Alexandrite
Often described as “emerald by day, ruby by night”, Alexandrite is the very rare colour changing variety of the mineral chrysoberyl.
Discovered by the Ural Mountains in the 1800s the stone was named after Czar Alexander II. It’s a fascinating gem that can show both the colour-change phenomenon and create a cats-eye.
Origins: Russia, Brazil, Sri Lanka
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Amethyst
The most valued member of the quartz family. It was once considered equal to emerald, ruby and sapphire.
Beautiful with a royal purple colour and affordable for dress rings.
Origins: Brazil, USA, Zambia
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Aquamarine
Aqua Marine Latin for seawater, this gem can be formed in large crystals and producing stunning stones even up to 100 carats. Its moderate to deep dark blues to slightly greenish blues can be cut to give fantastic brilliance, most are eye clean.
A perfect stone for modern jewellery yet timeless enough to be found in period pieces. A gem that has been loved throughout the ages.
Origins: Brazil, Mozambique, Pakistan, Nigeria.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Cat’s Eye Chrysoberyl
A charming stone with phenomena alike a cat’s narrowing pupil, hence the name. A bright line is created by light reflecting of long thin inclusions within the stone.
A strong, centred and complete sharp ray with a greenish-yellow or brownish-yellow “honey” colour body command the highest price per carat.
Cat’s eyes have a long history dating back to at least first century Rome, the most likely origins Sri Lanka and India from this period.
Today Cat’s eyes are collector gemstones for clients from Indonesia, China and the United States.
Origins: Sri Lanka, India, Brazil, Myanmar, Madagascar.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Diamond
The hardest of all nature’s gems, mostly formed over a billion years ago under high temperatures and pressure about 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface.
In recent times it is the most popular gemstone to present as an engagement ring. A tradition that dates back to 1477, the first well documented use of a diamond ring to signify an engagement between Archduke Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy.
Investors store wealth in rare large diamonds offering a tangible asset and long term returns.
Famous diamonds include:
- The Cullinan II, a 317.40cts rectangular cushion cut, set into the Imperial State Crown
- The Koh-i-noor, a 105.60cts captured as war booty over the centuries. The gem is in the British Imperial Regalia.
- The Orlov, Indian rose-cut style weights 189.62cts. It is said to have been stolen in the 1700s by a deserter of the French army from the eye of an idol in Tamil Nadu, India.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Emerald
The Mughals admired emeralds and extensively used large tumbled emeralds in opulent pieces, also with carved emeralds with religious invocations and elegant script.
The finest colour emeralds are regarded as bluish-green to vivid green in medium to strong saturations, typically emeralds have inclusions to the eye sometimes referred to as “jardin”.
Origins: Colombia, Brazil, Zambia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Russia
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Fancy Coloured Diamond
The most rare and costly of all gemstones. The rarest of the fancy colours Red achieve the highest per carat prices.
Fancy coloured diamonds vary from more available Yellow to rarer Pink, Blue and Green diamonds. The strength of colour is the most important factor and many fancy coloured diamonds carry small inclusions due to such scarce nature of fancy diamond rough.
Famous diamonds include:
- The Hope, 45.52cts Fancy Deep greyish Blue sits in the Smithsonian Institution, USA
- The Moussaieff Red, 5.11cts Fancy Red is the largest diamond of this colour
- The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond, 31.06cts Fancy Deep Blue with Internally flawless clarity sold at auction for $24.3million
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Garnet
A gemstone offered in nearly every colour. Vibrant orange “Mandarin” Spessartine garnets to rare “Tsavorite” Grossularite garnets known for their lush emerald-like colour.
The rarest of garnets known as “Demantoid”, famed for their horsetail like inclusions. It was a popular choice for creations by imperial Russian Jeweller Faberge.
Origins: Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Russia.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Jade
The precious gem known as the “stone of heaven” has been cherished for thousands of years with great cultural significance in Asia.
Jade is a generic term for two distinct minerals Nephrite and Jadeite. Gem-quality jadeite is more rare and valuable than nephrite.
In addition to green, jadeite can be lavender, orange, yellow, white or black. The most valuable jadeite colour is intense green known as Imperial.
