The Complete Loose Gemstone Collection
There Is More to Gemstones Than the Usual Suspects.
Natural Loose Gemstones
This is the part of the gem world where things get interesting.
Tanzanite that refuses to stay blue.
Tourmaline with several colors growing through one crystal.
Spinel in pink, lavender, purple, and red.
Garnet that can be orange, green, raspberry, or color-changing.
Aquamarine that looks almost like water.
Opal that completely changes when you move it.
Peridot with black minerals running straight through the green.
Emeralds with entire landscapes inside them.
And plenty of material that does not fit neatly into one sentence.
At Caleb B. Quashen International, this collection brings together the natural colored gemstones we buy because there is something about them worth looking at twice.
Sometimes it is color.
Sometimes it is the rough.
Sometimes it is an inclusion everyone else would have tried to remove.
Sometimes we have absolutely no sensible reason for buying it other than:
Look at this thing.
That counts too.
We Buy Stones, Not Categories
Gemstones are easy to organize on a website.
Reality is messier.
Within the same gem variety, one stone can look completely different from the next.
That is why we do not buy material simply because it checks the right boxes.
We look at the individual stone.
Color.
Transparency.
Inclusions.
Origin.
Treatment.
Crystal shape.
Optical behavior.
And what we think can happen if the rough ends up in the right hands.
A clean stone can be incredible.
So can a completely included one.
The material gets a vote.
Tanzanite
We work with a lot of tanzanite.
Probably more than is reasonable.
All commercial tanzanite comes from the Merelani mining area of northern Tanzania, but the material itself has much more range than the blue-violet stones most people know.
And unheated material that can show several colors depending on orientation.
Tanzanite is strongly pleochroic, which means the direction a cutter chooses can have a huge effect on the finished color.
That makes the rough interesting before we ever start cutting it.
Sometimes the best stone is blue.
Sometimes it absolutely is not.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline may be the gemstone family least interested in consistency.
Red.
Brown.
Gray.
Two colors.
Three colors.
Sometimes several of them running through the same crystal.
We especially like tourmaline when the zoning is strong enough that it becomes part of the design.
That might mean a bi-color stone.
A watermelon slice.
A long crystal.
Or Madagascar liddicoatite with complicated bands of color that would be a shame to cut away.
Tourmaline constantly gives the cutter choices.
Not every piece needs the same answer.
Spinel
Spinel spent centuries being mistaken for ruby.
It deserves a better introduction than that.
Natural spinel can be red, pink, lavender, purple, violet, blue, gray, orange, and colors somewhere between all of them.
A lot of the spinel we currently work with comes from Sri Lanka, including pink and purple material that works beautifully in shallow portrait cuts, shields, step cuts, and unusual geometric shapes.
Spinel can also be remarkably clean.
That lets us open up the cut and let the color do most of the work.
Sometimes sparkle is the goal.
Sometimes transparency is better.
Garnet
Forget dark red for a minute.
Garnet is an entire group of minerals with a surprisingly large color range.
Spessartite can be intensely orange.
Rhodolite moves through raspberry, wine, and purple.
Hessonite can look like honey, amber, or cinnamon.
Mali garnet can land in green, yellow, and gold.
Some garnets even change color under different lighting.
Red garnet is beautiful.
It is just nowhere near the whole story.
Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the blue to greenish-blue member of the beryl family.
Some material is pale and almost icy.
Other stones have much stronger saturation.
And because aquamarine can be exceptionally clean, it gives the cutter nowhere to hide.
We like that.
Shapes that depend on symmetry and clean reflections.
When the material is good, aquamarine does not need much decoration.
Emerald & Green Beryl
Emerald and green beryl belong to the same mineral family as aquamarine.
But visually, they can be completely different animals.
Fine emerald is usually about color first.
Inclusions are common and expected.
Crystals, fractures, growth features, and the famous internal gardens can become part of the character of the stone.
Green beryl can be lighter and often cleaner.
It is quieter.
That does not make it failed emerald.
It is different material doing a different thing.
With emerald especially, treatment disclosure matters because clarity enhancement is common in the trade.
We disclose what we know on the individual stone.
Opal
Opal is difficult to explain with one photograph.
That is part of the problem.
And part of the fun.
Some opals show broad flashes of color.
Some show pinfire.
Some are transparent crystal opal.
Some contain matrix.
Some Ethiopian material is hydrophane and can absorb water.
And some hyalite opal looks fairly restrained in normal light before lighting up bright green under UV.
A good opal usually needs to move before you really understand it.
We recommend watching the videos.
Seriously.
Peridot
Peridot only comes in shades of green.
That sounds straightforward.
Then you see the material we have been working with from Skardu, Pakistan.
Several of those stones contain black ludwigite inclusions running through vivid green peridot.
Instead of removing them, we cut around them.
Or through them.
Or position them exactly where we think they look best.
Traditional peridot can be beautifully clean.
Included peridot can be something completely different.
We have room for both.
Chrysoberyl, Topaz, Zircon & Everything Else
Not every gemstone we buy has enough inventory to justify its own permanent collection.
That does not mean we stop buying them.
Chrysoberyl.
Topaz.
Zircon.
Morganite.
Ametrine.
Amethyst.
Citrine.
Sunstone.
Tsavorite.
Turquoise.
Jade.
Agate.
And whatever else shows up that makes us stop and look.
Inventory changes constantly.
Some materials may appear here briefly and disappear when the stone sells.
That is normal.
We are dealing with individual natural gemstones, not replenishable manufactured products.
If you saw something once and it is gone, there may not be another one.
Color Is Only the Beginning
Color gets most people through the door.
Then the details start mattering.
Tone.
Saturation.
Transparency.
Clarity.
Inclusions.
