I *think* I did my math right. Basically I was trying to figure out which cut is most profitable at different gem values. Here's a simple guide I made. Feel free to check my math. The numbers I used are based off of info from the Prima Guide.

This is useful for when you have unlocked all of the gem cuts.

If your gem is originally worth 40 and below - do not cut your gems
No Emerald cuts
41 through 60 = Oval cut
No Pear cut
61 through 83 = Plumbob cut
No Marquis cut
84 through 166= Crystalball cut
167 through 499 = Brilliant cut
500 and above = Heart cut

Also, only smelt Gold, Palladium, and Plutonium. Iron and Silver are always worth less than the $40 smelting fee.

Hope this helps!

I love the crystall ball cut; it makes really nice decoration. I usually cut my gems in that shape if they are of any value, otherwise I just sell them without cutting.

Blue topaz, Smoky Quartz, Rubies, and Emeralds are always worth less than 40 so unless you just want them for decoration, sell them.

This little cheat sheet is only profit based, since I have a Sim whose existence relies on things she finds/grows/fishes up! She doesn't have any gems in her home, they get sold right away.

But I agree, they do make very pretty decorations. It's a fun addition from the other sims games.

Where do you sell them at? I have a coffee table full of them and another full of gold and silver bars.

You just drag them to the sell box in your personal inventory.

I just go into buy mode and click on them and delete them - that pays you their worth

how do you get different cuts? I only get emerald cut

You'll get more after Emerald. You have to cut 4 Emerald gems before Oval is unlocked.

Oval - after 4 cuts total
Pear - after 8 cuts total
Plumbbob - after 16
Marquis - after 30
Crystalball- after 45
Brilliant - after 60
Heart - after you've found all types of gems. I don't even have this unlocked yet and I've spent hours and hours gathering. Just unlucky I suppose!

While the lower value gems may not sell for much, if you haven't unlocked the other cuts for that sim (because it is per sim) I am having them send off the cheap ones to build that up. Once I get the higher cuts then I will send off the really nice gems

That's exactly what I did. I was sending off worthless Blue ones because unlocking the high cuts is very profitable so you'll pretty quickly make your money back. I have some Rainbow gems I'm holding onto right now for when I get the Heart cut unlocked.

COOL! Thank you for the info! I was wondering what the scale up in levels was. *gleefully leaps off to gather yet more*

Glad to help It's addicting, haha. It's like a game in itself.

Thanks for the info! I had no idea the whole gem part of the play was so extensive.

Okay , going to ask a newbie question!!! ^_^ Havent gotten used to all the aspects of the game... I read this thread, and tried looking in the strategy guide for info about the Gems etc... didnt see anything o.O;;;

so thought I would ask a silly question, and ask if anyone can explain this part of the game to me XD lol, how/where do i find gems ? o.O; where do i take them to get cut?

and while i'm at it, if its any easier is there a link/website/strategy guide page reference anyone knows of that can share so i can go look up a bit myself?

They're all over on the ground. They have set spawn locations, so once you find one somewhere, if you come back later you can find more. They tend to be near big rocks and stuff. In Sunset Valley there are some along the beach, particularly near the cliffs by the big houses (the Crumplebottoms etc). And there are always some by the graveyard and by the fishing pools.

The collection helper lifetime reward helps a LOT in getting to know their spawn points.

In the Prima strategy guide there's a bunch of info as well as a map of Sunset Valley with some big gem spawn points on pages 192-197.

You get them cut by clicking on them in your inventory. Your Sim will just go to the mailbox and you'll have them back when the mail person comes the next morning.

If there's anything else you specifically want to know, feel free to ask. I'm no expert but I'll help as best I can

Heavenzdvl987..... Thank you so much for the info!!! ^_^ lol I had no idea about that part of the game! ^_^ I'll take a look at the areas you mentioned, and reference back to those pages in the strategy guide =) thanks!

Any cheats for getting gems without needing to search the whole town?

No cheats that I know of, The Simmer, but if you save up enough happiness points for the Collection Helper (it's one of the more expensive items, I think about 35,000) then you get markers on the map which direct you to where gems, butterflies, bugs and fish are. It's a very useful item.

I just use that with the game paused. I've collected enough I roughly know which upper left icons are worth having my Sim collect and which aren't (blue gem = no thanks), so I just search the town myself. Yes, it's a bit tedious, but certainly less time consuming than waiting for 1 in game hour for my Sim to drive to wherever and then run on foot for half an hour down the beach :P

Does anyone have a list of ALL the diff gem types? The only one that i have found so ffarr that i would consider "rare" Is the pink Diamond.

There are:

Blue Topaz
Smoky Quartz
Ruby
Emerald
Diamond
Luminorous Gem
Yellow Sapphire
Tanzanite
Rainbow Gem
Pink Diamond

I think this is all of them. The only one I haven't found any of yet is the pink diamond, and I have only found 2 rainbow gems.

I found a bunch of rainbow gems from exploring the catacombs, myself.

Woo, thanks for the bumps
and maven is right, I believe those are all the gems. The Prima Guide has the wrong info - for instance, it says Aqua instead of Blue. I guess that got changed last minute.

Isn't the Prima Guide so reknowned for being obsolete on the day of publishing that it's become a running community joke?

True. And I can't believe it still doesn't have an index. C'mon now, I don't think any of us really think it's fun to spend <5 minutes every time we want to look something in particular up. And who really reads the thing cover to cover?