If you sell gemstone jewellery, you’ll get this question sooner or later. A customer picks up a sapphire ring and asks, “is this a real sapphire or fake?”. It’s a fair question, but one that stems from a misunderstanding of what a lab grown gem actually is. It’s also one that trips a lot of […]
Ever looked at a gemstone and wondered what all the different bits are actually called? You’re not alone. Most people can tell the top from the bottom, but that’s about it. But lapidarists (gem cutters), gemologists, and increasingly jewellery shoppers, use a proper set of terms for every part of a cut stone, and once
When you start learning about gemstones, you may come across guides that describe certain gem species as Type I, Type II, or Type III. This is not a quirk of the guide, it is a reflection of something called gem clarity types, a classification system developed by the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA. The
If you’ve ever looked at two stones that seem similar and wondered why one costs a small fortune while the other is cheap as chips, you’re in good company. Gemstone pricing can feel mysterious from the outside, but once you understand what’s actually driving value, it all starts to make a lot more sense. Here’s
Buying gemstones online opens up a whole world of stones you’d never come across locally, and that’s genuinely exciting. But it does come with risks. Not every seller is reliable, and a misleading listing can leave you disappointed and out of pocket. That’s why being able to spot misleading gemstone listings is so important. Whether
Identifying a gemstone is a bit like solving a mystery (or playing a game of guess who for those of you old enough to remember that one). You gather clues, rule things out, and slowly narrow it down until you’re left with the answer. But we don’t need to run every possible test on every
Rubies are one of the most sought-after gemstones, prized for their rich red colour and long history in jewellery. But their popularity and high price tag mean they’re frequently imitated or mis-sold due to misidentification. So if you’ve ever wondered how to tell if a ruby is real or fake, you’re not alone. While professional
If you spend any time reading gemstone descriptions, you’ll eventually come across the word cleavage. It is one of those terms that sounds a bit dramatic, but in gemology it has a very specific and very practical meaning. Cleavage is not about how a gemstone looks. It is about how it breaks, and for jewelers
Gemstones are fascinating not just for their color or clarity, but for the visual effects that make them seem almost alive. These effects, called optical phenomena, are natural tricks of light created by the internal structure of the stone. They can produce flashes, glows, stars, or shifting colors that seem to move as the gem
If you’ve spent any time reading about or handling gemstones, you’ve probably heard of the Mohs hardness scale. But what is it really, and why should jewellers care about it? Let’s break it down. What is the Mohs hardness scale? In short, the Mohs hardness scale is not a durability rating. It simply measures how
