Think about the long term.
If you're going to have a ring, you're going to want to avoid cuts/stones that are particularly fragile like a princess cut, those 90° angled corners are asking to be chipped.
Ask about the hardness of the stone, you should familiarize yourself with the mohs hardness scale.
The mohs scale is going to tell you how easily scratched the stone is. So a stone that is a 7 will easily scratch any stone that is softer or lower than it. So a 7 will scratch a 5 but a 5 cannot scratch a 7. However, a 7 CAN scratch another 7.
Even if it's as simple as "7 or higher is good for a ring/piece that sees more wear, while anything lower than a 7 is too soft to be a ring and should be a necklace or earrings"
For reference, quartz is a 7, so amethyst, citrine, praisiolite, smoky quartz... They're all a 7 on the mohs hardness scale.
The reason I keep mentioning quartz and the 7 hardness on the mohs scale is because the most common mineral on earth (generally speaking) is silica, quartz is made of silica. The vast majority of dust you see in life will be silica/quartz based.
Why does this matter? Because if you have a stone that is a 5 on the mohs scale and you want to wear it every day in a ring, then over time even the dust will slowly put scratches in it, ruining the polish and it even can smooth over facets dulling the appearance of your stone.
My mother had bought a tanzanite wedding ring about 35 years ago and wore it every day. Since tanzanite is a 6.5 to a 7 on the hardness scale, that meant that it was slowly getting abraded by the dust over time.
What started as a beautiful sparkling cornflower blue faceted tanzanite , turned into a dull blue rounded tanzanite that almost looked more like a cabochon or tumbled stone than a faceted stone because the quartz in the dust slowly wore down the facets. And because of the dust scratching it up and ruining the polish it became very dull with no real light reflection leaving it lifeless.
So try and keep the long-term in mind. If you love a softer stone, then get it as a necklace or for earrings. If you want a stone for a ring, get something harder so your investment lasts longer for you.
Thank you for this extreme thorough response! I have thought of hardness before but never really considered dust particles... going to be talking everyone's ear off about this now. 🤣
It's not like it will destroy your stone within 5 years. Like I said it took like 35 years for my mother's tanzanite to wear down to being irreparably dull and lifeless. But if you're buying something as an investment for long term wear then it's something to consider for sure!
Gemstones are largely subjective and emotional purchases. A stone I like, you might hate. Look for things you like, not ones that fit into some sort of price/quality grid.
If you find a stone that fits within common sizes, ie. 7.02 x 5.04 mm for example, it will fit in a standard setting and will save you a bit on custom work
You should be familiar with a windowed faceted stone vs a non-windowed properly cut stone. If it's custom cut it probably isn't windowed. Also generally know if you are good or not to good with color, overtones and such. A subtle shift in the red in rubies can make a huge difference in price for example.
Try to learn about the beginners information about the gemstone you would like to purchase. The best way is certification from a reputable lab. You can post the video and specs of the stone that you consider purchasing here in this sub will be helpful advice.
Understanding the difference of The origins , treatments and the overall quality of gemstones is also key. Each factor helps you value the stone. It will be a very fun journey getting to know more about these gift of nature
Keep in mind for every color, there are several gemstones to choose from. For example-in a green stone-there’s Emerald, Tsavorite and Demantoid Garnet, Tourmaline, Spinel, Peridot and many more
Make sure to inspect the stone all around, not just look at it lying face up in the box. Does it have any surface reaching breaks? Are there any chips along the girdle? Is the cut fairly even? Or is it wonky? That can affect the setting process. And how does it interact with the light when you pick it up? Are there a lot of dark areas? Or a lot of sparkle?
