In our newsletter this month:

   The Wide World of Gems
   New and Interesting Gemstones
   New Content at GemSelect
   Rare and Unusual Gems
   Customer Questions

The Wide World of Gems

Back in 1875, when the young George Frederick Kunz first approached Tiffany & Co. with the idea of selling semi-precious stones, the only colored gems Tiffany offered were ruby, sapphire and emerald. Kunz convinced Tiffany to carry tourmaline as well, and that was the start of a slow but steady expansion of the colored gemstone trade. It's now possible to find two dozen different colored gemstone varieties in some jewelry stores, and specialized gem dealers will have many more.

When we started our online business 5 years ago we carried about 40 different kinds of gemstones. At last count we have nearly 90 varieties in stock. Recently we've been adding an even broader range of gems, with an additional 10 new gem types added in the last month alone.

What's behind the growing interest in rare and exotic gems? It is not just gemstone collectors who are looking for the rare and unusual. Jewelry designers are discovering new colors and textures to incorporate in their designs, and consumers are eager for information about the lesser-known stones. Miners now understand there is a market for these stones, and material that was once ignored is now carefully collected and graded.

Some of the new gem types are not exactly new. Some, like prehnite, apatite and sphene, have been known for years, but haven't been used much in jewelry because they were too soft. But jewelry designers have realized these stones are actually more durable than perennial favorites like opal, and when properly set in earrings or pendants they will last for many years.

Other gems in the lesser-known category are actually very durable and are suitable even for rings. Many of them -- such as chrysoprase, dendritic agate, rutilated quartz and fire agate -- are members of the quartz family and have very good hardness and no cleavage.

Many of the lesser-known gems are relatively inexpensive. That makes them economically attractive for jewelry designers. But like so many gemstones, supplies are variable and uncertain. For example, natural carnelian and hessonite garnet are frequently requested by our customers but we don't usually find them in the market. But in the last month we've been fortunate to find quite a number of the interesting rare stones. We now have the largest and most varied inventory we've ever had.

New Content at GemSelect
We add hundreds of new gems to our inventory every day. But we also add new content to our site each week as well, in the form of articles and reference material.

Recently we've added new articles on topics ranging from gemstone testers to chrysoprase, rhodochrosite and morganite. If you're interested in learning more about the history of the gemstone business, we've been adding short biographies of some of the most interesting figures. See our new pieces on Laurence Graff and the Moussaeiff family. Click the link to see all our gemstone articles.

Rare and Unusual Gems
Each month we feature a rare and unusual gem from our recent acquisitions. This month we feature a large demantoid garnet from Namibia:

Demantoid Garnet is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets. In fact demantoid is regarded as one of the rarest of all colored gems. The name "demantoid" means "diamond-like," in reference to demantoid's impressive brilliance and luster. Demantoid are difficult to find in any size, but clean specimens of good color over 1 carat are quite rare indeed. This 1.94 carat demantoid is one of several large pieces we purchased recently.

Customer Questions
Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions to help@gemselect.com.

Happy gem hunting,

Your friends at GemSelect