A SHORT GUIDE TO BUYING GEMSTONES ONLINE
Whether you are shopping for loose gemstones to give a gift to someone close to you or for your own personal jewellery collection, you might be considering searching for your gemstones online. Not only can you find a wide variety of gemstones for a bespoke design, but you can reap many other benefits of buying gemstones online. Below you will find an overview of these benefits, information about the different types of gemstones you can find, and essential tips you should follow when buying gemstones online.
Benefits of Buying Gemstones Online
Purchasing loose gemstones online instead of going to a trade show or gem market offers several benefits including:
- Convenience. You can shop and buy from the comfort and privacy of your own home or business without having to navigate crowds and other buyers. Additionally, you can shop 24 hours per day, making it easy to shop at the time which is most convenient for you.
- No pressure sales. When you shop for gemstones online, you don’t have to deal with pressure from salespeople. You can take as long as you want to make a decision about what and when you are going to buy.
- Buyer protection. You make online purchases with a credit card, or perhaps PayPal. In either case, buyer protections are in place in case you have issues with the company you’ve purchased from.
Bookmark and Get Your Gemstone Guide Book
Please bookmark this page, as we will be adding resources and links to it on a regular basis.
You might find it useful to download this guide, or pages from it, to keep offline to refer to.
Please click this link to get your free copy.
Different Types of Gemstones Online
The wide variety of gemstones available online make it an exciting place to find the perfect stones for your jewellery. You can find precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, as well as opals, garnets, amethysts, tanzanite, quartz, pearls, and rare stones you might not find easily offline. Although you might be able to find a raw, uncut stone, you also have endless options for shape, cut, and color when buying gemstones online.
Essential Tips in Buying Gemstones
The major disadvantage of buying gemstones online is your inability to touch and feel the product before you make your purchase. If you follow some of these essential tips when purchasing your stones online, it won’t matter whether or not you can touch and feel a stone before buying.
- Use only reputable websites. One of the best ways to ensure you are buying gemstones from a reputable online retailers is by choosing a company which also has a physical location. Not only will the company provide cleaning and service, you also know where to find them if any issues arise with your purchase. You should also call the contact number on the website to ensure accuracy and test their responsiveness. You want personal attention, not automated responses.
- Look for real photos. Some online gemstone sellers rely on stock images to list their products. When you cannot touch the product, you should at least be able to see an actual photo of the stone. Look for companies who list their gemstones with professional pictures of the actual items they are selling.
- Review the return policy. In the case that you get a gemstone which is smaller or larger than you thought, or the colour is different than what is displayed on your computer screen, you want a seller who offers a reasonable inspection period and a fair return policy. You can avoid most colour issues by checking the brightness, contrast, and gamma range on your computer monitor
Part I
Understanding the Spectacular World of Fancy Colour Diamonds
What Are Fancy Colour Diamonds?
When you think of diamonds, you most likely think of glistening white diamonds, yet not all diamonds are colorless. Diamond experts rate white diamonds on a scale of D to Z. A diamond with a D rating is completely colourless, while one with a Z rating has a strong yellow tint. Fancy colour diamonds are gems which fall outside of that scale. Natural fancy colour diamonds come in many shades of the rainbow as well as black, brown, and gray. Some colors are more rare than others, which is reflected in the price when you make a purchase.
Identifying a Real and Fake Fancy Colour Diamonds
When you are shopping online for fancy colour diamonds, you need to stay clear of fakes. Some companies will take cheap brown diamonds, expose them to high heat and pressure, and create copies of natural fancy diamond colors. If you want to ensure you are purchasing real fancy colour diamonds, you need to focus on the quality of the diamond’s colour. Typically, high colour saturation, which makes diamonds look like semi-precious gemstones, indicates diamonds have been treated in a laboratory. Cut is also important for fancy colour diamond, but in a different way than it is for white diamonds. The cut of a fancy colour diamond is meant to bring out the stone’s color in the best way possible, it isn’t always about symmetry and light as it is for white diamonds.
Part II
Discovering the Enchanting Beauty of Emeralds
All You Need to Know About Emeralds
Emeralds are one of the most popular and stunning precious gemstones in the world. Not only are they easily recognizable because of their green hue, but they remain one of the most coveted of all gemstones. Emeralds have been classified as one of the five cardinal gemstones, superior to all other stones and gained popularity during the Middle Ages. Emeralds come from the mineral family, beryl, which also includes morganite and aquamarine. Most emeralds come from mines in Columbia, Brazil, and Zambia, but China, India, and Zimbabwe also mine emeralds. Their country of origin dictates the colour variance among the stones. For examples, South American emeralds from Columbia and Brazil tend to be a rich, dark green colour, while African emeralds are green with a hint of blue.
