Colored Stone Essentials

Colored Stone
Essentials
1. Introduction
2. Understanding Color and Phenomena
3. Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight
4. Market Awareness
5. Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones,

Imitations, and Disclosure
6. Durability, Care, and Cleaning
7. Presenting Colored Stones
8. Presenting the Big 3
6/2019
Colored Stone Essentials
Assignment 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Assignment 2 Understanding Color and Phenomena . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Assignment 3 Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Assignment 4 Market Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Assignment 5 Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones,

Imitations, and Disclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Assignment 6 Durability, Care, and Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Assignment 7 Presenting Colored Stones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Assignment 8 Presenting the Big 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
For Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

©
©2019 The Gemological Institute of America
All rights reserved: Protected under the Berne Convention.
No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, transferred, or
transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without the
express written permission of GIA.
Printed in the United States.
Welcome to Colored Stone Essentials! This course is your introduction to the

wonderful world of colored stones. When you’ve finished, you’ll be able to:
• Demonstrate a solid foundation of diamond product knowledge and the
skills you need to present diamonds effectively
• Explain diamond clarity, cut, color, and carat weight to customers and help
them understand how these factors relate to the diamond’s value
• Discuss how gemological laboratories measure diamonds and grade them
for color, clarity, and cut
• Present the basics of recognizing and disclosing treated, laboratory-grown,
Cover photos
(top to bottom): and imitation diamonds
Sylvia Bissonette/
J. Grahl Design • Advise customers about diamond durability, care, and cleaning
Valerie Power/GIA
Ashton Mining Limited • Demonstrate awareness of basic procedures for jewelry store security
Martial Trezzini/Keystone/
AP Wide World Photos • Use product knowledge along with features and benefits to present
Eric Welch/GIA diamonds ethically with full disclosure
Robert Weldon/GIA
EyeWire/Getty Images
Introduction 1
The Nature of Gemstones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What Is a Gem? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Three Traits of all Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Durability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Species and Variety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Learning from this Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What’s to Come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Checking Your Progress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The Final Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Help Isn’t Far Away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Questions for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1
Welcome to Colored Stone Essentials Assignment 1. With the knowledge you
gain from this assignment, you’ll be able to:
• Explain the difference between an organic and an inorganic gem.
• Identify the three traits that all gems have in common.
• Explain the three components of colored stone durability.
• Understand how gems are classified by species and variety.
2
Introduction
Alison Wright/Corbis
A passion for colored stones, coupled with an understanding of their properties, will help you succeed in the exciting gem and
jewelry market.
Introduction
Chances are, you’re passionate about gems. Emerald’s lush, vivid green.
Ruby’s fiery crimson. Pearl’s shimmering glow. Your admiration for these
and other elegant gems probably attracted you to the jewelry profession.
To Help You Learn…
It might also have led you to enroll in Colored Stone Essentials. • Key Terms are new words or
The formal definition of colored stone is that it’s any gem that isn’t a phrases that will help you
diamond. But leaving it at that says far too little. A colored stone transforms understand the course
nature’s allure into a single glinting object of desire. All the colors the material. Each term is
human eye is capable of seeing—lilac, azure, magenta, saffron, teal, scarlet, italicized in the text. A brief
and more—are captured in these timeless jewels. definition appears in a
nearby margin and also in
For centuries, artists and poets have used the powerful images of colored a list at the end of the
stones to express love, passion, and power. At the same time, people from assignment.
all walks of life have adorned themselves with the dramatic, radiant grace
of colored stone jewelry.
The subtle magic of gems reveals itself in a tanzanite necklace draped Colored stone—Any gem material
around a woman’s neck or a sapphire bracelet glistening on her wrist. But other than diamond.
magic isn’t that easy to explain, and the colored stones in your inventory
rarely sell themselves by magic alone. When a customer walks into your
store, you must be prepared with facts and figures to back up the magic.
3
Colored Stone Essentials 1
How? You already hold the answer in your hands. Colored Stone Essentials
To Help You Learn… offers the framework you need to sell colored stones ethically and
effectively. This course provides basic, vital knowledge of colored stones
• Questions that introduce for you to learn today and use on the selling floor tomorrow. Once you
each main section are there understand the reality behind a colored stone’s magic, you can start sharing
to give you an idea of what to that magic with your customers and watching your colored stone sales grow.
expect and get you thinking
In the first seven assignments, this course will introduce and clearly
before you start reading. You
explain a wide range of information that’s vital to your understanding of
don’t have to write them
all colored stones. The last assignment will build on this information by
down. They’re intended as an
focusing on three popular colored stones: sapphire, ruby, and emerald.
extra learning aid for you.
You can use Assignment 8—with its specific analysis of these three gems—
• Key Concepts are brief as a model for taking your newly acquired knowledge and applying it to
statements in the margins other gems in your individual sales presentations.
that help you focus on the
The rest of this assignment will introduce some basic terms and concepts
most important points in
and help you grasp the fundamental language of colored stones. After all,
each assignment. They’re
the first step to feeling at ease in any new situation is to learn the basic
also listed at the end of the
words and phrases common to the unfamiliar environment.
assignment to help you
review what you’ve learned. You certainly don’t have to teach customers your new vocabulary, but you
can share what you learn in the form of ideas. By the time you’ve
completed Colored Stone Essentials, you’ll find that you can approach the
vibrant world of colored stones with new confidence, and that you can
communicate that confidence to your customers.
The Nature of Gemstones

n What three traits do all gems share?
n Why is color the most important factor in a colored stone’s visual appeal?
n How does consumer demand affect a gem’s value?
n What features help classify gems?
Two thousand years ago, students of gemology classified gems by color
alone. They would have considered ruby and red spinel the same thing,
simply because they’re the same color. But there is a tremendous difference
between the two gems, which you’ll become more aware of as you
progress through this course.
In the world of gems, the diamond is in

a category by itself. This extraordinary
diamond is the 137.02-ct., D-flawless
Premier Rose. The varied and colorful
world of colored stones also has its
extraordinary specimens.
Gemology—The study of gems.
Tino Hammid/GIA Tino Hammid/GIA

Before modern gemology, red spinel (left) and ruby (right) would have been given the
same name because they’re the same color.
4
Introduction
Robert Weldon/GIA
Some gems are organic, which means
they’re formed by living organisms. This
elegant pendant contains two organic
gems—pearl and coral.
Organic—Once living, or produced by

a living organism (plant or animal).
Mineral—A natural, inorganic

substance with a characteristic
chemical composition and usually
characteristic structure.
Inorganic—Composed of, or arising

from, non-living matter.
Chemical composition—Kinds and

relative quantities of atoms that
make up a material.
Tory Kooyman
The waters of Moorea in the South Pacific house a beautiful coral reef, built by colonies
of tiny animals. Coral is used in many attractive jewelry pieces and carvings.
What Is a Gem?
Some gems—like pearls, amber, coral, and ivory—are organic. This means KEY
they come from plants or animals. But most gems are minerals: natural,
CONCEPTS
inorganic materials with specific chemical compositions. Most have a
characteristic structure, too. You probably already know the names of Most gems are minerals.
some minerals commonly found in jewelry stores: topaz, sapphire,
emerald, and ruby, for example.
5
Describing Lab-Grown Gems

Most of the materials you’ll study in this course are
natural gems—they form in nature. Lab-grown gems, on
the other hand, are manmade (synthetic) reproductions
of natural gems. They look similar to natural gems and
have essentially the same chemical composition and
structure, but they’re made in laboratories. (Some man-
made diamond imitations have no natural counterparts.
You’ll learn more about them if you enroll in the GIA
Diamonds & Diamond Grading or Gem Identification
courses.)
There are some special cautions and regulations about
using the word “gem” to describe lab-grown materials.
Simply stated, you should never use the word “gem” Robert Weldon/GIA
alone to describe a manmade material. Here are some These lab-grown emeralds, rubies, and sapphires were
terms you can use in its place: made in the laboratories of Chatham, Inc. They have
• Laboratory-Grown essentially the same chemical composition and crystal
structure as natural gems.
• Synthetic
• Manmade
Natural gems—Gems produced by natural
To describe a lab-grown ruby, for example, you might processes, without human help.
say, “This is a beautiful laboratory-created ruby,” or
“This lab-grown ruby shares most of the properties of Lab-grown gem—A manmade (synthetic) gem with
a natural ruby.” essentially the same chemical composition, crystal
You’ll learn more about lab-grown gems in Assignment 5. structure, and properties as its natural counterpart.
Three Traits of all Gems

