My advice would be to invest in stocks only recreationally. Do not put your savings or serious investments into single stocks. It is, however, perfectly good to play around with a small amount. You've done the right thing with the mutual funds, and remember, there is no such thing as a sure investment of any kind.
Be careful with gems, as how you buy them indicates the performance you get. With a few exceptions, gems just increase in value at the rate of inflation. Some, however, go down, like blue topaz. Tanzanite has gone way up. But mostly, they track inflation. The big thing, however, is that if you pay retail, you will not be able to sell your gems at a profit for a long time. The markups can be huge. You have to research your sources, and try to buy from primary dealers. I agree with the advice to stick with high end gems as the markup tends to be lower as a percentage.
Capslock