Learning center

Buying colour gemstones can be a confusing experience. What makes a "good" sapphire or a "good" ruby? What determines the price difference between one peridot and the next, or between this sapphire and the other? Why visually almost equal stones are so different in price?

In the past, the gemstone business was dominated by the big three: ruby, emerald and sapphire. These often are called precious stones, a term probably derived from the French label, "pierres precieuse". When other gemstone varieties began to gain popularity, the jewelry industry got tired of calling them "colored gemstones". Unfortunately, the term they made up for these other stones was "semi-precious". The problem with "semi-precious" is that it is a misnomer. Rubies and sapphires can sell for less than US 20 per carat, while a fine Burmese Imperial Jade, can sell for USD 50,000 per carat!

We believe an informed customer is a better buyer and we have included a few articles and guides, that we hope will provide with some basic understanding and clarifications as to how color gemstones are assessed and evaluated by the jewelry industry, and the factors that are taken into consideration when the price of a gemstone is determined.