Gemstone Encyclopedia

Topaz: The Gem of Purity, Strength, and Radiant Beauty

Topaz has spent two thousand years being mistaken for other stones, from the peridot of its naming island to a Portuguese crown diamond. Learn what Imperial topaz means, how Sky, Swiss and London B...

Tourmaline: The Gem of Infinite Colors and Magical Energy

Tourmaline is a family of minerals, and every famous color name from rubellite to Paraiba is a label within it. Its full story, from Dutch ash pullers to the Chinese empress who moved a market.

Zircon: The Brilliant Gemstone with a Rich History

Zircon is a natural gem with fire approaching diamond and a pedigree reaching 4.4 billion years, sharing nothing with synthetic cubic zirconia but a syllable. Learn how radioactivity creates two ge...

Cabochon: The Timeless Cut That Enhances Natural Gem Beauty

The cabochon is an elegant and historical cut that enhances the natural beauty of gemstones. In this article, we explore its advantages, ideal gemstones, and famous jewelry featuring this cut.

Black Star Sapphire Information

Its star is gold, not silver. It comes from one Thai province. And it is the only sapphire whose value lies entirely in what it contains rather than its color.

Green and Blue-Green Sapphire Information

Green was the color the sapphire trade once heated away. Today teal and parti stones lead modern bridal design. The full story of corundum's rehabilitated color.

Blue Star Sapphire Information

Every gem guide tells you to avoid inclusions. Star sapphire inverts the rule: without the flaws there is no star. How asterism works, and what a fine star costs.

Fancy Sapphires: Every Color of Corundum Explained

Pure corundum is colorless; every sapphire color is a chemical accident. A map of the full palette, from undervalued purples to the stones that change color after dark.

Padparadscha Sapphire Information

Padparadscha is the only sapphire whose name can be taken away by a lamp. The LMHC definition, the fade test born in Madagascar, the origins that divide the trade, and what these lotus-colored ston...

Yellow Sapphire: Color, Pukhraj Tradition, Value & Care

Yellow sapphire answers to two markets: Western jewelry buys it for color, the Vedic world buys pukhraj untreated. How the two rulebooks shape one gem's prices.

Pink Sapphire: The Gem Between Ruby and Padparadscha

Pink sapphire and ruby are the same mineral separated by a judgment call. Where the line is drawn, why Madagascar changed the market, and how to buy the pink corundum well.

Chrysoprase Information

Chrysoprase is probably the least known member of the microcrystalline group, but it is generally considered to be the rarest and most valuable.