Introduction to Precious Gems
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Gemstones have fascinated us for centuries. Gems seem to possess properties that lure, captivate, and cause mischief. Their power seems entirely disproportionate to their tiny size. Do we question why these minuscule objects carry such heavy loads of status, rank, privilege, and historical/political import?
The more difficult it is to bring a gem to the light of day, the greater seem its attractive powers. Gemstones hide from us. In their natural state many of them appear dull, resembling pebbles, or they lie concealed within other ordinary-looking stones.
A high percentage of gems come from the earth in a very flawed state, and sometimes even the most expert gem cutter can't work any magic.
The stones that possess sufficient character to metamorphose into gem quality have passed many lapidary tests. The expert gem cutter must be able to determine whether a stone will survive the cutting process or shatter into worthless dust.
Characteristics of Gemstones
What determines whether a chunk of mineral deposits can be a gem?
- Hardness, on a scale from 2.5 to 10 with 10 being the hardest (the Mohs scale)
- Color: purity, intensity, saturation
- Clarity: freedom from inclusions, ability to reflect/refract, "fire"
- Cut: skill with which the stone was shaped and faceted
- Size: the larger the more precious (usually)
- Artistry: artful combination of stone with other stones and setting
- Age; history; provenance
- Additional (technnical) factors such as refractance, inclusions, specific gravity.
The "precious" stones are, in order of their MOHS scale hardness:
- Diamond, hardness 10 (carbon)
- Sapphire, hardness 9 (corundum)
- Ruby, hardness 9 (red corundum from Sanskrit kuruvindam)
- Emerald, hardness 8 (green beryl)
- Topaz, hardness 8 (silicate of aluminum)
- Aquamarine, hardness 7.5-8 (a form of beryl)
The more well-known "semiprecious-hard" stones are:
- Chrysoberyl, hardness 8.5 (green, yellow)
- Beryl, hardness 8 (silicate of beryllium and aluminum)
- Garnet, hardness 6.5-7 (silicate of magnesium, iron, aluminum)
- Amethyst, hardness 7 (quartz)
- Other colors of quartz (hardness 7), such as citrine, rose, aventurine, cat's eye, tigereye, chalcedony.
Stones with hardness less than 6.5 are not considered "hard" stones. Well-loved gems such as jade, peridot, hematite, turquoise, opal, fall into this category.
Organic gemstones include ivory, coral, amber, and pearl. These substances, on the hardness scale at 2.5-3.0, provide the artist with exciting possibilities for carving and decorative design. Of course ivory is a protected substance, otherwise the world's population of elephants will be completely obliterated by greedy ivory poachers.
The science and art of pearl culture make a fascinating topic, discussed in "The Pearl," a thoroughly illustrated article in the August 1985 National Geographic. Pearls that are imperfect are ground up into calcium carbonate powder for the Japanese pharmaceutical market.
A lapidary is a person expert in gem cutting. The world's centers of gem cutting are Amsterdam, Israel, and India.
The DeBeers cartel of South Africa manipulates the availability and price of 90% of the world's diamonds. Diamonds are not actually that rare. De Beers stockpiles millions of carats so that diamond prices won't fall. For a fascinating exposée of the De Beers enterprise, read The Last Empire by Stefan Kanfer. You may decide to buy your fiancée a ruby instead! High-quality rubies are far more rare than diamonds.
Gem Color
One of a gem's most fascinating properties is color. Nothing seems more intense in any light than the rich reds of rubies and garnets, the delicate pinks of tourmalines, pink sapphire, or kunzite, or the intense hues of emerald, sapphire, turquoise, lapis, or noble purple amethyst.
Here is a brief gemstone color guide:
The most valuable natural colors depend on fashion and rarity, although the most saturated stones are the most expensive. To achieve the highest price the cut must show off the stone to its best possible brilliance, and in terms of clarity, a stone should not be too milky, or have too many inclusions. The final factor that makes the difference is the carat weight. (Jewels by V. Finlay, p. 240.)
High quality rubies were once more valuable than diamonds, and in some cases, still are. The finest come from Burma, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
The most prized color for a sapphire is padparadscha, which is a misspelling of the Sinhalese padmaraga, a delicate peachy color. The largest padparadscha, 100 carats, is in New York's Museum of Natural History.
In Buddhist art, the lotus is a symbol of mental purity. In nature the pure white lotus flower rises out of the muddy water, symbolizing the potential of all humans to attain grace.
The endless knot or infinite knot may have originated as intertwining snakes, and signifies long life, eternal love, and the interconnection of all things. The simple form with no beginning or end also symbolizes the infinite knowledge of Buddha.
In Buddhist art of all cultures, the wheel is a frequent motif in mandalas, diagrams of the universe, and as formed by the position of hands. The wheel is also shown flanked by two deer to commemmorate the Buddha's enlightenment when he delivered his first sermon in the Deer Park.
The golden fishes often appear in Buddhist art and symbolize fertility as well as salvation from suffering.
