With the dizzying array of equipment available, Your Gemologist has a nice write-up explaining a bit about what many of the various gemstone identification tools do and why they do it. This equipment is used by both gemologists and faceters.
What equipment do you use? Did you teach yourself?
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A few sources for gemology education include the International School of Gemology (more expensive) and IGS, International Gem Society (less expensive). I have not attended either so only cite what I found online but both look interesting.
Also check out Your Gemologist (warning, it has audio that plays no matter what, so turn down your speakers [...]
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If you are interested in faceting you may already have an interest in gemstones or rocks in general (most of us do). But where do you go when you’d like to get a bit more in-depth education? One great online resource is Barbara Smigel’s free Gemology Course offered through CSN (College of Southern Nevada). The [...]
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