In our newsletter this month:

   What You See versus What You Get
   New in Gems
   Staff Selections
   Gemstones Worth Knowing
   Customer Questions

Buying anything over the internet on the basis of a photo can be a scary experience. Will it look exactly like the photo? How can I tell what the color and size really are? What happens if I'm disappointed with the product when I get it? So many questions, all to be answered only when the package shows up on your doorstep, days after you've made payment.

As buyers and sellers, we're all aware of the challenges of online gemstone trading. Gems are very small objects and their colors and details are extraordinarily important. So how much confidence can you have in gemstone photos? And what steps can you take to make sure you won't be disappointed when the gems are delivered?

Let's start with the first question. We go to great lengths to make sure that our photos and descriptions accurately represent the gemstones we sell. It's a 3 stage process for us. First we measure and weigh each gemstone, using digital equipment accurate to the hundredth of a millimeter or carat. Then we photograph each gem from 3 angles, using light sources that emulate natural daylight. We experiment to find the background that works best for the size, color, cut and shape of the particular gem. Then the description and photos are reviewed for accuracy by our quality assurance team. One of the most important things they do is compare the physical gemstone with the photographs to make sure the photos accurately represent the gem, in effect simulating the moment when you first unpack the gem you purchased from us.

What about the 2nd question -- what steps can you take to make sure that you'll be pleased when you receive your GemSelect order? One thing you can do is check your computer monitor to see how accurately it represents color. In our experience some LCD (flat screen) monitors are set far too bright, and a deep red stone, for example, will appear much lighter on those LCD screens. If you have a digital camera, you can check your monitor by taking some photos of your own gems and see how they appear on your monitor. You might also discover how tricky it is to take good gemstone photos!

Another thing you should do is take careful note of the size of a gemstone before you buy it. When we photograph our gemstones we always try to fill the frame with the subject, so you can see as much detail as possible. But this means that a 50 carat stone will appear the same size as a 0.5 carat stone! Occasionally a customer will contact us to tell us that the stone he received was much smaller or bigger than he expected. It's actually an easy mistake to make, so take care, especially if you're new to buying gemstones online.

In our 4 years selling online, we've sold tens of thousands of gemstones and we've refined our gemstone photography over the years. At this point we've very confident that we can represent our gemstones accurately. But in the rare case where we -- or you -- make a mistake, you can count on the GemSelect guarantee.

Our buyers are in the market every day finding the best values for our customers. Here are some of the excellent buys we've made in the last few weeks:

• Ametrine from Bolivia: Just in: a new stock of the very popular violet golden ametrine from Bolivia. We have a large selection of pieces in a variety of interesting shapes, with sizes from 2 to 15 carats. Lovely stones at a very affordable price.
  
  
• Chrome Diopside from Russia: We've just acquired a small number of pieces of exceptional chrome diopside in unusual large sizes. These rare pieces have outstanding color and clarity.
  
  
• Sapphire Cabochons from Thailand: Some very interesting blue green sapphire cabochons with vivid color and excellent luster. In sizes from about 1.8 to 3.8 carats.
  
  
• Rhodolite Garnet from Zimbabwe: We've added some very fine Zimbabwean rhodolite to our extensive stock of Tanzanian pieces. The new items are in the 2-3 carat size, ideal for rings and earrings. The colors are excellent -- red to pink-red to purple.
  
  
• Imperial Topaz from Brazil: This rich golden topaz with strong pleochroism is so popular we have trouble keeping it in stock. We've now built up a good inventory, with many pieces in the desirable 3-5 carat size.
  
  
• Citrine from Madagascar: Citrine is usually associated with Brazil, but we think the Madagascar citrine is among the best in the world. We've recently acquired a good stock in golden and yellow golden, with sizes up to about 30 carats. We also have many pieces in the hard-to-find smaller sizes, so if you're looking for citrine for earrings or rings, you'll find a nice selection.
  
