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Step 1
Work with a jeweler whose character you trust. Since virtually all gemstones are treated, the opportunity for deception is great-- you want to be dealing with someone you can depend on. If something about the experience is off-putting, leave.
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Step 2
Learn about lab-created and treated stones. Ask jewelers if a naturally mined stone has been treated--heated, bleached, coated or dyed to improve the look or durability. Some treatments can weaken a stone and lower its price.
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Step 3
Keep your eyes open for imitations, generally made of glass or plastic. Jewelers will tell you what's what.
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Step 4
Apply the four Cs to buying gemstones just as you would to purchasing diamonds (see How to Buy a Diamond). Gemstones, however, don't carry letter grades for guidance; a trustworthy jeweler will show you how to be discerning.
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Step 5
Shop around. Numerous companies operate in the field of colored gems, so prices fluctuate far more widely than those of diamonds, and it pays to watch them over time. A one-carat ruby, for instance, can vary enormously in cost--and may be just as expensive as a diamond. And gems over three carats in size leap up in price because they are rare. Color--shade and saturation (whether the color is dull or intense)--also greatly affects price. Clarity is also important (the gem should have few flaws or inclusions), as is a perfect, light-reflecting faceted cut.
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Step 6
Check the store's return and refund policy before finalizing your purchase.
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Step 7
Make sure your receipt details all the stone's specifications including its weight and size. Ask for a grading report, and check that the receipt specifies whether the stone is a natural gem, lab-created or treated stone.
Comments
JasneJ said
on 4/4/2008 MISLEADING INFORMATION:
Step 4:
Re:"Apply the four Cs to buying gemstones just as you would to purchasing diamonds (see How to Buy a Diamond). Gemstones, however, don't carry letter grades for guidance; a trustworthy jeweler will show you how to be discerning"
Colored Gemstones DO CARRY HAVE COLOR GRADES. Sapphires, Eneralds, and Rubies have numerical values for grading all jewelers recognize. AND, COLOR always trumps cut and clarity when evaluating a colored gemstone. Take a look at the GIA website for FACTUAL colored gemstone information.
Anonymous said
on 12/28/2005 I have been purchasing colored gemstones for a number of years. I have discovered a number of interesting ideas that I can share:
1) Sometimes it pays to go off the beaten track. As for green gemstones, tsavorite (a fairly recent gemstone, and a variety of green garnet) can sometimes compare very favorably to emeralds both in appearance and durability, though the price is much lower. And red spinels are often better buys than rubies (it is a little known fact that the timor ruby is a huge red spinel).
2) Before buying lesser known gemstones, do your research. Consider the following attributes before deciding on having custom jewelry made with the stone:
a) Hardness. The higher the hardness, the more scratch-resistant the stone is. Soft stones, like sunstone, will wear down faster than hard stones, like sapphire or diamond.
b) Toughness. The more tough a stone is, the more fracture resistant it is. Hard, tough stones, such as jade, agate, carnelian, or chrysoprase can be far more exposed than more fragile stones such as kunzite (which is both soft and fragile).
Also: take into account that different stones have different optical properties. So for example, diamonds have a very high refractive index, and zircons have a very high dispersal (meaning color separation), so although diamonds glitter more, zircons show more color when they do.
Finally beware of sound alike names. Cubic zirconia and zircon are very different. The latter is a natural stone once among the most valuable gems, while the former is an inexpensive artificial diamond substitute.
Once you have your gemstones, study them using a bright point light source. Do not use the sun as high clouds or changing seasons can create different effects. Use this to continue to study your gems. Do not trust the light in jewelry stores, even if you trust the jeweler. Keep a record of your gems and grade the cut yourself based on your evaluation in light that you control.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Kunzite, Information and Interesting Facts.
The gemstone Kunzite was named after it's founder G.F Kunz in 1902. First occurrence of the gem stone were recorded around 1877.
Kunzite gemstones are normally pale pink (lilac) and can sometimes be seen in darker shades of pink and even with a tinge of purple color. The scientific name of this mineral is spodumene and the color of Kunzite
is derived from manganese that exists in the gemstone.
Here are some interesting and rarely disclosed facts about Kunzite gems:
(a) Kunzite has a hardness of around 6 to 7 on the Moh's scale of hardness. Yet, the gemstone is not very durable as the crystalline structure makes it
quite fragile. You therefore need to protect the gemstone from blows and other impact.
(b) Most Kunzite is treated for enhancing color. The color of the gemstone will fade when exposed to heat or strong light sources. In fact, all Kunzite gems will gradually fade and lose color when exposed to natural sunlight too. This is a fact that most sellers would not like to disclose as they fear that it will keep buyers away.
(c) Depending on the direction from which the Kunzite gemstone is viewed, it could appear to be a pale color or a gorgeous lilac shade of pink. For this reason,
Kunzite gem stones need to be cut at the right angle to ensure that the best color of the gemstone is shown from the top (table) of the cut gemstone.
(d) Smaller sizes of Kunzite gems appear very pale and almost colorless. If you would like to have a Kunzite gem stone with good color, go for sizes of around two carats and above for the piece.
