Loose Gem
Colored Loose Natural Gemstones & Precious Stones Jewelry – A Beginners Guide – Gemstone Meanings – Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires and More
Colored Loose Gemstones & Precious Stones Jewelry – A Beginners Guide
It is possible you have never heard of the term loose gemstones before. To you gemstones come set in jewelry – end of story. Often that changes when you decide to get married and the shopping for rings begins. For many this is the first exposure to the fact that like anything, rings get made from raw materials. It’s just their raw materials are precious metals and loose gemstones or diamonds. It is interesting to explore where they come from and how they get to your home town and the issues surround fair trade gems.
Unlike the diamond market which is well structured with centres of trading in Antwerp, New York and Tel Aviv, the market for colored loose gemstones is far more fluid. Given that many colored gemstones are mined by small operators in various parts of the world it is more difficult to organise this market. The International Colored Gemstone Association said that 80% of stones are coming from small scale mining, and of these 90% are located in developing countries.
For example the president of the Sri Lankan Gem merchants federation said in 2002 there were over five thousand mining sites registered in Sri Lanka. Most of them are bucket and spade operations where the mining pits are three metres square and go to depths of only about 25 metres.
The other factor that makes regulation of the industry hard is that loose gemstones are commonly sold at local markets. The miners want to turn their rough stones to cash as soon as possible and often do not have the means to travel far to go to central markets. Buyers and dealers in rough stones will purchase these offerings and offer them to wholesalers in foreign markets.
An Australian sapphire mine found that their stones would pass through a supply chain of up to six people from the mine door until it reached the retail purchaser. Each time the stones changed hands someone was making a significant mark-up.
Due to the location and small size of many of the colored gemstone miners there has been an increased interest in the fair trade aspects of loose gemstones. With large proportions of the world stones coming from developing countries it is important to make sure the benefits are going back to the people. In situations like this corruption, child labour, working conditions, money laundering, terrorism (and the list goes on and on) become ethical considerations.
With the support of governments, and bodies such as the World Bank, initiatives such as gemstone bodies and education programs are improving the outlook for communities. Fair trade is a wonderful idea but a fine balance has to be maintained between sanctioning countries that are treating their workers exploitatively and the impact such sanctions have on the miners themselves. If we stop buying Burmese rubies, the miner in Burma will ultimately pay the price for factors outside his control. There is no easy answer on this.
The loose gemstones market is a fascinating and fraught one, but the gemstones themselves are pure works of beauty.
Your ultimate source for loose natural colored gemstones, designer gemstone jewelry creations, from rings to necklaces- now available on Bello Jewels.
About the Author
Gautam Khorana, Owner and Director of Bello Jewels Pvt Ltd
Cubic Zirconia, CZ Loose, Cubic Zirconia Loose, Lab Created Gems, Cubic Zirconium stones
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20 Bulk 10 styles Turquoise Stripes Stones- Cabochon Loose Gemstones B311 new $9.49 |
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13×18mm Multicoloe Turkey Turquoise Oval Loose Bead Gem 15” &XT9900093 $0.99 |
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T71 Approx. 0.40 carats Tanzanite pear cut loose gem stone beautiful gem-stone $14.90 |
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L54 Genuine trillion cut labradorite loose gemstone approx. 3 carats gem-stone $27.00 |
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Natural 13×18mm Egyptian Lapis Lazuli Gem Oval Loose Bead 15.5″ $7.98 |
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.85 ct 7×7 mm Mozambique Morganite Trillion Shape Loose Gemstone Champagne Pink $8.99 |
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VERY NICE Natural 3.66ct Oval Cushion Cut Citrine Loose Gemstone $6.02 |
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BEAUTIFUL CORROLIN FLOWER SHAPED LOOSE GEMSTONES $15.00 |
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212ct Big Pendant Size Natural Faceted Oval Shape Red Ruby Loose Gemstone $19.99 |
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G1 Garnet Round cut stone natural 0.30 carat loose gemstone gem-stone $3.20 |
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100+ CARATS MIXED GEM NATURAL LOOSE GEMSTONE MIX LOT JEWELS GEMSTONES WHOLESALE $21.95 |
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0.22cts Natural Color Change Alexandrite Loose Gems $25.00 |
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3.65cts Natural Aquamarine Cat’s Eye Loose Gemstone $24.33 |
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Green2Red Natural Color Change Alexandrite Loose Gems $22.50 |
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2.77cts Natural Paraiba Green Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $359.10 |
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2.58cts Natural Bi Color Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $13.50 |
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4.45cts Natural Bi Color Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $54.00 |
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7.71cts Natural Aquamarine Cat’s Eye Loose Gemstone $200.00 |
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8.50cts Natural Molten Red Andesine Loose Gemstone $35.00 |
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9.10cts NATURAL MOTHER OF PEARL LOOSE GEMSTONE $9.99 |
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6.72cts NATURAL BLUE SAPPHIRE LOOSE GEMSTONE $54.00 |
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T72 Approx. 0.60 ct. gem stone Beautiful pear cut loose tanzanite gem stone $19.88 |
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880 CTS/11 HUGE PCS WHOLESALE LOT OF NATURAL ROYAL BLUE SAPPHIRES LOOSE GEMSTONE $29.99 |
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1.40cts Natural Green Emerald Loose Gemstone $67.50 |
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1.66cts Natural Color Change Diaspore Loose Gemstone $36.00 |
