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The hobby

The gem collector's kit

The tools jewellers and gem dealers actually use, and what each one is for. Start with the six-piece starter kit: a loupe to see inside a stone, a UV torch to make it glow, locking tweezers to hold it, a box to keep it safe, a scale to weigh it and a turntable to show it off. Everything else on this page is for when the hobby grows.

The starter kit

Six tools, about $100 together. Enough to check every stone on this site.

LookGemOro 10x triplet loupeunder $20LookDARKBEAM filtered 365 nm UV flashlightabout $10HandleHonoson locking tweezers, 3 packabout $10StoreTeensery gem display boxes with clear lids, 10 packabout $9ShowComXim motorized turntable, adjustable speed and directionabout $15MeasureGemOro Platinum XP500 pocket scale, 0.01 gabout $40

Your first stones

Tools need something to look at. The cheapest real start is a mixed lot of natural cut gems from GemMartUSA, a long-running gem seller with about 1,900 ratings. Each lot is a random mix of cut and polished stones that can include garnet, amethyst, citrine, peridot, topaz, carnelian and green onyx. Expect small stones with visible , which is exactly what makes them good for learning: look inside them with the loupe, weigh them on the scale, shine the UV torch on them, and sort them into boxes. The blue topaz in these lots is treated, as almost all blue topaz is.

Natural, mixed lot GemMartUSA mixed gemstones, 50 carats A handful of cut stones: enough to fill a 10-pack of gem boxes. about $22 on Amazon → Natural, mixed lot GemMartUSA mixed gemstones, 100 carats Twice the stones for not much more, so you can keep the best and practise on the rest. about $34 on Amazon →
Natural ruby crystals in white marble
What a loupe is for: seeing that these ruby crystals grew in marble, with flat faces and stepped edges. Real specimen, photo Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Look

See inside a stone the way a jeweller does.

In the starter kit

GemOro 10x triplet loupe

under $20

The one tool every jeweller carries. A triplet lens is sharp to the edges, so you can see inclusions, growth lines, facet doubling in moissanite and wear on facet edges.

See it on Amazon

Nitecore GEM10UV gem flashlight

about $70

A gem-grading torch with a daylight-balanced white beam and a separate UV beam. Shine it through a stone to judge colour and spot inclusions, or switch to UV to check .

See it on Amazon

Handle

Never touch a loose stone with your fingers: skin oil dulls it and dropped stones vanish.

Store

Loose stones scratch each other and go missing. Give each one a home and a label.

In the starter kit

Teensery gem display boxes with clear lids, 10 pack

about $9

The classic dealer’s gem box, 3 cm square: each stone sits on a soft cushion under a clear lid, so you can see it without opening the box. Write the stone and its weight on the lid and they stack neatly. The best first home for a new collection.

See it on Amazon

Show

A cut stone comes alive when it moves under a light: every facet flashes in turn.

Sell

Everything to set up a stall at a market or gem show and pack it away again in minutes, like a travelling merchant.

Measure

Weight and size together tell you what a stone is made of.

Identify

The next step up: real gemmology tools for the curious.

How to set up a stall like a travelling gem merchant

Gem dealers have always travelled: from the caravans that carried lapis out of Afghanistan to the tents at the Tucson gem show today. A good stall packs into one car and sets up in half an hour. Here is the order that works.

  1. Shade first. Outdoors, put up a 10 x 10 pop-up canopy and one side wall against the sun. Gems need light, but direct sun washes out colour and heats everything up.
  2. Tables. One 6 ft folding table at the front, a small one at the side for your cash box and bags. Leave room to stand behind them.
  3. Black covers. A fitted black cover to the floor makes the table look like a shop counter and hides your boxes. Every colour looks brighter on black.
  4. Height. Risers and easels at the back of the table, small pieces in front. Nobody bends down to look at a flat table.
  5. Lock the best. Cut stones and anything valuable go in a locking case or under glass. Specimens and tumbled stones can sit out in trays and Riker mounts.
  6. Light. Indoors, add a light base under geodes and quartz. Let customers use a lighted loupe: people buy what they have looked into themselves.
  7. Labels. Every stone gets a small card: name, lab-grown or natural, size, price. Honest labels are the reason people come back.
  8. Pack down. Gem jars and Riker mounts stack into a rolling case; the table folds like a suitcase.

Check the rules where you sell: many markets need a vendor permit, and gem shows have their own booth rules.

Put it to use

The home tests, step by step The weight checker Pick a gem

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to start collecting loose gems?

A 10x loupe, locking tweezers, a UV flashlight, a few gem boxes and a pocket scale. Together they cost about as much as a good meal out, and they let you see, handle, store and check every stone you buy.

Why do jewellers use tweezers instead of fingers?

Skin oil leaves a film that dulls a stone and hides what you are trying to see, and small stones are easy to drop. Locking tweezers hold a stone steady while you turn it under the loupe.

Do I need a diamond tester?

Only if you buy diamonds or moissanite. A basic thermal tester cannot tell diamond from moissanite; you need one that also measures electrical conductivity, like the GemOro UltraTester.

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