Mineral Marche is basically an event where they show and sell gemstones and minerals. A huge number of companies had booths there. I guess that just shows how many fans this stuff has in Japan.
The kind of place it is
Quite a range. Minerals have going rates based on size and quality, so there didn’t seem to be much that was crazy cheap or crazy expensive. Hunting down the good finds among all that is probably the fun of going to an expo like this.
Gemstones
Didn’t expect this many kinds
Gemstones
Honestly, I can’t really tell what’s what.
Crystals
Desk decorations, I’m guessing..
50% off corner..
If you buy well here, I suppose you get a bargain.
Inside
This is the hallway, and there are several big rooms off it.
Flat-rate price list
This booth had quite a lot of nice stuff.
Gems like these
Lots of pretty ones
Necklaces
Plenty of sales too..
More gemstones..
They sell all sorts of things.
Inside
There was an auction going on with lots of people crowding around.. If you play these auctions right, you can get something nice at a really low price. A good opportunity..
There are a few tricks to choosing gemstones. First of all, for a gem to really make sense as jewelry you wear, it has to be sapphire or above. You need at least sapphire-level hardness for a stone to hold up to everyday wear without getting scratched. So anything below that is for looking at, and it’s cheap. Anything above that is a whole different price bracket. So if you’re set on buying a sapphire, your only option is a really tiny one, and even that won’t be cheap. Sapphire == ruby == emerald, pretty much..
Take garnet, for example: it looks a lot like ruby on the outside, and I honestly can’t tell them apart, but it’s really cheap.. With around 50,000 won you could get a pretty big one for not much at all.. Other stones are similar, and there were lots of pretty gems for 20,000-30,000 won or less.. Peridot, aquamarine, that kind of thing.. So if you like gemstones but aren’t into wearing them, it’s a nice hobby where you can collect pretty stones at reasonable prices. Once you move up to the precious stones, prices shoot up so much that it’d be hard to keep it a hobby..
I had no idea this world existed, but it turns out to be a really appealing field. Amethyst seems to be well known in Korea too, so if I come across a nice one, I might buy one. Just as a decoration, that is.
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