T.Merritte
Graduate Gemologist (GIA)
Los Angeles, Ca.

We are located near Los Angeles in Pasadena, very close to the old Griegers lapidary and mineral supply.
We are buyers and sellers of rock & mineral collections,colored stones, diamonds, specimens, and used gemological equipment. We are also interested in antique or historical gemological and mining items such as miner’s candlestick holders, books, private ingots, fine or commemorative antique jewelry, enamel work, early gauges, tools, etc.

Please consider us when selling colored stones, diamonds, mineral specimens, Gemolite stereo microscopes, or any other gemological equipment.
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GEMOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT


This early GIA Gemolite microscope pictured on the left carries patent number 2157437 awarded to Robert Shipley in 1938. In 1931 Robert Shipley and his wife Beatrice cashed in their life savings to establish the Gemological Institute of America. This early unit is stamped No.25! Very nice Bausch and Lomb optics are fastened to a very heavy cast red brass stand that is outfitted with a stamped or spun aluminum dark field illuminator.
I was unable to get any information at the GIA library in Carlsbad on this unit. It did not appear in any early catalogs and none of the specialists had seen one. If you have information or old printed material that features this unit, we would appreciate hearing from you.

 


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In this and the listings below it is my goal to share money saving tips regarding equipment with those just starting out in gemology .

I bought this Gemoro from a jewelry store going out of business for just over $100. When I was just starting out and needed a microscope for diamonds this one worked just fine. I had to modify the dark field well a bit because the light was too dim as it came from the factory. These scopes are clearly not of the quality that you find in an old B&L scope, but it can get you by while you are learning or if you are on a budget. These scopes can be used to get through a gem identification program like the one offered at GIA, but you will find that there are times when you want quite a bit more performance and quality. I think these make great jewelry counter scopes for customer use. I take mine when I go on the road; it just isn't a big deal if it gets lost or broken. It is also a good temporary unit for the beginner who wants to wait for a great used scope in the one to two thousand dollar range. 







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The refractometer is a place where I would not skimp. The Gem Instruments Duplex II is a good unit. I inherited this one from a friend, it had a terribly scratched hemicylinder so I had a new one put in by Gem Products http://www.gemproducts.com/Replacement.aspx at $300 it wasn't cheap but I now have a great older unit with a perfect hemi. Units with a few fine scratches that run the length of the hemi are not a problem, you may be able to find one at on-line auction.
I would think that Krüss, Gem-A, Gem Pro, or Eickhorst would all be good choices but at prices approaching a thousand dollars you may want to start out with a serviceable unit like mine. The cheap units for sale on eBay will leave the beginner severely handicapped. This may damage the learning process and leave you second guessing your results.



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It is imperative to have a sodium light source for your refractometer. If you do not want to spend the $300 it costs to get a light source from Gem instruments or some other supplier, this may suit you.
For me this was another good place to save money and desk space. This sodium filter gives me very sharp readings on the refractometer. I simply fasten it up in the light well and shine my flashlight through it. Sodium light is essential for clear RI and birefringence readings.
You can get these at Gem Products also. I did find some cell material that was quite a bit cheaper but haven't bought or tried it yet.






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Do not buy a cheap spectroscope. It is difficult enough to read a good one. I am very happy with the line of diffraction grating spectroscopes available from Orwin Products Limited. 
http://www.oplspectra.com/
While I am fond of the large teaching unit that I own, I equally enjoy the pocket model. In fact, the pocket model seems to need a bit less light  because it is smaller. Collin Winter's book A Students Guide To Spectroscopy is well worth the investment. It may be difficult for some to imagine an enjoyable read on the subject but Collin pulls it off. His teaching demeanor is top notch and his humor keeps it from becoming monotonous. Go ahead and treat yourself on this one, my experience with OPL was very positive.  



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An inexpensive polariscope may suit the beginner just fine. The unit is nothing more than a pair of linear polarizing filters spaced apart over a light source. Some gemologists make their own polariscopes using photographic polarizing filters. I have a few filters that I collected for use on my refractometer, they are easy to find and inexpensive. This unit pictured has poor quality filters made of plastic yet it works just fine.