(e) The same spodumene mineral is available in shades of green and is then referred to as 'hiddenite', the pinkish variety is called 'kunzite'. Traders sometimes use the term green Kunzite for hiddenite. Not much harm though, as both gems come from the
same mineral namely 'spodumene'.
(f) The Kunzite gemstone is mined in Brazil, Madagascar, Sweden, Manitoba/Canada, and the U.S.A (South Dakota and North Carolina). Some Kunzite finds from Afghanistan show a deep pink color with tones of gorgeous violet shades.
(g) A few precautions regarding handling and looking after Kunzite gems or jewelry with Kunzite gemstones. Do not expose the gemstone to strong light or strong heat as this could hasten the color fade of the gemstone. Kunzite should never be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner as this could damage the gemstone. You will need to protect your Kunzite gemstone or jewelry from scratches and sharp blows.
You can read the complete report on Kunzite gemstones on this link:
http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/kunzite-information.htm
Will be back with more interesting information regarding gemstones and jewelry.
God Bless.
Ms.Tuk
http://www.kaisilver.com
Ms.Tuk is senior executive at http://www.kaisilver.com the world's leading online provider of highend custom jewelry. All jewelry is custom made in white or yellow gold with gemstones of your choice. You can even send us images of your favourite designs to be custom made.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 For buyers without an in depth knowledge of gemstones, iolite would seem to be quite similar to
tanzanite and many people in fact mistake iolite for tanzanite. Iolite stones are a gorgeous, bluish-violet color and lighter shades of iolite look similar to tanzanite. However, iolite is not tanzanite and has a beauty of it's own. Gem quality iolite stones are not exactly cheap, but they are priced much lower as compared to
tanzanite gems. Here are a few important features and facts about the iolite gem stone.
(a) The iolite gemstone is quite durable and strong. It has a hardness 7 to 7.5 on the Moh's scale of hardness. This makes the iolite stone very suited for jewelry making. As far as durability of the gemstone is concerned, iolite is more durable than tanzanite.
(b) Iolite exhibits an important property called 'pleochroism'. You can observe this if you hold
an iolite gem stone and view it from different sides. You will see different colors from different angles. From one side the iolite gemstone will look a rich bluish violet color and from the opposite side it could appear pale and almost colorless! As interesting as this phenomenon can be, it poses big hurdles for gemstone cutters. This is because the iolite stone needs to be cut at the perfect angle so that it shows it's best color from the top. This is the reason why only skilled craftsmen can bring the best out of an iolite gemstone.
(c) It is not very hard to find gem quality iolite stones in large sizes that can go up to 4 or 5 carats per piece. However these large iolite gemstones are getting to be rarer as demand increases. The rising prices of tanzanite is one reason for iolite gems getting to be expensive too.
(d) There is an interesting fact about iolite stones and that concerns the price of the gemstone. We already mentioned above that iolite is more durable as compared to tanzanite. This means that iolite gem stone jewelry has better longterm durability as compared to tanzanite jewelry. Why then is iolite cheaper than tanzanite? The reason is that tanzanite was introduced to the jewelry world with a mind boggling marketing blitz. This was what initially led to the price rise of tanzanite gems. Subsequently, a natural disaster in the main tanzanite mines at Tanzania reduced the output of tanzanite and further pushed up prices. However, the marketing hype that brought Tanzanite to the gemstone trade is still believed to be the main reason for the high price of tanzanite gems.
(e) The iolite gemstone is also referred to as the gemstone of the Vikings and this has an interesting story attached to it. It is believed that the gemstone was used by the Vikings to help them navigate the high seas. The Vikings made use of the iolite stone to point them toward the sun. This was very important especially when they were far off from the coast and the sky was overcast with clouds.
You can read the complete report on iolite gemstones and see a few images of the gemstone in our
newsletter at :http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/iolite.htm
Ms.Tuk
http://www.kaisilver.com/custom-jewelry.htm
Ms.Tuk is senior executive at http://www.kaisilver.com which is the world's leading online provider of high end custom jewelry. All jewelry is custom made in white or yellow gold with gemstones of your choice. You can even send in images of your favorite designs to be custom made.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Many of us believe that Chrysoprase is in fact green jade. Traders very often take advantage of this wrong notion and sell Chrysoprase as 'Australian green jade'. This is partly true as Chrysoprase indeed comes from Australia. However, what is more important is that Chrysoprase is not green jade.
Jewelry lovers have often purchased Chrysoprase when it was sold as 'Apple green jade'. The term 'apple green jade' is used for high quality green jade that is similar in color to green apples. Chrysoprase may be the color of green apples but it is not jade.
There are another group of sellers who never fail to mention that there are many types of jade and Chrysoprase is one of them. There are just two major categories of gemstones that are referred to as jade. One is 'jadeite' and the other 'nephrite'. Chrysoprase gemstones fall into neither of these categories.
The Chrysoprase is a gorgeous gemstone in its own right. Good, uniform-colored Chrysoprase is not hard to find. The gemstone itself is not very expensive and is primarily mined in Australia.
Read the complete report on Chrysoprase gemstones in our online jewelry magazine at: http://www.newsletter.kaijewels.com/news007.htm