A substance isn’t automatically considered a gem just because it’s used
in jewelry or just because it falls in the mineral category. Items like bones,
seeds, and hair have all been used in jewelry, but that doesn’t place them
in the same category as rubies, pearls, and amber.
To be a gem, a substance must share three important traits with all other
Durability—A gemstone’s ability to gems: beauty, rarity, and durability. Each trait, however, represents a range,
withstand wear, heat, and chemicals. so all gems can possess different levels of all three traits.
Beauty
Throughout the centuries, humans have cherished the color and gleam of
finished gems. Mineral crystals brought up from the dark depths of the
earth, organic gems created by life processes—all gems worthy of the
name share the virtue of beauty.
But because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it isn’t always easy to
KEY categorize what’s beautiful and what isn’t. One accepted definition of
CONCEPTS beauty holds that it’s a combination of qualities that delight the senses or
appeal to the mind. In other words, a thing of beauty might not cause
All gems possess some degree of beauty, everybody to react the same way, but it will cause everybody to react—
rarity, and durability. it will have visual appeal.
6
Introduction
Chemical Composition and Structure

Chemical composition is like a recipe that describes Chemical formula—Written
the types and relative quantities of atoms in a given description of a material’s
substance. A material’s chemical composition is chemical make-up.
expressed by a chemical formula that gives two
kinds of information: Trace elements—Atoms in a gem
• The types of atoms that make up the gem that aren’t part of its essential
chemical composition.
• The relative quantities of those atoms
The chemical formula for corundum (sapphire and Crystal structure—Regular,
ruby) is Al2O3 (Al = aluminum, O = oxygen). This repeating internal arrangement of
means it’s basically made of aluminum and oxygen, atoms in a material.
and there are three oxygen atoms for every two
aluminum atoms. Quartz is made of silicon and Amorphous—Lacking a regular
oxygen, with two oxygen atoms for every silicon crystal structure.
atom, so its chemical formula is SiO2 (Si = silicon).
Diamond has the simplest chemical formula of any
gem—C—meaning it’s essentially pure carbon.
As you can see from the examples above, the numbers in a chemical formula show
only the ratio of one element to another. The actual number of atoms in a gem depends
on its size: There are many more atoms in a big stone than in a small one.
Nothing is absolutely pure, and every gem contains at least a few atoms that aren’t part
of its normal chemical formula. These trace elements (sometimes called impurity elements)
usually take the place of other atoms.
Color is one of the most obvious effects of a trace element. For example, corundum
with very few trace elements is a colorless sapphire. But iron, titanium, or chromium
often replace some of corundum’s aluminum. When this happens, and the trace
elements are iron and titanium, the corundum is blue—a beautiful sapphire. When
chromium is present, the corundum is red, which makes it a ruby.
A mineral’s structure—the way the atoms are arranged—is also important. Most gems
have an orderly internal arrangement of atoms known as crystal structure. Gems without
a crystal structure have no such orderly arrangement. These are amorphous materials.
Opal and volcanic glass are examples of amorphous gems.
The difference made by crystal structure is dramatically obvious when you look at
diamond and graphite. Both are essentially pure carbon, but they have different crystal
structures. Diamond’s structure makes it transparent and the hardest known gem.
Graphite’s structure makes it a great high-temperature lubricant and insulator, but it’s
soft, black, and opaque—very different in appearance from diamond.
If you enroll in the GIA Gem Identification course, you’ll learn to use chemical
composition and structure to identify different types of gems. If you take Colored Stones,
you’ll learn to judge the properties that affect beauty and value. The important thing to
remember in this course is this: A gem’s chemical composition and structure help
determine its color, its durability, and all the rest of its properties.
7
Tory Kooyman
Some people consider the richly colored
alpine scene beautiful, but others prefer
the sensuous curves of the desert.
Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder,
but always delights the senses or
appeals to the mind.
Tino Hammid/GIA
Colored stones come in all the colors of the rainbow. Before modern gem classification,
colored stones were classified by color alone.
In fashioned gemstones, visual appeal typically results from a combination

KEY of color, symmetry, and surface appearance. Of these factors, color is
CONCEPTS usually the most important for colored stones. From the deep green of a
Color is the most important factor in a fine emerald to the shifting colors in an opal, color is the first thing you
colored stone’s beauty. notice about a colored stone. For this reason, it’s usually the first consid-
eration when you’re selling colored stones.
8
Introduction
Nicolas de Camaret
Color has always been an important part of society’s celebrations. It’s obvious in the
multicolored surroundings of the Carnival in Brazil (above) and the traditional headdress
and face paint of a native of Papua, New Guinea (right).
Symmetry, the second factor, means balance and harmony of cut. A stone
is most appealing when its shape and proportions are balanced, so certain
cut details enhance a gem’s beauty. You’ll learn more about this in
Assignment 3.
A gem’s surface appearance, or luster, also influences its appeal. Most Luster—The appearance of a
gems are polished to a high luster. Pearls, which are not fashioned in the material’s surface in reflected light.
same way most other gems are, owe part of their beauty to luster, too.
Transparency—Degree to which a
In addition to these three factors, transparency often plays a role in a gem’s material allows light to pass
beauty. Transparency describes how light passes through an object. The through it.
more transparent an object, the more light passes through it. Many gems
are transparent, including emerald, garnet, and tanzanite. Light can pass
through them with little or no distortion.
Opaque materials are on the other end of the transparency scale. An
opaque object, like a brick, a sheet of plywood, or a floor tile, lets no light
through. Opaque colored stones include hematite and turquoise. Some
gems, like opal, have varying degrees of transparency in a range from
transparent to opaque.
Not all gemstones have the same combination of these elements: Jadeite
can be opaque—and beautiful. On the other hand, a ruby owes a good
deal of its beauty to the fact that it’s transparent.
You might like one gemstone more than any other, but remember that
ultimately, your customer’s choice is the most important. If you recognize
that each colored stone has at least one strong element of beauty, and you
learn to appreciate it, you’ll sell that stone more effectively.
9
Getting Clear on Transparency

• Transparent: Light passes through the material with little or no
distortion. Clear glass is transparent.
• Translucent: Light diffuses as it passes through the material.
Frosted glass is translucent.
• Opaque: No light gets through. A brick wall is opaque.
The way light behaves when it strikes a gem is actually a complex
process. For the purposes of this course, these definitions will serve
you well. You’ll learn more about light behavior and transparency if
you enroll in the GIA Colored Stones course.
Rarity
Rarity, too, is a sliding scale, meaning some gems are more rare than
KEY others. A few are so rare that they’re considered collectors’ items. Gem-
CONCEPTS quality benitoite and red beryl—each found in only one place on
Most gems are somewhere in the middle earth—are occasionally used in jewelry. Because they’re not nearly as
of the rarity scale. available as gems like sapphire and amethyst, they’re unknown to the
majority of consumers. Most gemstones are somewhere in the middle of
the rarity scale.
Rarity doesn’t always make a gem valuable. Pink spinel, for example, is
lovely, durable, and rare. Despite its virtues, pink spinel is generally absent
from consumer shopping lists. Few people know about it, so there’s very
little demand for it.
Demand is unpredictable. Amber, highly treasured in centuries past, is

less prized today, although rare specimens can still command high prices.
Similarly, jet—an opaque black organic gemstone—was extremely popular
in Victorian England, but is virtually unheard of in jewelry today.
Often, shrewd marketing can sway consumer preference. If a major

