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Gemstones are valued by several different factors. One of these factors is the cut of the stone. The cut of the gemstone is as important as the clarity or quality. A poorly cut gemstone can ruin the once brilliant quality of the gem, while a well cut stone can enhance the natural beauty.

When gems and stones are properly cut they shine; they shimmer; they are beautiful. Judging a proper cut is not a difficult task if you know what to look for. To test the cut of a gem, look at it from directly above the gem. The surface should be bright, reflecting as much light as possible. You should not be able to see directly through the gemstone if it has been properly cut because you should instead see reflected light!

On the other hand, a poorly cut gemstone can be either too shallow or too deep. A poor cut causes for what is called a ‘window’ meaning that you can see directly through the gem. If you were holding the gem over a table, in other words, you would be able to see the table. Light does not properly reflect off of a poorly cut gemstone causing it to be dull and to lose it sparkle potential.

They say when judging the cut of a gem look for mirrors, not windows! In other words, look for the facets—you don’t want to be able to see directly through the gem; you want to see reflections. Facets reflect light and cause the gem to sparkle. Even an extremely clear gemstone is not worth your buck if the cut is poor!

When it comes to fine jewelry, the cut of the gemstone is as important as the clarity or quality. A poorly cut gemstone can ruin the once brilliant quality of the gem, leaving it dull.

When gems are properly cut they shimmer and shine; they are beautiful. Judging a proper cut is not a difficult task if you know what to look for. To test the cut of a gem, look at it from directly above the gem. The surface should be bright, reflecting as much light as possible. You should not be able to see directly through the gemstone if it has been properly cut because you should instead see reflected light!

A poorly cut gemstone, on the other hand, can be either too shallow or too deep. A poor cut causes for what is called a ‘window’ meaning that you can see directly through the gem. If you were holding the gem over a table, in other words, you would be able to see the table. Light does not properly reflect off of a poorly cut gemstone causing it to be dull and to lose it sparkle potential.

When judging the cut of a gem look for mirrors, not windows! Even an extremely clear gemstone is not worth your buck if the cut is poor.

Fracture filling is an interesting and more recent type of gemstone treatment. Quite recently, in 2006, “Glass Filled Rubies” received a lot of publicity. These rubies were treated using this fracture filling treatment.

Fracture filling is used with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires most commonly. This treatment is quite popular on 10K+ rubies sold in the Asian market. Such large rubies tend to have plenty of large fractures and fissures. To make them more desirable to buyers, the rubies are filled with lead glass. This treatment improves the overall clarity and appearance of the rubies.

These treatments, however, are not as subtle as other treatments and can often be easy to detect. The end product, though, is certainly a step up from the fracture-filled natural ruby!

Waxing and oiling treatments may be treatments you have not heard of. These treatments are used to disguise natural fractures and fissures.

These treatments are sometimes used to fill in and disguise fissures in emeralds. These fractures are either filled with wax or simply oiled to disguise the cracks and whatnot by adding moisture. Additionally, the wax or oil is colored to make the emerald take on a better color as well as improved clarity. Another commonly wax or oil treated stone is turquoise.

This treatment is harmless and only improves the stone. The effects do not hurt the stone. You can think of it the way you think of oiling wooden furniture. You oil the furniture to add moisture and even disguise scratches and cracks, as well as to prevent further damage to the piece. Though gemstones are generally more stable and hardy than wood, these treatments simply help to improve the stone.

A very common treatment used on many gems you find on the market today is heat. The process of treating a gem with heat can yield a richer coloring or improve the clarity of the stone.

You may not know that most citrine is made by heating amethyst. We end up with that rich yellow/orange coloring citrine is valued for. And as mentioned in the previous post, sapphires and rubies are often treated to improve the stone’s color and clarity.

Much of the aquamarine on today’s market is heat treated to remove natural yellow tones, and to change the original green color into the more desirable blue or “aqua” the gem is named for. Heat treatments on aquamarines can also be used to enhance its existing blue color to deeper and richer blue. Likewise, almost every bit of tanzanite available for purchase has been heated at low temperatures to eradicate brown undertones and give a more desirable blue/purple color.

