QuestionQUESTION: Hello,
Could you recommend a gemstone tester? I am looking for something easy to use and not too expensive to evaluate a gemstone parcel I own. Thank you! Gale
ANSWER: Hi Gale,
I have to be honest with you I have never used any of the "Gem Testers" I'm an old fashioned kind of guy I do all the tests myself. I have heard the "Presidium" testers are good but that is about all I can tell you. Thanks for asking though,
Peter
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QUESTION: Hi Peter,
I'm curious about the tests you do to evaluate gemstones. I'm sure experience is a large part of this but what other testing do you do?
Presidium is the tester that I have looked at and may try this.
Thanks,
Gale
AnswerGale,
I'm a Graduate Gemologist and I sally do what I've learned over the years. If I have no idea what it is then the first thing I do is get an R.I. which narrows it way down, then down the list S.G., luster, fracture, magnification etc. There are a lot of tests that can be performed, but R.I. (refractive index) and S.G. (specific gravity) are the two most important. The visual inspection is very important because it tells so much. Your right, experience is about 80% of it. Thanks for asking,
Peter