What Makes a Gemstone Precious?

A gem’s value depends on several factors, including its rarity and its color and light. Ruby, the intense red gemstone, is the most valuable of all, despite its scarcity, making it more expensive than diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and even diamonds. Rubies are also rarer than any other gemstone on earth, making them highly sought-after. They have also been a symbol of love and romance for centuries.

The term “precious” was first used in the mid-nineteenth century to describe the most beautiful, rare, and valuable gemstones. While the term “precious” was originally used to describe rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, it has become an international terminology referring to four types of gemstones. All four are extremely hard and translucent, making them ideal for jewelry.

What Exactly is a Gemstone?

Gemstones are valuable and semi-precious stones that are used in jewelry. These stones are usually cut and processed minerals. Gemstones, on the other hand, are not always made up of minerals. Gemstones are sometimes precise rocks or organic materials that are utilized in jewelry and ornamentation. Amber and jet are examples of stones that fit under this category.

Precious stones are different from other stones because of their quality, how rare they are, and how beautiful they are. This is a list of the only four precious stones: diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald All other stones are called “secondary stones.”

This is also because they are very hard, which makes them less likely to get scratched. If one stone can scratch another, it is harder than the other. It can only be smashed by a diamond. It can still break if there is a big shock.

The Mohs scale is used to measure how hard something is. It ranks minerals on a scale of 1 to 10. Some people think diamonds are the hardest. Ruby is 9/10, sapphire is 9/10, and emerald is 7 to 8/10, but they aren’t as hard as diamond.

However, all stones are still very fragile and need to be treated with the utmost care.

What to Know About Each of the Four Precious Stones?

Usually, sapphire is blue, but there are a lot of other colors that depend on the chemical make-up of the stone: yellows, oranges, greens, and so on.

Burma, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar are the places where they are most common, but they can also be found in other countries like India, China, Brazil, and some African countries.

1. Ruby is known for its red tones, which can range from pink to purple to a little brown. Red is the most sought-after and rarest color. Ruby is often paired with another color. However, the more vivid these colors are (purple or orange), the less valuable the ruby is. Burma and Mozambique are the places that make the most rubies in the world, and they make up 60% and 40% of the world’s rubies, respectively. Another country that makes rubies that are known for their beauty and purity is Sri Lanka. Tanzania, Thailand, and Madagascar are also well-known for their rubies.
2. Emerald is a green color, and it can range from pale green to dark green in tone. A lot of people put it in an emerald cut because it’s more sensitive to shocks than other precious stones. Most emeralds are small, but there are some that are very big. Because they’re so hard to find, bigger ones can be worth as much as a diamond of the same size. emeralds that are the most beautiful today are mined from places like Colombia and Zambia as well as Zimbabwe and Brazil.
3. The white diamond is the best-known. However, it has a wide range of colors to choose from. In the alphabet, there are almost as many different shades of white as there are words (D being the most flawless and Z the richest in yellow highlights). Besides being white, the diamond has a lot of other colors that are more or less interesting.
4. The next-most-valuable gem is sapphire. Sapphire is the blue variety of the mineral corundum. Other gem varieties of this mineral are also named after their hue. Blue sapphires are the most coveted of them. Moreover, they look beautiful when set in white gold. If you are buying a precious gemstone for jewelry, make sure to get an appraisal from a reliable appraiser. It will be valued in the future.

Check Out Some Beautiful Precious Stones

1. Ruby

Features

• Eye-catching jewelry piece
• The finish is customizable, available in other materials
• Can be purchased with engraving
• Nickel Free and Tarnish Resistant
• Thoughtfully packaged with a fancy gift kit

2. Emerald

What are Some of the Most Popular Semi-Precious Stones?

Pearls are hard objects that are made from the soft tissue of a shelled mollusk or conulariid. They are formed inside the soft tissue. Pearls are on the Mohs scale between 2.5 and 4.5.

1. Black Onyx 
   Black onyx is a type of quartz called chalcedony. It is thought to be an anniversary gemstone for the 10th year of marriage. People use the Mohs scale to measure how strong black onyx is. It’s between 6.5 and 7 on the scale.
2. Opal
   Opal is a type of silica that looks like glass but is also similar to quartz in terms of its chemical makeup. Within this mineral, there is a lot of water, but it varies a lot. There are two types of opal: hard and soft. The hardness ranges from 5.5 to 6.5.
3. Blue Topaz
   There are many different shades of blue topaz. It is a mineral made up of aluminum and fluorine. On the Mohs scale, blue topaz is a very hard stone.
4. Moonstone
   Sodium potassium aluminum silicate is a shiny mineral that is called moonstone. The visual effect, or sheen, is caused by light diffraction from inside the microstructure, which is made up of layers of feldspar. It is on the Mohs hardness level between 6.0 and 6.5.

Here are Some Semi-Precious Stone for you

1. Black-Onyx

Professionals have been putting gems into categories for a long time. Hardness, color, size, purity, rarity, and purity are some of the things that are taken into account when making a choice. However, what each person thinks makes a stone beautiful is very personal and unique to them. Choose the stone based on how you feel about what it gives off. After all, what better way to judge someone than how they feel? Why? Because your eyes should shine the most when the stone is shown.

