An aquamarine appeals to you for its blue, a heliodor for its yellow, a morganite for its pink. These three varieties belong to the same mineral family: beryl. Yet a gemstone\u2019s name and colour do not tell the whole story of its appeal. Two apparently similar gems can produce different effects, require different precautions or suit very different jewellery projects.<\/p>\n
To choose a gemstone, start with a simple question: do you want to collect it, wear it occasionally or make it into an everyday jewel? Your answer gives meaning to the following five criteria. The aim is to understand what you are looking at, then decide which compromises suit you.<\/p>\n
Carat weight measures neither beauty nor the visible surface area of a gem. A deep stone can carry considerable weight beneath its upper part. Another, lighter stone may have a greater face-up presence. Ask for its dimensions in millimetres, including its depth, and consider the space it will occupy in the jewellery.<\/p>\n
Next, observe how the light moves. A large transparent area in the centre, through which the background is easily visible, may be a \u201cwindow\u201d. Extensive dark areas may also reduce visual enjoyment. These effects need to be examined in several positions: a single photograph is not enough.<\/p>\n
Cutting a coloured gemstone seeks a balance between its shape, light performance and the expression of its colour. For a pale aquamarine, pay particular attention to the liveliness of the facets. For a morganite, check that the proportions enhance the pink rather than simply retain weight. An oval, cushion or rectangle can all work well: the shape alone does not define a level of quality.<\/p>\n
Saying \u201cI want a blue stone\u201d mainly defines a hue. To describe colour more precisely, separate three concepts: hue, which refers to blue, yellow or pink; tone, which indicates whether the stone looks light or dark; and saturation, which expresses the intensity of that colour.<\/p>\n
A darker stone is therefore not automatically more saturated, or preferable. A pastel morganite may be perfectly suited to a delicate design. A more strongly coloured heliodor may suit someone seeking greater presence. The right choice depends on the desired effect and on how well the gemstone retains its appeal under different lighting.<\/p>\n
To compare, place the gems in the same conditions against a neutral background, and also look at them under ordinary lighting. Online, ask for a video and details of how it was filmed. Your screen display remains an approximation: a very precise shade deserves to be confirmed before a bespoke project is finalised.<\/p>\n
An inclusion is an internal feature of a gem. Its significance depends on its nature, position and visibility. A small, discreet crystal and a substantial fracture are not assessed in the same way: one may barely change the appearance, while the other may require particular care during setting.<\/p>\n
Start with the naked eye, at a normal viewing distance, then examine with a loupe if necessary. The useful question has two parts: does this feature bother you visually, and could it affect the stone\u2019s durability? A professional observation can distinguish these considerations.<\/p>\n
Expectations vary between varieties. Faceted aquamarines and morganites are often chosen without inclusions visible to the naked eye. This does not mean they have no distinguishing features under magnification. Conversely, a very transparent stone proves neither natural origin nor the absence of treatment. To learn more about these varieties, read our article on the beryl family<\/a>.<\/p>\n A natural gemstone may have been treated after mining. Heating, for example, can change the colour of certain gems. It is commonly encountered in aquamarine and morganite: it can reduce the greenish component of the former or the yellow to orange shades of the latter. However, its frequency does not allow a conclusion to be drawn about an individual stone.<\/p>\n Ask what information is known, what it is based on and whether a laboratory report accompanies the gem. Some interventions are difficult, or even impossible, to establish with the available methods. A rigorous answer should state these limitations rather than promise unjustified certainty.<\/p>\n Treatment is not an automatic reason to reject a stone. It forms part of your comparison, alongside price, appearance and care instructions. For a gemstone intended for an important project, our gemmological appraisal<\/a> service allows you to discuss the relevant examinations and what they can genuinely establish.<\/p>\n Durability brings together three different properties. Hardness describes resistance to scratching. Toughness concerns resistance to breakage and impact. Stability refers to resistance to factors such as heat, light or certain chemicals. Good scratch resistance therefore does not make a gem unbreakable.<\/p>\n For a ring worn frequently, examine the stone with the jeweller: any fractures, exposed corners and the protection offered by the setting matter as much as the variety\u2019s name. A pendant and a ring do not face the same stresses. Also ask for a care method suited to that particular stone and any treatments present.<\/p>\n Finally, keep your actual use in mind. A gem you like and whose limitations you understand will be more satisfying than a choice based on a single number or photograph.<\/p>\n Which criterion do you look at first: proportions, colour intensity, inclusions, treatments or durability? You can discover our gemstones<\/a> or tell us about your project<\/a>.<\/p>\n These points form part of our October programme: aquamarine, heliodor and morganite on 15 October, polariscope and conoscope on the 20th, then quartz on the 22nd, from 8 pm to 9.30 pm. Find details of the Our gemmology courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further reading: GIA, cut quality<\/a> ; GIA, coloured gemstone criteria<\/a> ; GIA, aquamarine<\/a> ; GIA, morganite<\/a> ; GIA, treatments<\/a> ; GIA, durability<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beautiful colour catches the eye, but it is not enough to choose a gem. Cut, colour nuances, inclusions, treatments and durability: five practical points to help you find the gemstone suited to your project.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":39022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-journal-ckystones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39018"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39174,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39018\/revisions\/39174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ckystones.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}4. Treatments: know exactly what you are buying<\/h2>\n
5. Durability: match the gemstone to how you will wear it<\/h2>\n