How to Select Raw Gems

Decide how you will use the raw gem. Some raw gems are attractive mounted with minimal cutting or polishing. If you plan to use the rough stone in jewelry, you will want to select a stone that looks good to the naked eye. Since imperfections will not be cut or polished out, avoid deep cuts, gouges and scratches.

Use a loupe to see imperfections hidden from the naked eye. The loupe magnifies the gemstone, allowing small details to be seen.

Choose gems valued correctly for your project. If you are new to cutting gems, you should start with less expensive stones that will not cost you a fortune to replace. Quartz is a good choice for beginners and is available in slabs that are easy to finish.

Pick higher quality gems as your cutting skills increase. After you have practiced for a while and become comfortable with the machine, move to garnets. Garnets are still relatively inexpensive, but allow for a beautiful finished stone.

Avoid overly cheap raw gems. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Poor quality gems are hard to cut, not attractive to use in jewelry settings and add little value to a collection. For most transparent stones, the darker they are, the poorer the quality. Study up on what the gem you are purchasing should look like.

Pick up a copy of the "Handbook of Rocks, Minerals, and Gemstones," by Walter Schumann, from Amazon.com (see Resources below). The book details all kinds of gems with photos of them in their raw and finished state. The book may help you select better quality raw materials.