DIAMONDS

A DIAMOND’S VALUE GREATLY DEPENDS ON THE 4 C’S: THE CARAT WEIGHT OF THE STONE, THE PROPORTIONS AND SYMMETRY OF ITS CUT, THE DIAMOND’S COLOR OR LACK THEREOF, AND ITS CLARITY.

THE DIAMOND REMAINS AN ICONIC GEMSTONE SYNONYMOUS WITH STRENGTH, LONGEVITY AND LOVE. ITS REPUTATION PRECEDES IT, WHILE ITS BRILLIANT APPEARANCE DEFINES IT, HOWEVER BEHIND ITS GRACEFUL STRUCTURE HIDES THE HISTORY OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST RENOWNED GEMS. DEEP BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, UNDER INTENSE TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURE, THE DIAMOND IS FORMED.

A SERIES OF ANCIENT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS WITHIN THE EARTH’S LAYERS PUSHED THE DIAMONDS FROM 150 KILOMETERS BELOW THE PLANET’S SURFACE IN AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA AND RUSSIA WHERE SOME OF THE MOST PROLIFIC MINES ARE FOUND TODAY. THE DIAMOND’S INTENSE JOURNEY SPEAKS TO ITS DURABILITY AS ONE OF THE HARDEST GEMSTONES, COMPOSED SOLELY OF ONE ELEMENT - CARBON. THE GEMSTONE’S NEAR INDESTRUCTABILITY AND RADIANT APPEARANCE CONTRIBUTE TO ITS POPULARITY FOR CENTURIES.

SAPPHIRES

WITH ITS DEEP BLUE COLOR, THE REGAL SAPPHIRE IS AS CELEBRATED FOR ITS RICH HUES AS IT IS FOR ITS DURABLE COMPOSITION. SECOND ONLY TO THE DIAMOND IN ITS HARDNESS, THE SAPPHIRE IS A CORUNDUM MINERAL NATURALLY FOUND IN KASHMIR, MYANMAR, SRI LANKA, MADAGASCAR AND TANZANIA. TRACE AMOUNTS OF IRON AND TITANIUM GIVE THE STONE ITS BRILLIANT BLUE HUE, WHILE OTHER ELEMENTS CAN CREATE VARIOUS COLORS RESULTING IN “FANCY” SAPPHIRES.

COLOR IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS WHEN SELECTING A SAPPHIRE, HOWEVER CLARITY AND CUT SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. BECAUSE OF THE RARE COMBINATION OF ELEMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (SPECIFIC PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES) THAT NEED TO COME TOGETHER, NATURAL SAPPHIRES ARE FOUND IN LIMITED QUANTITIES. AS A RESULT, LABORATORY CREATED, HEATED OR ALTERED STONES HAVE BECOME MORE COMMONPLACE.

THE SAPPHIRE BLENDS BEAUTY AND STRENGTH MAKING IT THE PERFECT OPTION FOR EVERY DAY-WEAR OR AS A TIMELESS HEIRLOOM TO BE TREASURED FOR GENERATIONS.

COLOR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN PURCHASING A COLORED GEMSTONE. THE COLOR OF THE GEMSTONE IS WHAT CAPTIVATES US, AND DRAWS US IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THIS IS ONLY WHEN THE COLOR OF THE STONE HAS THE PROPER MEASURES OF HUE, TONE, AND SATURATION. TONE DESCRIBES HOW LIGHT OR DARK THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM VERY LIGHT TO VERY DARK. IT’S BEST TO STAY IN THE MEDIUM TO DARK RANGE WITH TONE, AS THE LIGHTER THE TONE, THE MORE WATERED DOWN THE OVERALL LOOK OF THE GEMSTONE. THE SATURATION DESCRIBES HOW VIBRANT THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM DULL/WEAK TO PURE VIVID. THE CLOSER TO PURE VIVID YOU CAN GET, THE BETTER THE GEMSTONES’S COLOR WILL APPEAR TO YOU.

