What are Gemstones?

Silent in the glance.. yet empowering…

Providing the wielder, that desired touch of magic….

“You are your own unique brand indeed… 

risk taking… overcoming the fear of failure….

To dive into the deep unknown…”

The words above are a glance of some of the feelings which a gem in your possession can inspire…

“ dumb jeans in their silent kind, more than quick words do move a woman’s mind”

William Shakespeare

Symbolified as tokens of love, royalty, wealth from Tutenkhamen to Queen Victoria, the history of gemstones extends to the Neanderthals who used hematite to decorate their shells. All ancient cultures had some references to gemstones in their society.

So do you ever wonder, of the journey undertaken by a gemstone to end up in jewelry?

It all begins in the dirt, where a miner has identified the presence of a previously untouched entity, in the midst of all the mud and other stones. And you would not recognize the stone in this initial state.

^ this is a licensable photo. We should sell our own somewhere. Good looking miners can be posed.

Some stones do appear colorful and as shiny as they look in jewelry… but this is rare…

A majority appear darker with multiple inclusions in them. If you are lost at inclusions then don’t worry. We’ve written an article discussing this.

Here are examples of rough stones found in Kalu ganga, a river in Sri Lanka, famous since ancient Times for its sapphires.

The rough stones are then cut to form the basic shape, such as square, oval, round…

This depends on the original shape of the gemstone. Some stones can be cut into two, to make perfect pairs for earrings. It is cut in such a manner, so as to preserve weight, color and to slough off the inclusions.

It is definitively a topic of its own to discuss the procedure which help you get the best possible cut for a gemstone.

Once the basic shapes are formed, the stone is then faceted and polished. This is the sparkly stone in your jewelry.

In the midst of this process since stones undergo treatment, in order to improve color or clarity. 

As gemstones exchange hands, they maybe recut, to adjust shape as the owner sees fit.

Finally the gemstone ends up in the hands of a jeweler who has seen it to be the perfect match for an accessory they had in mind.

And there you have it! This was just a brief overview in gemstones.

We are hoping to expand on this, so it can prove as a valuable resource for those interested in purchasing jewelry, those running jewelry stores, gem businessmen hobbyists out there.