Jewelry Buying Guide

Jewelry Buying Guide

Gemkids

If your kids are interested in gemology or gemstones, I found a fantastic website called GemKids.

The mini-website is part of GIA and what a pleasant surprise I got when I clicked on the GemKids on their menu bar.

The site is colourful and easy to read with three major sections: gemstones, jewellery and a very comprehensive glossary where even I learned a thing or two.

The photography, clickable information and pronunciation icons is brilliant.  I wish I could design our website to have this kind of functionality.

Sapphire Quality Factors

Several types of inclusions are found in sapphires. Among these are long thin mineral inclusions called needles. Fine needles are called silk when they occur as the mineral rutile in intersecting groups. Other clarity characteristics in sapphire are included mineral crystals, partially healed breaks that look like fingerprints, colour zoning, and colour banding.

Rutile needles clearly seen in this Sri Lankan Sapphire.  They do not detract from it's beauty

Generally, inclusions make a stone less valuable. Price can drop substantially if the inclusions threaten the stone’s durability. Even so, inclusions can actually increase the value of some sapphires. Many of the most valuable Kashmir sapphires contain tiny inclusions that give them a velvety appearance. They scatter light, causing the coveted visual effect without negatively affecting the gem’s transparency.

Star rubies and star sapphires belong to the phenomenal corundum category. The star effect is called asterism. It’s caused by reflections from tiny, needle-like inclusions that are oriented in several specific directions. Stars are usually made up of 2, 3, or 6 intersecting bands, resulting in 4, 6, or 12 rays.

Star Ruby with 6 clear rays

The shape of a rough sapphire crystal influences the finished stone’s shape and size. Rough sapphire’s most common crystal form is a barrel- or spindle-shaped hexagonal pyramid. For this reason, finished sapphires are often deep.

To achieve the best overall colour, maintain the best proportions, and retain the most weight possible, cutters focus on factors like colour zoning, pleochroism, and the lightness or darkness of a stone.

Color zoning—areas of different colours in a stone—is a common sapphire characteristic. Blue sapphire often has angular zones of blue and lighter blue. To accommodate colour zoning in some sapphires, cutters orient the concentrated colour in a location that offers the best visible colour in the cut stone.

Colour zoning shown clearly in this Australian Sapphire

In Sri Lankan sapphires, the colour is often concentrated close to the surface of the crystal. If a cutter can orient the culet within the concentrated area of colour, the stone will appear entirely blue in the face-up position.

Pleochroism is different colours in different crystal directions. Blue sapphires often have greenish blue and violetish blue pleochroism. It’s most desirable to orient the cut so the stone shows the violetish blue colour when it is set in jewellery.

Article from:  GIA Education

Celebrites favour simple black and white

The only interesting thing happening at this year's MTV Awards besides the onstage spat between host Miley Cyrus and singer Nicki Minaj was Kanye West’s 2020 presidential bid announcement!

Was I the only one bored to death? I was hoping that the jewellery would be a little more interesting because as coloured gemstone dealers, we are always delighted to see sprays of colour on the red carpet.  But for me, the main thing lacking at the MTV Awards this year, was COLOUR!

Mismatched earrings, climbers, studs, black diamonds, colourless diamonds, more colourless diamonds and a few more diamonds pretty much summed up the evening's adorned.  Yellow gold and stacking rings with minimalist-inspired styles were also present.

So what does this mean for the industry's fashion forecast?  Not much I am afraid.  Let's hope colour makes a come-back before Christmas, otherwise it is going to be a rather dull overcast season for gemstone dealers!

Oh, I almost forgot, the good news is that if you lose an earring, you can now mis-match your studs and be the most stylish dame at the ball!

Rock on Morganite.

Rocks On: Pink’s popularity boosts morganite
By Brecken Branstrator for the National Jeweler
Print
April 24, 2015

Morganite, a member of the beryl family, comes in hues from pink to a more peach shade, such as this 6.65-carat cushion-cut stone from gemstone dealer Mayer & Watt.
Click through the slideshow to see 11 pieces of morganite jewelry.
New York--The influences of fashion trends and celebrity style on the colored gemstone world can be huge, particularly when it comes to bringing forgotten gemstones to the forefront or propelling classic stones to new heights.

