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Gemstones Buying Guide

People have ornamented themselves with gemstones  for thousands of years. For all of our technological advances, we're still pretty hung up on sparkly rocks! Whether you believe that gemstones and crystals  have powerful vibrations that can affect your mind, or you just like the way your amethyst necklace  looks with your favorite jeans, shopping for gemstones is fun for all ages. Men and women alike can appreciate a beautiful and natural creation. Buying gemstones can be a bit overwhelming since there are so many choices and colors out there. Below is a general guide to buying gemstones no matter what you are looking for; keep in mind that various cuts and styles are available in most stones.

 

 

 

"Precious" Stones

Recently the term "semi-precious" has fallen out of favor with geologists. Now, all gemstones are referred to as "precious stones." Traditionally, however, precious stones meant five stones in particular, which are listed below. Today, the abundance of amethyst sets it apart price-wise from the other four.

 

Diamonds

  • Usually clear, but some may be yellow,  blue,  or pink.  Diamonds with good-quality colors are called "fancy" diamonds and are very expensive.
  • Are traditionally used for engagement  or wedding rings. 

Sapphires 

  • Are usually blue but may lean towards a green or purple tint; they can also be clear (white ), yellow,  orange,  pink,  brown  or black. 
  • The padparadscha  is a rare, prized pink and orange variation.
  • Star sapphires,  like the Star of India,  have a star-shaped inclusion and are usually polished into cabochons (see more about those below).

Rubies 

  • Vary from an orange-red to a purple-red and all are valuable.
  • Garnets are generally distinguished by a deep red color closer to that of a pomegranate and are less valuable than rubies.

Emeralds 

  • These are typically green stones when they are of premium quality.
  • Stones of lesser value range in hue from yellow-green to blue-green.
  • Emeralds are among the most fragile of the precious gemstones.

Amethysts 

  • Range from light lilac to deep purple.
  • Deep purple varieties are the most valuable.
  • Amethyst is a type of quartz, one of the most common minerals around. You can often find raw amethyst crystal  in gem shops.

Colorful Gemstones

Precious stones are not limited to the five featured above--they come in every color of the rainbow! To help you find what you're looking for more easily, stones in this section are grouped by color.

Clear/White Stones

Moissanite  is a clear, synthetic diamond substitute.

Cubic Zirconia  is another clear synthetic diamond substitute.

Rock Crystal  is a clear quartz.

Milky Quartz  is a translucent white quartz.

Moonstone  is colored white to faint green.

Red/Pink Stones

Rose Quartz  is a pale to transparent pink.

Strawberry Quartz  is translucent Fuchsia to scarlet.

Jasper  is an opaque, rusty red, sometimes streaked with other colors.

Carnelian  is translucent red to reddish orange.

Garnet  is a dark, deep red -- the color of pomegranate juice.

Yellow/Green Stones

Yellow Topaz  is a light, clear golden yellow, like chicken soup.

Citrine  is a deeper amber-yellow.

Cat's Eye  is a deep green or yellow, sometimes with a striped inclusion.

Peridot  is a light, clear lime green.

Jade  ranges from forest green to aqua, often with white inclusions.

Blue Stones

White Opal , although called white, usually appears pale blue with colorful, iridescent inclusions.

Aquamarine  is summer-sky blue.

Blue Topaz  is a slightly deeper blue, like the waters of the Caribbean.

Turquoise  is opaque and comes in various shades of green-blue.

Tanzanite  is a medium blue-periwinkle shade.

Iolite  is an unusual, clear bluish purple stone.

Lapis Lazuli  is a deep, opaque royal blue with golden flecks.

Alexandrite  is deep blue-purple; the wine-dark sea.

Brown Stones

Agate  is a translucent banded stone in several colors; blue lace agate  is also popular.

Tiger's Eye  is a banded, shimmering golden-brown, like its namesake.

Tourmaline  is translucent and sometimes dichroic; available in a wide variety of colors.

Smoky Quartz  is a clear, leather-dark brown.

Black Stones

Hematite  is a shiny, almost metallic grey-black.

Snowflake obsidian  is shiny black with white "snowflake" inclusions.

Onyx  is deep black and usually more matte than obsidian; light seems to disappear into it.

Organic Gemstones

Several of the most popular gemstones are created by plants or animals rather than by the earth alone. These stones are known collectively as organic gemstones,  but this is where the similarities end. Each is formed by a unique process. The most popular organic gemstones are pearls, amber, jet, coral and ammiolite. Fossilized bones or ivory  may also be made into jewelry, along with teeth and claws of various animals, but these are not considered gemstones.One thing all organic gemstones have in common (except for jet, which is relatively hard) is that they are soft, delicate, and easily scratched. You should never put any of these gems into an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner ; use only a damp cloth followed by a dry cloth to clean them. Store them away from anything that might scratch them. Pearls and jet beads should be strung with a knot between each bead; if you wear them often, have them restrung yearly.

Pearls 

Pearls are formed by oysters or other mollusks. The animal deposits layers of nacre, or mother of pearl, when it is irritated by a small particle. Natural pearls are very rare and very valuable; cultured pearls vary in value depending on the type of pearl. The most common types are akoya  (white with rosy overtones), South Sea  (deep golden color), Tahitian  (black or gray), and freshwater  (any color, many shapes). Freshwater pearls are the least expensive; akoya are the most expensive, particularly for large pearls.

Amber 

Amber is the fossilized resin of a coniferous tree. It is lightweight and usually a honey yellow or golden brown color. You can also find amber in green, blue, white, red and yellow. It can be cloudy or clear; clear pieces often have visible inclusions such as pieces of leaves, flowers, or even insects. The best amber is Baltic amber ; it is between 40 and 60 million years old and is usually of excellent quality. Amber can be easily imitated with glass or plastic. True amber has a negative electric charge and will always feel warm to the touch.Amber is very soft and scratches easily, so take good care of your amber and store it away from other stones.

