Resources
General Information
For a great head start when it comes to jewelry, we recommend this page by the American Gem Society, which quickly covers the basics of colored gemstones, pearls, gold, and diamonds.
Diamonds
You've likely heard about the 4 Cs: Carat weight, Color, Clarity, and Cut. If you want to know more about the king of the gemstones, it's here, from the same folks that developed that very concept. Diamonds get their own heading here because they're truly in a league all their own, not to mention having a unique grading system. Years of education and experience have only added to our appreciation of diamonds as beautiful, unique formations of nature.
Gemstones, etc.
These days it's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain an exhaustive list of gemstones, but here's our attempt at a quick reference for the most common ones. Click on the name of any of the below to be taken to a website with further information.
If you're searching for something that's not on this list, there's a good possibility that it's a trade name for a particular color of a gemstone that's already in the list below, although there's always the chance that a new gemstone variety is discovered or a rather obscure one comes to public prominence.
Agate: a striped form of crystal considered a good-luck charm since ancient times and whose beauty lies in its own natural colors and patterns.
Alexandrite: a very scarce gemstone that changes color depending on the light present, valued highly after its initial discovery in Russia.
Amber: used in jewelry earlier than any other on our list, amber is actually tree resin that's become fossilized.
Amethyst: a violet-colored crystal quartz, amethyst has been valued by royalty for its beauty and the belief that it wards off snake and insect bites, drunkenness, seduction, and even stomach acid.
Ametrine: found to date only in Bolivia, this is a quartz gemstone that's part amethyst and part citrine in a single stone.
Andalusite: offering plenty of value for the price, andalusites shine from sienna to gold depending on light and the cut of the stone.
Aquamarine: from the light-blue part of the spectrum come aquamarines, offering durability and beauty along with unmistakable hues.
Beryl: the family of substances to which aquamarine, emarald, and morganite (among others) belong.
Bloodstone: although somewhat difficult to locate in recent times, bloodstone's distinctive red-on-green appearance was treasured long ago and was even claimed to have its origin in Christ's crucifixion.
Blue Tourmaline: beautiful and exceedingly rare is this prized member of the tourmaline family.
Chrysoberyl: most gemstones referred to as "cat's eye" are chrysoberyls, usually yellowish or green in color and with a distinctive formation that does, in fact, resemble the eye of a cat.
Chrome Diopside: from Russia comes this green beauty with a low price tag and a name leaving much to be desired - a great value in today's market.
Citrine: a durable quartz with a distinctive yellow color, citrine has become more popular in recent years and is a good gemological value.
Coral: a chemical cousin of the pearl, coral used for jewelry is typically red, hand-cut and polished to a shiny, reflective existence. Care must be taken to prevent damage.
Demantoid Garnet: this little-known green gem stands proud as the most expensive member of the garnet family and was exceedingly rare until a mid-1990s African discovery.
Emerald: a gemstone that needs little introduction. Coming in a great range of sizes, it's had the ability to dazzle us humans for thousands of years. But the range of quality that emeralds possess means close inspection is a must.
Fancy Sapphire / Padparadscha: a sapphire that's any color other than blue or red is fancy by definition. A particular blend of orange and pink is the trademark of the padparadscha.
Fire Opal: with its most significant deposits in Mexico and Brazil, fire opal is unique, delicate, and complex. Their fiery complexion never fails to turn heads.
Garnet: Although the name summons deep reds to the mind's forefront, garnet is much, much more. Perhaps the most versatile gemstone, it comes in every color except blue, is relatively affordable, and has a durable composition suited for everyday wear.
Green Tourmaline / Verdelite: a distinctive green member of the colorful tourmaline family.
Iolite: commonly found in the Earth and with an affordable price tag, the real treasure in iolite lies in its color-changing abilities. Iolite lives up to its full potential only when light strikes it perfectly, and for this reason an ideal cut is critical.
Jade: used for millennia in weaponry and jewelry alike, jade has a colorful reputation and history that belies its simple, elegant appearance. It comes in two varieties: jadeite and nephrite, of which jadeite is the more valuable.