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1.85cts Natural Purple Pink Spinel Loose Gemstone $64.80 |
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Green Faceted Crystal Glass Gem Loose Beads 6×8mm $3.49 |
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NICE GREEN AGATE LOOSE GEMSTONES OF ALMOND SHAPE $7.00 |
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P22 Approx. 0.90 carats gem-stone Peridot Oval cut stone natural rock loose $3.00 |
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.95 ct 8×6 mm Mozambique Morganite Cushion Checkerboard Champagne Pink Loose Gem $13.99 |
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T81 Approx. 0.25 carats Tanzanite emerald cut loose gem stone genuine gem stone $8.45 |
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Natural Gem Loose Oval Blue Sapphire 2.84Cts 9.2×7.2MM $223.00 |
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5.14cts Nature Paraiba Green Tourmaline Loose Gems $270.00 |
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32.71cts NATURAL SUN STONE LOOSE GEMSTONE $14.11 |
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10.60ct Natural Blue Sapphire Loose Gemstone $126.00 |
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19ct Natural Star Moonstone Loose Gemstone $58.50 |
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2.97cts Natural Chrome Green Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $81.00 |
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2.57cts Natural Bi Color Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $171.00 |
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3cts Natural Paraiba Green Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $67.50 |
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2.80cts Natural Paraiba Green Tourmaline Loose Gems $171.00 |
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3.92cts Natural Golden Star Sapphire Loose Gemstone $62.10 |
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2.93cts Nature Blue Paraiba Tourmaline Loose Gemstone $360.00 |
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3.93cts Natural Nigeria Pink Tourmaline Loose Gem $154.80 |
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1.76cts Natural Paraiba Green Tourmaline Loose Gem $68.40 |
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9.93cts Natural Yellow Labradorite/Andesine Loose Gems $27.00 |
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5.15 cts Natural Top Ruby Oval Cut From Mogok Heated loose gemstone grade loose $500.00 |
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83.70 cts Natural Top Big Green Malachite Loose Gemstone Oval Cab From Africa $45.00 |
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5.06 cts Natural Top Emerald Marquise Cut Lot unheat loose gems rare color $195.00 |
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6.48 cts Natural Top Red Ruby Oval Cab Mogok Loose Gemstone Rare Color Grade $ $2,800.00 |
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k676) nature tourmaline 4-11mm round loose bead gem 15.5″ strand $34.99 |
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Jeweler’s Scale: New 100 x 0.01g DIGITAL JEWELRY SCALE Weigh Loose Diamond/Gemstone CARATS & More! Raw, Rough, Uncut or Cut Gems, Lapidary Materials, & other Stones! $28.95 The perfect accessory for weighing small treasures such as loose diamonds, gemstones, coins & scrap jewelry, this DigiWeigh jewelry scale is popular among professionals as well as hobbyists. The CARAT mode is perfect for rough OR faceted stones, lapidary slabs, et cetera; The GRAM and OUNCE modes are perfect for weighing scrap jewelry, bullion & other precious metals. Ounce mode is also great for … |
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Loose Gems $8.99 … |
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Loose Gems $15.27 … |
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Loose Gems $3.49 … |
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GEM TESTER-COLOR STONE $199.00 The Presidium Gem Tester / Color Stone Estimator provides a quick, easy, laboratory proven way to identify diamonds and separate and distinguish the most popular colored gem stones from one another. This valuable tool can eliminate human error when identifying precious gems. The Presidium Gem Testers accurate performance is based on the fact that different gem stones conduct heat at different rate… |
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PRESIDIUM ELECTRONIC GEM GEMSTONE DIAMOND TESTER PGT $199.00 The Presidium Gem Tester / Color Stone Estimator provides a quick, easy, laboratory proven way to identify diamond and separate the most popular colored gem stones from one another. This valuable tool can eliminate human error when identifying precious gems. The Presidium Gem Testers accurate performance is based on the fact that different gem stones conduct heat at different rates. Simply touch t… |
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600 Gram Digital Scale, Electronic Balance, over 20 Ounces $14.99 The design, precision, and reliability of this scale makes it the perfect accessory for all types of hobbyists. Whether you enjoy metal detecting, scuba diving for shipwreck treasures, mining for gemstones, or collecting scrap gold, you will find this model to be a perfect tool for weighing precious metals, jewels, and other treasures. The large steel platform and durable, clear plastic expansion … |
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Gems and Jelly Beans $1.99 … |
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Adjust A Button for Denim: Removable instant fix fashion button for tight or gaping waistbands for a perfect fit on jeans (No iron, sew, tailor) $16.50 Finally, a movable button that alters waistbands in a flash! Adding or reducing up to 1.5 inches is as easy as inserting a pin. Simply poke through on outside of existing button to tighten, move to inside to loosen. Strong spring back clasp locks button in place yet quickly releases for repeated use. Don’t sacrifice comfort, customize your fit with Adjust-a-Button…. |
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Borghese Bella Colore Minerale Face Kit, 5-Piece $12.95 Extracted from the earth and turned into the softest, finest powders, Bella Colore uses the power of gems such as amethyst, tourmaline and malachite to bring your skin harmony, energy and anti-stress benefits while offering the ultimate in lightweight coverage. Silky loose powders and bronzers glide over skin and blend seamlessly into a smooth, glowing finish. These complexion boosters cover com… |
