Spectroscope For Gemstone Identification

I do not yet own a Spectroscope. I have a Dichroscope and I love that piece of equipment. I need to get one of these too.

Gemstone Identification Kit

If you can afford this kit, I highly recommend you purchase it. I paid 90 dollars just for my refractometer. I own this book as well, and use it on a very regular basis. This is an awesome gift idea for the jewelry lover, or gemstone collector. 49 days left until Christmas, so shop now.

Lily Pad Inclusions In Peridot

The second picture down on the left hand column is a lily pad inclusion. These inclusions are seen only in Peridot, and are said to increase the value of the gemstone due to the rarity of finding it. I do not have verification that that statement is true or not. Peridot from all sources can have a Lilypad inclusion. In other words it does not identify the source of the Peridote ie Burma, or Arizona. If you click the image it will enlarge so you can see it better. This was scanned from my Gemstone Identification Made Easy book. I am still not convinced it is so easy, however.

If you collect gemstones, and want to learn to identify them, you need to learn what common inclusions look like, and what they mean.

Blue Tourmaline And My New Refractometer

Well I got my refractometer for my birthday, and I love it. I do have to say it still does not clarify for me 100 percent what the stones are but does help me narrow it way down. This one I set in this lovely ring setting, after realizing it is a blue tourmaline. I am certain it is tourmaline. Under the gem refractometer the refractive index number was 1.62, and it is doubly refractive which eliminates topaz which is trichroic not dichroic. It does have typical inclusions of tourmaline, and a small chip on the edge of the stone. Because of that this beauty will stay in my personal collection. It could possibly also be an Apatite which has a RI of 1.632 but it absolutely stayed at 1.62 with no range even with the polarizer lens on. So I am leaning towards tourmaline. I have all but eliminated blue zircon because the RI of zircon starts at 1.80. This is all very new to me, and it is a lot to learn, remember, and can be very confusing as well. So far I have only been able to identify positively about 15 stones, four I looked at need more testing, and I have so many more I can not even tell you how many.

Using A Gemstone Refractometer

My birthday is next month, and I am going to buy one of these gemstone refractometers. Maybe not the specific one shown, but one no less. I have been wanting one for a few years now. I have a loupe, dichroscope, and chelsea filter already. I also have a microscope but it is not great for gemstones, but it is helpful. I have so many loose stones that I have no idea what they are, and a few that I am sure are quite valuable stones. The video will show you how to use your refractometer, though if I remember correctly he should have closed the top of the machine not left it open.