Important Facts to Know About Precious and Semi-Precious Gemstones

Gemstone can be defined as any mineral compound that is valued for its beauty and/or its toughness. There are various types and kinds of gemstones which have been alluring men and women since ages. Their love for rubies, diamonds, emeralds, tigers-eye, pyrite, sapphires and turquoise is so evident. But these stones are not only beautiful to look at, in fact they come with great value. This article throws some light of important facts that you must learn in relation with precious and semi-precious gemstones to know their value.

Factors Determining Value of Gemstones

Some gemstones have more value than others. There is more than one reason for such variation in their value.

• Rare versus Abundance

The less the availability, the higher the value. If you closely examine the above mentioned criteria used to differentiate gemstones, you will see that these criteria are highly variable. For example, until the discovery of large deposits of amethyst in Brazil, amethyst was considered to be a precious gemstone. After the discovery of these deposits, amethyst was considered to be a semi-precious gemstone.

• Beauty and Appeal

Nothing beats the look and appeal of the stone. A gem which is gorgeous looking will always be priced higher. Currently diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires are considered to be precious gemstones. Diamond is undoubtedly valued for its exotic beauty, rarity and toughness (it is the strongest substance on Earth). It is arguably the most precious gemstone of all the types of gemstones; a position that it has held for a very long time.

Likewise, Rubies, sapphires and emeralds are valued for both their rarity and beauty. These gemstones will command a higher price in the market than other types of gemstones. They are used in expensive jewelry including rings, bracelets and necklaces.

Semi Precious Stones

Semi precious gemstones are gemstones which don’t command a significant value when compared to precious-gemstones. Gemstones such as tigers-eye, moonstone, turquoise, sunstone and jasper are considered to be semi precious gems. Overall, there are no specific guidelines that can be used to distinguish between precious-gemstones and semi-precious gemstones.

Valuation of Diamonds

There are established guidelines that are followed to determine the value of diamonds. When grading a diamond, four factors of the diamond are considered, which are as follows:

• Cut: Cut refers to the expertise with which the diamond has been shaped
• Clarity: The clarity refers to the degree of perfection of the diamond (whether it has any blemishes or inclusions)
• Color: For colorless diamonds, color refers to the degree of clearness of the diamond while color refers to the intensity of color, in colored diamonds
• Carat: The carat refers to the weight of the diamond

In order to grade a diamond, it is examined under a microscope having 10 x magnifications. Other types of gemstones are still graded by examining them with the naked eye.

Investments in Gemstones

Investing in gemstones is not a very lucrative idea. The value of most precious gems such as diamonds varies at almost a parallel rate to the economic inflation or deflation. Therefore, the actual value of the gemstone will remain the same. This fact shows that gemstones should not be used as an investment, but will serve as good storages of wealth, especially during times of economic fluctuations. So the next time when you buy a stone, don’t think it as investments rather just enjoy its beauty.