Oh the stories a gemstone can tell! …History says that the tablets brought down by Moses with the Ten Commandments were made of Sapphire. The Persians believed that the world stood on a sapphire and the color of the sky was a mere reflection of that stone’s color. Many cultures believe that Sapphires had health … Read more
Tourmalines have, for centuries, been captivating collectors with their varied and uniquely intense colors. Historically, they eluded identification and instead were attributed as everything from rubies and emeralds to topaz, peridot and sapphires. Tourmalines are a complex and interesting family of gemstones. Each color group of Tourmaline has its own market of desirability, but color … Read more
The value of Aquamarine gemstones is very much determined by their aesthetics. As with most gemstones the 4C’s of cut, color, carat, and clarity all come into play when pricing this gemstone. What is the best color for Aquamarine gemstones? Color is probably one of the more important determinants of Aquamarine value. The richer and … Read more
The world of precious emeralds is a captivating one. Known as the Stone of Venus and discovered in Cleopatra’s Mines in Egypt in 1600 BC they hold a special fascination for most gemstone lovers. Legend has professed that the Roman Emperor Nero wore glasses with the lens made of emeralds to watch the gladiators fight. … Read more
Like most gem stones, glamorous opals are valued based on their color, cut, clarity and size, but the criteria for this jewel is a little different. First and foremost, the type of opal affects the value significantly. What are Precious Opals? For an opal to be classified as precious, it must display a bright and … Read more
Looking for Garnet Jewelery? Click here, if not read on to learn more about the gemstone…. While the most common Garnet is the deep red, this is far from the whole story because it is a gemstone which occurs commonly in many colors other than blue. This includes many variations in green, yellow, orange, and … Read more
Gemstones are a delight to the eye and it is easy to understand how a collector can easily become infatuated with these gifts from nature. Occurring in every color of the rainbow and many hues in between, gemstone color is a major value factor and a large source of the gemstone’s appeal. Here we will … Read more
Much of a gemstone’s perceived beauty lies in the performance of how light reflects and refracts throughout the stone. Reflection is the amount of light that bounces off the surface of a gemstone and is returned to the eye. This is the “sparkle” of a gemstone. Refraction is how the gemstone bends the light in … Read more