Kuznite: discovered just over 100 years ago and possessing a fragile pink color, kuznite's popularity is on the rise. Its color depends highly upon the stone's cut, which due to its hardness is often quite difficult.
Lapis Lazuli: often used in men's jewelry, lapis lazuli's traditional blue hues contrast well with its pyrite inclusions. It's been valued for thousands of years, although modern valuations vary greatly depending on quality.
Mandarin Garnet / Spessartine: another gemstone with a modern emergence, this is a bright, eye-catching member of the garnet family.
Moonstone: the delicate light-play inherent in moonstones comes with a price: delicacy. Moonstones are traditionally from Sri Lanka and exhibit a reflective quality that can dazzle. Much depends on the expertise of the stone's cut.
Morganite: a flexible but generally pink color is the trademark of this beryl whose name was changed in the early 20th century as an homage to J.P. Morgan.
Multicolored Tourmaline: we state below that tourmalines come in ever imaginable color, but the differences in composition from one color of tourmaline to another are so slight that multiple colors are often found in the same stone.
Onyx: well-known for its black color, onyx is a stately-looking quartz that contrasts well with precious metals and other gemstones, most notably diamonds.
Opal: present in nature in a variety of colors, the vast majority of opals hail from Australia. The range of light and colors seen in a piece often dazzle, but opals must be protected, as their soft composition means they're easily damaged.
Paraiba Tourmaline: an exquisite and rare variety of tourmaline, these bright, blueish-greenish stones have only been mined in Brazil and Africa.
Pearl: imitations abound, but the genuine pearl is a long-standing treasure for us humans, a gift from irritated oysters. They come in several different colors, too - white is a classic look, but black and rose-colored pearls are also popular.
Peridot: also known as olivine and chrysolite, this is another gemstone in the midst of a popular resurgence. This is reasonable, given new finds about fifteen years ago keeping the market price in a reasonable range.
Rubellite Tourmaline: while tourmalines come in a variety of colors, true rubellites have a unique distinction: their color acts exactly the same in natural light as it does in artificial light.
Ruby: another gemological all-star with a history as long as the human race, rubies dazzle eyes with enchanting reds and pocketbooks by means of their relative rarity. They're extremely durable, too.
Sapphire: blue is the color most strongly associated with these difficult-to-cut beauties. Extremely high-quality sapphires are rare and extremely costly, but specimens of good value abound after some significant recent finds.
Spinel: found in pink, red, purple, orange, and blue, these hearty beauties are rare but available at bargain prices because they're relatively unknown compared to the more popular stones of the same colors.
Tanzanite: found only in Tanzania, East Africa, the ideal tanzanite specimen is blue with a hint purple. Its elegant color is nothing short of natural, but the name was given to the stone by Tiffany's and has stuck ever since.
Topaz: a variety of colors of topaz are available, but this once-popular stone and its legendary, mystical powers has fallen by the relative wayside, gemologically speaking.
Tourmaline: this gemstone is available in a wide variety of colors and isn't even limited to a single color per piece. Stones are readily available and relatively inexpensive, making it an excellent choice for jewelry you'll wear often.
Tsavorite Garnet: a lively, green-colored garnet discovered in the 1960's in Africa and made popular by a Tiffany's campaign.
Turquoise: the unique color that is turquoise's gift to the world has been put to good use for at least the last 5000 years. These blue stones can have veins or designs (matrices) and are often seen in jewelry from the American Southwest.
Yellow Tourmaline: a golden variety of the versatile tourmaline family.
Quartz: a family of gemstones to which many of the others on this page belong, quartz also appears in several forms that we haven't mentioned specifically: chalcedony, smoky quartz, and rose quartz, among others.
Zircon: currently a great value, zircons come in a variety of colors, hold up well, and have ample ability to impress any viewer. Sadly, zircons aren't as popular today as some of the costlier gemstones for which it's often used as a substitute.