retailer backs a gem with an expensive advertising campaign, it’s more
likely to penetrate the market quickly, as was the case with tanzanite, the
striking violet-blue East African gem. But no matter how energetically it’s
marketed, a gem must be beautiful and durable as well as rare to merit
popular success. And it must be available in sufficient quantities to stay
in public consciousness over the long haul.
Durability
Autumn leaves are lovely, with their rich, mottled wine reds and golden
yellows and their graceful, symmetrical shapes. A child who puts a scarlet
leaf on a string to wear around her neck will soon find it brown and
shriveled. Leaves, unlike gems, lack durability. Leaves fade, change shape,
and decay. Gems endure.
10
Introduction
The sandcastle (left) is not very durable. It will probably be gone with the next strong wind or high tide. The stone castle (right) is
extremely durable. It has already lasted over a century on its hilltop in Germany.
Durability is a combination of three factors: hardness, toughness, and Hardness—How well a gemstone
stability. Hardness measures how well a gemstone resists scratching and resists scratches and abrasion.
abrasion. Toughness is the ability to withstand breaking, chipping, and cracking.
Toughness—How well a gemstone
Hardness and toughness are not the same thing. Topaz is a relatively hard
resists breaking, chipping, and
stone, but it has poor toughness. Jadeite is not as hard as topaz, but it has cracking.
exceptional toughness.
Stability measures how well a gemstone resists the effects of light, heat, Stability—How well a gemstone
and chemicals. The cleaning solutions that make sapphire sparkle can resists the effects of light, heat, and
damage peridot. Likewise, everyday sunlight can fade kunzite over time. chemicals.
Low durability is the reason that beautiful minerals like fluorite and calcite
are not usually used in jewelry. They can be polished, and most people
agree that both are beautiful. But they have very low hardness and poor
toughness, so they’re rarely used in jewelry.
Jadeite is not as
hard as some
gems, but it has
exceptional tough-
ness, which makes
the carving of a
delicate design like
this one possible.
The Chinese design
represents health
and long life.
Robert Weldon/GIA
11
Tory Kooyman/GIA Tory Kooyman/GIA

The flowers in both pictures are the same variety: ranunculus. If they were gems, their
different colors would probably give them different variety names.
Species and Variety

In biology (the study of life), botany (the study of plants), zoology (the
study of animals), and other life sciences, living things are grouped in
complex categories based on their similarities or differences. The system
that classifies gemstones by species and variety is similar, but simpler.
A gem’s species is based on its chemical composition and structure. For
example, members of the gem species corundum, including ruby and
sapphire, are made of a combination of aluminum and oxygen atoms.
Those atoms arrange themselves in specific ways that give all corundum
common qualities.
Variety is a subcategory of species that’s most often based on color. For
example, if corundum has chromium as a trace element, the stone is red
and it’s a ruby. If it has iron and titanium, it’s a blue sapphire.
GK Hart/Vicky Hart/Getty Images
While not biologically correct, it can Corundum might also be pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, or colorless.
help to think of dogs as a species and These are usually called fancy-colored sapphires. Other gemstone species
different types of dogs as varieties. have color varieties as well: Aquamarine (greenish blue) and emerald
(green) are varieties of beryl. Citrine (yellow) and amethyst (purple) are
varieties of quartz.
Transparency sometimes determines variety, as it does with varieties of
Gem species—A broad gem category the gem species chalcedony. When chalcedony is brownish orange and
based on chemical composition and some light can pass through it, it’s carnelian. When it’s the same color,
crystal structure. but opaque, it’s jasper.
Gem variety—A subcategory of Phenomenon is the last factor used to determine variety. Phenomenal gems
species, based on color, transparency, show unusual optical effects. For instance, red corundum is ruby, but
or phenomenon. when it also shows the phenomenon known as asterism (also known as
the star effect), its variety name is star ruby. Other phenomena include
Phenomenon—An unusual optical the cat’s-eye effect and color change under different light sources. You’ll
effect displayed by a gem. learn more about phenomena and what causes them in Assignment 2.
12
Introduction

Alexandrite displays the phenomenon of color change. In incandescent light (left), it
looks purplish red. In fluorescent light (right), it has a bluish green color.
Maha Tannous/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

The lovely blue 20.48-ct. aquamarine (left) and the 5.67-ct. emerald (right) are both
varieties of the same species: beryl.
Bart Curren Robert Weldon/GIA

The amethyst and the citrine look quite different, but they’re actually both varieties of The phenomenon called asterism is what
quartz. makes this beautiful 4.18-ct. star ruby
different from other rubies. Fine star
rubies are fairly rare.
13
Mineral Groups
Besides species and varieties, there are
broader categories of minerals called
groups. A group consists of minerals from
several closely related species. Minerals
in a group can vary in crystal structure
or chemical composition, but they always
have common characteristics in at least
one of those categories.
Some gemstone groups are tourmaline,
spinel, garnet, and feldspar. Members
of the garnet, tourmaline, and spinel
groups have essentially the same crystal
Robert Weldon/GIA
structure but different elements in their
chemical composition. Some gems in This 10.76-ct. sunstone labradorite from Oregon
belongs in the feldspar group.
the feldspar group have the same chem-
ical composition but slightly different
crystal structure. Other feldspars have Group—A family of gems from several closely
the same structure but different chemical related mineral species.
composition.
Feldspars are among the most common of the earth’s minerals, but not all of them are
gems. Some are just plain rocks. You might be familiar with one member of the feldspar
group: moonstone. It’s a semitransparent to opaque gem with a soft, billowy light effect.
This mysterious gem is covered in more detail in The Essential Colored Stone Reference
Guide. Shiny sunstone labradorite is also a member of the feldspar group.
The Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide will give you more detail on individual
members of gemstone groups. For example, you’ll find several members of the garnet
group—almandine, pyrope, rhodolite, tsavorite, and more—that come in colors
ranging from red to orange to various shades of green.
Mike Havstad/GIA
The garnet group contains gems in a wide variety of beautiful colors. Each member of the group has
the same crystal structure, but their chemical compositions are slightly different.
14
Introduction
Learning from this Course KEY

CONCEPTS
n How can you begin using what you’ve learned in this assignment?
A dedicated study area and a schedule
n How can you benefit from the GIA website? can help you succeed in distance
n What are some of the ways you’ll get feedback? education.
You’ve already gained some very useful information in this assignment.
Much of it—especially the gemological terms and concepts—lays a
foundation for what you’ll find in upcoming assignments. These terms and
concepts will help you understand more about the world of colored
stones.
There’s a lot in this assignment that you can use right away. For instance,
the discussion on species and variety will help you talk about relationships
between different gemstones with your customers. When you’re selling a
fine-quality aquamarine, you might want to explain that the blue-green
stone has fundamentally the same physical properties and composition as
emerald, which—quality for quality—is typically much more expensive.
You’ll find the product knowledge and gemological concepts in this
course and in The Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide to be valuable
assets when you present, describe, or sell colored stones to your customers.
What’s to Come
There are eight assignments in Colored Stone Essentials:
1—Introduction
2—Understanding Color and Phenomena
3—Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight
4—Market Awareness
5—Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones, Imitations,
and Disclosure
6—Durability, Care, and Cleaning
7—Presenting Colored Stones
8—Presenting the Big 3
Distance education is a wonderful learning method. You can set your own
schedule, work at your own pace, and learn in a comfortable environment.
But with this convenience comes the danger of relaxed study habits. To
complete Colored Stone Essentials and any other GIA distance education
courses, you need a dedicated study area and a study schedule.
You’ll find your retention increases as your study habits become consistent.
Underline or highlight italicized words in the text and keep a dictionary
handy. All the gemological terms are explained in the course, but you
might occasionally come across words that are unclear to you.
15
Your Essential Travel Companion
When you enrolled in Colored Stone Essentials, you took your first
step toward selling colored stones confidently, ethically, and effec-
tively. To take you even farther along the road to success with
colored stone sales, the course comes with a bonus: The Essential
Colored Stone Reference Guide. The book is not part of your regular
coursework, but it’s an informative resource that will play an
important part in your exciting journey.
Colored Stone Essentials provides the foundation you need to sell
color like a professional. The Essential Colored Stone Reference
Guide (referred to as The Reference Guide) applies finer detail to
your knowledge of a sparkling array of colored gemstones.
Now that you have The Reference Guide, you can put this attractive
and useful book to work by taking full advantage of its convenient
organization. To make it easy to use, The Reference Guide lists gems
alphabetically, by common name.
The entries provide clear, practical information that you can use to
enrich your sales presentations. For example, did you know that
amber is sometimes called “Gold of the North,” or that emerald
was one of Cleopatra’s favorite gems? When new colored stone
jewelry appears in your inventory, check it out under the appropriate
headings in the guide. And by all means, use The Reference Guide
to help you answer customer questions. You’ll find that it’s a
powerful sales tool in itself.
So, welcome to Colored Stone Essentials. And meet your traveling
companion, The Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide.
16
Introduction
Checking Your Progress