IN GENERAL, A WELL-CUT GEMSTONE WILL BE SYMMETRICAL AND REFLECT LIGHT AT THE PROPER ANGLES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE STONE’S LUSTER. IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT GEM CUTTERS WILL CUT MORE DEEPLY WHEN THE GEMSTONE'S TONE IS LIGHT. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO FIND COLORED GEMSTONES WITHOUT ANY INCLUSIONS, OR IMPERFECTIONS, AT ALL. IF THERE ARE NO INCLUSIONS, GEMOLOGISTS WILL SUSPECT THE COLORED GEMSTONES TO BE FAKE OR TREATED. MOST COLORED GEMSTONES ON THE MARKET TODAY HAVE BEEN HEAT-TREATED TO IMPROVE THEIR CLARITY AND COLOR. IF THEY’VE NOT BEEN TREATED AT ALL, THEY ARE EXTREMELY RARE AND VALUABLE.

JUST AS GEMSTONES VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM IN TERMS OF THEIR COLOR AND HARDNESS, SO TOO THEY ALSO DIFFER IN DENSITY. THIS IS APPARENT WHEN WE CONSIDER THE CARATS, OR WEIGHT OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES VERSUS THE CARAT WEIGHT OF A DIAMOND. SINCE COLORED GEMSTONES ARE USUALLY HEAVIER, A ONE CARAT GEMSTONE WILL LOOK SMALLER THAN A ONE CARAT DIAMOND. IT IS MORE ACCURATE TO MEASURE THE SIZE OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES IN TERMS OF ITS MILLIMETER DIAMETER.

EMERALDS

FAVORED BY CLEOPATRA AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR, THE VIBRANT AND VIVACIOUS EMERALD IS AS TIMELESS AS THE ICONS WHO ADORED IT. WITH ITS UNMISTAKABLE VIVID GREEN COLOR, THE EMERALD IS THE BERYL FAMILY’S MOST PRECIOUS INCARNATION.

EMERALDS RANK AMONG THE HARDEST OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES; HOWEVER, NATURALLY OCCURRING FISSURES AND INCLUSIONS, ALONG WITH A BRITTLE TEXTURE IN ITS UNPOLISHED STATE, MAKE THE STONE PRONE TO CHIPPING AND BREAKAGE.

EMERALDS ARE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH COLOMBIA AND ZAMBIA BEING THE LARGEST PRODUCERS OF NATURAL EMERALDS. CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE UNADULTERATED EMERALD WITH ITS DEPTH OF LUSH COLOR REMAINS BREATHTAKING AND MYSTICAL TO THIS DAY.

COLOR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN PURCHASING A COLORED GEMSTONE. THE COLOR OF THE GEMSTONE IS WHAT CAPTIVATES US, AND DRAWS US IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THIS IS ONLY WHEN THE COLOR OF THE STONE HAS THE PROPER MEASURES OF HUE, TONE, AND SATURATION. TONE DESCRIBES HOW LIGHT OR DARK THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM VERY LIGHT TO VERY DARK. IT’S BEST TO STAY IN THE MEDIUM TO DARK RANGE WITH TONE, AS THE LIGHTER THE TONE, THE MORE WATERED DOWN THE OVERALL LOOK OF THE GEMSTONE. THE SATURATION DESCRIBES HOW VIBRANT THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM DULL/WEAK TO PURE VIVID. THE CLOSER TO PURE VIVID YOU CAN GET, THE BETTER THE GEMSTONES’S COLOR WILL APPEAR TO YOU.

IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO FIND COLORED GEMSTONES WITHOUT ANY INCLUSIONS, OR IMPERFECTIONS, AT ALL. IF THERE ARE NO INCLUSIONS, GEMOLOGISTS WILL SUSPECT THE COLORED GEMSTONES TO BE FAKE OR TREATED. TONE DESCRIBES HOW LIGHT OR DARK THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM VERY LIGHT TO VERY DARK. IT’S BEST TO STAY IN THE MEDIUM TO DARK RANGE WITH TONE, AS THE LIGHTER THE TONE, THE MORE WATERED DOWN THE OVERALL LOOK OF THE GEMSTONE.

