The absolute guide to buying gemstone jewelry

The world of gemstones is a fascinating one with rare stones of beauty in myriad shades and hues. The color combinations and tones of some gemstones cannot be fathomed and are true gifts of mother nature.

Gemstones are an ideal way of infusing color into jewelry. You could pick a particular gemstone or many because they resonate with your personality, help you with a spiritual connection or simply because you love a particular gem’s color or tone. Colored gemstones have been associated with a lot of symbolism and meaning over the years. They are also deemed to have healing properties.

Navigating the world of buying gem-studded jewelry can be intimidating since there are several beautiful gemstones to choose from and a number parameters to keep in mind.

This blog will help you discern and pick gem-studded jewelry that will add a fresh burst of life to your collection of jewels.

Which gemstone to pick?

This can depend on your personal color preference, and the qualities or attributes that you are looking out for in a gemstone. Some also incorporate gemstones in their spiritual practice. For others, they are just driven by their sheer love for a particular gem.

Rubies, emeralds and sapphires make up the big three in the gem world but there is a growing demand for lesser-known gems such as tanzanite, amethyst, citrines, morganites, Paraiba tourmalines and more… the list is endless.

What should you keep in mind while buying a gemstone?

Like diamonds, gemstones are graded on factors such as cut, clarity, color and carat. For gemstones, color is the most important C. One needs to look at the hue, tone and saturation of the gemstone.

Many gemstones are treated to enhance the color of the gemstone. Non-treated gemstones, especially the rare ones, are more valuable and expensive.

Gems and their meaning

Throughout history, gemstones have been attributed with certain powers, symbols or meaning.

Emeralds, often called the king of gems, are prized for their mystical, mesmerizing green hue. They are associated with royalty,wealth, wit, foresight and eloquence. Wearing emeralds are said to bring harmony anda sense of calmness and balance to the wearer. The green hue embodies life, fertility and abundance.

Ruby is a symbol of love, commitment, nobility and passion. It also represents vitality and vigor. Wearing ruby jewelry is said to give energy to the body thereby enhancing mental strength and warding of illness.

Sapphires are seen as a stone of wisdom, power and strength. They are associated with love, loyalty and happiness. Before diamonds became popular, they were the preferred gem for engagement rings. Sapphires are believed to help you connect with your intuition and improve clarity and self-control. While blue is the most typical color, they also come in shades of pink, yellow, orange and green.

Similarly, every gem has a meaning. Search the web and you will find plenty of symbolisms and benefits of wearing each gemstone. Which one do you identify with?

Another option is to look at birthstones associated which each month of the year. The modern list is as follows: Garnets for January, Amethyst for February, Aquamarine for March, Diamond for April, Emerald for May, Alexandrite for June, Ruby for July, Peridot for August, Sapphire for September, Tourmaline for October, Topaz for November and Blue Topaz for December.

Budget

You can get stones in almost every budget but you will have to pay a price for quality. If you want a green gemstone but don’t want to pay the price of an emerald, you can always look at other green gemstones like tourmaline, jade and tsavorites. Likewise for rubies, garnets and red tourmalines are often used in place of rubies.

There are plenty of substitutes and alternative options to choose from.

Can you wear gemstone jewelry every day?

Most gemstones are resilient enough to be worn every day without damage. The hardness of a gemstone or its ability to resist scratches is measured on the Mohs scale. The toughness of a stone or its ability to withstand chipping or cracking is another point of consideration.

Diamonds are the hardest gemstone and rank 10 on the Mohs scale. Rubies and sapphires follow with a rank of 9 on the Mohs scale. Emeralds rank 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. They have good hardness but rank poor in toughness because of the inclusions that they tend to have.

On the other hand, stones like rubies sapphires, amethyst and aquamarines don’t have cleavage, and are best-suited forthose with an active lifestyle.

Keep these pointers in mind, you are ready to go all out and find your perfect gem-laden baubles.