Gemstone Education

This guide defines the five essential characteristics of gemstone quality. By understanding these characteristics, you'll be able to shop with confidence. Print this helpful information and take it with you shopping so you can make the best choice on a beautiful piece of gemstone jewelry.

 Color

The jewelry industry recognizes the highest quality gemstones by purity of their hue, the depth of tone, and the color saturation. The best value is in colors that include "slight" traces of other colors, are not too light or dark, and have a lot of saturated color. Blue Nile offers some of the highest-quality colored gemstones available. Nearly all gemstones today, including Blue Nile stones, have been treated to enhance their color. The most common methods of treatment are heating, nearly always seen with aquamarine, citrine, amethyst, sapphire, ruby and tanzanite, bleaching commonly seen with pearls, and irradiation performed on nearly all blue topaz.

Clarity

Almost all gemstones contain inclusions. Even those most highly prized have at least some inclusions. Flawless gemstones are very rare and very expensive. The best value is found in gems that are lightly to moderately included, like those in Blue Nile gemstone jewelry. Emeralds are typically treated with colorless oil, wax or resin to minimize surface-reaching inclusions.

Identifying Marks

Because gemstones form under unique circumstances, each individual gemstone is comprised of a combination of trace minerals, which create a unique set of identifying marks or inclusions. Inclusions will not necessarily detract from the beauty or desirability of a colored gemstone.

OVAL 2-SIDE, Acrylic Stone

What to Look For

When considering a colored gemstone's clarity, you should measure your expectations against the standard for that variety of gemstone. Some varieties of colored gemstones, such as aquamarine, blue topaz, and citrine, have naturally fewer inclusions while other gemstones, such as emerald and ruby, tend to have a higher rate of acceptable inclusions.

Clarity is an important factor in comparing quality colored gemstones. Even opaque opals can have milky inclusions that will affect their iridescence and color play. In general, the best values are available in gemstones that are moderately included. Exceptional gemstones with few or no inclusions are available, but they can command extravagant prices.

Cut

Unlike diamonds, with gemstones there isn't an "ideal" cut geometrically configured for maximum brilliance. But a high-quality gemstone cut is one that presents the most even color, exposes the fewest inclusions, and displays the majority of the gemstone weight when set in jewelry.

Colored gemstones are generally cut to maximize the beauty of their color. To recognize quality in the cut of a gemstone, there are several points to consider.

What to Look For

A good cut showcases the gemstone's color, diminishes its inclusions, and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. Because gemstone color can vary, there are no hard geometrical standards when it comes to maximizing brilliance or color. Gemstones, especially rarer ones, are sometimes cut for size without regard for their color. For example, when corundum varieties such as sapphire and ruby are cut for maximum weight rather than beauty, they may display banded colors or streaks. Blue Nile sells only the finest quality, hand-selected colored gemstones.

 hua.tien@msa.hinet.net

http://www.hwatien.com/en/

Gemstone Cut

Look at the gemstone in the setting and ensure that all the facets are symmetrical. An asymmetrically-cut crown indicates a gemstone of low-quality. In all cases, a well-cut gemstone is symmetrical and reflects light evenly across the surface, and the polish is smooth, without any nicks or scratches. These are the characteristics that Blue Nile jewelers look for when selecting our gemstone jewelry.

hua.tien@msa.hinet.net
http://www.hwatien.com/en/