When musician and actress Jennifer Lopez got engaged to actor Ben Affleck back in 2002, he proposed with a 6.1-carat pink Harry Winston diamond that was estimated to be worth $1.2 million.

After that, the popularity of pink stones rose rapidly--diamonds and sapphires in the hue have been having their day ever since and, along with them, morganite, said Simon Watt of gemstone dealer Mayer & Watt.

As pink shades begin to trend, especially for engagement rings, morganite offers a great value proposition for those looking for stone in the shade at a lower price point than sapphires.

“We’re selling morganite like hot cakes,” Watt said. “It’s selling very well right now. It could be a good option for an engagement ring for those looking for color, and it’s a nice hard stone.”

Robert Weldon, manager of photography and visual communications at the Gemological Institute of America and a colored gemstone expert, confirmed that they too have seen an increase of morganite on the market, especially over the last year or so.

He attributed part of the stone’s upward trend to Pantone’s naming of “Marsala” as the color of the year and the popularity of color blocking the lighter pink shades of stones like morganite with the darker hues of the earthy red marsala.

The pink beryl--which generally is lesser known than the two popular varieties of beryl, emeralds and aquamarines--was everywhere during the Tucson gem shows in February, given an extra boost in popularity and price over the past few years.

“There are always some colors that really resonate with customers, and I don’t know what it is but right now (morganite is) really doing that,” gemstone supplier James Alger, of James Alger Co., said. “It has a really pleasant color.”

A shifted focus

High-quality morganite offering the best saturation of color traditionally has come from Madagascar and Nigeria, but many said they are seeing less of that material available.

Rather, Brazil has popped up as the most significant source of morganite in the current market.

Since much of the material coming out of that country tends to have a brownish-pink hue to it, most of it has been irradiated to enhance the color. “I would estimate that about 99 percent of what’s on the market right now is irradiated,” Watt said.

Since irradiation mimics a process that can be done in nature, there’s no way to tell if the morganite has been treated in a lab. However, the irradiation process doesn’t change anything about the stability or hardness of the gemstone, so it continues with its rising popularity in the market.

Weldon too said that since much of the morganite currently available on the market is pretty uniform in color, and nature doesn’t generally make it that way that often, it’s a likely indication that much of it has, in fact, been irradiated.

He added that he’s been hearing that people are beginning to re-process the tailings from the mines where morganite previously had been found to see if they can find any stones in the discarded ore.

Steeper price tags

Regardless of origin, the price of morganite of all types has skyrocketed over the past few years, bridging the gap between the natural African material and what dealers are asking for the Brazilian stones.

Allen Dolberg of jewelry manufacturer Zoma Color said that he’s seen prices of the Brazilian material increase from an average of $15 to $20 per carat to somewhere between $50 and $70 per carat over the past year.

As demand and price increase, it stands to reason that supply should be waning, which is what a few of the gemstone dealers have been noticing of late.

“The Tucson show last year was ridiculous,” Dolberg, referring to the morganite supply. “There were pounds of it. This February, though, there seemed to be less. It seems that demand is using up supply.”

Dolberg notes that though he’s seeing plenty of morganite in finished goods, it’s becoming harder and harder to find the actual loose stones these days. “Dealers are seeing less available, and the price is going up, so we can deduce from that the supply is down,” he added.

The pinker morganite stones entered the market fairly recently, with availability popping up about 12 months ago, whereas Dolberg said he’s seen peach in larger numbers for the past five years.

The demand for and popularity of the peach hues has, in fact, fed into trends for other colored stones.

Over the last six months, Dolberg has seen tremendous demand for peach sapphires as well, which he believes comes from morganite rather than the other way around, as “no one really wanted it before.”

Watt too noted that there was a lot more peach morganite on the market for a few years but that more of the vivid pink has been appearing lately.

For Mayer & Watt, the highest demand currently for morganite in general is for 2- to 5-carat pieces, and the average price is around $45 to $95 per carat for their inventory.

Large and in charge

Morganite’s color comes out best in the larger stones, and that’s a good thing considering it’s one of the few gems that is more readily available in larger sizes.

“We’ve seen dealers with trays of 40- to 50-carat pieces of morganite,” Dolberg said. “You don’t often see those size in other materials.”

Despite that, the standard calibrated sizes still are what they sell most, he said.

