though diamonds are thought to be a girls best friend: lots of smart, savvy, style conscious women today are expanding their circle of friends to include the rainbow hues of natural colored gemstones. A bit unexpected: a quality colored gem stone will command attention from everyone who sees it. Whether its in a ring, a bracelet, a pendant or a magnificent pair of earrings: that rich, vibrant color catches the eye and wont let go.

When it comes to buying quality natural gems like amethysts, rubies, sapphires, Tsavorite garnet and the many colors of tourmaline you need to look no further than those four Cs youve always heard about - cut, clarity, color and carat weight. These measures of quality will help guide your purchase, though color is by far the most important of the four when buying a colored gemstone. Whatever shade youre choosing: you want color that is rich and vibrant: evenly distributed through the gem.

Read more…

This article was submitted by John H., gem lover and AJS Gems customer…

Shopping for loose gemstones or gemstone jewelry can be more difficult if you do not first have adequate information about precious stones. The value of a gemstone depends upon its physical characteristics like color, clarity, cut, size and phenomenal effects. In the absence of any universally accepted grading system for the value of precious stones, color still remains the basic criteria for selection. The reason is obvious, because the color of a gemstone is the main characteristic that attracts.

It is pertinent to note that essentially the color of any gemstone depends on the basic nature of light. White light or daylight comprises of different colors and when it passes through any material some colors are absorbed and some are not. What is seen by the naked eye is the unabsorbed color. Burma rubies appear red because they absorb all colors of white light except red, which is reflected back at the observer.

Read more…