Frequently
Asked Questions
How
much should I spend on my gems?
I
explain to people repeatedly that gemstones don't have to be
as expensive as some people make out. I've seen many gems worn
in India, and they are often of extremely low quality, yet
the people who wear them swear by them. I definitely don't
advise low quality stones, but there is an unfortunate tendency
among some astrologers to instill a fear in people that the
stone has to be absolutely perfect. The potency of gemstones
is not derived solely from their appearance but from their
weight, matrix and source. For example, I advise wearing a
red coral even if it's not symmetrical, even if it has a color
blemish on it. I definitely advise wearing a tumbled-polished
hessonite garnet, even if it's not symmetrical even if there's
a tiny inclusion upon it, rather than not wearing one at all.
Part of this purist attitude has developed from the increasing
greed in the gem industry. Absolutely perfect gems are often
many times more expensive than those of average quality and
hence are much more profitable to sell. This situation creates
the impression that gems are always extremely expensive, which
is not true. And I do not approve of people being coerced by
financial considerations into acquiring "substitute" stones.
This commonly occurs and seems to throw logic to the wind that
the similar colored stone is so dramatically different in all
its scientifically measurable properties and hence must have
a very different rate of electromagnetic frequency. Wearing
stones as ornaments requires a much different rationale than
purchasing them for astrological or karmic mitigation.
The
cost of recommended gems will of course vary from person to person.
Gems may be bought singly to strengthen the weakest placement
in a chart, or augment an already strong position. More advisable
is to obtain a combination of gems, ideally the nine stones which
constitute the navaratna, a gem bangle designed to provide optimum
support and mitigation. Gems are appraised according to purity,
carat weight, and symmetry. Cost does not always mean that the
added expense translates into a noticeably better effect. The
decision providing the gem acquired is still of excellent quality
should be the discriminative responsibilities of the individual's
budget.
Additionally,
I offer a service where people can always upgrade their gemstones
and sell the lesser quality or smaller stones back at full price,
providing that it's that stone type that they wish to trade in to
upgrade. Upgrading means buying a better stone which is more expensive
and by logic, more effective. This is an exceptional service, and
it is done by keeping the detailed invoice of the gem's cost and
weight.
An often
quoted statement is that it is inadvisable to wear gemstones of poor
quality. This is a definite consideration. However, I would like
to stress, I have traveled in India eight times in my life, and I
have seen an enormous number of astrological gemstones being worn.
It's a very poor country, and the people have a very low price threshold
in regards to affording precious stones. Yet they they seem to swear
by even eye visible included gems. I do not agree that included gems
can hurt individuals as much as some gem dealers or authors (or both!)
have expressed. Wearing the wrong stone can do harm. And this is
very minimal with some stones and noticeable with others, this subject
will be gone into at some length later. Astrologers can often disagree
about which stone a person should wear first. This is another reason
why I am so fond of the holistic approach to wearing the full nine
gem bangle and getting the whole rainbow of desired frequencies enhanced.
India's
semiprecious gem market is alive and well and prolific in amethyst,
citrine, lapis lazuli, iolite, etc. However, I do not buy precious
stones in India except chrysoberyl catseye, simply because they
are less expensive to acquire in other countries. Unless you
are an experienced gem buyer, I do not recommend buying the more
expensive gems in India. I have witnessed many disappointed individuals
who have brought me material for appraisal. and identifications.
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