The questionnaires you’ll complete in Colored Stone Essentials are great
ways to determine what you’ve learned and what you might have missed.
The questionnaires also give GIA an idea of your progress.
Another terrific way to check your progress is to take another look at the
Key Terms and Key Concepts at the end of each assignment. If you run
across a term or concept that isn’t clear to you, you can easily turn back
to the part of the assignment where it’s discussed in detail. Just look for
its mention in the margin.
Now that you’ve finished Assignment 1, complete the first questionnaire.

It’s important to do the questionnaires as soon as you finish the assignments,
while the information is still fresh in your mind. That way, there’s less
danger that you’ll forget important facts.
MyGIA is a World Wide Web-based service available through your normal

Internet Service Provider (ISP). In your browser window, type the address
and follow any prompts to register and sign in. It’s a free service for GIA
students. This service gives you instant results and automatically records
your score. Be sure to explore the other areas of the GIA website, too.
The Final Examination

There will be a final exam at the end of the course. This exam will cover
material from Colored Stone Essentials, but not information from The
Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide.
You must complete each questionnaire with a minimum score of 75 percent

in order to take the final exam. (You can retake the questionnaires as many
times as you need to.) After you complete and pass all the questionnaires,
you can take your final exam. Then, to receive your Colored Stones Essentials
certificate, you must score at least 75 percent on the final.
Just Say “Gem”

You might have heard the term “semi-precious” used to describe
some gemstones. Some of your customers might have heard it, too.
But it’s an outdated and inaccurate term that suggests a ranking of
gems into superior (precious) and inferior (semi-precious) categories.
It’s not fair—or good sales practice—to demean a $500-per-carat
tsavorite (SAV-o-rite) as “semi-precious” because it’s “just a garnet.”
And you’d never look at a customer’s onyx cameo and declare, “Oh,
it’s so semi-precious!”
Instead, present all the gems you sell positively. Talk about quality
differences, relative rarity, and price ranges. From amethyst beads
to star rubies, stick with the terms “gem” and “gemstone.”
17
Help Isn’t Far Away

Your GIA Distance Education instructor is always just a quick email
message or phone call away, Monday through Friday. GIA instructors are
gemology experts with many years of trade experience. They’ll answer
your questions, clarify any parts of the text that you’re unsure of, and help
you with study hints. You’ll also receive feedback in the form of comments
that accompany the answers to your questionnaires. Save these comments
to review for the final exam.
By using all the resources available to you as you progress through this
course and others you might take in the future, you’ll get the most out of
your GIA education. In the next assignment, you’ll continue your journey
into the exciting world of colored stones with an examination of color
and phenomenon.
The FTC Issues Standards for Ethical Practices

In 1914, the US Congress created the Federal Trade Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—
Commission (FTC) to protect American consumers A US Government agency that
from unlawful business practices. Since then, the issues guidelines for the jewelry
FTC has been active in four main areas: trade.
• Monitoring business activity to assure that
businesses comply with existing federal trade laws
• Providing Congress with information relevant to pending legislation
• Assisting the US Department of Justice in enforcing federal laws that deal with
monopolies and trade restrictions
• Enforcing legislation that prohibits illegal or deceptive trade practices
Over the years, the FTC has published guidelines affecting a range of consumer
products, including jewelry. Although the FTC’s jurisdiction is limited, its recommen-
dations and trade practice rules are the basis for many state and local laws as well as
standards for ethical business behavior. Also, in the absence of existing law, the US
Courts tend to rely on them when settling legal disputes.
In 1957, the FTC published Trade Practice Rules for the Jewelry Industry, which dealt
with many areas of gem and jewelry merchandising. The rules have been revised four
times since then, most recently in 2018. The FTC worked closely with professional
jewelers’ groups to shape the current set of policies, which are called Guides for the
Jewelry, Precious Metals and Pewter Industries.
The Guides, of course, only apply to the US. Other nations have their own standards.
If you trade in a country with its own standards in place, it’s your responsibility to
become familiar with them. There are both legal and ethical consequences if you don’t.
Not following them can adversely affect your reputation and hurt your business.
18
Introduction
KEY
CONCEPTS
Most gems are minerals. Most gems are somewhere in the middle of the rarity scale.
All gems possess some degree of beauty, rarity, and durability. A dedicated study area and a schedule can help you succeed in
distance education.
Color is the most important factor in a colored stone’s beauty.
Key Terms
Amorphous—Lacking a regular crystal structure. Inorganic—Composed of, or arising from, non-living matter.
Chemical composition—Kinds and relative quantities of Luster—The appearance of a material’s surface in

atoms that make up a material. reflected light.
Chemical formula—Written description of a material’s Mineral—A natural, inorganic substance with a

chemical make-up. characteristic chemical composition and usually
characteristic structure.
Colored stone—Any gem material other than diamond.
Natural gems—Gems produced by natural processes,
Crystal structure—Regular, repeating internal without human help.
arrangement of atoms in a material.
Organic—Once living, or produced by a living organism
Durability—A gemstone’s ability to withstand wear, heat, (plant or animal).
and chemicals.
Phenomenon—An unusual optical effect displayed by a gem.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—A US Government
agency that issues guidelines for the jewelry trade. Stability—How well a gemstone resists the effects of light,
heat, and chemicals.
Gemology—The study of gems.
Lab-grown gem—A manmade (synthetic) gem with
Gem species—A broad gem category based on chemical essentially the same chemical composition, crystal
composition and crystal structure. structure, and properties as its natural counterpart.
Gem variety—A subcategory of species, based on color, Toughness—How well a gemstone resists breaking,
transparency, or phenomenon. chipping, and cracking.
Group—A family of gems from several closely related Trace elements—Atoms in a gem that aren’t part of its
mineral species. essential chemical composition.
Hardness—How well a gemstone resists scratches and Transparency—Degree to which a material allows light to
abrasion. pass through it.
19
Questions for Review
n What three traits do all gems share?
n Why is color the most important factor in a colored stone’s visual appeal?
n How does consumer demand affect a gem’s value?
n What features help classify gems?
n How can you begin using what you’ve learned in this assignment?
n How can you benefit from the GIA website?
n What are some of the ways you’ll get feedback?
20
Understanding Color and Phenomena 2
How Color Happens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Selective Absorption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Color in Gemstones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Chemistry and Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Color Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Color Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Pleochroism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Color Quality and Gem Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Comparing Fine Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Hue and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Color and Demand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Presenting Color and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Avoiding Technical Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Creating Word Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Using Trade Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Color Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Phenomena and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Opal and Play-of-Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Moonstone and Adularescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Alexandrite and Color Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl and Chatoyancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Star Ruby, Star Sapphire, and Asterism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Labradorite and Labradorescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Iridescence and Orient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Goldstone, Sunstone, and Aventurescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
21
• Understand how light interacts with a gem’s chemistry and structure to
give rise to color.
• Understand the factors that contribute to a gem’s “best” color.
• Appreciate the relationship between color, customer preference, and value.
• Use word pictures and trade terms to describe and promote gem color.
• Recognize and convey the special qualities of phenomenal gems.
22
Understanding Color and Phenomena
Like the crayons in a box, gems can display a wide variety of colors and combinations of colors.

