Buying gemstones for Semi-Precious Jewelry is not strictly speaking an in-person activity. In fact, many people don’t know the first thing about choosing stones that have qualities and characteristics that match their individual needs and desires.
The following blog post is written to help you make the best, informed purchase for your needs by providing insight into genuine gemstones and how they are categorized, as well as giving you a hint on what to look for when buying new jewels.
This guide will equip you with everything from the basics of identifying beads by color to more advanced sections on identifying quality bands of different stones like pearls or emeralds.
What is a Gemstone?
A gemstone is identified by its chemical composition, which includes elements such as carbon, nitrogen, silicon, and any number of other vital minerals. The stone may be found in nature or it may be created by man-made processes.
In addition to the mineral content, the gem’s characteristics are also regarded as essential factors in the stones’ value. These characteristics include beauty, fire, and rarity. Each stone also has different levels of hardness and luster. In general, though, all beads are considered precious because they are rare and beautiful.
They are generally classified into two different categories: “Natural Gems” as well as “Synthetic Gems.”
They are formed in three ways: from magma, which cools and hardens into a crystal; from metamorphism, occurring when rocks are changed by the extreme heat and pressure of tectonic plates grinding against each other; or through rock concretion, where mineral-laden water seeps through cracks and deposits minerals within.
Another way of categorizing gems is to classify them according to their color. Gemologists do this by dividing them into four categories: “Precious Stones”, also called “Rare Stones”, Semi-Precious Stones jewelry, and Common Stones. Within each category are further subgroups.
How Gemstones Are Graded?
They are classified according to their color, clarity, and size.
As you may have guessed, the “color” category depends on the spectrum of hue present in the stone being graded. The primary base colors in this group are red, blue, and green as well as black or white. Beads that include these base colors are especially valuable.
The next category is clarity which is based on how many imperfections are visible in a gemstone. The fewer imperfections in the stone, the more valuable it becomes, although sometimes these characteristics can help a stone maintain its aura of value for one reason or another. The last category is size, which is quite self-explanatory. Larger stones are far more expensive than smaller ones.
There are also grading systems that include characteristics such as hardness and durability as well as other factors, but this system works for the most part and remains the standard.
In regard to jewelry, gemstones are often set into metal mounts, which can change their value significantly if the mount itself is an element of beauty. Some of them are less than ideal for semi-precious jewelry because they have poor color or clarity in addition to being small in size. Other precious stones might be perfect for jewelry but possess a flaw that makes them less valuable if set into a ring or pendant.
Gemstone Cut
A cut is the external shape of a gemstone. It is determined by the stone’s form and can be a three-dimensional object. Some cuts, such as “round” or “prism” shapes are identifiable at first glance without a gem identification tool. Other cuts, such as “trilliant” or “bouquet,” require specific tools to identify.
A cut can also refer to the direction that light travels within a gemstone and includes facets, pavilion, baguette, oval, and marquise shapes.
Gemstone Clarity
The clarity of a gemstone refers to how many imperfections are visible in the stone. Their clarity is ranked on a scale from flawless (flawless) to heavily included (faulty). Less commonly, gems are graded as “imperfect” or “slightly included”
Clarity is important to the value of any of these jewelry items but especially the more opaque or less clear. It is an essential consideration in any gemstone purchase. It does not affect the beauty of most gems and in fact, most people buy stones based on their beauty rather than their clarity. In other cases, such as diamond, clarity matters greatly.
Gemstone Size
The size of a bead is often one of the first considerations when buying a stone. It does relate to the clarity of the stone, but also refers to the physical dimensions of the stone.
Gemstone Durability
Durability is an important consideration when choosing a gem. Generally speaking, it takes more damage for the stone to have diminished value. Durability is graded in the same way as clarity, dividing stones into flawless, slightly included, and heavily included.
What Should You Be Careful About When Buying Gemstones?
There are often important things to keep in mind when buying semi-precious jewelry:
High prices are not always better. The near lack of competition among dealers in high-quality gems leads to higher prices for these stones. This does not mean lower quality. In fact, many gems cost more than they would for a dealer in another area because of the value of the location of the mine, its history, or because there is no competition for the price in that area.
The near lack of competition among dealers in high-quality gems leads to higher prices for these stones. This does not mean lower quality. In fact, many gems cost more than they would for a dealer in another area because of the value of the location of the mine, its history, or because there is no competition for the price in that area. The cut determines the value of semi-precious jewelry.
An average cut stone of the same size, color, and clarity as a masterfully cut comparable gem will be considerably less valuable. While it is generally true that top-quality gems are more expensive than average-quality gems, there are also many exceptions to this rule.
One should get quality gemstones from a trustworthy seller such as Dream Of Stones. They are highly skilled at selecting high-quality gems, and the quality of these stones is reflected in their prices.
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