Precious vs Semi-Precious

It's emeralds, diamonds, sapphires and rubies that earn the title of precious. Anything else would be considered Semi-Precious. In general, semi-precious stones are more affordable, but it all depends on the size and quality of each one. When this categorization came about, it was mainly due to the value and rarity differences between the 4 precious gemstones and the rest. Today some semi precious gemstones can be worth much more than a precious stone.

When purchasing a gemstone, we wouldn’t suggest getting too caught up on if the stone is precious versus semi precious. All gemstones are precious, in the sense that if they provide meaning and value to you in a piece of jewelry, they are special! Bare in mind that colors are subjective and a piece of jewelry is emotional.

 

Colors and Styles

If you're looking for something that's both colorful and budget-friendly, experts will tell you to turn toward garnet, citrine, peridot, turquoise, or amethyst. Rubies and sapphires also tend to be on the affordable side, as long as you're selecting a small one. If you want anything that's a carat or more in precious jewelry, be prepared to spend. 

 

Intensity of Colour

Intensity of colour should always be your main focus when purchasing gemstones, as it will determine the long-term value of your stone.
The most sought after colour intensity is Vivid because it reaches the optimal balance of colour saturation. Pigeon blood red Burmese rubies can go upto a million dollar per carat. The more saturated or intense the colour, the darker your gemstone will appear, significantly lowering its value.
On the other hand, a faint intensity can change the colour of your gem altogether. A very light-coloured ruby, for example, becomes a pink ruby. There is no internationally accepted colour grading system for gemstones. But below seven levels of colour intensity can be considered: 

• Dark: a moderate to strong saturation with a very dark tone.
• Deep: a moderate to strong saturation with a medium dark to dark tone.
• Vivid: a vivid saturation with a medium to medium dark tone. Considered the finest combination of tone and saturation.
• Intense: a moderate saturation with a medium light tone.
• Medium Intense: a moderate saturation with a light tone.

Sapphires benefit from two further levels of colour intensity:

• Light: a slightly greyish or brownish saturation with a light tone.
• Very Light: a greyish saturation with a very light tone.

 

Carat

The size of a gemstone is mainly determined by carat weight. One carat is equal to 0.2 grams and is often divided through a point system, where 100 points make up a single carat unit. The larger the gemstone, the rarer and more valuable it becomes.

Due to their rarity, the price of certain gemstones increases exponentially with size. For example, a 10.0 carat ruby can be, on average, a hundred times more expensive than a 1.0 carat ruby.

 

Clarity

Below grading system is very straightforward, as it is based on what can be seen by the unaided eye without using magnification.

Unlike diamonds, inclusions in gemstones are common, well-accepted and often serve to indicate the origin of the stone. There are three levels of clarity:

• “Eye Clean” (EC1 - EC2) indicates that inclusions are invisible to the unaided eye.
• “Visible inclusions” (VI1 - VI2) indicates that inclusions are only slightly visible to the unaided eye.
• “Included” (I1 - I2) indicates that inclusions are obvious to the unaided eye.

 

Origin

Most of the times, the origin of gemstones can be easily traced due to the unique aspect of the inclusions found in each stone. You can look at them as gemstone “birthmarks”. Origin has an important impact on the value of gemstones. Stones from certain locations, such as Sri Lanka sapphires, Kashmir sapphires or Burmese rubies, are extremely valuable due to heritage and scarcity.

 

Treatment

Most gemstones are regularly treated to enhance colour or clarity. This is a widely accepted practice in the jewellery trade and most methods have no harmful effect on the stone. Put simply, it is a method to speed up the process nature couldn’t finish. It is a permanent and stable treatment and does not diminish the value of a natural gemstone.

Only the finest and rarest gemstones are unearthed in a perfect state without need for further treatment, making them significantly more valuable. The most commonly used enhancements are through heat, these include:

• Heat treatment (H).
• Heated treatment with flux (Hf1, Hf2, Hf3).

There are also treatments involving the use of oil or resin to fill certain fissures in the stone and enhance clarity. These types of treatments are usually applied to emeralds and are commonly used in the industry.

Shape

The shape of a gemstone will not have an impact on price, as this is largely a matter of personal preference. The most common shapes are Round, Oval, Cushion, and Pear. Gemstones usually combine two different cuts, the brilliant and the step, for an optimised balance of vivid colour and brilliance. Similar to diamonds, the crown of a gem is usually formed into a brilliant cut to add radiance, while the pavilion is step cut, allowing for intense colour and vibrancy. 

We also offer less conventional shapes, arranged in the three following categories: 

• Rectangle (Octagon, Fancy Octagon and Baguette).
• Square (Square, Princess and Asscher).
• Other (Kite, Trilliant, Shield and Tapered Baguette).

Emeralds are usually cut into a rectangular shape to ensure greater durability, as they are slightly more brittle than other gemstones.

 

Cost

Colour, clarity, origin, treatment and carat weight are all factors that will determine the final price of a gemstone. Bear in mind that high-quality gems are extremely rare and will benefit from a significant increase in value. Before purchasing a gemstone, it is best to form an idea of the level of quality you are looking for. Try to decide what is most important to you and see how that correlates with your budget.

 

Types of Jewelry

Some people love to have different jewel tones to match with all of their outfits. Others want diamond earrings that can be used to dress up an ordinary outfit. As you consider the options, keep in mind how you'll plan to use it. For the most part, a bracelet or a ring is more high maintenance than earrings, simply because it comes into more contact with hard surfaces. Emeralds aren't as hard as the rest of the precious stones, meaning it may become scratched or blemished if subjected to unexpected pressure. Quartz and amethyst are both tough as nails if you're looking for durable semi-precious.