Find Your Own Damn Gemstones
You love gemstones, but have you ever really thought of going to find your own, instead of just purchasing them in the jewelry store? Well, if you like aquamarines, and other colorful crystals, you are going to have to do a bit of traveling in order to find the best places to hunt them on your own. Or you could just look at someone else’s collection and hear about the struggles that go with finding great gems.
Gary Bowersox knows about traveling for gemstones. He has spent a lot of time gem hunting in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan. For the past 30 years he's led expeditions to Afghanistan, where some massive gemstone deposits are, and purchased millions of pounds of rocks to bring back to the states.
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you are surrounded by millions of dollars in gems, you will get that chance in March 2008 when Bowersox brings his collection to Carroll’s Jewelers in Coral Gables, Florida.
Many of the stones he will be showing off come from the Hindu Kush Mountains in Central Asia. It was a treasure trove of gems in the region with sapphires, emeralds, rubies, aquamarines, tourmalines, lapis, and a variety of other gemstones that were pulled from the mountainside. The jaw dropper of the exhibit is a rock that would give you a workout every time you try to pick it up, a 169-carat aquamarine.
Getting the stones wasn’t easy. If you hadn't noticed, someone traveling through Afghanistan and Pakistan right now could be in for some dicey times. But he went out on these dangerous expeditions, all in the name of finding fabulous gems.
The gems he is looking for are not just for his collection, but also to help the people of the region. Bowersox works with people who live in the villages near the deposits and teaches them to create their own gem selling operations, to support their local economy.
I fond a rock in my backyard while cleaning one day and think it might be a gem if cut and polished right but don’t know for sure. Is there a way I can check this out?
I am on social security and have limited funds, can you advise me as to where to take it .
it’s a piece of marble topped with what looks like tiny topaz. any advice you can give will be gratefully appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ann Moore
Hello Ann, I think you’d have to go to a jewelry store and ask them who buys raw stones. If you go to a store that is not a chain and ask them, they might have a better idea than some of the bigger stores.
Hope this helps.