cabochons but diamond cut.

To save confusion, I would use the traditional term 'faceted'. To find stones 3.2mm in diameter they would have to hunt their parcels for oversized or undersized stones, so I suggest you settle for 3.0 or 3.5mm and ask for them to match in size.

The common green options vary hugely in price, eg: Tourmaline and peridot, moderate. Emerald and green garnet much more pricy. That said, if you put them all in one piece, I don't think the colours will be in harmony. I would suggest complementary colours, such as green with pink, orange or red. Dennis.

[marlies]

The tubes i'm setting them in are 3mm inside 4mm outside. I've got some gorgeous tourmalines in different hues of green, all slightly mossy colored. But they are 6 mm so too big. I want to keep the stones all green to get a kind of 'forresty' feel. So all sort of dark green colours, but all of the same stone. Probably tourmaline if I think about it.
Would 3.5 mm stones be the best option then? I'll use a burr to make a little ledge on the inside but that doesn't leave much material to rub over.

Marlies

[Goldsmith]

You are writing on Cookson's forum, have you checked out their stock of stones? see; http://www.cooksongold.com/Gemstones/

In the past I have bought some decent stones from this supplier, to get prices and stock lists you will have to register with them.
http://www.manchesterminerals.co.uk/trade/index.html

James

[Dennis]

Yes Marlies, I thought about the colour later and came to the conclusion that if someone had green tourmalines of different greens that would suit you. The only problem I foresee, is that small tourmalines tend to be a bit pale, so go as big as you can manage.

For tube setting ask for them to be graded so that they are all of a size, or you will have to faff around more. Once you have the stones, decide on tube size, which ideally would be 0.75mm to 1.00mm greater in diameter than the stones. You will either have to order standard tubes, or start drawing them down, which is an extra chore. When ordering tube, get a choice of two, as they often arrive a little smaller.

For stones of this size, I bevel the outside of the tubes to create a knife edge and rub them over with round pliers, taking care not to squeeze below the girdle. You need only have a quarter of a mm to rub over. To finish, it helps to have a collet closing set to perfect the round shape. Dennis

[Julian]

hi guys,

I'm looking at buying some gemstones for some of my work, and have been looking online. I'm a bit hesitant with buying from the interweb without seeing the stones in real life however I don't really know where to buy from. My usual supplier in Holland is a bit far away. Any advice where to get stones from? I've found gemselect online and it looks good, any experience? No spam I promise.

Cheers, Marlies

I am sorry to say , but you can rely on gemselects's photos when it comes to color.I am not suggesting anything, but there are to many variables ranging from the color setting on their camera to the settings on you screen. I have however seen claims in other forums that treatments are not fully disclosed. If you need to see them , then Ward's is the way to go.

Unfortunately I dont have anything that matches your requirements in stock, other wise i could do some samples SOR. Then again i am in the NL

Julian

[marlies]

Thanks for all your advice. I'll be back home next week so I might ring my old supplier there and see what they can do. And if I can't find anything I'll ring Wards and see what they have.

Once again thanks, marlies

[Tabby66]

I have always found AE Wards to be very helpful and after a couple of orders were happy to send stones on appro. They are really reliable on stock and stone descriptions when ordering by phone :)