What to Consider When Buying Emeralds Online
Lab-created emeralds which are oversaturated with colour are abundant online, so you need to take your time to evaluate sellers and stones carefully when you are looking to purchase natural emeralds online. The best cuts for emeralds are those which have open facets and allow the most light. Although the traditional emerald cut is popular, round, oval, heart, and cabochon cuts also showcase an emerald’s beauty. You should also expect real emeralds to have inclusions; in fact, natural emeralds have more inclusions that most other gemstones. The inclusions give the stones character and have been so much accepted as part of the stone’s beautiful, they have been given the French name jardin. If you are looking at emeralds online and no inclusions exist, you are likely looking at fakes.
Colour plays a large role in the authenticity and beauty of a natural emerald. When you evaluate an emerald’s colour, you must look at the hue, the tone, and the saturation. As previously mentioned, oversaturated stones are typically fake, but those with rich saturation are gorgeous and often cost the most. Tone refers to how light or dark a stone is and the best emeralds fall right in the middle so they appear vibrant, not inexpensive. Hue refers to the exact shade of green of an emerald. Most, especially those from Colombia, are bluish-green while other emeralds might have a yellow undertone.
Part III
Capturing the Fine Elegance of Rubies
Quality Factors of Ruby Gemstones
Aside from imperial jadeite and rare coloured diamonds, rubies have long been the most expensive gems on the planet. Many different factors determine the overall quality of a ruby. They include colour, cut, carat, and origin.
- Colour. Rubies come in various shades of red from a lighter red with pinkish hues to a darker pigeon’s blood red, the most valuable of all rubies. Pure red rubies and those with a purplish secondary hue are also coveted, while lighter rubies with orange, violet, and brown undertones are not as valuable.
- Cut. Like other coloured stones, a simple cut typically best captures a stone’s natural beauty. Too many facets does not increase a ruby’s value. You can find quality rubies in emerald, round, oval, pear, and marquis shapes, but ovals are most popular.
- Carat. Good quality rubies aren’t necessarily a specific size. Yet, those which way more are, of course, more expensive.
- Origin. A ruby’s origin is one of the most crucial quality factors which impact price. The most desired are pigeon’s blood rubies from the Mogok area of Burma/Myanmar. Other areas which produce stunning rubies include Cambodia, Thailand, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The lowest quality rubies come from India and North Carolina in the United States.
Â
How to Spot Genuine Rubies
Like emeralds, sapphires, and other colored gemstones, one of easiest way to spot a genuine ruby is to look for inclusions in the stone. Lab-created rubies have too much colour and look perfect. Flawless natural rubies are extremely rare. In fact, some inclusions in a ruby help scatter and break up the light, resulting in a brilliant stone. Some sellers fill low quality rubies with lead glass to pass them off as a higher quality stone. You can see little bubbles in the ruby which occur when the lead glass cools. You can also perform a scratch test on the underside of a ruby to make sure it’s genuine. Rubies are a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale; if you can scratch the stone, it’s not likely a genuine ruby. Finally, you can also perform a breath test to spot genuine rubies. Rubies are strong heat conductors, so if you breathe on a genuine ruby, the fog should evaporate within one or two seconds.
Part IV
Sapphire – A Gemstone of Wisdom and Purity
Interesting Facts About Sapphires
Sapphires, like rubies, are a coveted natural gemstone which remain popular for bespoke design jewellery like alternative engagement rings. Even Princess Diana had a sapphire engagement ring. The gemstone symbolizes faith and promise, and others believe it also symbolizes wisdom and truth. Sapphire is a variation of the mineral corundum. Although it comes in almost every color except red, blue sapphires are the most well-known and occur when titanium and iron are part of the corundum. You can find yellow, green, and purple sapphires. Red sapphires are technically rubies. Among shades of blue, royal blue sapphires are the most valuable. Sapphires are commonly found in many locations around the globe including Thailand, China, Australia, Africa, and some parts of North America.
Things to Keep in Mind When Investing in Sapphire Gems
Looking for inclusions, or flaws, on a coloured gemstone will give you an idea about whether you have purchased a natural stone. Sapphires, however, typically have the least amount of inclusions compared to rubies and emeralds. The most valuable sapphires look transparent to the naked eye. When you shop for sapphires online, you should have an idea which shade of blue you want to purchase. If valuable royal blue sapphires are out of your budget, you can move one shade lighter or one shade darker to reduce the cost. Also, keep in mind that the vast majority of sapphires are heat treated to enhance their hue and it’s very difficult to find flawless, royal blue sapphires. You should, however, be aware of sellers who might try to pass less expensive stones, such as tanzanite or blue tourmaline, as sapphires.
Visit Haruni, the Best Place to Shop for Fine Gems in London
Known as the first and largest wholesale dealer of coloured gemstones in the world, Haruni remains the best place to shop for fine gems in London. The company’s rich history includes three generations of gem experts who have served big name clients such as Cartier, Asprey, Van Cleer, and more. Today Haruni continues their tradition of excellence by responsibly sourcing the world’s most coveted and stunning gemstones. The company works with mines and gemstone suppliers throughout the glove to provide clients with competitively priced gemstones, private brand collections, and exceptional bespoke jewellery design service. Visit our London store or buy your gems online at our website.
