5 Questions to ask when buying a Colored Gemstone

1. Are the stones natural or synthetic?

When you are buying a jewelry with colored gemstones, it is very important that you know if the stone is natural or synthetic. While the synthetic stone look good and are genuine too, they are not natural and hence they cost much less.

2. Is the color natural or enhanced?

Many gemstones that we find in the market are given various kinds of treatments to enhance their color. Lot of them are permanent colors, while some are are only temporary and they tend to fade away with time.

3. What do the names mean?

Be careful of the misleading names. A lot of times gemstones are not what their names suggest. Such as Brazilian Sapphire is actually blue tourmaline, Bohemian rubies are garnets, Rangoon diamonds are zircons. So, whenever a stone is described with a qualifier, it is important that you find out if the stone is genuine or not.

4. Do you like the color?

First, you need to learn how to critically look at the color. Which color is that particular gemstone is considered the best. But then at the end of the day, what matters is the color that you like. You might like the not so rare color which might not even cost as much as the rarest one.

5. How good is the clarity of the stone?

Colored gemstone often come with inclusions. Inclusions are like fingerprints of nature inside the crystal structure of a gem. However, too many inclusions can affect the color of the gemstone. Sometimes inclusions can even reduce the durability of the gem.