WHY ARE UNCUT EMERALDS WORTHLESS??

I know very little about gems, but
I always thought emeralds, rubies etc.
were regarded as precious stones and
quite valuable. Then I see online where
people will sell emeralds, rubies etc.
for a few dollars each. They say these are
from mines and "uncut". What am I missing
here? Does it cost a lot to cut and polish
them and prepare them for the market? Thanks.

"wyatt wyatt" wrote in message
...
I know very little about gems, but
I always thought emeralds, rubies etc.
were regarded as precious stones and
quite valuable. Then I see online where
people will sell emeralds, rubies etc.
for a few dollars each. They say these are
from mines and "uncut". What am I missing
here? Does it cost a lot to cut and polish
them and prepare them for the market? Thanks.

Its what you call "mine run". Lots of rough rock including dirt and grit
with only a small chance of finding a valuable gem. Still nice material to
cut though, cheap tumbled/cabbed stones for cheap jewellery or bead strands.
Tumble polishing is best done on this material first to see what you've got.
Mostly of low quality but you could find 1 or 2 good gem grade pieces that
will pay for the parcel.