Zoning.
Pleochroism.
Fluorescence.
Origin.
Treatment.
Cut.
Durability.
The shape of the original rough.
And sometimes something we cannot really put into a grading category.
A stone can look perfect on paper and do nothing for us.
Another can break half the traditional rules and be impossible to put down.
We trust our eyes too.
Inclusions Are Not Automatically a Problem
We talk about inclusions a lot because we buy stones other people sometimes overlook because of them.
That does not mean every inclusion is good.
Some reduce transparency.
Some create durability concerns.
Some are simply distracting.
Others are the entire reason the gemstone works.
Silk in certain sapphires.
Mineral crystals.
Needles.
Growth features.
Matrix.
Color zoning.
Natural gemstones keep records of how they formed.
We do not always think those records need to be erased.
Treatment Is Different for Every Gemstone
There is no useful blanket statement for gemstone treatment.
Some gem varieties are commonly heated.
Some are commonly untreated.
Emeralds may be clarity enhanced.
Tourmaline can sometimes be heated or irradiated.
Opal may be treated or assembled.
Tanzanite is commonly heated, although we also work with unusual unheated material.
Spinel, garnet, and peridot are generally less routinely treated.
The correct answer is always the same:
Look at the individual stone.
We disclose known treatment information on the product listing because that is where it belongs.
Where Our Gemstones Come From
Our gemstones come from mining regions around the world.
Sri Lanka.
Tanzania.
Madagascar.
Pakistan.
Nigeria.
Vietnam.
Brazil.
Australia.
Ethiopia.
East Africa.
And other producing regions.
Certain places become known for particular materials, colors, or geological conditions.
We love learning that part.
But a famous origin does not automatically make a good gemstone.
Origin gives us context.
The stone still has to perform.
Cutting Around What Nature Gave Us
We do not believe every gemstone needs to become an oval, cushion, or round.
Sometimes those are absolutely the right answer.
Sometimes they are not.
Our collection includes traditional cuts alongside:
Slices.
And shapes that are difficult to name because they started with a strange piece of rough.
We do not cut every stone to look like every other stone.
We cut the stone that is in front of us.
Loose Gemstones for Custom Jewelry
A loose gemstone gives you the chance to work backward.
Instead of choosing a setting and trying to find something that fits inside it, find the stone you actually love first.
Then build around it.
That approach works especially well with unusual material.
A long tourmaline may want an east-west ring.
A portrait-cut spinel may need a completely custom bezel.
An included peridot may look better with almost nothing around it.
An opal needs a setting that respects the material.
The gemstone can become the starting point instead of the final component.
Find the stone first.
Then figure out what it wants to become.
For Designers & Jewelers
We also work with jewelry designers, custom jewelers, and trade clients looking for natural loose gemstones for specific projects.
Sometimes the stone is already here.
Sometimes it is not.
If you need a particular color, size, shape, origin, price range, or strange piece of material that is difficult to describe, tell us what you are trying to make.
We source gemstones constantly.
If we can help find it, we will.
How We Approach Sourcing
Gemstone supply chains can be complicated.
We work with miners, cutters, dealers, and long-standing sourcing relationships in different parts of the world.
When origin is known, we disclose it.
When treatment is known, we disclose it.
When there is something we do not know, we would rather say that than invent a better story.
That matters more to us than putting the word “ethical” in front of every gemstone we sell.
Responsible sourcing is something you work at.
It is not a tagline.
Why This Collection Keeps Changing
Natural gemstone inventory is supposed to change.
A good stone sells.
New rough arrives.
Something gets back from the cutter.
We find material from a locality we have never worked with before.
Or someone sends us a stone so strange that buying it becomes unavoidable.
So if this collection looks a little different the next time you visit, that is intentional.
There is always another weird rock.
We are probably already looking at it.
Natural Gemstone Questions
Are these gemstones natural?
Yes. The gemstones in this collection are natural unless an individual listing clearly states otherwise.
Does this collection include sapphires and diamonds?
No. We maintain separate collections for our loose sapphires and natural diamonds so each category can be explored in greater depth.
This collection focuses on our other natural colored gemstones.
What gemstones are included in this collection?
Our inventory regularly includes tanzanite, tourmaline, spinel, garnet, aquamarine, emerald, green beryl, opal, and peridot, along with smaller quantities of other gemstone varieties as they become available.
Are all of your gemstones untreated?
No.
Treatment varies considerably between gemstone varieties and individual stones.
We provide known treatment information on individual product listings rather than making one blanket claim for the entire collection.
Where do your gemstones come from?
We source gemstones from producing regions around the world, including Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Madagascar, Pakistan, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil, Australia, Ethiopia, and other localities.
Origin is disclosed on individual listings when known.
Why do some of your gemstones have visible inclusions?
Because an inclusion is not automatically a reason to reject a gemstone.
Some affect durability or beauty negatively.
Others create interesting patterns, textures, optical effects, or evidence of natural crystal growth.
We judge the individual stone.
Do you carry unusual gemstone cuts?
Yes.
Along with traditional shapes, our inventory frequently includes portrait cuts, shields, kites, geometric cuts, freeforms, step cuts, and other custom designs dictated by the original rough.
Can these gemstones be used for custom jewelry?
Yes.
Most of our collection is sold as loose gemstones so the final jewelry can be designed around the individual stone.
The intended use and durability of the gemstone should always be considered when designing the piece.
Do you work with jewelry designers?
Yes.
We work with designers, jewelers, and qualified trade clients sourcing gemstones for individual projects and collections.
Can you source a gemstone that is not currently listed?
Absolutely.
Tell us what you are looking for — gemstone, color, size, shape, origin, treatment preference, budget, or even just an idea — and we can see what is available through our sourcing network.