There are two main categories of gemstones: the precious stones and the semi-precious stones. The only gemstones found under precious stones are ruby, sapphire, emerald, and diamond and everything else fall under semi-precious ones. Amethyst used to be recognized as a precious stone but lost its value when extensive deposits of this gemstone was discovered in Brazil by 19th century. Also pearl can be classed as a precious gem but (strictly speaking it is not a gemstone). Nowadays, fashions styles and jewelries are often adorned with gemstones and the 4 precious stones, on the other hand, never ceases to top them all.
It is widely recognized that the hardest naturally occurring substance is the diamonds, people have always recognized diamonds as precious stone since its discovery 6000 years ago, since 19th century, its popularity skyrocketed mainly because of rising supply, more advance cutting, and better techniques coupled with its noticeable luster.
To most people, ruby is also one finest gemstone that is hard to resist. Although ruby may come is different shades of red, the most sought after ruby is that with pigeon blood hue. Interestingly, rubies naturally have minute imperfections which have been used by many as basis for knowing the real ones over synthetics. Almost all rubies are treated in some form, heat treatment is the most common practice, however rubies that are of excellent quality and are untreated command a large premium.
The gemstone that distinctly appears in bluish color is sapphire. Generally, sapphires come in different variant of color blue although the deep blue hued sapphires are said to be the most expensive types of sapphires. There are other sapphires that come in other colors like yellow, orange, and even black but these are actually considered only a fancy sapphires. Before the 19thcentury, only deep blue colored ones are recognized as sapphire.
Sapphires and rubies fall under one classification (corundum) while emeralds belong to a different class (beryl). Emeralds are generally regarded as a special but those with flawless textures and great colors are most highly sought after. Enhancing the overall quality of emeralds by adding oil is a common practice among gem traders. It is also recommended that an emerald buyer must first consult with experts to ensure that he or she will get his or her money’s worth. It is quite interesting for some to note that there are replicas to these authentic gemstones. Additionally, people fancy most of these replicas because they exemplify the perfection that one cannot find in genuine gemstones. Thus, these replicas are also highly valued by many. Diamonds rate 10 on mohs’ scale of hardness, being the hardest of all gemstones, ruby and sapphire rates 9 on mohs’ scale and emerald rates 7.5 on mohs’ scale which means all of these precious gemstones are quite hard. Therefore, they wont easily fade being if they are worn most of the time. The best way to clean diamonds, ruby, and sapphire is in a ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, but when it comes to emeralds I do not recommend that you use a ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, it may remove the oils that emeralds are treated with to hide the natural inclusions, a little detergent in some warm water and a soft toothbrush will be a little gentler and will not damage the stone. So the next time you are looking to invest in a piece of jewelry for a love one or for yourself, have a think about precious gemstones, whether it be a nice diamond ring or a brooch with a mixture of all four stones. If looked after properly it will last a life time, and then become a family heirloom for generations to come.
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