James understands how much of a crazy gemstone lover I am. He was incredibly patient with me as I took my time browsing the Yamanashi Gem Museum’s decent rock collection. They have a lot of shiny jewellery pieces on display, but I was most interested in their raw, roughly cut stones. I don’t care much for over-polished, “brilliant cut” jewels because they all start to look the same (or at least aim to look similar) once they undergo that process – the same refraction, the same transparency, the same sort of colour, the same sheen. At least in their more natural forms, gemstones retain their individual character and beauty. Well, that’s what I think anyway. Continue reading “Glittering Rocks & Snazzy Geodes @ Yamanashi Gem Museum, Kawaguchiko”