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Which do you prefer Diamonds or Colored Gemstones?

It’s a tough choice for me.   I love them both and have been lucky enough to be working with them for almost 40 years.  While attending the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), during the diamond course, I fell in love with diamonds and then during the colored stone course, I fell in love with gemstones.  Am I fickle?   I don’t think so; it is possible to love them both.

Nothing sparkles like a diamond.  Thanks to the GIA, we have the 4 C’s to educate us on what to look for in a diamond.  We partnered with them on our Gem Glossary that talks about the legend and lore of diamonds and then goes into the 4 C’s of clarity, color, cut, and carat weight.  To me, the most important C is the cut of the diamond.   You can have a white diamond with great clarity, but unless it is cut properly, it won’t be its most beautiful.   Every diamond has brilliance, which is the reflection of light off the surface of the stone.   Only diamonds properly cut have fire, the flashes of color from within the diamond, and sparkle (scintillations) the dark and light flashes from within the diamond.  If you don’t see the fire and sparkle, don’t buy it.

I love rich colors and often wear blues, my favorite color.  Gemstones come in every color under the sun.   There is no grading system like the 4 C’s of diamonds but still important ways to tell what to look for in a gemstone.   The first is color.   This can range from the intense red of a Ruby to the soft peachy color of a Morganite.  The second would be the color saturation, whether the color is consistent throughout the stone.   Some gemstones are known to have color zoning ranging from deep colors to almost colorless.  The third factor would be the clarity of the gemstone.  Most of our favorite gemstones such as Topaz, Aquamarine, and Garnet, are what we call eye clean, meaning there are no visible inclusions to the unaided eye.  Other gemstones, such as Emerald, usually have acceptable visible inclusions.

I love the great diversity in the gemstone world.   Whether it is an extreme exotic like Paraiba Tourmaline, a phenomena stone such as Alexandrite, or a gorgeous deep blue Aquamarine, they are all beautiful.  Have you checked out our Vault Discoveries?  These are hard-to-find gemstones or diamonds selected from the vaults of extraordinary gemstone cutters from around the world.Rich & remarkable, these hard-to-find gemstones are only available in limited quantities. Each unique piece was selected from the vaults of extraordinary gemstone cutters from around the globe & placed into our collection. Tap into this special showcase now.

What is your favorite and why?