Bauble Basics: A Buying Guide to the Colorful Gemstone
Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
by Bo Carpenter
Pandora Bracelets USA
Color is the essence to a gemstone's appeal. While clarity, cut and carat weight also figure in when assessing the value and beauty of a gemstone, its color is what captures our imagination and heart.
Clues to Color
The more true a gem's color, the more valuable the stone. When considering the spectral colors of the rainbow, the closer the color of the gem to that spectral color, or hue, the more you can expect to pay for it. Light plays a central role in the appearance of the gem's hue. In fact, the color of a gem can vary depending on the light in which it's viewed. Take alexandrite, for example, which in natural daylight appears grass-green, but under artificial light appears more dark pink or raspberry.
Clues to Cut
Second to color, the cut of a gemstone can greatly enhance its appearance. The wrong cut could cause an otherwise beautiful stone to appear lackluster and dull. In the hands of an expert, gemstones are cut to reveal the stone's maximum color intensity and liveliness.
Clues to Clarity
Not unlike diamonds, the clarity of a gemstone is dependent on the number of inclusions, or internal flaws, contained within. Also unlike diamonds, a high level of clarity may not be quite as critical for a gemstone. What matters is the type of the flaw and where it occurs within a colored gemstone.
Clues to Carat Weight
Similar to diamonds, colored gemstones are priced by the carat. Generally speaking, the greater the carat weight of a stone, the more value per carat. Keep in mind, however, that loose gemstones are typically measured and sorted by millimeter size rather than weight. Also, gemstones vary in weight according to their density or gravity. For instance, a one-carat diamond will vary in size from a one-carat ruby or one-carat emerald. Scarcity also contributes to the cost of a stone. Some colored gems are more common in nature or more prevalent in larger sizes.
Precious and Semi-Precious Gems
Rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are all considered precious gemstones. Considered the ultimate red stone, rubies are mined from Myanmar , Thailand , Sri Lanka , and Vietnam . They are symbolic of courage and bravery and so have been used as a talisman against danger in wars or as a cure for a variety of health ailments, prior to modern medicine. Rubies are a variety of the mineral corundum. Its color is the result of traces of chrome in the chemical makeup.
The ultimate blue stone, sapphires also come in pink, violet, orange, yellow, and white. A member of the corundum family, sapphires are mined in places such as Australia , China , Kenya , Nigeria , Thailand , and the United States , to name a few. Those found in Kashmir and Myanmar are highly rare and considered very valuable because of the stone's vivid and velvety blue appearance.
Symbolizing hope, eternal hope and rebirth, emeralds are part of the beryl family. Completely flawless stones are very rare as most emeralds have inclusions. The largest producer of emerald is Brazil . Generally, the gemstone possesses subtle hues of yellow, brown, blue and gray. The purer and richer green emerald is considered rare and quite valuable.
Semiprecious stones range from amethyst and garnet to pearl and tanzanite, to name a few. The amethyst ranges in color from deep purple to pale lilac. The most precious of all varieties of quartz, amethyst is mined in places such as Brazil , Argentina , Zambia and other African nations. The African variety tends to possess deeper color intensity and is therefore considered more valuable.
Garnet not only occurs in deep red, but also lime green, pale pink, purple and brown. Garnets may change color depending on the light. Some garnets have the characteristic of changing colors, depending on the light. Some also display a faint four-ray star. They are mined all over the world from Africa and the Middle East to South America and Southeast Asia.
Pearls are produced when a grain of sand penetrates or is placed in the shell of an oyster. The only difference between a natural pearl and a cultured pearl is that the cultured pearl is created by human intervention to make an oyster grow a pearl. A pearl's quality and value are based on its size, shape, color, luster, nacre thickness, and the smoothness of its surface.
Tanzanite is unique in that it has the ability to display three distinct colors, depending on the angle at which it is viewed. The most sought-after color of tanzanite is a deep blue with a hint of purple. Tiffany & Co. named tanzanite for the one place it can be found: Tanzania , an East African state. Because tanzanite can only be found here, as well as the rarity of its larger stones, the gem is considered quite valuable.
Lewis Jewelers is proud to carry the full line of Pandora Jewelry. Pandora bracelets, Pandora charms and Pandora beads are only a part of the collection. For more information, contact Lewis Jewelers, 2000 West Stadium Blvd. , Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48103, 877-88-LEWIS or visit http://www.lewisjewelers.com/pandora_bracelets/ or http://www.lewisjewelers.com .
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