Wednesday afternoon: A trillion-cut tanzanite pendant nestles against a
velvet display in your store’s window. Friday night: The jewel sparkles on
the neck of a woman dining by candlelight on her anniversary. How did
it get there? The pendant’s cut is interesting, its weight impressive, its
clarity dazzling. But it was the gem’s striking color, a deep blue touched
with violet, that halted the woman’s husband in mid-stride and pulled him
into your store.
Color alone doesn’t make a gemstone desirable. As you’ll learn in
Assignment 3, clarity, cut, and carat weight also come into play. But color
tops the list of factors that join to create a gem’s unique beauty. Before a
customer cradles a 5-ct. aquamarine ring in his palm to feel its weight, he
is drawn to the gem’s pastel serenity. Before a dealer shows off the glitter
of a pair of citrine earrings, she points out the stones’ rich golden color.
In this assignment, you’ll learn about color’s powerful role in gemstone
value. You’ll also learn about the unique characteristics of phenomenal
stones like opal, and how to present these special colored stones to
customers.
23
Understanding color will also help you introduce customers to the

rainbow of gemstone choices available. And your expertise will help
customers see why a particular colored stone bracelet costs more than the
one displayed beside it. Customers who appreciate gem color gain lasting
enjoyment from their jewelry purchases. And you earn lasting business.
How Color Happens

n How do objects, observers, and light interact to create color?
Tory Kooyman/GIA
The vivid color of a blue glass bowl is a n What is selective absorption?
direct result of an interaction between
the bowl, the light, and you. n What are hue, tone, and saturation?
In a way, anyone able to see color is an artist. That’s because people play
KEY a big role in creating the colors they see. When a sunbeam slants through
CONCEPTS the window onto a cobalt glass bowl, its vivid blue is largely of your own
Color requires the interaction of light, making. That’s because color is born from an interaction between light
an object, and an observer. (the sunbeam), an object (the bowl), and an observer (you).
Selective Absorption
Light is a crucial player in the trio. Light is a form of energy that travels
in waves. Although light looks white, it’s actually a combination of the
colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet: the colors of the
rainbow. Each color represents lightwaves of different energies.
Peter Johnston/GIA
White light is actually made up of separate waves, and each wave is a different color.
Some of the lightwaves are absorbed when light strikes an object. The lightwaves that
aren’t absorbed determine what color you see.
24
Peter Johnston/GIA
Tone is a color’s lightness or darkness. The bowl on the left is Saturation is a color’s weakness or strength. The bowl on the
darker in tone than the bowl on the right. left is more saturated than the bowl on the right.
When light reaches an object, some of its component colors are absorbed
by the object, while others return to the viewer. This exchange between
light and the object it shines on is called selective absorption. Which light-
waves the object absorbs and which ones it returns determine whether
you see the object as blue, red, or some other color.
The colors “greenish blue” and “bluish
A cobalt glass bowl absorbs mostly red, orange, and yellow lightwaves green” have obvious differences. With
and returns mostly green, blue, and violet ones. When these lightwaves greenish blue, the dominant color is blue
meet your eye, your brain combines them and reads their “message” as a (left). If green is dominant, the color is
color—in this case, blue. bluish green (right).
Color is a sensation, and it’s human nature to try to put feelings into words. Selective absorption—Process by
When talking about color, people usually start with their first impression— which a material absorbs some
hue. Each of the color components of white light is called a spectral hue. components of visible light and
Some hues are “pure,” while others are combinations of hues. For returns others.
example, people call a hue that’s neither blue nor green, but somewhere
in between, “bluish green” or “greenish blue.” The second color name Hue—The first impression of an
designates the most noticeable hue. object’s basic color.
The bowl’s blue hue is not the only thing you notice about its color. You Tone—Degree of darkness or
also see it as light, medium, or dark in tone. Tone is a color’s lightness or lightness of a color.
darkness. You might also see it as dull to vivid in saturation. Saturation is
a color’s weakness or strength. Highly saturated colors look vivid and Saturation—A color’s strength or
intense. Greens, blues, and violets with low saturation look grayish, while intensity.
reds, oranges, and yellows with low saturation appear brownish.
Physicists and gemologists use technical terms like tone and saturation to
describe color accurately. But if you were admiring the bowl, you
probably wouldn’t call it a “medium dark, vivid blue,” as a color expert
would. Instead, you might call it bright blue, cornflower blue, or royal
blue. These everyday terms are simply another way of discussing the
unique blends of hue, tone, and saturation that produce particular colors.
25
Color in Gemstones
n How do a gemstone’s structure and chemistry affect its color?
n When is color zoning desirable?
n What is a best-selling pleochroic gem?
Color is important in any sales presentation involving gemstone jewelry,
from clarifying customer preferences to comparing value. Your basic
Tino Hammid/GIA understanding of how people see and respond to gem color will help you
Like the ingredients in a recipe, this sell jewelry. And if you order from suppliers, your knowledge of gem color
tourmaline’s chemistry and crystal will help you get the colored stones you want.
structure combine to create its unique
bodycolors.
Chemistry and Structure
Gems can absorb and return light. But each gem species and variety
contains a unique mix of chemicals, and each gem crystal grows in its
own way. A gem’s chemical composition and its crystal structure combine
to affect the way it absorbs and returns light.
Like the ingredients in a recipe, these natural variations contribute to
each gem’s unique bodycolor. For example, ruby and sapphire are both
varieties of the gem species corundum. The addition of a chromium
“ingredient” creates the red hues we categorize as ruby. The presence of
Joel Beeson/GIA iron and titanium, however, generates the blue hues of sapphire.
These sapphires show strong, undesirable
color zoning that the cutter was unable Another cause of color in gemstones is called a color center. It’s a small
to conceal. defect in atomic structure that can affect how a material absorbs light, thus
influencing its color. As you’ll learn in Assignment 5, adding energy from
irradiation or heating can remove the defect and change the gem’s color.
Color Variation
Bodycolor—A gemstone’s basic color, Most customers expect to see bodycolor spread evenly throughout a trans-
determined by its selective parent gem. They might not realize that certain gems display more than
absorption of light. one color, depending on how they absorb and return light, their structure,
and which combination of chemicals they contain.
Color center—A small defect in the
atomic structure of a material that Color Zoning
can absorb light and give rise to a
color. There’s a reason for color variations in gems—the course of a mineral’s
growth is never smooth. If conditions change during growth—for example,
Color zoning—Areas of different color if a gem crystal receives greater or lesser amounts of color-causing nutri-
in a gem, caused by variations in ents—it will display bands of slightly different colors. This effect is called
growth conditions. color zoning and it can spoil or enhance a gem’s appearance and salability.
When color variations are striking, gem cutters can take advantage of them
KEY to create an exciting look. Gems with two or more distinct color zones are
CONCEPTS called parti-colored gems. Sometimes a gem with only two zones is called a
bicolor gem. Two examples are bicolor tourmaline and ametrine, which has
A gem’s chemical composition and alternating zones of purple amethyst and yellow citrine. Some customers
crystal structure affect the way it are attracted to fashionable, well-cut, parti-colored gems. Take the time
absorbs and returns light. to share with them the special growth conditions that create color zoning.
26
Colors Look Different in Different Lights

Why do rubies look so richly red in candlelight? Why does a
woman’s pale complexion glow like gold when she stands at an
ocean pier at sundown? Why does your emerald pin look prettier
at the office than it does at home? The answers all have to do with
the way different light sources affect color.
In general, green, blue, and violet gems look their best under the
fluorescent lighting found in most offices. That’s because fluorescent
light typically gives off a lot of blue and green, which enhances
these gem colors.
Red, orange, and yellow gems show their colors best in incandescent
light, like candlelight, a regular lamp, or the sun’s rays at sunset.
Incandescent light sources give off light waves mainly in red,
orange, and yellow, emphasizing these gem colors.
If you remember that lighting affects the appearance of different
colors, it’ll help you display gemstones to their best advantage. It
will also help you judge color quality when you are buying gems.
Robert Weldon/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

These gems, an ametrine (left) and a bicolor tourmaline (right), are cut to take advantage
of their attractive color zoning.

