How to buy a gemstone
Gemstones are all about color and desirability, throughout history people have adorned gemstones using them as priced possessions, as gifts, in jewelry, for investment or for pleasure. It is a symbol of esteem and luxury, a fashion statement nowadays. When choosing a gemstone, you may want to learn about the type of gemstone you wish to purchase, how much you want to spend and be clear about what type of gemstone is suitable. You may want to see the latest trends in color and design when it comes to gemstones and jewellery. If you are looking to make a ring or bracelet then you might want to choose durable precious gems such as sapphires or ruby that have a higher hardness, sapphires belong to the corundum family and are the most desired color gemstones.If you are looking to make earrings or necklaces semi-precious gems like Quartz varieties-(Amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz), Topaz, spinel or tourmalines may be suitable. You can get in touch with us directly and let us know your requirements ,we can do a personalized idea for you and provide you with a quotation/pictures of suitable gemstone, alternatively you can view gemstones in our website and tell us what you like.
We as responsible traders involved in the gem industry in Sri Lanka offer you gemstones that are natural /untreated with full disclosure of any treatments done to gemstones. It would be vital for you to be informed about treatment to gemstones of any kind, this would determine the value and authenticity of what we offer. Sapphires are sometimes heated using thermal heat to enhance the color of gemstones that would otherwise be of a lesser desirable color. Unheated gemstones may be rare and prices may be significantly higher than heated sapphires. Traditional heating methods in Sri Lanka are internationally recognized and are widely used by the color stone industry worldwide. It would be very important to find out what treatments a gemstone has undergone when you decide to purchase. A gemstone verified with a certification or lab report would be important to identify any treatments and the authenticity of the gemstone.
When buying gemstones online another important factor is the returns policy that the seller is providing, we are able to offer you one week period from delivery so you can confirm your acceptance of the stone fitting the description.
The 4 C’s principle applies for choosing a gemstone, these are color, clarity, cut and carat weight of the gemstone. Considering and understanding these factors would give you the training needed to start your gem buying. The 4 c’s would be explained as below.
Color
Color is described using three principles: Hue/Saturation/Tone– Understanding the color principles is vital for gemstone buying.
Hue
refers to the dominant or main color associated with the stone when viewed, gemstones may have a secondary color shade and sometimes referred to as a mix of colors with the dominant color explained eg: Violetish Blue, greenish Blue, Orangish Red.
Saturation
This is the intensity or how strong the color of the gemstone is shown to the eye. If the colors are even and strong with good brightness then the stone may have a good saturation. Often good saturated stones will have the color originating from the bottom of the gemstone and reflected throughout the stone.
Tone
This refers to how light or dark the color of the gemstone may be visible to your eyes. Colors of gemstones may vary to numerous tones, it is up to our eyes and mind to determine which color is optimal not too light or dark when choosing gemstones.
However tastes of people in different countries vary some people prefer the lighter tones and some prefer the darker or brighter colors. There are many gemstone hues that range the entire color spectrum from red to violet. The most valuable colored gemstones will have vivid color saturation and fall in the middle of the hue and tone grading scales. There are specific vivid hues considered highly desirable in different gemstones. Some of the color descriptions you will see include “cornflower blue” when describing blue sapphires, “pigeon’s blood red” when describing rubies. These color descriptions are meant to communicate the most valuable hues in precious gemstones.
Cut
Gemstones that originate as crystals go through a process of gem cutting in a lapidary to take the form of a gemstone. The cut refers to the specific design used to cut gemstones, there are various shapes that gemstones can be cut based on the material and color of the gemstones. Sometimes the shape of the gemstone would demand a higher price for examoke a round shape and cushion shapes may demand a higher market price. Each shape of gemstones will go through suitable cuts eg: Brilliant cut, princess cut, radiant cut ect.
Clarity
Clarity refers to the internal characteristics of a gemstone or the surface of gemstones. Crystal may have natural inclusions that are naturally evident in gemstones and are part of the formation or beauty of gemstones. Inclusions in gemstones may take a variety of forms that are a complete different area of study itself. A high clarity gemstone may be classified as one where the color and beauty of the gemstones may be realized without any interference from inclusions. You may find certain stones demand a higher price with good clarity such as sapphires, and others like Emeralds even with low clarity may be priced higher. Certain gemstones may be valued higher only because of any interesting inclusions that the gemstone processes making the gemological value higher and rare.
Carat Weight
This refers to the unit of measurement of the gemstone, 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams. Gemstones that are rare such as good color natural untreated sapphires may be rare in large sizes. The size of the gemstone increasing means the price will be higher larger gemstones will demand a higher price. Different gemstones may have different densities, it will be interesting to see gemstones of the same carat weight have different sizes.