Origins: Myanmar, Guatemala, China, New Zealand.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Opal
In Ancient Rome this gem symbolised love and hope. Perhaps the most familiar phenomenal gemstone with its alluring play-of-colour.
Play-of-colour is produced by the interaction of light with opal’s internal structure of silica spheres. Black opals command the highest prices, whereas White opal makes up the bulk of commercial-quality opal on the market.
Origins: Australia, Ethiopia, Fire Opal from Mexico.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Pearl
Natural pearls have been coveted as symbols of wealth and status for thousands of years from the East to the West. Mythical stories and and ancient legends adorn this most beautiful of natural gems. Symbols of love and strength, they have charmed the most powerful from Maharajahs of India, European Royalty, American Industrialist and continue to capture the imagination of the wealthiest Arab, Russian and Chinese collectors today.
The Persian gulf produced the best quality and size of natural pearls. Unfortunately due to pollution in this region and damage to oysters with the discovery of oil, the scarcity of natural pearls only furthered its legend with rarity.
Cultured pearls discovered by Kokichi Mikimoto in the early 1890s made pearls far more accessible and affordable in the wider commercial market. Depending on the species of the oyster, it can produce pearls of varying colours. Either cream, white, peacock-hues and greys to blacks.
Origins:
Natural Pearls – The Persian Gulf, Gulf of Mannar, Venezuela.
Cultured Pearls – Japan, Australia, French Polynesia, China.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Ruby
The most valuable variety of the corundum species, which also includes sapphire, rubies can command the highest price per carat of any coloured gemstone.
In ancient sanskrit, ruby was known as ratnaraj, or “king of precious stones”. The fiery red glow of rubies are caused by the trace element chromium. “Pigeon blood” refers to the reddest ruby and the finest examples distinctly from Myanmar, a historical source and true collectable for any gem connoisseur.
Origins: Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Tanzania, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Sapphire
A gem fit for Royalty, sapphires have long been admired throughout history and its fabulous royal blue hues mesmerise collectors around the world.
To the collectors and jewellers, the name Kashmir sapphire is the most sought after and valuable of all the sapphires. It’s velvety blue colour has no rival in the world of sapphires.
Sapphires from Myanmar are valued second in the hierarchy of collectable sapphires. These gems have their own distinct royal blue colour and generally have the better clarity of all the sapphires. Also produces important 6-rayed stars cut as cabochons.
For centuries, the island Sri Lanka (Ceylon) has produced precious gems and notable source for sapphires. The “island of gems” produces some of the worlds best sapphires in many different colours, the most famous trade name “cornflower blue”. Other colours include purple, violet, pink, yellow, green, colourless and the rarest of all colours pinkish-orange “Padparascha” in sinhalese referring its similarity to the colour of a lotus flower.
Origins: Kashmir, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Thailand
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Spinel
A gemstone favoured by Kings, this rare red gemstone for centuries has been mistaken for Ruby.
The rich red colour can rival ruby, but costs much less. Also available in cobalt blue, pink, orange and lavender.
Origins: Myanmar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Vietnam
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Tanzanite
Found in one-mine only by Mount Kilimanjaro. Vibrant play of blue, purple and violet colours make this gem one of the most popular coloured gemstones today.
Origins: Tanzania
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Topaz
Topaz has a wide range of colours from blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and red.
The most rare and valuable form of topaz known as Imperial topaz comes in orange-red and pink colours.
In the 1700s the Royal court of Portugal celebrated the discovery of Imperial Topaz, discovered in Ouro Preto, Brazil.
Origins: Brazil, Sri Lanka
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Tourmaline
A rainbow of colours makes this gemstone affordable and attractive for modern jewellery.
Reds, Pink and the rarest Paraiba tourmalines in neon-blue to green shades.
Also used in jewellery Bi-coloured tourmalines, “Watermelon” tourmalines.
Origins: Brazil, Pakistan, Mozambique, USA, Tanzania.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia
Turquoise
Ancients used this gem in rituals as far dated as 4000BC.
Vivid blues and green shades characterise this ancient gem found only in very few places around the world due to the dry conditions it is formed.
Origins: USA, Mexico, Egypt, Iran, China.
Photo credit: GIA Gemstone Encyclopedia