The cutter positioned the darker color zoning in this blue sapphire at the bottom
of the gem (left), allowing the color to reflect throughout the stone when it’s seen
face-up (right).
27
violet-blue
purple
Robert Weldon/GIA
This tanzanite’s violet-blue and purple pleochroism can be appreciated without the
aid of special equipment.
Pleochroism
Pleochroism—When a gem shows Another variation in a crystal’s bodycolor is pleochroism, from the Greek
different bodycolors from different for “having many colors.” Pleochroic gems show different bodycolors
directions. from different viewing directions. For example, a green tourmaline crystal
can look very dark green from the end, but appear much lighter green
Color range—The selection of colors from the side. Some pleochroic gems display two colors that are so similar
in which a gemstone occurs. to one another—green and blue-green in emerald, for example—that you
probably won’t see the distinction without special equipment.
Fine color—The color or colors in a
gemstone’s color range considered Tanzanite is a popular gem with pleochroism that can be appreciated with
by the trade to be the most desirable. the unaided eye. It looks violet-blue from some directions and purple from
others. Gem cutters sometimes cut tanzanite rough to feature mostly
purple in the finished gems, other times mostly blue.
The choice depends on the quality of the tanzanite rough and the direction
of crystal growth. Cutters fashion fine-quality tanzanite to emphasize the
blue color because that commands a higher price. But even the most
valuable faceted tanzanites don’t look totally blue. The attractive purple
companion color always shines through.
Color Quality and Gem Value

n What are the factors that contribute to a gem’s “best” color?
n How do subtle color distinctions influence gemstone prices?
n How do tradition and demand influence color preference and value?
As you have learned, color quality and gem value are inseparable. Each
gem variety has its own particular color range—the selection of colors in
which it is available. Because of this, experts define color quality differently
for different types of gems. Within a gem’s color range, fine color is simply
the color preferred by the jewelry industry. It’s usually a color that’s at
least medium to dark in tone and high in saturation. Often, but not always,
the most valuable color in a gem’s color range is also the rarest one.
28
Cutting Decisions Can window

Affect Gem Color
When light enters a gemstone from the top,
most of it should bounce off the bottom of
the stone and then reflect out again through
the top. This is called light return.
For a gem to have good light return, it must

be well cut. But sometimes the cutter sacrifices
light return in favor of retaining weight from
the rough. When a cutter’s effort to get max- Tino Hammid/GIA
imum weight from gem rough limits a stone’s The weak area of color in this
ability to return light, the effect is called aquamarine is the result of windowing.
windowing. It’s due to cut variations that cause
light to leak out of the bottom of the
When you look down at a gem from above stone.
and see a gap in its bodycolor—an area of
weaker color—that’s a window. Windows
are usually caused by light leaking from the
bottom of the stone. By creating a see-through
effect, a window can make a gem’s bodycolor
uneven and ruin its appearance. If a gem’s
bodycolor is very dark, however, a window
can lighten it a little and make the stone more
appealing.
A problem called extinction is also the result

of the way a colored stone is cut. Extinction
is the appearance of dark areas in a faceted extinction
gem. These dark areas shift position as you
move the stone. While it can be seen in any
The dark area in this tsavorite
stone, it’s seen most often in gems with darker garnet is extinction. This is common
bodycolors, such as ruby, red garnet, and in darker gems and it can lower a
blue sapphire. stone’s value.
Windowing and extinction usually lower

color quality and value in a gem. They also
interfere with a stone’s beauty because they Window—An area of weak saturation in a transparent
keep light from being returned in the best gemstone’s bodycolor that usually results from the way the
possible way. There’s more information about gem was cut.
gem cutting, light return, windowing, and
extinction in Assignment 3. Extinction—Dark areas in a faceted transparent colored stone.
29
Shane McClure/GIA
Blue isn’t the only sapphire color. This
rare pinkish orange sapphire is described
by the term “padparadscha.”
Tino Hammid/GIA
Some gemstones occur in very wide color ranges. Tourmalines come in just about
every color.
In most cases, color ranges are the yardsticks experts use to decide prices
within a species or variety. For example, a ruby’s price is based largely on
where its color fits in the general ruby color range. Color ranges can be
wide or narrow. Tourmaline, for example, occurs in just about every hue,
while peridot’s color range is limited to yellowish green through greenish
yellow. People usually prefer yellowish green peridot, making that peridot
color more valuable than greenish yellow.
30
KEY
CONCEPTS
Each gem species or variety has its own
color range and its own best color within
that range.
Mike Havstad/GIA
Peridot’s color range is narrow. Most people prefer yellowish green, making it the
most valuable color.
You can use your knowledge of color ranges to offer options to your
customers. For example, when you show a customer a yellow sapphire
ring she might ask in surprise, “Aren’t all sapphires blue?” Then you can
share your product knowledge by explaining that blue is just one of many
hues in sapphire’s color range. You’re also offering new possibilities and
encouraging the customer to move beyond any preconceived ideas about
gem colors and varieties.
Comparing Fine Color

As you’ll learn in Assignment 4, the price of a colored stone is a result of
many factors, including availability and consumer demand. But colored
stone prices usually revolve around one important value factor—color.
Gems come in a dazzling array of colors. Color possibilities are limited
by the species, just as horses do not “occur” naturally in green, or human
beings in lavender.
Understanding the limitations as well as the possibilities in gemstone
color will help you explain why some gems deserve higher price tags than
others. Gems of different species might share the same color, but each
species has its own potential for best color within its own natural color
range. The cost of an aquamarine, for example, depends on how its blue
compares with other aquamarines, not with other blue gem varieties.
A natural time to mention color quality is while presenting a piece of
jewelry to a customer. Simply say, for example, “This gem’s lovely
seawater blue is considered the best color aquamarine can have.” This
helps customers appreciate how the color of each individual gemstone
relates to its price.
31
Eric Welch/GIA
Joe Schubach/Shubach Jewelers

Diamond imitations like cubic zirconia (left) and synthetic moissanite (above) have
higher dispersion values than diamond, so they show more fire.
Fire and Fluorescence in Colored Stones

Dispersion—The separation of Earlier in the assignment, you learned about color zoning, pleochroism,
white light into spectral colors. and other ways in which gemstones display color. Some colored stones,
like demantoid garnet, zircon, and ruby, show color in more unique ways.
Fluorescence—Emission of visible
light by a material when it’s As you’ve learned, white light is actually made up of all the colors of the
stimulated by ultraviolet rainbow. When you see a rainbow in the sky after a rainstorm, or when a
radiation. glass prism projects a spectrum on the wall, you’re seeing the bending and
splitting of white light into its component colors. This is called dispersion.
When you talk about diamonds, you can’t help mentioning dispersion
and the colorful display it causes, known as fire. Much of what makes a
diamond beautiful is the dispersive effect it has on light. Colored stones,
however, typically don’t display much fire. Some beautiful and valuable
colored stones are exceptions. Two of these are demantoid garnet and
zircon, which can display visible fire. Sphene is a rarer gem that displays
strong fire, especially in its lighter colors.
If your customer wants a unique and different stone, demantoid garnet
might be a perfect match. This stone comes in many beautiful shades of
green and is mined in Russia’s Ural Mountains, Italy, Korea, Zaire, and
Namibia.
32
Tom Cushman
Terri Weimer/GIA
Fire is harder to see in colored stones than it is in colorless ones. The fire is visible in
this yellow sphene (right), but the gem’s other colors tend to mask it (above).
To check the fire of a demantoid garnet or zircon, rock the stone slowly
back and forth under your store’s lighting and look for brilliant flashes of
rainbow colors. Tell your customer that not every stone shows fire, so if
they buy one that does, they’ll have an unusual piece of jewelry.
Another way for a stone to show color is through fluorescence. It’s a visible
glow that occurs in some gems when they’re exposed to ultraviolet (UV)
radiation.
Although invisible to the human eye, UV radiation is everywhere. Ordinary
sunlight contains it and fluorescent lights emit it. You might have heard
about UV radiation penetrating earth’s atmosphere and
Robert Weldon/GIA
making people more vulnerable to sunburn. And you might have seen The UV radiation in daylight caused
black lights at a disco giving off UV that makes white clothing glow with this Burmese ruby to fluoresce red.
a blue color. This enhances its vibrant red
bodycolor and increases its value.
The UV component in daylight enhances the color of some rubies. You’ll
learn more about UV radiation and fluorescence and their effect on gems
in the GIA Gem Identification course.
33
KEY
CONCEPTS
When making a sale, a customer's
preferences are more important than
trade preferences.
In some gem varieties, slight variations
in hue, tone, and saturation can make a
tremendous difference in price.
Tino Hammid/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