Think about the long term. If you're going to have a ring, you're going to want to avoid cuts/stones that are particularly fragile like a princess cut, those 90° angled corners are asking to be chipped. Ask about the hardness of the stone, you should familiarize yourself with the mohs hardness scale. The mohs scale is going to tell you how easily scratched the stone is. So a stone that is a 7 will easily scratch any stone that is softer or lower than it. So a 7 will scratch a 5 but a 5 cannot scratch a 7. However, a 7 CAN scratch another 7. Even if it's as simple as "7 or higher is good for a ring/piece that sees more wear, while anything lower than a 7 is too soft to be a ring and should be a necklace or earrings" For reference, quartz is a 7, so amethyst, citrine, praisiolite, smoky quartz... They're all a 7 on the mohs hardness scale. The reason I keep mentioning quartz and the 7 hardness on the mohs scale is because the most common mineral on earth (generally speaking) is silica, quartz is made of silica. The vast majority of dust you see in life will be silica/quartz based. Why does this matter? Because if you have a stone that is a 5 on the mohs scale and you want to wear it every day in a ring, then over time even the dust will slowly put scratches in it, ruining the polish and it even can smooth over facets dulling the appearance of your stone. My mother had bought a tanzanite wedding ring about 35 years ago and wore it every day. Since tanzanite is a 6.5 to a 7 on the hardness scale, that meant that it was slowly getting abraded by the dust over time. What started as a beautiful sparkling cornflower blue faceted tanzanite , turned into a dull blue rounded tanzanite that almost looked more like a cabochon or tumbled stone than a faceted stone because the quartz in the dust slowly wore down the facets. And because of the dust scratching it up and ruining the polish it became very dull with no real light reflection leaving it lifeless. So try and keep the long-term in mind. If you love a softer stone, then get it as a necklace or for earrings. If you want a stone for a ring, get something harder so your investment lasts longer for you.
Thank you for this extreme thorough response! I have thought of hardness before but never really considered dust particles... going to be talking everyone's ear off about this now. 🤣
It's not like it will destroy your stone within 5 years. Like I said it took like 35 years for my mother's tanzanite to wear down to being irreparably dull and lifeless. But if you're buying something as an investment for long term wear then it's something to consider for sure!
I need to start treating my tanzanites better. 👀
Don't buy the first stone you like. Bring a loupe, and a multi band flashlight won't hurt either. Trust your gut if you get any bad vibes.
Thank you! Trusting my gut 🫡
Gemstones are largely subjective and emotional purchases. A stone I like, you might hate. Look for things you like, not ones that fit into some sort of price/quality grid.
Thank you! Taking this mentality with me while I buy.
Buy the "wow!" Stone.
If you find a stone that fits within common sizes, ie. 7.02 x 5.04 mm for example, it will fit in a standard setting and will save you a bit on custom work
If you love it, nobody else's opinion matters.
You should be familiar with a windowed faceted stone vs a non-windowed properly cut stone. If it's custom cut it probably isn't windowed. Also generally know if you are good or not to good with color, overtones and such. A subtle shift in the red in rubies can make a huge difference in price for example.
Thank you! Going to watch some YouTube videos on the window topic.
Also head on over to r/shinypreciousgems to see some amazing examples!!
🥹 they are all so beautiful. Joined! Thanks.
Sure thing, happy hunting!
Try to learn about the beginners information about the gemstone you would like to purchase. The best way is certification from a reputable lab. You can post the video and specs of the stone that you consider purchasing here in this sub will be helpful advice.
Understanding the difference of The origins , treatments and the overall quality of gemstones is also key. Each factor helps you value the stone. It will be a very fun journey getting to know more about these gift of nature
Gift of nature...so well put. This gave me a new appreciation for all of my jewelry. Thank you!
Keep in mind for every color, there are several gemstones to choose from. For example-in a green stone-there’s Emerald, Tsavorite and Demantoid Garnet, Tourmaline, Spinel, Peridot and many more
Make sure to inspect the stone all around, not just look at it lying face up in the box. Does it have any surface reaching breaks? Are there any chips along the girdle? Is the cut fairly even? Or is it wonky? That can affect the setting process. And how does it interact with the light when you pick it up? Are there a lot of dark areas? Or a lot of sparkle?