Buy Gemstones Online

Are there great bargains in gemstones on the internet, as many people claim? Or it as risky as the tourist who buys gems on the street in Bangkok, hoping to sell them at a profit back home, only to find out he's bought worthless glass?

The simple answer is that some buyers of gemstones on the internet do get ripped off, or at the very least, get less than they paid for. But at the same time, experienced buyers routinely find excellent buys - perhaps not the fantastic bargains that some claim, but choice and value that far exceed what they can find in retail outlets where they live.

So what do you need to know to buy gemstone online? Do you need to be a gemologist in order to tell the fake stones from the real? What about all the gem treatments that people talk about -- heating and "cooking" of gems? How can you tell whether a gem has been treated? Or does it really matter?

Here are 6 rules that will help you become a successful buyer. Follow them faithfully and your chances of finding excellent values in gemstones online will be as good as the experienced buyers who had to learn the hard way.

Gemstone Jewelery 2008

Prehnite is one of those gemstones that no one has ever heard of until suddenly you start seeing it everywhere. Discovered in the 18th century in South Africa by a Colonel von Prehn, prehnite is usually a light green colour - a distinctive green not quite like any other although I have seen people confuse it with green tourmalinated quartz. It is also found in Namibia, Germany, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, India, Austria, and Canada as well as Scotland, Australia and France.
I like prehnite for its "misty" quality of green; some would say almost a milky quality although I disagree with that term. It does have black inclusions occasionally, but often these inclusions simply add to its beauty since the contrast with the pale green is quite beautiful. The prehnite bracelet above can be found on our Unique Gemstone Jewelry page, and the one below on the Unique Handmade Bracelets page. The prehnite bracelet above is simply two strands of prehnite blessed only with sterling silver for an accent, while the bracelet below also has the lovely lampwork beads of Suzette Celestin of Gaslite Lampwork.