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GEMSTONE EDUCATION

GEMSTONE EDUCATION

Gemstones are beautiful minerals that are used in jewelry. Before they are placed in the jewelry, however, the gemstones must be cut and polished. A precious or semi-precious stone is one that has been cut, polished, and prepared for or set in a piece of jewelry.

4Cs OF GEMSTONES

Gemstone Color (Hue-tone-saturation)

Each natural gemstone has a unique color. To better understand terms and to be able to identify different color parameters, you must focus on three aspects. A single type of gemstone may vary in terms of color intensity, shade, purity, saturation, and tone. The main factors that determine a gemstone's color value are: hue, tone, and saturation.

Hue is the basic or primary color of the gemstone, aligning with one of the standard (rainbow) colors of the color palette. Identifying the hue essentially means placing the gemstone in the grouping of blue, red, green, yellow, etc.

Tone describes the color's intensity. Gemstone hues can vary from light to dark with the most valuable ones being neutral (not too light nor too dark). Nevertheless, some jewelry designs fit better with different tones than others, and every customer has their own personal preferences.

Saturation is the measure of the color's purity. A gemstone with excellent saturation will contain few if any brown or gray hues. Naturally, the purer the color, the more valuable the stone.

Gemstone Cut

A gemstone's quality is determined in large part by the cut. With 18 years' experience in the jewelry business, we embrace gemstones of different cuts to maximize each one's elegance. An excellent cut will emphasize the gemstone's quality, intensifying its color and minimizing visible inclusions while enhancing its overall appearance. We grade cuts in a 4-level system: fair, good, very good, and excellent. Nearly all stones that GLAMIRA acquires are of very good or excellent cut. Gemstone cut is always annotated in the details section of each product.

Gemstone Clarity

Clarity refers to the gemstone's color and interior cleanliness. The fewer inclusions it contains, the better its score and the more valuable the stone will be. Clarity further depends on the type of stone. AAA clarity refers to a very clean stone while AA clarity refers to a semi-clean stone. Some gemstones are graded as AAAA, the highest possible clarity. The clarity of a gemstone is always indicated in the details section of our product pages.

Gemstone Carat Weight (Size)

Carat refers to the weight of the gemstone. Because different types of stone possess differing densities (mass per unit volume), two gems that look visually identical may have different weights. For instance, a diamond is less dense than a ruby, so a 1-carat diamond will look larger than a 1-carat ruby.

PRECIOUS STONES

Emerald

Sapphire

Ruby

Black Diamond

White Sapphire

Emerald

Rich and vivid green stones, the emerald gets its name in a roundabout way from the Greek word, "smaragdos," meaning "green gem." Emerald is one of the four main gemstones alongside diamond, sapphire, and ruby. Emeralds stand out among these for being considerably less hard. Emeralds are graded based on the 4Cs (color, cut, clarity, and carat), but color is their most important aspect. Bright and vivid examples are the most valuable. Clarity is the second most important criterion. Emeralds typically have many inclusions so extremely transparent stones are highly valued. Most modern emeralds are mined in Columbia, Zambia, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, and the United States.

Emeralds are said to be associated with the heart chakra and symbolize successful love. Some believe they bring peace, fidelity, commitment, friendship, loyalty, and compassion. These gemstones have fascinated people since ancient times, becoming the favorite stone of Cleopatra. Indeed, in ancient Egypt it was believed to grant eternal life. Claims of healing powers are the other reason that made emeralds so valuable. They were employed as antidotes to clear the body of poison or toxins and help people recover from infectious diseases. They were also said to help cure ailing hearts, lungs, and eyesight.

Emeralds were considered the stones of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. They're thus associated with love and relationships and are among the best choices for engagement rings. Emerald is also the birthstone of May.

Sapphire

Sapphires come in quite a few different colors and hues, blue being the most popular and the most associated with this precious stone and not coincidentally, its name derives from Latin “sapphirus,’’ meaning blue. One of the hardest stones on earth, - 9.00 on Mohs scale, sapphires are surpassed only by diamonds and moissanites. Among the 4 Cs (color, cut, clarity and carats), determining the value of the sapphires, the color is the most important property. The most valuable sapphires will be of the rich vivid blue color, not too dark and without greyish tinge. These precious stones are found nowadays in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Australia, United States, Madagascar and East Africa.

Many myths and beliefs surround sapphires. Ancient Persians believed that the sky was painted blue to look like the color of sapphires. They remained the main royal gemstones in the modern times, and sapphire is also the gemstone on the engagement ring given to Lady Diana by Prince Charles. Sapphires are believed to soothe anxiety, calm down the nerves, and make the mind clearer. They are associated with the throat chakra, which means that the sapphires might be helpful to understand your inner self. While providing calmer energies, also helps you to concentrate and become more self-motivated. Sapphires are said to have healing powers, helping with indigestion, taking away apathy and lethargy.