Gem colors can vary in quality within a specific color range. Sapphire can display a
lighter, more grayish blue (left) or an intense, deep blue (right).
In the end, the color the customer prefers is the one that sells, regardless
of what the trade declares to be the best color. A customer might prefer
purple tanzanite to the violetish blue shade, for instance. Regardless of
what trade members decide a gem color is worth, any color can be
beautiful to the person purchasing it.
Hue and Value

Just as the right combination of ingredients can raise an ordinary recipe
to gourmet status, the slightest variations in hue, tone, and saturation can
Robert Weldon/GIA make a tremendous difference in price. Within a gemstone species, for
instance, certain hues are worth more than others.
Gem color distinctions can be subtle, but the price differences can be
dramatic. Greenish blue sapphire, for instance, is worth only a fraction
of the price paid for violetish blue sapphire. Purple tanzanite sells for less
than violetish blue tanzanite. And for ruby, purplish red is more valuable
than orangy red.
But hue alone doesn’t always determine top color. To be considered fine
color, a gem’s hue must also show the high saturation and medium to dark
tone valued in the trade. This means that even though blue is the top color
Robert Weldon/GIA
for sapphire, for example, an orange or purple sapphire can cost more
than a blue one if the blue sapphire’s hue is weak in saturation or too dark
The color quality of these two tanzanites
is very different. The purple tanzanite or light in tone.
(top) is lighter and less intense than the
violetish blue tanzanite (bottom), which Color and Demand
is much more vivid—and much more
valuable. Consumer demand can influence colored stone prices. Some gem varieties
command higher prices because of their rich heritage as well as their fine
color. For example, a dealer might offer two solitaire rings, both set with
34
stones of identical fine green color. But if one ring is set with an emerald
and one with a tsavorite (a type of garnet), the emerald ring will typically
be more expensive, all other things being equal.
This is because emerald’s rich heritage influences consumer demand. To

a public unfamiliar with tsavorite, the name means little, while “emerald”
conjures up images of beauty, wealth, and adventure. In cases like these,
color’s power as a value factor falters before the power of tradition.
Tradition and demand are important considerations. Many people would

probably rather buy a ruby ring than one set with a less expensive gem
like fine red spinel merely because ruby is better known. But many
customers will gladly consider buying lesser-known gems if you present
them as color alternatives.
Customers who resist high prices will probably welcome your suggestion
of a more affordable gem in the same hue as the more valuable one. The
Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide that accompanies this course
provides more information on color alternatives.
Presenting Color and Value

n Why should you avoid using technical terms with customers?
n How can word pictures help you present color?

©Saskia Nurnberg Germany National Museum
n When can you use trade terms to enhance a presentation? Emerald has a rich tradition as a status
symbol for royalty and aristocrats,
n How does a unique color vocabulary help with accurate communication including Emperor Charlemagne. Gems
about color? with a romantic heritage can command
high prices because of the power of
tradition to influence consumer choices.
Now that you know some of the ways gemstone color influences value,
it’s important to know how to share your knowledge with your customers
in a way that sparks their interest and promotes sales. Remember not to
overwhelm them with facts and special terminology. Instead, try to create
word pictures tailored to their interests and use trade terms accurately to Trade terms—Terms often used in the
intrigue them. jewelry industry to describe particular
gemstone colors or link gems with
You can adjust your language to fit your listener. If you’re selling color to specific geographic locations.
a man who wants an anniversary gift for his wife, for example, your
imagery can evoke romance. If you need to order an exact color match
from a supplier, on the other hand, your word choices would have to be
precise.
Avoiding Technical Terms

The best approach in a sales presentation is to use a conversational style.
You’ve learned some technical terms, like selective absorption, that help
you understand how color works. But don’t try to teach your customer
new vocabulary words. They want to buy jewelry, not earn a gemology
diploma.
35
Tino Hammid/GIA
Some customers might be intrigued to learn that rubies and sapphires are both varieties
of the same mineral species, corundum.
You can share what you know about gem color and value whenever
customers seem interested. For example, some customers admiring a ring
set with both rubies and sapphires might enjoy knowing that the red ruby
and the blue sapphire—as different in color as two gems can be—are both
varieties of the same mineral species, corundum. Other customers might
not be interested.
Occasionally, if a customer is curious, you might add that the metallic
element chromium makes colorless corundum red, while iron and titanium
make it blue. You can let it go at that. There’s no need to go any further
into a discussion of chemistry. But many customers, whether or not they
buy the ring, will remember your enthusiasm and product knowledge. As
a result, when they’re ready to buy, they’re very likely to come to you.
36
Creating Word Pictures KEY

CONCEPTS
You’ve learned how experts describe gemstone color with terms like hue,
tone, and saturation. But these terms are not very likely to excite customers A conversational style, word pictures,
shopping for jewelry. Instead, try to use language creatively to make and accurate trade terms can help you
gemstone colors come alive. sell gemstone color.
Use your creativity to paint word pictures for your customers. For example,
when you’re selling a blue topaz pendant, you might say the gem’s ice-
blue color reminds you of a crystal-clear mountain lake. Or you could
compare the color of the yellow-green peridots in a pair of earrings to sun
shining on grass, or the colors of the purple and yellow ametrine to a
desert sunset.
Experiment with imagery like this, matching word pictures to what you
learn from interacting with your customer. For example, a woman who
likes to camp and hike might respond well to your image of the clear
mountain lake. Word pictures are just another way of praising the beauty
of colored stone jewelry in a way that reaches customers.
Using Trade Terms
It’s common in the jewelry trade to connect certain adjectives to a

particular gemstone color. For example, orange topaz is traditionally
known as “sherry topaz,” because its color resembles the warm color of
that wine. A particular type of purplish red rhodolite garnet is sometimes
called “raspberry rhodolite” for similar reasons.
Sharing trade terms like these with customers is a good way to add spice
to sales presentations, as long as you’re sure the topaz you’re calling
“imperial,” for example, is truly the orangy red—not yellow, brown, or
blue—traditionally associated with that term. Calling just any topaz
“imperial” might spark customer interest, but it would not be accurate,
and your store’s credibility would suffer.
Similarly, people in the trade often use the names of cities or countries—
Burma for ruby, Colombia for emerald—to describe fine color in gemstones.
These exotic-sounding terms are intriguing, but unfortunately they can
also create confusion. While you might choose to use geographic terms
for color with other members of the trade, it’s best to avoid using them
with customers.
Color Vocabulary
If you’re a retailer working with suppliers, clear communication about

color is important. That’s because retailers and suppliers often talk about
gem color sight unseen, relying on verbal descriptions alone. This can
be tricky when the people communicating have their own color vocabu-
laries.
37
A Misnomer by Any Other Name Is Still

Misleading
Although it’s often inaccurate to use trade terms, it’s never acceptable
to use misnomers. Misnomer literally means “wrong or unacceptable
name.” Using one can mean big trouble for you and your store.
Some examples of misnomers are:
• “Black diamond” for hematite
• “Evening emerald” for peridot
• “Balas ruby” for red spinel
• “Water sapphire” for iolite
• “Herkimer diamond” for rock crystal quartz
• “Korean jade” for serpentine
• “Cape ruby” for pyrope garnet
Iolite is obviously not sapphire, so calling it “water sapphire” is

nothing short of misleading. An uneducated customer might not
understand the difference. Iolite is a beautiful violet-blue stone, but
in price, hardness, and other qualities, it’s in a completely different
category.
Suppose a woman brings her mother’s silk scarf into your store and asks
you to find her a gem to mount in a gold scarf pin. The gem must mirror
a color in the fabric’s print. Pointing to the red roses in the print, the
customer requests a “scarlet” gemstone. You would call the color
“raspberry,” however, and a dealer might call it “reddish purple.” Even if
you’ve dealt with a particular supplier for years, ordering a ruby, garnet,
or other stone in the exact shade of red to match the scarf can be a
challenge.
Appraisal is another area where accurate color vocabulary is crucial.