IN GENERAL, A WELL-CUT GEMSTONE WILL BE SYMMETRICAL AND REFLECT LIGHT AT THE PROPER ANGLES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE STONE’S LUSTER. IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT GEM CUTTERS WILL CUT MORE DEEPLY WHEN THE GEMSTONES TONE IS LIGHT. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO FIND COLORED GEMSTONES WITHOUT ANY INCLUSIONS, OR IMPERFECTIONS, AT ALL. IF THERE ARE NO INCLUSIONS, GEMOLOGISTS WILL SUSPECT THE COLORED GEMSTONES TO BE FAKE OR TREATED. MOST COLORED GEMSTONES ON THE MARKET TODAY HAVE BEEN HEAT-TREATED TO IMPROVE THEIR CLARITY AND COLOR. IF THEY’VE NOT BEEN TREATED AT ALL, THEY ARE EXTREMELY RARE AND VALUABLE.

RUBIES

CONSIDERED THE RAREST OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES, A NATURAL RUBY’S COLOR CAN RANGE FROM A LIGHT ORANGE RED TO A DEEP PURPLE RED. THE MOST PRIZED RUBIES CAN BE FOUND IN THE HIMALAYAS, MYANMAR AND NORTHERN VIETNAM, WHERE THEY FORM INSIDE LAYERS OF MARBLE. THESE RUBIES OFTEN HAVE A MORE SATURATED RED COLOR, MAKING THEM AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE.

SOUGHT-AFTER FOR ITS DEEP RED COLOR, THE RUBY IS ONE OF THE MOST VENERATED COLORED STONES, DEMANDING THE HIGHEST PER-CARAT PRICE AMONG ALL COLORED STONES. WHILE ALSO COMPOSED OF CORUNDUM, THE SAME BASE MINERAL AS THE SAPPHIRE, THE RUBY CONTAINS TRACE AMOUNTS OF CHROMIUM THAT IMPART THE STONE’S ICONIC RED-COLORED HUE.

WHILE COLOR REMAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN A RUBY’S VALUE, INCLUSIONS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE STONE’S BRILLIANCE AND TRANSPARENCY CAN LOWER ITS VALUE. CARAT WEIGHT ALSO FACTORS GREATLY INTO THE STONE’S VALUE, AS NATURAL RUBIES LARGER THAN ONE CARAT ARE EXTREMELY RARE, THUS COMMANDING HIGHER PRICES.

COLOR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN PURCHASING A COLORED GEMSTONE. THE COLOR OF THE GEMSTONE IS WHAT CAPTIVATES US, AND DRAWS US IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THIS IS ONLY WHEN THE COLOR OF THE STONE HAS THE PROPER MEASURES OF HUE, TONE, AND SATURATION. TONE DESCRIBES HOW LIGHT OR DARK THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM VERY LIGHT TO VERY DARK. IT’S BEST TO STAY IN THE MEDIUM TO DARK RANGE WITH TONE, AS THE LIGHTER THE TONE, THE MORE WATERED DOWN THE OVERALL LOOK OF THE GEMSTONE. THE SATURATION DESCRIBES HOW VIBRANT THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM DULL/WEAK TO PURE VIVID. THE CLOSER TO PURE VIVID YOU CAN GET, THE BETTER THE GEMSTONES’S COLOR WILL APPEAR TO YOU.

IN GENERAL, A WELL-CUT GEMSTONE WILL BE SYMMETRICAL AND REFLECT LIGHT AT THE PROPER ANGLES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE STONE’S LUSTER. IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT GEM CUTTERS WILL CUT MORE DEEPLY WHEN THE GEMSTONES TONE IS LIGHT. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO FIND COLORED GEMSTONES WITHOUT ANY INCLUSIONS, OR IMPERFECTIONS, AT ALL. IF THERE ARE NO INCLUSIONS, GEMOLOGISTS WILL SUSPECT THE COLORED GEMSTONES TO BE FAKE OR TREATED. MOST COLORED GEMSTONES ON THE MARKET TODAY HAVE BEEN HEAT-TREATED TO IMPROVE THEIR CLARITY AND COLOR. IF THEY’VE NOT BEEN TREATED AT ALL, THEY ARE EXTREMELY RARE AND VALUABLE.

JUST AS GEMSTONES VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM IN TERMS OF THEIR COLOR AND HARDNESS, SO TOO THEY ALSO DIFFER IN DENSITY. THIS IS APPARENT WHEN WE CONSIDER THE CARATS, OR WEIGHT OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES VERSUS THE CARAT WEIGHT OF A DIAMOND. SINCE COLORED GEMSTONES ARE USUALLY HEAVIER, A ONE CARAT GEMSTONE WILL LOOK SMALLER THAN A ONE CARAT DIAMOND. IT IS MORE ACCURATE TO MEASURE THE SIZE OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES IN TERMS OF ITS MILLIMETER DIAMETER.

