We carry an amazing assortment of gemstones from classic diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds to sculptured sunstones, watermelon tourmalines, pink sapphires, green garnets, and much more! The visual effect of many of these stones is unbelievable. If we don't stock a stone you'd like to have, chances are that we can find it for you. Prices range from $1.00 for a stone to any imaginable price. Prices for gemstones are based on supply and demand. For example, quartz (smoky, citrine, rock crystal and amethyst) is one of the most abundant stones, so it's fairly common and usually affordable. Benetoite and Alexandrite are quite rare and quite expensive. If you can give us a price range and stone, we can give suggestions of how to mount it to maximize size, beauty and durability. You could also tell us what color price range and intentions you have for an item and we can make recommendations. Go to our Order Page. Most gemstones have enhancements, made to them, to increase their beauty, while keeping the price affordable. For example, blue topaz is generally enhanced by irradiation, to turn it from clear to blue. Sapphires are generally heat-treated, to reduce the size of inclusions, surface fractures, or improve color. Emeralds are treated with oils, to improve color and mask inclusions. The minimum enhancement, of most of the stones we sell, is cutting to enhance the light gathering and reflecting qualities. As a rule, not the exception, you will find enhanced stones available for purchase, just about everywhere. Many enhancements are undetectable, but considered standard and expected by the jewelry industry. Most companies, who handle gems, just do not disclose this information. We have an on-staff Graduate Gemologist (G.G.), to help educate our customers. As of 5/1/00 we send full disclosure on the enhancements we think possible in the stones we sell included on the receipt, and gladly inform our customers about enhancements prior to the sale. Our on-staff G.G. also helps to test the gemstones we carry to make sure they are genuine stones. It takes significant training and time to offer this service to our pieces. We use a variety of equipment to test gemstones. We test how light moves through stones with a refractometer. We use a dicrascope to separate diachrocic colors, and a polariscope to see how light makes different patterns on certain stones. Sometimes we also test the specific gravity of gems. Finally, we magnify the inclusions in the gems to test whether they are natural or lab created, or what material they are, or possibly where they originated. We also use the inclusions along with color and cut to give grades, used for pricing the stone. Most of the stones we sell are chosen by the customer for the simple reason that they like a particular stone. However, many people like to choose stones for birth month or anniversaries. | 