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LIGHTING! Gems and their interaction with light is very important! Pictured here is a Gemoro daylight equivalent lamp, a incandescent flashlight, long wave UV flashlight, LED flashlight, and a fiber optic flashlight, all purchased either used or at on-line auction. The daylight equivalent is important because you can't color grade without it. Many better microscopes come with one mounted so it may not be an issue for you. I am particularly fond of the little fiber optic lamp. It is very useful in transmitting light through a stone into the spectroscope. I have spoken with those who it did not work for but have had good luck with it myself.
You can't beat a great 110 volt fiber optic lamp or quality desktop hardware, but this set up can be useful for travel or the beginner.








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The calcite dichroscope can be a fairly important piece of equipment. Many doubly refractive gem materials have distinctive pleochroic colors and behave differently in different crystal directions. This little and fairly inexpensive instrument can confirm both double refraction and many stones identities. I bought this on eBay for about $30 and am satisfied. You can spend $150 for a professional gem cutters dichroscope if you like and it may be worth it. I however suggest that if you are just staring out and not sure you will end up working in the industry that you get an inexpensive serviceable unit like the one pictured.






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You will need a 10X corrected loupe and tweezers but many of these other items are optional. I like having a Chelsea filter as it can be useful for confirmation and some bulk separations. The eyeglass clip loupe can be very useful if you wear glasses. I use mine all the time when measuring mounted diamonds for weight estimation. The ring holder is super handy if you do any jewelry cleaning prior to your evaluation, I use it to hold diamond rings when steam cleaning. Don't steam clean those colored stones, you may damage them. The prong benders and lifters pictured also come in handy.
In the center you can see a photographic polarizing filter that I bought for use with the refractometer. 





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It can be very handy to have a millimeter gauge like the one on the left. I bought this one from Harbor Freight fo about $15. These are great for measuring jewelry and watches that you sell. The diamond & moissanite tester can be useful, especially if you work with people who can't see double refraction in moissanite. Don't leave batteries in it like I did, it will destroy the circuitry and Presidium won't fix it. The leverage gauge is indispensable for weight estimations on  mounted diamonds and colored stones, I prefer the analog type. Pictured bottom left is a CZ diamond grading color set. This is not the best thing in the world, it is much better to judge diamond against diamond. At $200 it works fairly well but don"t leave it in the light as this may cause the CZ to change color in time.



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actinolite
agate
albite
alexandrite
almandine
garnet (almandite)
amazonite
amber
amblygonite
amethyst crystals
amethyst mineral specimens
ametrine
andalusite (chiastolite)
andradite
apatite
aquamarine crystals
aquamarine mineral specimens
aventurine - blue
aventurine - green
azurite
barite
beryl
bixbite (red beryl)
blue sapphire
black tourmaline crystals
blue tourmaline
boulder opal
calcite
cat's-eye chrysoberyl (cymophane)
celestite
chalcedony
charoite
chrysoberyl
chrysocolla
citrine crystals
citrine mineral specimens
clevelandite
clinochore
corundum
demantoid garnet
diamond crystals
diopside
elbaite tourmaline
elestial quartz crystals
emerald
epidote
fluorite
fuchsite
garnet
goshenite
green tourmaline crystals
heliodor
hematite
hiddenite (green spodumene)
imperial topaz
indicolite
iolite
jasper
kunzite crystals (pink)
kunzite crystals (yellow)
kyanite crystals (blue)
kyanite crystals (black)
labradorite
lapis lazuli
natural lemurian quartz crystals (lemurian seed crystals)
lepidolite
magnetite
malachite
meteorites
moldavite
moonstone
morganite
muscovite
natural color amethyst crystals
natural color citrine crystals
obsidian
opal
peridot
petrified wood
phantom quartz crystals
pink tourmaline crystals
pumice
pyrite
quartz
quartz crystals
ruby
rhodolite garnet
rock crystal
rose quartz
rubellite tourmaline
red corundum (ruby crystals)
rutilated quartz
rutilated quartz crystals
rutile
sapphire
schorl
selenite crystals
seraphinite specimens
chatoyant sillimanite specimens
seraphinite
skeletal quartz
smoky quartz crystals
sodalite
sphene
spessartite
spinel crystals
spodumene
stibnite
strawberry quartz
tanzanite crystals
tektites
topaz crystals
tourmaline crystals
tsavorite
uvarovite garnet
uvite tourmaline
vanadinite
vivianite
watermelon tourmaline
zinnwaldite mica