Gemstones - Precious Gems
Colored Gemstone Buying Strategy
Buying colored gemstone jewelery presents an additional set of challenges to your buying strategy.
Match Gems to Purposes
Hardness is a major factor to consider for certain jewelry peices. Ask yourself how much abuse the gemstone will be subject to.
If you think the abuse will be significant, pick a gem with a hardness of 8 or 9.
Matching Colors / Tones / Saturations
Matching colored gemstones is very difficult. Consider that unless you buy in a matched set of gemstones, you may never get a good match. What looks good in isolation my be shockingly different in a side-by-side comparison.
Gemstone Shopping
First, establish a range, hten do your research. The more you learn, the more likely you are to get exactly what you are looking for and to get it at the right price.
Trends are problematic for major purchases. What looks "awesome" today may look dated next year. Unless you have deep pockets, stay with traditional elegance.
Understand Gem Cut & Proportion
Each shape has it's unique advantages and disadvantages. A long slender gemstone makes short and stubby fingers look longer than does a round cut. But that long slender stone will fracture much easier. A long slender Marquise cut is especially fragile and subject to the points chipping.
Good proportions will make any stone look better, but some gems will suffer more with poor proportions than others.
Buying "spread" sacrifices brilliance.
Important Gemstone Factors
- Decide on "your" gem .. changing your mind is okay too.
- Color. Whaddaya mean there is no such color as pink?
- Brilliance. Look deeply and the gem will reveal it's characteristics. Study the details, they are important.
- Cut - Jungle cut gemstones sacrifice beauty in favor of weight and spread.
- Durability - Diamonds are "10's" but colored gems vary from 9 and below on the Mohs hardness scale. Some gems are hard, others are "tough". Hardness resists scratching. Toughness resists breaking. Consider precious gems of "8" or higher
- Clarity - different families of colored gems tend
to be more or less included. But fewer inclusions reveal
a gem's beauty.