Use the 4Cs to accurately measure the quality and value of the precious gem. These are the cut, color, clarity, and carat weight (weight).

Precious stones aren’t always more valuable than semi-precious stones, but on the other hand, the term doesn’t always mean that the stones are more valuable.

Then, it might be more expensive to buy a tsavorite green garnet than a medium-quality sapphire because it is rarer. Several semi-precious stones are rarer than precious stones.

The term “semi-precious stones” does not mean that they are less beautiful than precious stones. They are both beautiful. A few of the most well-known ones are amethyst and green tourmaline, but there are many more. People can choose from a wide range of semi-precious stones that have a lot more colors and shades than all the colors of precious stones put together. Aquamarines are always better than sapphires that aren’t very good at what they do.

What Distinguishes Precious Gemstones from Semi-Precious Gems?

Technology 

Diamond, ruby, sapphires, and emerald are all considered precious gemstones that were discovered in ancient times and can only be found in specific locations on the planet. Rubies, for example, were discovered in Myanmar as early as 600AD (modern-day Burma). They’re all transparent, or at least semi-transparent as roughs, giving them an optical appeal that appealed to monarchs and rulers alike. Wars were fought and ships sailed across oceans in search of the largest and most valuable of these gems. Consider the time and effort required to recover a single gemstone, and you’ll see why no ordinary person could ever get their hands on one. They were valuable because of their rarity.

Demand and Rarity

If we try to define the word ‘precious’ now in terms of gemstones, we might come up with a different definition. Rarity and demand are two significant deciding factors. Rarity is linked to supply, whereas demand is linked to knowledge.

Take, for example, amethyst, which has been used as an ornament since 2000 BCE. It may come as a surprise to find that until the 1800s, gem-quality amethysts were valued at the same level as rubies. After that, a fresh source was discovered in South America, specifically Brazil, which has been supplying the globe with abundant amounts of purple quartz ever since. Amethyst is appropriately classified as “semi-precious” due to its widespread availability in huge sizes. They’re frequently seen in commercial jewellery for everyday use.

The Stones of the Collector

Even though the quantity is limited, a gemstone isn’t inherently ‘precious,’ at least not in the monetary sense. Typically, if only a few people are aware of a gemstone, they will not be able to create demand for it. In this scenario, there is no market, hence there are no regular transactions, and thus no actual value reference. A gem-quality grandidierite that we sold earlier this year is a good example. Ask around, and my best estimate is that most gemologists will have to look it up on the internet.

Quality takes Precedence Over Kind

When we calibrate the preciousness of a diamond by its price, it is always easier to grasp for the general audience. However, a wise buyer should always remember that the quality of a gemstone is more important than its species in determining its market value; for example, when comparing two different types of gemstones of equal weight, a mediocre ruby does not always cost as much as a very fine red spinel, and the tsavorite garnet I mentioned earlier has a higher price tag than a regular commercial-quality emerald.

What Makes a Stone Valuable?

Precious stones are defined by their high quality, scarcity, and color attractiveness. Diamond, sapphires, ruby, and emerald are the only four precious stones. As a result, all other stones are classified as semi-precious.

A gem’s color and appearance are also important factors in determining its value. Colorful gemstones reflect light, and are a desirable choice for jewelry. Moreover, these stones should fit into a jewelry design, and they should look classy. This means that the stone should be of good quality. If you’re considering purchasing a gemstone, you should understand what makes it precious and semi-precious. You can use this information to make a decision based on your own personal preferences.

What Makes Gemstones Unique?

Any of a number of minerals are admired for their beauty, durability, and rarity. A few noncrystalline organic elements, such as pearls, red coral, and amber, are also categorized as gemstones. Gemstones have captivated people since the dawn of time, and they have long been utilized in jewelry.

Besides the color and size, precious gems also have unique physical and chemical characteristics. They have a high density and hardness, and they exhibit a wide range of color spectrums. Their hardness, density, and refractive index are all similar to the stones found in nature. Gemstones can also have inclusions. The inclusions in a stone are considered a natural flaw. A gem’s color can be enhanced by adding materials to it.

What is the Best Gemstone Grade?

AAA
The letter grading system is used to classify gemstones. The highest grade is AAA, while the lowest is D. Gemstone beads graded AA – AAA is normally more expensive, of greater quality, and near-perfect. The majority of these gemstone beads are faceted and are not color-enhanced.

Conclusion

In order to qualify as precious, a gemstone must fall into one of the first three categories: organic materials, minerals, and gems. Gemstones are minerals that have been refined to use in jewelry. They are difficult to chip, scratch, and be subject to chemical alteration. The nine most valuable gems are diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, and gold. A gem’s color and clarity are the factors that make a gemstone precious.

Another criterion for how precious a gemstone is will affect the value of its ring or pendant. Diamonds are the most precious gemstone, as their mining requires a great deal of effort and time. Gemstones are usually valued based on their rarity. The most expensive sapphires are those that are rare and uncommon. The larger the gemstone, the more precious it is. The harder it is to mine, the more expensive the gemstone.