Quick Guide to Popular and Precious Gemstones

Alexandrite - this is a beautiful gemstone named after a Russian czar. The gemstone is a basic crysoberyl type, and is best noted for it's color changing properties depending on the shade of light it is exposed to. Alexandrite shifts between greenish to blue, to purple and even crimson hues. It is this very color-changing property that makes it one of the most valuable gemstones around.

Amber - formed from fossilized tree sap, amber is best known for it's soft yellow golden hue, which is distinctly different from other yellow-colored gem stones because it diffuses light into a much softer shade of gold than other yellow gemstones, which tend to intensify and sparkle instead. The fact that it is fossilized liquid makes finding unflawed pieces with no bubbles or cracks in the gemstone much rarer and more valuable.

Amethyst - the most famous type of purple gemstone, amethyst's color is a very light shade of purple that captures light inside the gem's facets. The color of amethyst is often semi-transparent as opposed to other purple gemstones which are darker and more opaque. It is this crystalline clarity and beauty which makes amethysts sought after by certain collectors.

Chalcedony - also known as agate, chalcedony is a form of quartz crystal which is composed of several different strains of quartz fused together in parallel layers. This tends to make the gems multi-colored, and the effect is like looking at a rainbow if the different layers of quartz are of varied colors and types. Quartz mines which hold different deposits of quartz types are ideal places to dig for this, and it is the rarest form of quartz gemstone around.

Diamond - composed mostly of superheated and compressed carbon, diamond is the hardest known substance in nature, and it's basic color once polished and cut is completely transparent. Diamonds are perhaps the most famous and valuable of the different types of gemstones because of its pure clarity and the enduring quality of the gemstones. Much romanticism surrounds diamonds because of these features and they are most sought after for wedding rings as a symbol of love's eternity.

Emerald - this is the most well known type of green colored gem stone. They are beryllium-based in chemical composition, sharing this element with several equally well known gemstones like rubies and sapphires. An emerald's shade of green is unique and quite a few ancient civilizations regard this as a holy or mythic stone. More often than not, emerald gemstones are cut into simple square or circular shapes, with few variations.

Garnet - this is a stone whose basic color is red. The most famous red gemstone remains the ruby, yet the garnet's distinguishing factor is that it's shade of red actually approaches crimson. For this reason, some people refer to it as a "bloodstone". A very rare type of garnet however is the "fire garnet", whose color is a brighter orange instead of a deep crimson. This is more expensive than regular garnets.

Jadeite - this is a form of jade that is rarer than the more common form, nephrite. While both are green colored, jadeite is semi transparent, making it more closely resemble "regular" gemstones than it's cousin nephrite. The purity of jadeite is higher than nephrite, and it's crystal density is higher, but it tends to naturally form in smaller pieces as a result and is much harder to work with than nephrite, which can be carved like stone.

Lapis Lazuli - this is a relatively soft type of gemstone which can be carved into a variety of shapes. What makes this particular gemstone unique is that it's color is a deep night-sky blue, but the gemstones are always flecked with small fool's-gold (pyrite) traces which gives the gem the appearance of a night sky dotted with golden stars.

Moonstone - this gemstone's fame comes mostly from it's mysticism and it's decidedly "feminine" gearing. As gemstones go, it's actual worth isn't very high, but it remains popular nonetheless. Moonstones are opaque, white-silver stones that under moonlight appear exactly the same shade as the moon in the sky. Naturally, this feature is what gave rise to it's historic popularity.

Nephrite - when people refer to jade, they often mean nephrite. This material is a bright opaque green, and it's physical quality compared to another form of jade, jadeite, is softer and more malleable. Large pieces of nephrite are easier to find than jadeite, and aside from jewelry this gemstone occurs naturally in pieces large enough to carve into small figurines and statues. Smaller pieces are carved into entire pieces of jewelry like bracelets and brooches.

Opal - these are completely opaque quartz crystals which, like chalcedony, displays a multitude of colors at the same time. The biggest difference between the two is that chalcedony's color patterns are often set parallel to each other, and chalcedony stones themselves are semi transparent. Opals are completely opaque, and the splash of colors are random and haphazard throughout the surface of the gem.

Pearl - these are organic gems which naturally occur in oysters. They are often rendered in an opaque whitish sheen that refracts light, making small rainbows play across the surface of a well-cut and polished pearl. Tons of myths surround pearls, and being reaped from the sea they figure prominently in almost every sea-faring culture's stories. Especially pirates. I don't know why, but pirates ALWAYS hoard them in stories. Go figure...