The difference between what kind of morganite jewelers might be looking for depends on the customer type--for those looking for the finest quality and who want to be sure of what’s been done (or, rather, hasn’t been done) to their morganite, the natural material from Madagascar is all that will do.

For others, the irradiated material from Brazil provides a great color that’s worth the value.

No matter which jewelers pick, it doesn’t appear that the demand for morganite will be slowing down any time soon.

“We think pinks will trend more and more based on last year, and we’re sort of surprised at its success over the last five years,” Dolberg said. “We think it’s really established itself in the marketplace.”

Some fun facts about the August Birthstone - Peridot

We all know that the birthstone for August is Peridot.  Living in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring is around the corner and Peridot's bright apple green loveliness makes her appearance once again in August.  The bright, apple green colour of this extraterrestrial gemstone reminds me of the new life that Spring brings to our dormant garden.

The ancient Egyptians mined peridot on the Red Sea island of Zabargad, the source for many large fine peridots in the world’s museums. The Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Today this gem is still prized for its restful yellowish green hues and long history.

Large strongly-coloured, examples can be spectacular, and attractive smaller gems are available for jewellery at all price points.

Here are some fun facts about Peridot which until today, I did not know:

1. Peridot crystals are found in meteorites: some rare extraterrestrial crystals are even big enough to facet as cut gemstones.
2. Most gems are coloured by impurities such as iron. Peridot's colour is intrinsically yellow-green. Higher-quality stones have an intense colour.
3. Peridot has extremely high double refraction: when you look closely through the gem, you can see two of each pavilion facet.
4. Some peridot is ancient: 4.5 Billion years old!  It's found in pallasite meteorites, remnants of our solar system's birth.
5. Gem variety of the mineral olivine: found in peridotite rock from the earth’s upper mantle.
6. In 2005, peridot was found in comet dust brought back from the
7. Stardust robotic space probe.

For more information on Peridot and other gemstones, please visit our website at www.touchstonegems.co.za

Happy Peridot month!

What causes the star-effect in star sapphires and rubies?

Star rubies and sapphires display a sharp six-rayed star which seems to glide magically across the surface of the gem when the latter is moved. This is caused due to an optical phenomenon known as "Asterism".

The star is best visible when the star sapphire is seen in a single light source such as sunlight and spotlight.

What causes the star-effect in star sapphires and rubies?

Star-effect or "asterism" is caused by the dense inclusions of tiny fibres of rutile (also known as "silk"). The stars are caused by the light reflecting from needle-like inclusions of rutile aligned perpendicular to the rays of the star. However, since rutile is always present in star sapphires they are never completely transparent. In fact, star sapphire and sapphire are one of those few gemstones which actually require inclusions (i.e. rutile).

Star sharpness

The star should be sharp (not blurry) and silvery / milky white. The best way to test the sharpness of the star is to look at the star sapphire in sunlight with the dome facing the sun. All six prongs should be straight and equally prominent. The complete star should be centered in the middle of the gem, but should also be able to glide effortlessly around the cabochon.

Clarity

Due to the presence of rutile (silk) star sapphires and rubies are never transparent. Most natural star sapphires found are translucent and opaque (mostly opaque).

The Benefits of jewellery Appraisals

A critical step in protecting and preserving the value of your jewellery is getting an updated appraisal on a regular basis. In fact, if the most recent appraisal of your jewellery took place five or more years ago, it’s time to get a new appraisal.

You may be asking what a jewellery appraisal does for you. The obvious answer is that an appraisal sets a value for your jewellery. And with today’s roller-coaster values for gold, platinum, silver and gemstones, knowing what your jewellery is worth can save you heartache later if your jewellery is lost or stolen.

The appraisal provides basic information most insurance carriers need to offer coverage for your jewellery. The updated value, along with the detailed description provided by an appraisal, will help smooth your settlement process if you were to suffer a loss.

Another appraisal benefit is having an updated assessment of your jewellery’s condition. Over time, prongs, clasps, settings and even stones can become loose or damaged. The review of your jewellery by a professional can help mitigate a possible loss by drawing to your attention any minor damage so an item can be repaired.

