Factors to Consider in Choosing Coloured gemstone

In this article, we will talk about the various factors to consider in choosing coloured gemstones. Customers looking for the “ideal” gemstone frequently inquire about the various properties of various coloured gems.

Several factors must be considered while deciding which gemstone is best for you. I’ll try to summarize some important factors to take into account while choosing a gemstone in this article. I hope it will be helpful to others when they go on their quests to acquire unique gemstones.

 

1. COLOUR

The first thing that comes to mind when selecting a particular gemstone is its colour. That is the most crucial factor to consider while choosing a coloured gem. Many people, however, are unaware of the excellent variety of colours that are accessible, as well as the fact that many gem species have a wide range of natural colours.

For instance, the top image shows that sapphires come in almost all of the colours of the rainbow. Garnet, spinel, zircon, and tourmaline are more gemstone species that come in a variety of colours. The enormous range of colours also poses difficulties because matching a specific colour can be challenging.
Your options for gem species, cut, and size may be greatly limited if you must have a specific shade or hue, and it might be harder to find matching pairs or sets.

The hue, or where the colour is located on the colour wheel, and saturation, or the intensity of the colour, are both factors that affect the apparent colour. Tone, or how bright or dark a stone looks, is the last element of visible colour.

 

2. CLARITY AND INCLUSION

For a good reason, as coloured stones are just too varied for a “one size fits all” approach, there is no standard industry technique for grading clarity in colourful stones as there is for diamonds.

Many colourful stones are readily available in more significant sizes with few to no inclusions. Some, like emeralds, are hardly big or flawless. Rutile inclusions, especially in untreated sapphires, are often the size of microscopic needles.

This is considered in the comprehensive approach for evaluating inclusions in colourful gemstones developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). According to their theory, diamonds may be divided into three major groups:

Category I: It is normal for type I gemstones to be extremely clean when they are first discovered and devoid of any eye-visible inclusions. The most popular gemstones are Type I, including green tourmaline, aquamarine, tanzanite, quartz, morganite, Kunzite, zircon (blue) and a few other gems.
Category II: A few tiny, visually visible inclusions are typically present in Type II gemstones. Category II gemstones, including ruby, sapphire, and alexandrite, are among the most sought-after and scarce.

Other frequent Type II stones include zircon, all tourmalines such as green, pink/red, and watermelon tourmaline, apatite, garnet, peridot, and amethyst (all but blue).

Category III: Eye-visible inclusions are virtually always present in type III gemstones. There are just a few Category III gems, with emerald being the most well-known.
Other Type III stones include red beryl, watermelon tourmaline, sphene, red and pink rubellite tourmaline, and sphalerite.

I prefer to utilize a broad approach to explaining the inclusions in my stones. Whether inclusions are apparent to the unaided eye and, if so, how they affect the gem’s look is ultimate what matter. This refers to the gem’s face-up look when mounted.

When a gem is upside down, inclusions are frequently visible but difficult or impossible to detect when the stone is face up.

Ignore the look from the bottom unless you intend to mount the gem inverted. The three ways I define gemstones are loupe clean, eye clean, and visibly included. Each gem has a description that describes how it looks.

LOUPE CLEAN

Loupe clean refers to a stone that is entirely free of inclusions when examined with a 10x loupe. This level of clarity is extremely rare in most coloured gemstones, particularly Type II and Type III stones.

EYE CLEAN

Eye clean refers to the absence of inclusions when the gem is viewed normally from an arm’s length away, as you would if it was mounted in a ring. To inspect the gem, place it on the back of your hand and hold it there.

It should be noted that inclusion in a stone like this may be barely visible if you look very carefully. Still, it won’t generally affect the visual appearance under regular wear/viewing conditions. Finally, I will characterize a stone with apparent inclusions as accurately as possible.

 

3. HARDNESS AND DURABILITY

This is a very important characteristic of any gemstone that can be overlooked when selecting a gem. While many people are aware of the Mohs scale of hardness, most do not know that it is non-linear. That means that a gem that is, for example, 6 on the Mohs scale is much less hard than one that is 7 on the scale.

Hardness is a measure of the gem’s resistance to scratching, but its just one measure of how durable a gem is. The other measure is toughness–how resistant a gem is to cracking or chipping. Gems with well-defined cleavage planes are susceptible to cracking or chipping if bumped or banged.

Go with exceptionally durable gems with high toughness and hardness while looking for an engagement ring or any other type intended for everyday usage. This is one of the reasons why sapphire, which rates a 9 on the Mohs scale and has exceptional hardness but no distinct cleavage planes, is regarded as a superb alternative engagement ring stone, in addition to the fact that sapphire is quite popular.

I advise sticking with sapphire for daily wear rings, but if you’re careful, you could also choose spinel, some garnets, or beryl. Remember that, except for sapphire, most of these stones may chip and abrade regularly, necessitating repolishing after a few years.

 

4. CUT

Cut alters the visual look of colour and can even modify how dark or light it appears. Deeper cuts may make a lighter-coloured diamond look more saturated, whilst a brilliant cut or shallow design can assist in lightening a dark gem. Inclusions can be hidden in the final gemstone if they are carefully placed. All of my cuts are optimized for the specific gemstone in question.

The decision of a cut is also personal; some people like a round, others an oval, and others choose alternative forms. Because the natural form of the rough determines the shape I will cut, some shapes will be more or less prevalent in certain gem species.

Sapphire rough, for example, is often fashioned in such a way that rounds or ovals are the best forms for the final gem. Rectangles, squares, and trillions are extremely rare in sapphire.

Since tourmaline crystals are long and thin, rectangles are quite abundant in that species. While looking for the appropriate form and cut, keep in mind that in some gem species, your preferred shape may be considerably more difficult to find.

 

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