Peridot - this gemstone is perhaps best known for only one thing: simplicity. Unlike other gemstones, which can come in quite a variety of colors, peridots are uniformly a green-gold shade. Period. They are silicate-based gemstones, and traces of iron in the gems give it a gold hue. There are NO variations of opacity, color traces, or shade variations in peridots no matter what part of the world they come from.

Ruby - along with the emerald and sapphire, this red stone is one of the oldest and most famous types of gemstone for collectors. It's shade of red is actually rather bright and the stone itself is semi transparent instead of opaque. It is a type of gemstone called corundum, and is second only to the diamond in toughness among the world's gemstones. Next to diamond, it is also perhaps the most expensive type of gemstone around.

Sapphire - like the ruby, this is a corundum type of gem, making it much harder and more enduring than other types of gems. Traditionally sapphires are best known for being a vivid crystalline blue in color, though what few people know is that sapphires can come in a variety of colors including green, yellow, and orange. The real definition behind this is that corundums will almost always be RUBIES if they're red, and sapphires if they're any other color. Strange logic there, but that's how it's defined by a lot of gem collectors.

Turquoise - this stone can easily be likened to nephrite for two things: one, it's considerably softer than other gemstones, making it easier to work with, and two, it is opaque. Turquoise come in shades of sky blue with just a hint of green, and while it technically a stone the colors actually come from metals in the mineral - namely copper and iron traces. These metallic traces are the main reason for the stone's opacity and malleability.

Topaz - this gemstone is an aluminum silicate based gemstone and is primarily a rich yellow gold in color. The stone is semi transparent and is one of the harder and more enduring gemstones around. If the ruby "defines" red, the sapphire "defines" blue, and the emerald "defines" green for other gemstones, the topaz is the gemstone that sets the standards followed by other yellow colored gemstones.

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A Guide to Buying Jewelry

Even the most affordable pieces of jewelry are still costlier than most of the everyday things we purchase. Furthermore, its easy for people with untrained eyes to be fooled into paying a lot for fake jewelry. Use the tips below to ensure you're making the smart and the right investment when buying jewelry pieces.

How to Buy Gold Jewelry

Gold is one of the most commonly used materials for jewelry. And as gold jewelry doesn't discolor like silver does, they are ideal for people with allergy concerns. Because of its malleability, gold is mixed with other metals to improve its durability and structure. That's why even 24K gold isn't really made purely of gold.

Gold jewelry is measured by its karat or the amount of gold it contains. 24K gold is the highest karat amount you can look for. The next would be 18K, 14K, 12K, and 10K. Any gold jewelry with a rating lower than 10K is no longer considered gold jewelry. In Europe, the karat rating is shown in percentage. 18K would be .750 because it contains 75% gold. 14K would be .583, 12K would be .500.

How to Buy Jewelry Made of Silver, Platinum, and Other Metals

Other metals beside gold are also used to make jewelry. Platinum is one good example and today's market prices it even more expensively than gold. Platinum jewelry is also rated according to its platinum content.

92.5% is the highest rating provided for silver or sterling silver jewelry pieces; it signifies the amount of silver used in the jewelries. Other metals commonly used for jewelry are pewter and vermeil.

How to Buy Gemstone Jewelry

There are two primary types of gemstones: natural and artificial. Natural gemstones are more expensive. Artificial, company-created, or synthetic gemstones are made in the laboratory.

The size and weight are important when buying gemstones. A 1-carat gemstone will weigh 50 points or 1/5th of a gram. At times, gemstones are subjected to certain treatments to change or improve their durability or appearance. The laws require jewelry makers to label their items clearly if they had been treated in any way. In most cases, treated jewelry pieces are less costly than untreated ones.

Commonly used treatments today include bleaching, dyeing, diffusion, fracture filling, impregnating, irradiation, and heating. Bleaching is used to whiten pearls, jades, and other similar stones. Dyeing, diffusion, heating, and irradiation mostly have to do with improving the color of gemstones. Impregnating and fracture filling, on the other hand, make flaws of gemstones less visible.

Gemstones are also appraised according to the same 4C’s used for appraising diamonds, and they are cut, color, clarity, and, which has been previously discussed, carat weight.

Darker gemstones aren't always better. Sapphire that's too dark could have its bluish shade ending up appearing black, and this is considered undesirable by many. Its best to view the color of gemstones at all light levels to judge it more accurately. Ultimately, look for vividness and brightness in colored gemstones.

Clarity refers to the absence of flaws in a gemstone. Imperfections, or inclusions as they're called, are sometimes used to as birthmarks because they indicate the gemstones origins. Other times, they actually increase the value of the gemstone, such as it is in the case of stars in star rubies and sapphires.

Cut doesn't necessarily make a gemstone more expensive, but it could enhance or detract from its appearance.