  
• Kunzite from Afghanistan: Kunzite is the pink variety of spodumene, named after the famous American gemologist, George Frederick Kunz. We rarely find kunzite in the market so usually we have only have a few pieces in stock. But we've recently found some excellent new pieces, with the best pink saturation we've seen in several years. These are good sized specimens, between 3 and 13 carats in size, in a variety of shapes. Given the superb color of these pieces, we think the price is fantastic too.
  
  
• Sphene from Sri Lanka: Sphene is a fairly rare gemstone that is not widely available. This is the first stock we've been able to buy in quite some time. You'll find pieces in all the different colors typical of this fascinating mineral -- lively green, yellowish green, and multicolor -- in a good range of shapes and sizes.
  
  
• Black Diamond from India: Last year we bought some natural black diamonds from India for the first time and they were incredibly popular. For months we couldn't find them again. This week we were lucky and found some more. We think these are very elegant gemstones -- quite large for diamonds (2 to 3 carats) and nicely cut. They make stunning jewelry.
  
  
• Pink Tourmaline from Nigeria: We've added some very fine pieces of pink tourmaline to our extensive tourmaline inventory. An interesting variety of shapes and cuts, with sizes from about 1 to 4 carats. Also some extremely nice red pink and and rose pink pieces, with a few remarkable hot pink specimens.
  
  
• Lemon Quatz Cabochons from Brazil: Another interesting addition to our extensive range of cabochons. These fine lemon quartz pieces come in a variety of organic shapes, with sizes from 6 to 47 carats.
  
  
• Sky Blue Topaz Pairs from Brazil: Some lovely matching topaz pairs in a rich saturated sky blue. Perfectly sized for earrings at 4-5 carats per pair in a brilliant round portuguese cut.
  
  
• Amethyst from Uruguay: We have been finding some extremely nice amethyst in the market recently and we've bought some terrific pieces. We've added a broad range of sizes and shapes to our stock, including some impressive pieces over 10 carats some nice matching pairs, and some first-rate cabochons.
  
  
• Agate from Brazil: We've just made some substantial additions to our stock of this fascinating mineral. We've added pieces in a wide range of colors, including amber, orange, green, blue, brown and a variety of interesting banded and multicolor pieces. All sorts of sizes and shapes, with some larger pieces over 80 carats.
  
  
• Rutile Quartz from Brazil: We've added a new stock of the fascinating rutile quartz. Our first stock in this sold out very quickly. In case you missed it, rutile quartz is transparent quartz with inclusions of golden rutile crystals in delicate patterns. Every piece is quite unique. A favorite with collectors.
  
  
• Fire Opal from Mexico: Fire opal, a yellow to orange opal from Mexico, has become extremely popular. We've acquired some new stock in colors ranging from white yellow to yellow orange, in a wide range of sizes.
  
  

Each month our staff selects some of their favorite gemstones from our inventory. This month we feature some of our recent acquisitions in Nigerian tourmaline. Click on the gem photos to go to the detail page for that stone.

Each month we focus on one of the lesser known gemstones. This month's featured stone is Agate.

Agate is a form of chalcedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a remarkable variety of colors and textures.

Agate is typically dyed to produce the interesting color variations. The art of dying agate is believed to be an ancient one, dating back to the Romans. Agate dying was revived by the Germans early in the 19th century.

First the agate is boiled in a strong bicarbonate solution to remove impurities. Then the stone is soaked in a chemical solution followed in some cases by heating. For example, to produce red hues, agate is soaked in an iron nitrate solution. Green is produced by immersion in a chromic acid or nickel nitrate solution. Blue is produced by a red or yellow prussiate of potassium followed by soaking in an iron sulphate solution.

Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions to help@gemselect.com, with "Newsletter question" in the Subject line.

A final note -- If you send us email, please be assured that we answer all our email very promptly, 6 days a week. But we sometimes have problems with spam filters on the receiving end, so please adjust the settings on your mail client so you can receive mail from help@gemselect.com.

Happy gem hunting!

Your friends at GemSelect