Gemstone Articles

Discover the beautiful differences between natural and artificial gemstones.

With some good tips, you can build the best rare gemstone collection for your budget!

Gemstone shape and gemstone cut are often confused. What most people call cut is actually the stone's shape. So what exactly is the difference?

Learn how luster, brilliance, dispersion, refraction and scintillation all attribute to a gemstone's overall beauty.

Gemstone colors can be amazing, yet most people are unable to explain why we see these rich, vibrant hues.

When it comes to describing a gemstone’s appearance, luster refers to how a gem’s surface looks when it reflects light.

Determining whether your gemstone is transparent, translucent or opaque will help you catalogue your gemstones.

Dispersion is the display of color in a gemstone and may be classified as not observable, moderate, strong or very strong.

Phenomenal gemstones exhibit unique and stunning optical characteristics like cat's-eyes, color change and more.

Discover the different between gemstone weight and gemstone size.

An assembled stone is one that is constructed out of two or more materials. The components may be natural or man-made materials, but most commonly are a combination of both. This category includes creations such as: doublets and triplets , inlays, mabe pearls, and reconstructed gem materials.

Learn the optical properties of gemstones including play of color, star and cat's eye.

Investigate the 4 C's of diamond grading to help you buy the best diamond for you.

Discover how to identify gemstones with this gemstone identification guide.

Many of us think we know what amber is, but do we truly? The movie Jurassic Park brought it to our attention - brought it to life, in fact, but it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Amber and copal belong to a category of gemstones known as the organic gems. Organic gems are those that were not formed by geological forces, but rather by those of living organisms. The best known organic gem is pearl, but coral, horn, tortoise shell, ivory and many others fall into this category too. Amber and copal are sometimes called natural resins because they form from the resins secreted by plants and trees. Pine sap is a commonly known plant resin, but pine trees are not the source of either amber or copal. Baltic amber originated from a plant that was a distant and ancient relative of the modern pine tree.

It's difficult to differentiate zircon from cubic zirconia so here are a few facts to help.

Fine mineral specimens are nature's sculptures. These fantastic, naturally occurring works of art are not cut or polished by man. They come in an unending variety of shapes, colors, and crystal arrangements, with no two pieces ever looking exactly the same.

Treasured by all cultures and religions, gemstones have captured the imagination of humans for thousands of years. During that time, gemstones have been credited with powers of protection, healing, wisdom--even invisibility and life. But where do gemstones come from?

Morganite, the sister stone to emerald and aquamarine, didn't always have a special name. For many years morganite was known simply as pink beryl.

Spinel is one of the best-kept secrets for avid gem lovers and collectors.

Have you always wanted to collect rocks, minerals and gemstones? We can help you start a collection you'll love.

After establishing the foundation of your collection, you can focus on preserving your pieces.

Now it's time focus on bringing fun and satisfaction to your collection.

Discover the breathtaking gemstone properties that have captured man's imagination for thousands of years.

Gemstone collecting is a favorite pastime of many. Read on to find out more about the popular collectible and how to get started