Gemstones 2

Gemstones are minerals that are treasured for their beauty and durability. A large number of minerals have been used as gems. Their value generally depends on four features: the beauty of the stone itself; its rarity; its hardness and toughness; and the skill with which it has been cut and polished.

The shaping and polishing of gem materials to enhance their beauty and, in some cases, to remove imperfections is performed by expert workers known as lapidaries.The trade is highly skilled, but not as exacting as that of a diamond cutter.

Using sophisticated machineries, jewelry items such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and the like maybe processed out of semi-precious and colored stones. The stones may also be cut as slabs and can be used as tiles or decorative materials for buildings and houses.
Gems are shaped entirely by being ground on abrasive wheels or revolving abrasive discs. For minerals that are no harder than quartz, natural sandstone wheels are sometimes usedRivers of Sibalom are abundant with colored and semi-precious stones. Because of this, Sibalom is dubbed as “Antique’s Gemstone Capital”. Products processed from gemstones are considered novelty items because the products are seldom found in the market. So far, only a few have taken interest in the many possibilities of products that maybe made out of gemstones. Some of these reasons include capitalization and inadequate technical know-how. Gemstone products, when processed and finished, command higher price due to its durability and uniqueness. It can be marketed locally and globally. Stone slabs, for example, can take the place of marble tiles . Jewelry imbedded with gemstones are unique and prove to be marketable due to quality and uniqueness.