Zultanite: transparent and eye-catching, zultanite's light, earth-toned colors change depending on the lighting conditions present. It occurs with extreme rarity in nature, and the only known mined deposits are in Turkey.
Gemstone Enhancements
Just because gemstones are mined from the Earth doesn't mean that they haven't been tampered with. In addition to the cutting and polishing that are clearly present in finished gemstones, other processes are often employed to enhance appearances. For a quick overview of the irradiation process used to alter the color of some of the gemstones discussed above, visit this page.
Precious Metals
Gold has been used throughout ancient and modern times for quite a few things, but we'll try to limit our discussion here to jewelry. In its pure (24 karat) form, gold is generally too soft to be used. It's often alloyed with copper, silver, nickel, or palladium to effect changes to its melting point, color, and general durability so that it's better suited for jewelry use. Gold is used at various levels or purity even dependent on the country in which the piece was made. The karat standard is a ratio of gold to 24 parts: 24 karat gold is 24/24 = 100% pure, while 18k gold is 18/24 = 75% pure, etc.
Palladium is a platinum-group metal often used as a platinum substitute outside the jewelry sector. Although it's lesser-known than platinum, palladium is whiter, lighter, and harder. Its use in jewelry is semi-rare at the moment, but all signs point to a popularity increase in the near future.
Platinum is a grayish, silvery-white precious metal - the most expensive by weight of the four listed here. Its use in jewelry is not as common as that of gold or silver, but its popular prestige in recent years has quite possibly exceeded that of both. It resists everyday wear and tarnishing well.
Silver, by far the cheapest of the four, has a history and future in jewelry just as esteemed as the rest. As a symbol of wealth and status, it signifies class while perhaps avoiding some of the flashy connotations that gold jewelry has taken on recently. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper and is a commonly-used alloy in the jewelry industry.
Birthstones
The American Gem Society recognizes the following:
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
April: Diamond
May: Emerald
June: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone
July: Ruby
August: Peridot and Sardonyx
September: Sapphire
October: Tourmaline and Opal
November: Topaz and Citrine
December: Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise
Anniversary Gemstones and Gifts
Although less standardized than the birthstones list, fine jewelry also has a list of gifts for wedding anniversaries. You'll find variations of these standards on the web, but we like to go with the AGS. According to their website, the following are the traditional gifts for anniversaries:
1st: Mother of Pearl (Peridot as an alternate)
2nd: Garnet
3rd: Pearls (Jade as an alternate)
4th: Blue Topaz (Blue Zircon as an alternate)
5th: Sapphire (Pink Tourmaline as an alternate)
6th: Amethyst (Turquoise as an alternate)
7th: Onyx (Yellow Sapphire and Golden Beryl are alternates)
8th: Tourmaline (Tanzanite as an alternate)
9th: Lapis Lazuli (Amethyst and Green Spinel are alternates)
10th: Diamond Jewelry (Blue Sapphire as an alternate)
11th: Turquoise (Citrine and Yellow Zircon are alternates)
12th: Jade (Opal as an alternate)
13th: Citrine (Moonstone and Hawk's Eye are alternates)
14th: Opal (Agate and Bloodstone are alternates)
15th: Ruby (Rhodolite, Garnet, and Alexandrite are alternates)
16th: Peridot (Red Spinel as an alternate)
17th: Watches (Carnelian as an alternate)
18th: Cat's Eye/Chrysoberyl (Aquamarine as an alternate)
19th: Aquamarine (Almandine Garnet as an alternate)
20th: Emerald (Yellow or Golden Diamond as an alternate)
21st: Iolite
22nd: Spinel
23rd: Imperial Topaz
24th: Tanzanite
25th: Silver Jubilee (Tsavorite and Green Garnet are alternates)
30th: Pearl Jubilee
35th: Emerald
40th: Ruby
45th: Sapphire (Cat's Eye as an alternate)
50th: Golden Jubilee (Imperial or Golden Topaz are alternates)
55th: Alexandrite
60th: Diamond Jubilee (Star Ruby as an alternate)
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