Hi. Over the years I've built a small collection of jewelry that I'd like to gift to my daughter when she gets older. I started with just a sapphire birth stone ring and it kind of snowballed from there. I believe I have 14 rings and 5 bracelets now, all gold and containing gemstones. Most were purchased online from sellers on Etsy or Ebay and some from Goodwill. Based on their ratings and comments they all appear to be reputable. A few came with appraisals and some with photos showing their readout on a Presidium tester. Most pieces cost me between $300 and $700 each. I've gotten more interested in trying to assure myself that the stones are real and natural. The more I read about this topic the more challenging it appears to me. It isn't really cost effective for me to have them appraised. Every piece has multiple stones. I have a jewelers loop, UV light and a microscope with camera to look at inclusions. However, it seems that many of the other tools/tests recommended in forums really only lend themselves to loose stones. I was banking on a Presidium color gem tester but not after reading Barbra's comments about that. How do people test stones that are mounted in jewelry? And can I make any assumptions about certain gems? For instance, I assume higher value gems like diamonds, emeralds and rubies could be synthetic but what about my amethyst and green tourmaline rings - are they 'faking' those as well or is that most unlikely? Thanks!

Yes, forget about the Presidium testers.
Have you considered joining a gem and mineral club in your area. In most cases, heir members are very willing to help.

See if you can find a close one here:
https://the-vug.com/rock-and-gem-clubs/
Good luck.

Thank you. I just joined one.