Gemstones can be classified into several categories. Traditional gemstones are made up of emerald, blue sapphire, and ruby. They were originally called precious gemstones and with the rest merely delegated to semi-precious category. Most of the time, rubies and emeralds are more expensive than sapphires because of their rarity.

New classics refer to currently fashionable gemstones, those on the rise in the industry like aquamarine and tourmaline. Connoisseur gemstones refer to those that are hard to find like alexandrite, a rare pinkish stone, sapphires that have other colors than blue, and black opal.

Collectors gems are rare but affordable and of great beauty like morganite and zircon. Lastly, affordable gemstones are those with high quantity in the market, affordably priced, but with excellent overall value such as amethyst and blue topaz.

How to Buy Pearl Jewelry

Pearls may be natural, cultured (naturally grown but with human intervention), or synthetic. Artificial or synthetic pearls are man-made and produced using plastic, glass, or other similar materials. Pearls are judged according to the skin, luster, shape, and size. Skin refers to the absence of blemishes, luster is an exclusive quality of pearls, referring to its surface glow, and shape places preferences for the most perfect spheres for pearls.

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Price Value of Color in Gemstones

Gemstones may come in a rainbow of colors, but the jewelry industry uses a universally defined system to grade it. Color accompanies clarity, cut, and carat weight to make up the 4C's and can greatly affect the aesthetic value of gemstones. Many people mistakenly believe that darker is always better, but what they should truly be looking for is brightness and vividness. Use the following tips to accurately evaluate the color of gemstones by yourself.

Evaluating Color of Gemstones by Using the GIA or Munsell Color Grading System

Although there are many and equally effective color grading systems in use today, the GIA or Munsell system is a good primer to start with. It utilizes a plastic set made up of 324 color pieces to serve as standard references. If a certain color is found missing from the system, interpolation can be performed to come up with more than 760 additional shades.

The GIA or Munsell system is made ideal for judging the color of gemstones because they are built with 3D plastic pieces that resemble faceted gemstones.

Elements of Color

The color of gemstones should be judged according to the three main elements:

Hue This is the first impression we obtain from viewing colors. It is what makes rubies red, sapphires blue, emeralds green, and amethysts purple. Hues have a natural order and they are red, yellow, green, blue, and lastly purple. Numerous shades can be achieved by mixing together any two of these hues.

Chroma or Saturation This element refers to the vividness, purity, strength, or intensity of a given color. Gemstones with low chroma are referred to as weak while those with high levels of saturation are called vivid or strong. Saturation of colored gemstones may be classified as the following in ascending order: grayish or brownish, slightly brownish or grayish, very slightly grayish or brownish, moderately strong, strong, and lastly vivid.

Value or Tone This is what makes you think of red as light or dark red. Gray as well as black and white are referred to as neutral or achromatic colors because they don't possess any hue. Colors with hues are referred to as achromatic colors. GIA uses a numerical system, with its written definitions, to evaluate neutral and achromatic colors alike. For transparent colored gemstones, however, only grades or tones two to eight are considered.

0 colorless or white

1 extremely light

2 very light

3 light

4 medium light

5 medium

6 medium dark

7 dark

8 very dark

Treatments Used for Changing Colors of Gemstones

When shopping for colored gemstones, another question you should definitely ask and one you couldn't evaluate without a definite honest answer is if the color is natural or applied. There are several commonly used and accepted color treatments that are applied to gemstones in order to change their appearance like heat treatment, irradiation, dyeing, and straining.

Heat Treatment This is the most commonly utilized and one of the oldest treatments for modifying the color of gemstones today. This treatment may use temperature ranging from 100 degrees Celsius to more than 2000 degrees Celsius and improves color distribution as well as reducing visibility of flaws.

Irradiation Low or high electromagnetic waves or energy particles are used to change the color of a given gemstone. Like heat treatment, there is little remaining evidence that could clue a buyer to its use.

With irradiation, certain gemstones have their colors enhanced. Bleached, off-color pearls will obtain a darker tint. Brown or light yellow diamonds can become colored. Light yellow or colorless sapphires may turn yellow to orange, but the change could only last for days. Colorless quartz may turn into smoky quartz. Colorless as well as pale pink and dark blue beryl may become yellow or maxixe-type respectively. Time, light, and heat may, however, cause the color for treated beryl jewelry to fade.

Dyeing and Straining This is the major term used to refer to various techniques utilizing a foreign and differently colored substance to modify the color of a given gemstone. A combination of techniques, like dyeing and clarity enhancement for beryl, may be used to improve overall effects. In coating, the application of a second substance is only done on the surface.

Practice makes perfect so browse jewelry shops to familiarize yourself with the various signs that could alert you to the use of applications and treatments on gemstones.

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