Precious gifts of nature
Born by nature itself, these unique gems have attracted people for a long time. Our ancestors tried to study, describe and use them to create the most wonderful decorations. Nowadays, they have become more common, and everyone can afford them. For example, you can easily go to the website of the Fjewellery store, choose the model you like and place an order right there. But first you need to learn to understand precious stones, and then it will be easier for you to make the right choice. Let's start with the basics.
Fine jewellery: the ultimate guide to gemstones
Today, gemologists know about two and a half thousand minerals, but only about a hundred of them are considered very rare and valuable. Nuggets are divided into classes and categories. There are many classifications, and for each of them crystals are priced differently. However, it's important to remember four main criteria:
1. Colour
This is perhaps the very first thing we pay attention to. This parameter is responsible for the visual beauty and aesthetics of the mineral. However, it's impossible to determine the type of gem only by its colour, because even crystals of the same group can vary greatly in shades.
White or colourless gems are diamonds, sapphires, topazes, moissanites. Today, a diamond is considered the most expensive and hardest mineral in the world. Even though diamond deposits are very common, quality crystals are very rare. In addition, a natural diamond is not particularly beautiful and requires a professional cut. White sapphire is very rare and is also considered very valuable. The rest of the stones are in a lower category.
Blue precious crystals are sapphires, topaz, turquoise, aquamarines, tourmalines, tanzanites, spinel. Blue sapphires are the second largest in the world in terms of value and hardness. Spinel is a fairly rare mineral, which is also classified as the first class.
Ruby, opal, garnet, carnelian, tourmaline and jasper are red, but can be of different shades. Ruby takes an honorable third place in terms of its properties and value. These crystals have been known for over 2000 years, and now they are very rare. All of these gems come in a variety of shades and saturations.
Green crystals are emeralds, chrysolites, tourmalines, tsavorites, amethysts. Emeralds are incredibly beautiful stones with a very rich colour. They are on par with rubies, although larger pieces with deeper hues can rival even diamonds in price. Unfortunately, emeralds are almost always cracked. Tsavorite is very beautiful and expensive, and it's mined only in two African countries.
Yellow are sapphires, citrines, heliodors, golden topaz, amber. Heliodor is a type of beryl and literally translates as "gift of the sun". Yellow sapphire is a very exquisite and rather rare stone. Ancient people considered him to be the personification of Jupiter.
Alexandrite, amethyst, morganite, tanzanite, kunzite, topaz, spinel are purple. Alexandrite belongs to the category of the rarest and most expensive stones. It has one unique feature - the ability to change colour depending on the lighting.
Diamonds, tourmalines, topazes, garnets are pink. Gems of this colour are rarely found in nature and are highly prized among jewellers.
Black gemstones are diamonds, spinel, onyx, jade, tourmaline, opal, agates. This colour is one of the most popular in jewellery and always remains in trend.
It's worth noting that there are also multi-coloured gemstones. In nature, they are extremely rare and are evaluated in completely different categories.
2. Clarity
This is the second most important property of the mineral. It shows the amount of light that the crystal can transmit. Stones are classified according to the degree of transparency:
- transparent or colorless,
- translucent,
- transmitting light in thin layers,
- completely opaque.
Also, one should not forget that minerals are very rarely found in nature without any defects, chips or cracks. Before inserting a stone into an accessory, the jeweller must carefully process it, cut off all unnecessary and eliminate all the shortcomings.
3. Cut
So, we smoothly come to the third and no less important factor in the assessment of precious stones. Its brilliance and the play of light on the surface depend on the cut of a gemstone. For coloured stones, the geometric proportions of the cut are not as strict as for diamonds, but here, too, a correctly selected shape plays an important role. The most famous and commonly used types of cut:
4. Carat
This is the name of the indicator for measuring the mass of precious stones. 1 carat is equal to 0.2 grams. The higher this indicator, the more expensive the crystal will be. However, a large size doesn't always guarantee a large weight. For example, a diamond, emerald and sapphire of the same mass have different densities and, accordingly, will differ in size.
Now, relying on this knowledge, you will definitely not be mistaken when choosing an accessory and looking into the catalogue of the Fjewellery store, immediately determine what exactly you need. Happy shopping!