See Rock City....

many years ago, I started collecting gemstones. I'd forgotten all about it. Up in the attic, I was delighted to find my "box o' rox" and decided it was time to get up to speed. There have been a couple of new gemstones discovered since I went dormant on this hobby. The stones are all in a jumble, not identified --- so now I have something to get in shape and, possibly, add to the collection.

Tanzanite seems to be all the current range. Introduced in 1969 by Tiffany, the single-source for this stone is playing out. Tanzanite is about 2,000 rarer than white diamonds and 1,000 rarer than colored diamonds. All the good stuff is just about gone. I guess that'll be my first acquisition attempt. Never mind that I need new plumbing. I'd rather chase this beauty. A "buff" stone is currently selling for about $2,700 per carat. I hate it that I'm in forced frugality at the moment.

Another gemstone that has caught my fancy is the Champagne diamond. This is also a single-source stone with a mine playing out. There are a lot of shades, ranging from "candlelight" to the stunning "cognac". One carat stones are ranging from $600 to $1,000 per carat. Wooooooo BABY!!!

I just ordered some gem jars and will be sitting in the dark with my "miner's hat" and loupe; identifying, sorting and wishing, and wishing and sorting.

Ya gotta speculate to accumulate!