Now that I’ve convinced you to get an appraisal, who should you go to and what should it contain? The first choice for your appraisal should be a jeweler you trust. They should have the credentials necessary to do an appraisal, such as a Certified Gemologist Appraiser (CGA) from the American Gem Society, and/or be a member of one of the appraisal societies that dictate ethical appraisal practices. You may already have a grading report from AGS or another lab. These reports are used to verify the quality and authenticity of gemstones or diamonds, but do not establish value.

Your jewellery appraisal should contain:

Your name and address
Type of jewellery
What is the jewellery item made of?
What type of gemstones are used?
How are the stones graded?
How is it designed or fashioned?
Condition of the item being appraised
colour photograph
Current precious metal values
Manufacturer, origin, or designer
Purpose of the appraisal (example: for insurance purposes)
Credentials of the appraiser
Signed and dated by the appraiser

Phillip Bosen is the Director of Business Development at Von Bargen’s jewellery and the only Certified Gemologist Appraiser in Vermont.

Taken from: AMERICAN GEM SOCIETY
By Phillip Bosen, CGA and Director of Business Development at Von Bargen’s jewellery

Which Ruby is best?

We all know that the ideal colour for ruby is bright red. The value of precious gemstones has always been determined by rarity, colour and inclusions. But, which Ruby should we be buying?  Popular choices today are Burmese, Indian and Madagascan Ruby.

Burmese Pigeon Blood Ruby has always been the most desirable, the most beautiful and the most expensive Ruby. However, over the last several years this has changed due to new deposits of Ruby being found in previously inaccessible areas like Madagascar.

Top quality Vietnamese Ruby, popular in the 90's, actually surpassed the popularity of Burmese Ruby.  Recently, deposits in Tanzania have been discovered and these "Winza" rubies are of remarkable quality.  Rubies are mined in  Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Greenland, and Tajikistan.

Conclusion:  All qualities of Ruby are good, it just depends on your budget and the desire to own one.

The beauty is included

We all know that inclusions in diamonds can be a bad thing. Nearly invisible specks inside a diamond can have a tremendous effect on value. However, inclusions play a major role in the world of coloured gemstones. Inclusions are a very important part of gemstone identification. They can be indicators of species, origin and treatments. As with diamonds, if inclusions are too numerous they can have a negative effect on beauty and value.

In some cases inclusions are desirable in coloured gemstones. Horsetail shaped inclusions inside Dementoid Garnet are not only identifying characteristics, under magnification they are quite beautiful. In fact, Dementoid Garnets with well-formed horsetails are very desirable and often carry a significant premium in the market.   Collectors seek out gemstones that display inclusions that are unique to the species; Lilypads in Peridot, 3-phase inclusions in Colombian Emerald, even insects in Amber. Microscopic inclusions cause the optical effects of asterism (stars) and chatoyancy (cat’s eye).

The real fun comes when inclusions are large and bold enough to become an essential part of a stone’s beauty and interest. The Quartz family is known for interesting inclusions. Rutilated Quartz contains crystals of Titanium Dioxide, sometimes radiating from a dark grey cube of Hematite in a captivating starburst of brilliant metallic gold needles. Tourmalinated Quartz looks like small black or dark green rods frozen in clear ice. Many minerals can form inside Quartz; sometimes as floating crystals other times appearing more like a colourful coral reef captured in stone. They are beautiful to the eye and even more fascinating under a microscope.

One of the hottest collectable inclusion stones are Trapiches. Meaning “wagon-wheel” Trapiches are usually cut as a cabochon or as a flat slab. The typical appearance shows spokes radiating out from a central hub with contrasting colours or a different mineral between the spokes. First found in Colombian Emeralds, we now find Trapiches in Sapphire, Ruby, Quartz and several other species including diamonds.  Trapiches of any species with good colour and distinct, well-defined spokes are in high demand and the prices are rising quickly. Grab them when you see them.

Gemstones with interesting and visible inclusions offer jewellery designers a broad palette of colour, shape and texture. Inclusion stones can be very affordable or very expensive. Commercial grade inclusion quartz can be had for less than a dollar per carat while superb examples of Rutilated Quartz could fetch over $100 per carat, even more if cut by a top artisanal gemcutter. A large Trapeiche Emerald with deep green colour and well defined spokes can run well into the thousands of dollars per carat.

Be included!
From Jewellery Net Asia