Gems HQ

Different precious and semi-precious gemstones have one thing in common – they are graded using the same methods by four qualities. These qualities are also known as “gems’ 4 Cs”. Four C stand for carats (gem size), clarity, cut and color.

Colors in gem grading are described by 3 factors – hue, saturation and tone. Hue is diversity of colors (red, green, blue etc.). Saturation is the thickness (strong – pastel, red – pink). And tone is for light and dark shades. Of course the most valuable are the stones with strong, vivid pure hue colors. If gems are very precious even slight color variations have a significant affect on the gemstone price. And vice versa – if the gems are of moderate value their color has less affect on the price. The exception is diamond gem stone. They are graded on how close these gems are to transparent. There are about 7 white and colorless grades in diamonds. But you must consider it for yourself what color (or kind of color) suits you and your personality.

Talking about clarity I must say that all gems have different amount of inclusions in them. By inclusion we understand anything that interferes with free light passage inside the gem, no matter what it is – fractures, hollow areas or other minerals. The simplest and most popular grade for a gemstone is called “eye clean”. That means that there are no any visible to the naked eye inclusions. There are also slightly included, moderately included and heavily included grades. But officially there are three gem grading categories: usually clean, usually included, and almost always included. Of course all inclusions have an affect on value, but there are occasions when they were used for purchasers’ advantages. To find these inclusion types in the gemstone and to determine the affect on the integrity is quite hard for the lay person to do. We can apply here an old advice – If you do not know your gems, you should know your gemologist.

Now let’s discuss gemstone cut. It is one of the most important factors in the appearance of the gem. And therefore there is the most difficult gem grading process, especially for non professional person. We can distinguish two form types – freeform and regular (this most usual). But anyway the good stone must be symmetrical in all directions. The areas of light reflection must be mirror like, smooth and without any presence of scratches, pitting and dull areas.

In the nature the larger stones are not as common as the smaller ones. That is why large stones have higher per carat cost. Of course it is the matter of personal likes and budget to choose the gemstone sizes, but however there are some features here. Small sized gems are suited mostly to those who have delicate, exquisite tastes, but large gems are for the dynamic, vigorous persons.

After all keep in mind that nature does not provide us with perfect gems (even gem grading may not help), you may have not enough money to afford the gem stone you like or the stone will not suit your personality. Be careful while purchasing and good luck.