SPINELS

FOUND IN A MYRIAD OF COLORS, RANGING FROM RED TO BRILLIANT BLUE TO MULTIPLE SHADES OF PINK AND PURPLE, THE SPINEL’S BRILLIANCE AND COLOR SATURATION CAN MATCH THAT OF A RUBY OR SAPPHIRE TO THE NAKED EYE. PRIOR TO 18TH CENTURY SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS, RED SPINELS WERE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR RUBIES AND USED BY ROYAL COURT JEWELERS TO ADORN CROWNS

THE BRITISH CROWN JEWELS CONTAIN A 361-CARAT “TIMUR RUBY, “ WHICH IN ACTUALITY IS A RED SPINEL. LONG SOUGHT AFTER AND MINED IN SOUTHERN ASIA, SPINELS CAN BE FOUND ON NEARLY EVERY CONTINENT WITH MYANMAR PRODUCING THE MOST VALUABLE RED SPINELS AND VIETNAM PRODUCING THE CELEBRATED BRIGHT COBALT BLUE SPINEL.

TODAY THE SPINEL IS EXPERIENCING A RENAISSANCE AS A RUBY ALTERNATIVE AND ACCENT GEMSTONE. DESPITE BEING MORE RARE THAN RUBIES, THE OFTEN TRANSPARENT, BRILLIANT SPINEL REMAINS A LESS EXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVE.

COLOR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN PURCHASING A COLORED GEMSTONE. THE COLOR OF THE GEMSTONE IS WHAT CAPTIVATES US, AND DRAWS US IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK. BUT THIS IS ONLY WHEN THE COLOR OF THE STONE HAS THE PROPER MEASURES OF HUE, TONE, AND SATURATION. TONE DESCRIBES HOW LIGHT OR DARK THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM VERY LIGHT TO VERY DARK. IT’S BEST TO STAY IN THE MEDIUM TO DARK RANGE WITH TONE, AS THE LIGHTER THE TONE, THE MORE WATERED DOWN THE OVERALL LOOK OF THE GEMSTONE. THE SATURATION DESCRIBES HOW VIBRANT THE COLOR IS WITH THE RANGE GOING FROM DULL/WEAK TO PURE VIVID. THE CLOSER TO PURE VIVID YOU CAN GET, THE BETTER THE GEMSTONES’S COLOR WILL APPEAR TO YOU.

IN GENERAL, A WELL-CUT GEMSTONE WILL BE SYMMETRICAL AND REFLECT LIGHT AT THE PROPER ANGLES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE STONE’S LUSTER. IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT GEM CUTTERS WILL CUT MORE DEEPLY WHEN THE GEMSTONE'S TONE IS LIGHT. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO FIND COLORED GEMSTONES WITHOUT ANY INCLUSIONS, OR IMPERFECTIONS, AT ALL. IF THERE ARE NO INCLUSIONS, GEMOLOGISTS WILL SUSPECT THE COLORED GEMSTONES TO BE FAKE OR TREATED. MOST COLORED GEMSTONES ON THE MARKET TODAY HAVE BEEN HEAT-TREATED TO IMPROVE THEIR CLARITY AND COLOR. IF THEY’VE NOT BEEN TREATED AT ALL, THEY ARE EXTREMELY RARE AND VALUABLE.

JUST AS GEMSTONES VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM IN TERMS OF THEIR COLOR AND HARDNESS, SO TOO THEY ALSO DIFFER IN DENSITY. THIS IS APPARENT WHEN WE CONSIDER THE CARATS, OR WEIGHT OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES VERSUS THE CARAT WEIGHT OF A DIAMOND. SINCE COLORED GEMSTONES ARE USUALLY HEAVIER, A ONE CARAT GEMSTONE WILL LOOK SMALLER THAN A ONE CARAT DIAMOND. IT IS MORE ACCURATE TO MEASURE THE SIZE OF THE COLORED GEMSTONES IN TERMS OF ITS MILLIMETER DIAMETER.