Diamonds • Precious Gemstones • Jewelry • Gemology

Buying colored gemstone jewelery presents an additional set of challenges to your buying strategy.

• Matching Gem to Purpose - 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 - 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.
• Budget - Establish a range.
• 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 - For major purchases, stay with traditional elegance.
• Cut - Understand the best proportions foreach shape. Buying "spread" sacrifices brilliance.
• Decide on the 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 10s 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.