As a Belgian, I will teach you what I have learned in Belgium about precious stones. With this first story, I’ll introduce you a the main basic knowledge about gemstones. Soon but bit by bit, we will dig deeper on the subject that I am in love with : Jewellery.
Precious stones are gems, four of them precisely: diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. Some gems are called precious stones and others are not because of their relative beauty, purity, naturalness and hardness. Their respective different qualities make them unique and extremely precious stones. Hence the name: gemstones!
Where did they come from?
Precious gemstones are all natural. Most of them come from rock crystals, more or less located deep in the stone. It can also be found in some terrestrial deposits such as mud, clay, sandstone… etc. Finally, precious stones can be discovered in the water: some rivers and oceans are full of them, and we have not finished discovering them yet!
How do they end up on the market?
Once recovered, the gemstones are generally kept carefully before being cleaned and exercised. Depending on the verdict, their destination may vary, from jewellery to luxury jewellery and goldsmith’s work. This distribution depends on the value given to them, according to their respective quality and purity. Their hardness also comes into play at this time since we cannot put on the market stones that will not last in the long term.
Once this selection has been made, the gemstones are cutted, sanded and even often treated to obtain the results we know today, whether they are royal ornaments or set rings.
Precious stones in the past
Since time immemorial — or almost — gemstones have been considered precious. Sometimes used as a bargaining chip, as an ornament, as a royal, medicinal or mystical symbol, gemstones are generally similar to objects of value and even often of power.
Their classification had always been based on their colour, until the industrial revolution and the technical progeos that accompanied it. It was discovered that their color did not depend on the type of stone but on their chemical components. Indeed, some gems in their most natural aspect, are absolutely colorless! These are elements that can be seen with the naked eye that colour the stone and transform it over the years!
How are they assessed?
The value of the gemstones could be defined according to certain criteria:
- their weight (carats)
- their color
- their haircut,
- their clarity,
- their origin.
Of course, any commercial object is in the grip of supply and demand…. Thus, it is the trends that correspond to the last criterion for assigning value to a gemstone.
Although gemstones are probably the best known, they are still far from being the least widespread and most loved. Indeed, there are countless other pationnantes semi-precious stones whose rating criteria vary and which offer us all the more perspectives of creation by the multitude of materials and colors they possess.
To be continued…
