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Gemstone Characteristics

Buying a gemstone? Read this.
When you are unaware of the criteria that determine a good quality gemstone, buying one can be an intimidating task.

MySolitaire will guide you on the criteria to adopt when buying a gemstone and just the right questions you should be asking the dealer.

Our gemstone guide will help you make a more informed decision as you select a colored gemstone for your purchase.

A gemstone is cut in order to enhance its beauty and appearance. So how do you identify a good quality cut and color in a gemstone? How do you distinguish a genuine color from another? Let us find out.

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True Colors / Color wise / Cut

Color is one of the most important factors while judging a good gemstone.
A finely cut gemstone will exhibit a good color, will have no inclusions and feature an overall symmetry and proportion.
A dark and intense color in a gemstone does not necessarily mean the stone is of high quality.
Rare gemstones are often cut for size and color isn't of prime importance. For instance, Precious stones like Sapphire and Ruby are cut for maximum weight and not their beauty; and they display streaks or an array of colors.
Medium-tone, clear, intense are some of the grading terms that define a good colored gemstone.

Gemstone color saturation chart will be made available shortly.

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The Perfect Cut / Gemstone Cut

Wondering how to judge the cut in a colored gemstone?

Always look at it in the setting and make sure that all the facets are symmetrical. A gemstone featuring an asymmetrically-cut crown is a sign of low-quality.

Gemstones with good cuts are symmetrical and will reflect light uniformly across the surface. Moreover, it will feature a smooth polish and will be free from scrapes and scratches.

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Color

Some common terms used to discuss the color in a gemstone include hue, tone and saturation. Very often, it is the radiant color in a gemstone that becomes its most significant feature.

How is the Hue?
The shade, tint or sensation of the color in a gemstone is known as hue.
Precious gemstones are known to demonstrate a pure color and will feature "minor" hues of other colors in addition to their primary color.
Look out for dominant color clarity while you evaluate hue in a gemstone.
Telling the Tone
The tone in a gemstone essentially means the depth of color, varying from colorless to black. It is defined as the relative darkness or the lightness of a hue.
Commonly used terms to describe a gemstone tone are "light," "medium-light," "medium," "medium-dark," and "dark."
Seeing the Saturation
Saturation or purity is described as the strength of a hue. It also refers to the degree to which the gem is free from brown or gray hues.
Some of the most valuable that indicate little gray or brown shares, are often described as having "bright" or "strong" color saturation.

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Clarity

Every gemstone features a combination of trace minerals that form a unique set of inclusions. The appeal of a gemstone lies in its appearance in a natural way without the magnification. Gemstones are graded scientifically using a 10x monochromatic color corrected magnifier.

Colored gemstones like aquamarine, blue topaz, and citrine are known to have smaller amount inclusions whereas gemstones, such as emerald and ruby have a higher rate of inclusions.

It is important to know that inclusions in gemstones aren't always a negative quality and don't hamper the beauty and durability of a colored gemstone in anyway.

Clarity plays a key role for the comparison of quality colored gemstones. Some of the precious gemstones are those that exhibit little or no inclusions.

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Size Matters / Size Wise / Size

The carat weight of a gemstone does not necessarily let you predict the exact size of the gemstone.

Different gemstones will have different densities (mass per unit volume) and even though two gems seem to be same in size, their weights could vary.

Inorder to judge the weight of a gemstone correctly, request for the dimensions so the majority of the gemstone weight will be evident when set in a setting.

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Enhancements

Enhancement in colored gemstones is defined as any process apart from cutting and polishing which improves the appearance, durability, or availability of a gemstone.

Almost all available gemstones in the market are subjected to enhancement and the ones that haven’t been are truly rare and very valuable.

As a buyer, request for a grading report or analysis for a colored gemstone if you are buying a gemstone that has not been enhanced. The grading report should affirm that the gem indicates no signs of enhancement by heat.

The jewelry industry all over the world recognizes heating as an acceptable and expected process when it comes to enhancement. It is part of the standard polishing and finishing process for a variety of gemstones.

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