Coral 

Coral used in jewelry is usually red or red-orange, although it can also be black or pink. It is not fossilized; coral is made of the skeletons of thousands of tiny creatures. It is primarily composed of calcium carbonate, the same compound found in pearls. The red color comes from other trace chemicals.Coral has been used in jewelry for thousands of years and is especially valued in India. Most beads are small, since it takes a long time for a coral to grow. Pure red fire coral is the most expensive and the rarest; other types are still fairly pricey since coral is not easy to grow.

Jet 

Jet is primarily composed of fossilized, decomposed remains of prehistoric plants. It is coal that has gone to the next level; it is harder and shinier but nowhere close to being a diamond. It has been used in jewelry for over 10,000 years. Jet was especially popular during the late Victorian era, as Queen Victoria adopted it as part of her mourning garb. It was the stone of choice for flapper girls, who wore long strands of jet beads. Although it has declined in popularity, jet jewelry can still be found for sale. Additionally, jet has permanently contributed the phrase "jet-black" to our lexicon, even if most people are not familiar with the source material.

Ammolite 

Ammolite is made of fossilized mother-of-pearl from extinct nautilus-like creatures called Ammonites. Its beautiful, opal-like play of colors make it a valuable gemstone for jewelry.Since it was only recently discovered, there is little standardization in grading ammolite; quality is therefore more subjective than with many other gemstones. Good quality ammolite has bright colors and strong iridescence.Ammolite is extremely rare and very difficult to process; even a small amount may be expensive. Ammolite is also very soft and easily damaged; it is frequently prepared with protective coverings and backings. Always protect ammolite jewelry as you would any other organic jewelry; keep it away from anything that might scratch it.

"The Four Cs"

Just like with diamonds, you're still judging your stones based on color, cut, clarity, and carat.

Cut (and Shape)

Don't know what shape to get? The same shapes that are used for diamonds can be found in other gemstones as well. Non-diamond gemstones have another shape available to them: the cabochon.A cabochon  is a stone that has been polished but not cut. (That is, it doesn't have facets.) Cabochons are frequently domed stones. They often have flat backs set in rings or pendants. Although usually used for opaque stones, a few of the translucent stones, especially members of the quartz family and amber, also look good as cabochons. Star sapphires must be polished as cabochons to make the asterism visible, and amber is often polished to show off any interesting inclusions.

Color

  • Color is another value-inducing factor of a gemstone. It is not the color itself that matters, but the quality of the color, including hue, tone (lightness or darkness), and saturation (purity).
  • To accurately judge the hue of a gemstone, look at it in bright light against both black and white backgrounds. You want the gemstone to be even in hue without any cloudiness or brown or gray spots. The center should not look pale or washed out in any way.
  • Ideally, a quality gem will be darker rather than lighter, but it should not be darker than medium dark. Sometimes gemstone manufacturers use heat treatment to intensify or change the color of a gemstone. This will decrease its value and cost.

Clarity

  • As with diamonds, clarity is measured on a scale of VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3, with VVS1 being flawless and I3 being badly flawed.
  • Spots, cracks, and inclusions (flaws) are all negative factors of clarity.
  • Clarity and transparency is often fixed by oils, resins, and chemicals used by gemstone manufacturers.
  • Some gemstones are more likely to possess and show flaws than others. Gemstone.org will tell you more about your stone of choice.

Carat

  • Most gemstone weights are measured in carats.
  • Keep in mind that because of the different densities of different stones, a carat of one might not be the same diameter as a carat of another.
  • When comparing many stones, use the length and width or the diameter (depending on the shape) to figure out the size of the stone.

What Else Should I Know?

Natural or Genuine?

A sapphire.

  • Natural gemstones are considered those that have been taken from the ground and brought to the store cut and polished without undergoing any other alterations.
  • Genuine gemstones may have been treated.
  • Natural and genuine gemstones are considered to be most valuable.

Synthetic

Two kinds of synthetic gemstones exist. They have been manufactured in labs and claim to hold up longer, however some can cloud prematurely. These are not as valuable as natural or genuine gemstones, but they are an affordable alternative.

  • Some are made to look like another stone but do not have the same physical or chemical properties.
    • Cubic zirconia and moissanite are diamond look-alikes, but lack diamond's properties.
    • Synthetic amber is made of a plastic resin. (But amber isn't all that expensive most of the time anyway.)
    • Some jewelry may use colored crystal, glass, or even plastic to imitate gemstones.
  • Some are identical in chemical makeup to the stone they imitate.
    • Synthetic emeralds, rubies and sapphires are nearly physically and chemically identical to natural stones.
    • Synthetic carborundums (the type of mineral including rubies and sapphires) are very common and inexpensive.
    • Cultured pearls are not as expensive as natural pearls and are made using oyster colonies in a lab.
    • Most citrine is made by treating other forms of quartz.
    • Blue topaz is made by irradiating yellow topaz.

Gemstone Jewelry

Now that you REALLY know your gemstones, check out a few of the colorful rings below that make for great pieces of jewelry!

Rock Candy Peridot 3-Stone Ring 

Paolo Inspired Ring 

Rock Candy Lavender 3-Stone Ring 

Related Guides

External Links

  • Wikipedia.org: This article includes a list of the most popular gemstones and some rare stones.
  • GemstoneMeanings.com: Not only meanings but alternative lists of birthstones and lots of shopping links.
  • AMNH.com: Discusses the American Museum of Natural History's hall of gems.
  • Dixonil.com: Building a colored gemstone wardrobe.
  • AstroJewelry.com: Interesting info for those who believe in astrology and the power of gem stones.
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