I am not a G.I.A. certified expert or anything, merely a collector who learned the lessons the hard way and maybe this guide will SAVE someone out there some money or at least, some headaches. When I first log on to 'loose gemstone', I always check the 'ending soon' page first to satisfy my burning desire to see if someone else slipped up and let a 'gem of a gem' get by without a bid on it or something I want has a silly low price on it. I have found GREAT deals on some stones at the oddest times of the day. But bidding on that first page has it's pitfalls too. Some of those can be, the seller had way too high of shipping and just for principal, I will not bid on those. Always,always,always check the exact shipping of ANY item BEFORE you bid on it. They can run from "free ship" (I love these!} up to as much as 25.00 depending on the item. Gemstone jewelry will generally run more expensive than the loose gems. Another pitfall can be one of my own problems and that is that my computor is too slow to be effective in any situation that requires speed. I have lost more nice stones like that. More to come on next guide! Log In!