Heat treatments are widely accepted and very widely used to improve gemstones.

Most gemstones available on the market today have been treated in one way or another to enhance the clarity or the color of the stone. For instance, diamonds can be treated to have a greater clarity. Who knew?

Depending upon the treatment (as well as the degree of the treatment) the value of the actual gemstone can be affected. Some treatments, such as heat treatment, are very widely used and are very much accepted because of the resulting product. Heat treating a sapphire, for example, yields a much brighter color and leaves the gem stable. Same deal with ruby. Other treatments may leave the gem unstable in color, meaning that it may eventually fade and revert to its original coloring.

In the following posts I will explain some of the most common treatments used on gems today.

The cut of the gemstone is as important as the clarity or quality. A poorly cut gemstone can ruin the once brilliant quality of the gem.

When gems are properly cut they shine; they shimmer; they are beautiful. Judging a proper cut is not a difficult task if you know what to look for. To test the cut of a gem, look at it from directly above the gem. The surface should be bright, reflecting as much light as possible. You should not be able to see directly through the gemstone if it has been properly cut because you should instead see reflected light!

A poorly cut gemstone, on the other hand, can be either too shallow or too deep. A poor cut causes for what is called a ‘window’ meaning that you can see directly through the gem. If you were holding the gem over a table, in other words, you would be able to see the table. Light does not properly reflect off of a poorly cut gemstone causing it to be dull and to lose it sparkle potential.

When judging the cut of a gem look for mirrors, not windows! Even an extremely clear gemstone is not worth your buck if the cut is poor.

The cut of the gemstone is as important as the clarity or quality. A poorly cut gemstone can ruin the once brilliant quality of the gem.

When gems are properly cut they shine; they shimmer; they are beautiful. Judging a proper cut is not a difficult task if you know what to look for. To test the cut of a gem, look at it from directly above the gem. The surface should be bright, reflecting as much light as possible. You should not be able to see directly through the gemstone if it has been properly cut because you should instead see reflected light!

A poorly cut gemstone, on the other hand, can be either too shallow or too deep. A poor cut causes for what is called a ‘window’ meaning that you can see directly through the gem. If you were holding the gem over a table, in other words, you would be able to see the table. Light does not properly reflect off of a poorly cut gemstone causing it to be dull and to lose it sparkle potential.

When judging the cut of a gem look for mirrors, not windows! Even an extremely clear gemstone is not worth your buck if the cut is poor.

Emeralds are a natural fall and winter favorite as they encapsulate that rich green color that starts to disappear this time of year.

When it comes to value, the most important aspect to emeralds is their color. The darker the color the more valuable the emerald. However, clarity also plays an important role. If the emerald is translucent it is truly a valuable, beautiful gem. If it is opaque or cloudy, however, the value decreases. Emeralds are valuated very similarly to diamonds—the only difference here is that you want more color, not less!

The necklace here is valued at $26,479.00 retail. This necklace holds 41 brilliant green oval cut emeralds totaling 15.10 carats. Dotting the necklace are 328 round cut diamonds of SI2-I2 clarity. Needless to say, this piece has plenty of sparkle! Set in 14K white gold, the total carat weight of the necklace is 17.10 carats. It also features a box clasp for a firm, safe hold. Bid today!

Made from solid white gold, genuine clean diamonds and tsavorite garnets, these vibrant earrings are valued at $4300. The pair are available in a Bidz.com online jewelry auction at a remarkable savings.

The earrings feature 14k white gold and weigh 8.4-grams. They measure 13 x 21-millimeters and use an omega lock for elegant convenience.

Tsavorite garnets and two grades of diamonds are used in this set. There are 22 tsavorite garnets each with an 0.46ctw. They are round in shape and green in color. The tsavorites are contrasted by 22 black diamonds. Each black diamond has an 0.46ctw. They are round in shape and opaque in clarity.

The earrings are held together by 52 eye clean white diamonds. They are each round and have an 0.53ctw.

These vibrant earrings had an online auction closing price of $404.