In Buddhist art, the lotus is a symbol of mental purity. In nature the pure white lotus flower rises out of the muddy water, symbolizing the potential of all humans to attain grace.
Coral a Favorite Infant Gift
Coral beads were a favorite gift for infant girls, and boys were given rattles with coral handles that could be sucked to relieve teething discomfort. Coral remains a very desirable jewelry component. This is a detail from an 18th century American portrait.
Stunning Inlead Ear Ornaments
These impressive ear ornaments found in Peru possessed amuletic value for the wearer, depicting runners carrying a message. Note the images are reversed. Stones used were turquoise, coral, chrysocolla, pyrite, and shell. First to 3rd century.
Precious Stones as Beads
It is somewhat rare to see precious hard stones as beads. It takes a lot of gem "rough" to carve a bead, and the bead might shatter when the center hole is drilled. Some stones, however, such as topaz, garnet, and amethyst, make beautiful beads and seem to respond better to drilling. In very old jewelry from India you will occasionally see large diamond beads. Today there are quite nice sapphire, ruby, and iolite beads in small sizes, as well as citrine and tourmaline.
Diamond Buying Tips: Apply to any Precious Gemstone
Refer to our Book List for further reading and research.
Since the DeBeers cartel controls the prices of about 90% of diamonds worldwide, you can deduce from this that there is no such thing as a "diamond sale" or any sort of "clearance" on diamonds. The only "sale" or "price reduction" is to offer a lesser-quality diamond for less money. With diamonds, you get what you pay for. There is NO way around this rule.
We are not in favor of diamonds. They are the most common substance. If not for DeBeers' manipulation of the market, a 10-carat rough diamond would be worth about $10.00.
Also, diamonds are now a vehicle for purchasing weapons of war in Africa. If you must own a diamond, please make sure it is not from one of the war-torn African countries. You can get a Canadian or Russian diamond. (Trivia: a financier converted $10 million into diamonds and disappeared. Diamonds are an accepted form of exchange anywhere, and much easier to transport than gobs of cash.)
You must consider LOOSE diamonds as the only appropriate purchase. (You can order the setting separately.) You cannot analyze the quality of a diamond or any precious stone in a setting. If the jeweler objects to showing you loose stones, go elsewhere. Every jeweler keeps plenty of loose stones on the premises.
Look around. Visit several jewelers until your budget for the particular stone has evolved. You should have a fairly good idea about how much you expect to invest and how much diamond (or ruby/sapphire/emerald) you will get for the price. This "market research" can be quite enjoyable. Buy yourself a 10x loupe and have some fun at your local mall jewelry store!
There is no way to separate a diamond's price from its quality, or grade. These have already been determined, and don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Diamonds are commodities just like sugar or soybeans, and there is a market for diamonds. The only (and huge!) difference is that the "market" is controlled by a powerful South African cartel.
The wholesale cost of each diamond on the open market is calculated in advance, by guidelines set by DeBeers. The cost to the jeweler depends on the relative perfection of the diamond. Perfection is a letter grade going from A to B to C, absolute perfection, almost never seen; to J or K, stones of a lesser quality: poor color, lack of fire, awkward cut.
The smaller diamonds (less than 10 points) you see in pavé or as baguettes or side diamonds are often from the J-K-L or even M levels. A point is .001 of a carat. A carat has 100 points. The small diamonds are referred to by their point size, up to about .25, after which they are referred to as a fraction of a carat, i.e. quarter, third, half, etc. Very small diamonds are sometimes called melée.
C, D or E diamonds are very expensive. Most stones in the F to I range are thoroughly acceptable for us ordinary mortals. The larger the stone, the higher the level of quality must be, since the larger size permits one to see more imperfections with the naked eye.
Every diamond in the jewelry store has a letter grade (A, B, C, and so on) as well as a size in points or carats and a clarity grade referring to the number of imperfections you can see with the naked eye or with a loupe. Your jeweler will be able to explain these factors: they help to determine the price of a diamond. (Other jewelers' costs, such as the seller's famous name, expensive rent, loss due to theft, and advertising also get factored into the retail price.)
The diamond grading system was developed at the GIA, or Gemological Institute of America. Their web site is www.gia.org.
When viewing loose stones, always ask to use a loupe or magnifier. Learn how to use the loupe to examine the diamond from all angles under white light as well as daylight, if possible. Ask to see the stones against white paper, which is a good way to compare the color of several loose stones of varying quality. Get a good grip on the tweezers and turn the stone around while you view it.
Let the salesperson know that you intend to make your purchase where you learned the most or felt the least amount of hassle. You should feel a certain level of trust for the store and the salesperson.
A diamond is an important purchase. Only the fabulously expensive diamonds have investment potential. However, the emotional freight of a diamond given as a gift is substantial. Don't take any chances on presenting someone you love with a diamond that is less than the most perfect one you can afford.
You can get very good stones from any reputable retail source, as long as you prepare yourself in advance to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.
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