Sapphires symbolize commitment, fidelity and pure love, making these precious stones perfect choices for the engagement rings. They are also birthstones of those born in September.

Ruby

One of the 4 main precious stones, along with diamond, sapphire and emerald, ruby takes its name from its color, from the Latin word “rubeus,’’ meaning red. They are closely related to sapphires, as both of these stones are of the corundum family. Rubies are one of the hardest stones, having the hardness of 9.00 on the Mohs scale, yielding only to diamond and moissanite. The value of these gemstones is measured by the 4 Cs like the other gemstones - color, cut, clarity and carats, including their place of origin. The most valuable rubies come in darker rich red color, carrying the name of “pigeon’s blood,” not containing any hues of yellow or blue. Nowadays, rubies can be obtained in Myanmar, Madagascar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Vietnam and the United States.

Since the ancient times, rubies have been called the stones of love and passion, even considered to be aphrodisiacs, attracting sexual activity. They are believed to provide energy and enthusiasm, and fight tiredness and exhaustion. Rubies make the mind clearer, improve concentration and increase motivation. These gemstones are believed to be able to settle arguments, having the power of reconciliation and to protect from evil thoughts. Rubies are said to have healing powers, as they are associated with the heart chakra; they are believed to detoxify the body and blood. They are helpful for the heart; lower fevers and treat restricted blood flow.

Rubies are the birthstones for those born in July and one of the main stones chosen for engagement rings because of their strong symbolism of passion and love. They are traditionally given as a present on the 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries.

Black Diamond

Classified as a precious stone, natural black diamonds are entirely opaque and this is what differs them from most diamonds. They are considered quite valuable since they are stunningly beautiful and considered very precious. They are still however, more affordable in comparison with other colored diamonds.

There are contradictory myths and beliefs when it comes to the black diamonds and what they represent. According to Indian legend, they represent Yama, the god of death. The Italian belief however, is almost in direct opposition, stating that this is the stone of reconciliation - so it is believed the black diamond can help with tying loose ends in a relationship and making it work.

Carat - The carat is the unit of weight by which a diamond is measured. The price difference among different sellers is a result of various reasons, for example, naturally mined black diamonds would be more expensive but still a cheaper alternative than diamonds in another color. The black ones are often harder to polish and that may affect the cut.

Cut - Naturally mined black diamonds do indeed look very rough, so they need to be shaped using various methods, and this process is called cutting or polishing. This is done with the help of a thin toothless circular saw blade and the action of “cutting” is performed by the diamond dust the blade was made of.

Clarity - The clarity of a stone indicates the number of flaws or inclusions present in the diamond, but when it comes to black diamonds, it is not as important as they do not refract light as much as the other diamonds.

Color - Natural black diamonds can be found in the rough with this exact same black color, which results in them being extremely popular, due to the rarity of their color. They owe their color to the graphite which formed in the crystalline structure during the diamond's formation. Naturally, they only come in one color-intensity, Fancy Black.

White Sapphire

Classified as a precious stone, white sapphires can be occasionally used instead of diamonds, not only because of the resemblance or because they are more affordable, but because the hardness of the white sapphire is second only to diamonds. On the Moh’s scale they come a close second with a hardness of 9. In comparison, the diamonds hold a hardness of 10. Given that’s the case, this gemstone is durable and well suited for jewelry making.

According to the popular beliefs, this gemstone brings wisdom and strength of spirit, encourages unleashing one’s own talents and potential while inspiring the individual to live with integrity; staying true to their own ideals. But also, the white sapphire is suitable for a promise between lovers, as it symbolizes those who had to give up everything for each other and in addition, discourages jealousy in the earlier stages of the partnership or marriage.

Carat - There is a difference between the diamonds and the sapphires in general, when it comes to the carat. They both may be the same carat but they will weigh different, the sapphire being the heavier one. It is recommended that when in doubt which carat you should choose for a white sapphire, you consider its size in millimeters.

Cut - Unlike diamonds, the white sapphires need to be cut in a custom way, so the uniqueness of the stone can be brought out. Every jeweler will set their own standard when it comes to sapphire cuts, and they will aim to focus on the color of the stone to ensure the quality, as there is no standard “ideal cut” set for sapphires in general.

Clarity - Similar to others, there is a difference when comparing clarity between a white sapphire and a diamond. Due to the fact sapphires come from an environment rich with trace minerals, which can easily affect the gemstone itself, it is accepted that all sapphires will have some inclusions. Eye-clean white sapphires are extremely rare.

Color - it is not very common for a sapphire to be white and white sapphires of good quality are even rarer. These stones are referred to as “colorless.” Some of the white sapphires do come with a very pale tint of blue, pink or yellow.