First of all it is important to clarify the difference between the terms Colored Gemstones and Precious Gemstones. Often used interchangeably and sometimes rightfully so while other times not so, there is a difference albeit not a clearly defined one.
Precious Gems often refers to those gemstones inclusive of Diamonds and the similarly rare handful of gemstones that some would say fall right under Diamonds in terms of rarity and collectability thus forming the top 2 levels in the pyramid of the wonderful world of gems. This means, Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires as well as less commonly known but just as if not more expensive stones such as Alexandrite and Paraiba Tourmaline.
Then Colored Gemstones refers to the entire universe of gemstones used in Jewelry, both fine or otherwise and this is regardless of their rarity, price, popularity, etc.
This would mean an example of a Precious Gemstone such as Emerald will also come under the Colored Gemstones umbrella, while Peridot will only be a colored gemstone.
Now that this has been established we can see why the extensive range of colored gemstones out there with overlapping colors, tones, hues and usability means no one needs to feel priced out of the fine or bespoke jewelry market.
For lovers of gems in specific colors there are the expensive equivalents belonging to the family of precious gems which can be replaced and more often than not very affordably by members of the colored gemstones only categories.
Pretty in Pink
Let’s take Pink Sapphire for example, which occurs in a soft baby pink color just as much as in a bolder hot pink shade all of which command 4 figure per carat prices for even 2 carat size stones.
But for those that just want the look of a peachy pink gemstone, they can go for Morganite which is readily available in good clarity gems and even larger stones command affordable prices equivalent to more than half the price of pink sapphires.
And the list of pink sapphire substitute gems doesn’t stop there with pale pink kunzite, pink spinel, pink tourmaline all helping get access to that pretty in pink jewel.
All about the Blues
Blue Sapphires are one of the most sought after gemstones and with iconic rings such as Kate Middleton’s engagement ring featuring this wonderful precious stone, it’s popularity is widespread.
But the right shade of Blue Sapphire gemstones can demand prices close to those of Diamonds and price many people out of the market.
While those jewelry collectors willing to get a bit of Violet in their Blue can decide whether Tanzanite offers a more value proposition.
Also usually available in clean crystals in even the larger sizes Tanzanite is anywhere from US$100 to US$1,000 per carat for stone sizes where Blue Sapphire would be priced at US$1,000 to US$10,000 per carat or in short a price factor of 10.
What’s more Tanzanite is also fast becoming scarcer with only a handful of deposits available in Africa compounded with global demand increasing for this stone that is marketed to celebrate the birth of your first born while also being the Birthstone of December.
Green with Envy
Similarly for Green you will find Emeralds are iconic but not always affordable, while Green Touramline might not have the final touch of bluish green hue, it will also not have the many inclusions Emeralds tend to have. So for the tradeoff for hue you get a much cleaner gemstone at a fraction of the cost. And a point to add is that many commercial Emeralds also don’t exhibit that bluish green hue that sends prices for Emeralds that exhibit this shade sky high.
Tourmalines tend to have less treatments than commercial quality Emeralds and with much more affordable prices anyway, those Green Tourmaline which are untreated and unheated will not be much more expensive than those which are. While in Emeralds the price of unoiled Emeralds is 5 times at least the price of Emeralds which are oiled even slightly and 100 times higher than Tourmalines.
And again for Fancy Yellow Diamonds people are usually looking to get the same strikingly contrasting color that Yellow Diamonds offer to White Diamonds. So while not as Brilliant but again cut only in cleaner specimens with a refractive index that still gives a lot of scintillation and fire, Imperial Topaz can make a very nice replacement for Yellow Diamonds and again more than 1/100th the cost. What’s more is true gem collectors know that while the deposits that do have Imperial Topaz are usually stocked with many crystals and they are relatively easy to extract, there is only 1 or 2 mines in the world which are actively producing this gemstone.
In conclusion we at Gemrize believe no one who wants to wear jewelry featuring Diamonds and Gemstones should feel priced out of the market. We thrive on the challenge and love it when our clients come to us as say we want something featuring a Cool Blue, Electric Green, Lime Yellow, Honey Orange, etc. gemstone. It allows us to educate them to their choices, and then design something bespoke for them.
Whether it is a Birthstone pendant, custom made engagement ring, statement cocktail ring or anything else, we at Gemrize look forward to working with you from clean slate or design inspirations to finished jewelry and shipping you your bespoke colored gemstone jewelry.
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