Colour is a simple name for a complex subject. In our everyday lives, we tend to forget that colour is subjective. Everyone perceives and identifies colour a little differently.

Colour is comprised of 3 components: hue, tone and saturation. Hue is the base colour such as red, blue, green as well as intermediate hues such as brownish orange or greenish blue. Tone refers to how light or dark the colour is across a range from white, through grey and to black. Saturation refers to the brightness of colour. This can be described as pale, light, medium, strong, vivid, deep, among other terms.

The type, quality and amount of light used to view the stone also impact how the colour displays to us.

Every effort is made to capture and represent true to life colour in the photos of our gemstones, however this is notoriously difficult. Photos of gem art pieces are lit with shaded sunlight or daylight imitating LED lighting. Occasionally brighter sunlight will be used for artistic images.

Please be aware that viewing the same photo on a variety of devices may display the colour differently. We have found that if you like the photo, then you’ll love the gem in person.

The selection and application of the best cut for a particular gemstone is a simple summary of our extensive, versatile and exquisite form of art. The cut determines the final shape, polish and reflection pattern of a gem. The cut of a gemstone combines with colour and clarity to determine the look of the finished stone.

As artists our objective in selecting a particular cut is to bring out the “best” in the gem material based on the characteristics of that individual stone.

This begs the question; What exactly is the “best” in a gem? The best in a gem, depends on what the gem has to offer. The “best” in a gem may be the colour it presents, a particular inclusion or pattern, or an optical property like chatoyancy (cat’s eye) or asterism (star).

The artist assesses the material and decides what features will make that gem display its best self. Every stone is different. Ultimately, we seek to maximise the beauty that particular stone displays.

In the technical sense, a well cut gemstone has excellent symmetry, a straight and even girdle, is polished to a high standard, and most facets should have good “meets” Looking at the design example above, a “meet” is the point at which the edges of 3 or more faces on a stone come together to create an even pattern. All meets won’t be perfect, but they should be pretty close. When face up the stone should sparkle evenly and not have a dull area in the centre where light does not reflect.

Clarity grading refers to the amount and prominence of inclusions in a gemstone. Inclusions are visual characteristics that are visible within the stone.

We have listed how The Gemstone Gallery grades the gemstones you’ll see here. Generally speaking, natural coloured gem materials are often found with some level of inclusion. Some gem materials are commonly found with few inclusions, for example aquamarine. Other gem materials are nearly always included, for example emerald. This variation in clarity standard across the many species of gems is why coloured stones are graded differently to diamonds.

FL = flawless: No inclusions are visible with a 10x loupe. The highest grading available in the trade.

EY= eye clean: Inclusions visible with 10x loupe but are not visible with the unaided eye. This is the highest grade that we allocate .

VSI = very slightly included: Very small inclusions which are well hidden and not easy to spot with the naked eye.

SI = slightly included: Slight level of small inclusions which are visible to the naked eye.

LI = lightly included: Minor visible inclusions in the stone which do not affect durability or beauty.

I = Included: Inclusions are prominent in the stone, sometimes as a feature of the material. Any impact on durability will be noted.

Carat is a unit of weight used to measure gemstones. 5 carats = 1 gram. Gemstones are weighed in carats for consistency in pricing and comparison.

It is important to keep in mind when deciding on a stone that the stone’s weight and size are two separate considerations. Amongst different gem minerals, the same weight of stone will produce different sizes of stones even when cut to identical designs.

A heavy stone like a sapphire will produce a smaller 1ct round brilliant than a 1ct round brilliant topaz. Variations in the specific gravity between minerals are displayed as differing sizes of stone for the given weight. It is essentially the same concept as comparing a pound of lead versus a pound of feathers, but on a much smaller scale.

When searching for a piece of gem art, the dimensions will tell you more about how the stone will sit in its final destination than the weight. A single millimetre difference in diameter or height is huge when it’s on your finger or in your ear. It is prudent to keep both weight and size in mind when choosing or designing your gem.

Treatments are processes that some gemstones are subjected to in order to influence the appearance or beauty of the gem material.

The most important aspect of any gem treatment is DISCLOSURE. The consumer must be made aware of any treatments so that an informed decision can be made. The type and level of treatment that a gemstone has undergone can have a profound impact on the cost of the gem and it’s rarity. It is our view that there is a place in the market for gem treatments so long as the buyer is properly informed.

Listed below are some commonly seen treatments that gemstones can be subjected to. This list is by no means exhaustive, as new treatment applications and combinations are being developed constantly. At The Gemstone Gallery, we prefer to cut stones with minimal treatments, so not all listed treatments will be represented in stones on this site.

Not treated - There is no evidence that the stone has been subjected to any treatments

Heated - the use of heat, pressure and oxygen to affect the desired alteration of colour, clarity and/or phenomena in a gemstone

Oiled/Fracture Filled - Surface reaching fissures have been cleaned and filled with a colourless oil to improve clarity and/or appearance of a gemstone. Note: this treatment is acceptable if it is reversible.

Irradiation - the use of ionising radiation to alter a gemstone’s colour, sometimes followed with heating. Note: irradiation is acceptable when the resulting colour is stable and does not fade after a short time.

Bleaching - the use of heat, light or other agents to lighten or remove colour from a gem

Dying/staining - the use of a coating matter to improve colour uniformity, give a gemstone new colour or intensify existing colour

Synthetic - a man made gem material which is chemically and optically identical to its natural gem counterpart.

Imitation - a gem material which imitates another gem material in looks but possesses a different chemical structure and other properties. Examples: cubic zirconia (zirconium oxide) and is used as a diamond simulant and some synthetic sapphire (aluminium oxide) is made to simulate the colour change of alexandrite.

Composite - A gem material containing multiple layers or components that are assembled, glued, fused, filled or combined to create a single finished gem product. This definition includes gem materials that have been fracture filled with product that is not able to be removed. Ex. opal doublet, soude emerald, glass filled ruby, etc.