Gemstone Buying - Myths and Facts

First of all, welcome to my first post in my new blog! We all have a little science nerd in us, even if it is buried down deep. Let's start with something most of us have been around: a jewelry store. Now, when you go into one, no doubt you are immediately hit with the glittering of gold and the flashing of primarily diamonds. Then it happens, a well dressed employee approaches you and asks what you are looking for. You casually describe what you are looking for and then comes the sales pitch.

Before your next visit to buy the perfect piece of jewelry for any occasion, let's highlight some myths, facts, tips and tricks. Keep in mind, its generally best to have an idea at least of what you want before you go in, "ooh shiny syndrome" is what the sales team is counting on. This doesn't have to be too specific, stick to the basics such as: diamonds vs. colored gemstone, piece of jewelry (necklace, ring, bracelet, etc.) and your price point.

Now for some facts and myths:

1) Diamonds are the rarest of all precious gems - False; Diamonds are actually one of the more common gemstones on the market, their supply is just tightly controlled by a few companies. A clear natural emerald or sapphire/ruby is much rarer, but are not as highly marketed.

2) Lab Created = Fake - False; Lab created gems have the exact same chemical formula and arrangement of atoms as those found in nature, they are just grown in a laboratory mimicking the natural formation conditions. This actually leads to a "perfect" gemstone in that there are no inclusions, veils, imperfections, etc.

3) If you are looking for a diamond, follow the 4 C's (carat, cut, color and clarity) - True; this will help you determine what type of diamond to look at. For example, if you want a diamond with a lot of fire (reflections of light), look for a round or princess cut stone. It used to be that a perfectly clear diamond was the most desirable, but colored diamonds have become more trendy as of late, so if you find that perfect diamond and it happens to be yellow, or even better, red, then congratulations you have found some of the rarest diamonds out there. Clarity is the tricky point as almost every diamond has some amount of graphite inclusions, generally a fairly priced diamond in a store will be graded I(Included)1 - SI(Slightly Included)2. Usually at these levels you can't see the inclusions with the naked eye, but if you ask for a jeweler's loupe, you will be able to see them. Lastly, carat will really define the price as diamonds are usually priced by size. It is also harder to find a large diamond with great clarity, thus keep in mind that a 1-1.5 carat diamond might be significantly prettier than a 2.5 carat diamond and you might save a little money.

4) My diamond is certified, therefore I can buy with confidence - This is both true and false; it depends on who is certifying it. GIA is the gold standard and can be trusted, but IGI (International Gemstone Institute) will classify a stone as whatever you want as long as you pay them enough. Research the certifying organization.

5) "A diamond is forever" - False; diamonds are meta-stable at the Earth's surface. They are just carbon and the most stable form on the surface is graphite. It make take several hundred years, but inevitably it will break down to graphite. Fun fact: you can take a diamond and place it in an oven at 500 degrees F overnight and when you open the oven in the morning, you will have a nice pile of graphite.

While these are some things to consider, in the end get what makes you, or your significant other happy. That's whats really important. The prettiest stone in the world to you could be a hunk of junk to someone else, but as long as the owner likes it, rock it (and yes, pun intended)!

Thank you for visiting my site and feel free to leave a comment on subjects you would like to know more about.

-GRS

#Gemstones #Jewelry #Science