GETTING TO KNOW YOUR BLUE DIAMONDS: VERSUS SAPPHIRES, PRINCESS CUT VERSUS PEAR SHAPED

Knowing the terminology, as well as the basics of gemstones, can help you choose your engagement ring whether you hope to purchase a diamond or a different type of stone for your sweetheart. So to get started, let's go over some basic terminology.


Natural Gemstones

Whenever you see an advertisement for natural gemstones that simply means that nature is responsible for bringing this beautiful stone. By the time you purchase a natural gemstone it will have been cut and polished-you'd know otherwise, since unpolished gemstones are basically beautiful rocks. However, no other alternations or special treatments have been made.





Genuine Gemstones

A genuine gemstone means that the selected gemstone is a genuine piece, made by nature, perhaps altered by man. However, it is not a "simulated" or fake gemstone. The popular belief is that all genuine gemstones are valuable and that all fake or created stones are cheap and worthless. Neither is completely true. There may be many kinds of genuine gemstones that simply are not that valuable because of their prevalence or quality. There are also some simulated gemstones that are very convincing fakes that many people do buy. (And pay moderately high prices for) While money isn't the most important thing when shopping for an engagement ring, before buying a diamond or gemstone ring that you assume is valuable, double check your source of information. Many disreputable jewelers will sell cheap genuine gemstones (usually castaways in mining) as if they were high priced collector's items.

Pricing And Shopping

Like all industries, supply and demand dictates the prices of gemstones. In the end, pricing is not only affected by the stone's rarity but also the conditions in collecting. If the mines are located in certain countries that are undergoing political upheaval, you can bet that the supply and demand logic will make the price go up.





Natural Gemstones And Pricing

Many gemstones, probably the majority, are specially treated before release. This process allows alternations to be made by jewelers and manufacturers. While these items do look better for it, this also disqualified the term "natural gemstone." Once it is tampered with, it is no longer nature-formed and thus possibly less valuable. Natural gemstones that usually are not treated beforehand include moonstone, hematite, peridot and alexandrite.

When choosing your favorite gemstone don't be misled by advertising slogans. Go for the color and for the quality of the stone by careful and studied analysis.