Historically gemstones were classified into two categories, precious stones and semi-precious stones, in this article we will talk about traditional precious stones. Diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire are the only precious stones, all the rest are gemstones actually.
Apart from diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, amethyst was considered to be a precious gem until the discoveries of bulk amethyst in Brazil in the 19th century. For some, pearl is also considered as a precious stone although it is not really a gemstone.
Presently, gemstones are widely used to flair up fashion creations and even jewelries but the 4 precious stones are always the more popular of them all
The hardest form of precious stones is diamond, discovered some 6000 years ago and have been known since as a precious stone, since 19th century, its popularity skyrocketed mainly because of rising supply, more advance cutting, and better techniques coupled with its noticeable luster.
Several people also adore ruby as one of their favorite gemstones. Although ruby may come is different shades of red, the most sought after ruby is that with pigeon blood hue. Rubies are generally exhibiting little imperfections and many experts are capitalizing on this trait to know if a ruby presented is either synthetic or absolutely genuine. Most available rubies are treated and sold at reasonable value while those that are not treated is more expensive.For the rubies, those with higher quality are rubies that are not treated while the treated ones are more common and affordable.
Another highly priced gemstone is sapphire, a gem that is blue in color. 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. It should be noted that prior to 19th century, only the blue ones were recognized as sapphires.
Rubies and sapphires are classed as (corundum) where as emeralds are something completely different, emeralds are classed as (beryl). Most emeralds are highly valued but the most sought after beryl has got to be the flawless emerald with good color. Most emeralds are oiled in order to improve there clarity, this is a generally accepted practice in the gem trade. If you are considering purchasing an expensive emerald it is well advised to insist upon a report from a reputable gemological laboratory.
At present, each of these gemstones actually have a synthetic replicas that were made in laboratories. Although they are man made they are good quality gems which are inclusion free, a lot of jewelry designers use synthetics in their designs and make beautiful pieces of jewelry at a affordable price. That is why for most people, synthetic gemstones are also viewed with high relevance.
When measured in mohs scale, the hardness of these gemstones are as follows: diamonds ar 10, ruby and sapphire at 9, and emeralds at 7.5. Thus,these stone can definitely outlast any day to day pressures when worn. 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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