Thousands of dollars can depend on the words you choose to describe
the colored gemstone jewelry you’re appraising for a customer. That’s
because insurance companies rely on an appraiser’s precise written
description of jewelry, including gemstone color.
After you complete this assignment, you’ll know enough about gemstone
color to sell colored stone jewelry effectively and confidently. At that
point, however, you might not yet have the expertise you need to describe
color with precision. There are certain situations when precise color terms
can help you do better business. You can learn more about describing
color accurately in the GIA Colored Stones course.
38
Phenomena and Value

n What is a phenomenal gem?
n How do phenomenal gems get their dazzling special effects?
n Which phenomenal gem is perhaps the most familiar?
n What is color change?
You’ve learned that bodycolor is a gem’s main color, but what about
gemstones that glint or glow with subtle hues or special effects that defy
simple description? These are the phenomenal gemstones, and their
striking optical effects set them apart as unique. Understanding how they
come by their unusual and seductive looks, and being able to discern the
most prized characteristics for each, will help you sell them.
Tino Hammid/GIA
Phenomenal gems like opal, moonstone, and fire agate get their dazzling
special effects from the way their structures interact with light. Their Two sought-after and rare phenomenal
phenomenal colors and effects might appear to float inside or outside the gems are cat’s-eye chrysoberyl and
alexandrite chrysoberyl.
gem’s basic bodycolor. Gem cutters can fashion stones to show off
phenomenal colors and effects to the stone’s best advantage. The stronger
the effect, the more valuable the phenomenal gemstone.
Phenomenal gems are an important part of the colored stone market.

Some are abundant, others extremely rare. But each can appeal to a wide
variety of customers. You don’t have to be a connoisseur to appreciate
phenomena.
Demonstrating the drama of a phenomenal stone’s special effects is the

key to selling it. Often, you won’t need to explain in much detail why the KEY
stone looks the way it does. If customers can see the fascinating effects CONCEPTS
clearly, they’ll be charmed by them even without technical information The key to selling a phenomenal stone is
about their source. If a customer does ask about a special effect’s cause, to demonstrate the drama of its special
however, you can be ready with a simple explanation.
effects.
Opal and Play-of-Color
Opal is perhaps the most familiar phenomenal gem. Its shifting flashes of Play-of-color—The flashing rainbow
rainbow colors, called play-of-color, occur as a result of its unusual colors in opal.
structure. Unlike most gemstones, opal is not a crystal. Instead, it’s made
up of tiny spheres. These spheres are most often composed of silica, with
about the same chemical composition as quartz.
Opal’s magnificent play-of-color is the rare and treasured result of just the
right combination of conditions. When the spheres line up in rows,
stacked like Ping Pong balls in a box, lightwaves bend around the spheres
and break up into spectral hues. The size of the spheres and the way the
light interacts with them determine the colors the opal displays. In the
opal market, red is the most desirable play-of-color hue against both white
and dark bodycolors.
39
Adularescence—The cloudy bluish

white light in a moonstone, caused
by scattering of light.
Robert Weldon/GIA
White opals are common in US jewelry stores.
As if their mosaic color patterns didn’t make them bewitching enough,

opals come in a wealth of bodycolors, including black, white, and
colorless. The finest-quality opals have a black bodycolor emblazoned
with large and distinct patches of many different intense, bright colors.
White opal, which is less expensive and more plentiful, is popular in US
jewelry stores. Fire opal, in transparent to translucent red or orange, might
not show play-of-color.
In any opal, large patches of color are preferred over smaller ones. And
the gem’s play-of-color should be evenly distributed, without any blank
areas. If the opals in the jewelry you are presenting display these positive
features, be sure to praise them to customers as desirable and valuable.
Shane McClure/GIA Moonstone and Adularescence

The same scattering of light that makes the sky blue causes the phenomenon
of adularescence seen in moonstone. Popularized during the late nineteenth
century in the art nouveau jewelry of René Lalique, moonstone’s timeless
mystique continues to appeal.
When light strikes moonstone’s alternating growth layers, the result is a

soft, delicate, haunting gleam of color that appears to billow or float across
the stone. When you share this effect with customers, you might compare
it to moonlight shining through a veil of clouds.
Moonstone is the only gem that displays adularescence, but in spite of this,
it’s relatively common and inexpensive. Experts prefer blue adularescence
Tino Hammid/GIA to white. The most prized moonstones display a light blue bodycolor and
Opal gets its play-of-color from its unique bright blue adularescence. Moonstones with white bodycolors and blue
structure. These magnificent opals are or white adularescence are next in value, while stones with gray or brown
particularly fine examples. bodycolors are least expensive.
40

White opals are common in US jewelry stores. The moonstone in the center of this pin
shows beautiful blue adularescence.
The pin combines three earrings by
Georg Jensen, a Scandinavian silversmith
and designer of the early 1900s.
Scattering of light makes the sky blue and causes adularescence in moonstone.
If you present moonstone jewelry to a retail customer, you might point

out that a moonstone’s adularescence should be distinct. When you rock
the stone back and forth for the customer, the adularescence should float
smoothly.
Alexandrite and Color Change

Alexandrite, a chrysoberyl, is a rare gem that displays an even rarer special Color change—A distinct change in
effect—color change. This chameleon-like gem’s hue depends on the type gem color under different types of
of light that shines on it. Fine alexandrite looks purplish red in the incan- lighting.
descent light from a candle or a standard light bulb. Moved to sunlight
or fluorescent light, it turns green or bluish green. Other stones, like
corundum, spinel, and garnet, can show color change, but the phenom-
enon is so frequently associated with alexandrite that it’s often called the
“alexandrite effect.”
41

An alexandrite’s value depends on the quality of the two colors it shows and the degree of its color change. These extraordinary
alexandrites show spectacular color change from green in fluorescent light (top) to red in incandescent light (bottom).
An alexandrite’s value depends on the hue, tone, and saturation of the

two colors it shows and the degree of its color change. The finest
alexandrites switch from green to purplish red. At best, however, both
hues are medium in saturation. Fine alexandrite’s red looks slightly
brownish and its green slightly grayish. Its color-change hues rarely if ever
reach the more vivid reds and greens of fine emeralds and rubies.
To demonstrate color change for customers—or judge it when buying
stones—you don’t need to be outside. Just use a fluorescent light source,
such as a lamp with a fluorescent bulb, instead of the sun. To see the
second color, you can use a penlight to focus incandescent light directly
on the stone.
Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl and Chatoyancy

Chatoyancy—Bands of light in Examine a spool of thread under a lamp and you’ll see the gemological
certain gems, caused by reflection of phenomenon known as chatoyancy, or the cat’s-eye effect. Light concentrates
light from many parallel, needle-like across the highest part of the spool in a narrow band.
inclusions or hollow tubes.
Cat’s-eye stones contain needle-like internal characteristics, called inclu-
sions, that lie parallel to one another like the threads on the spool. Light
Milk and honey—A two-toned effect
reflects from the needles, creating a silky sheen. When the cutter fashions
seen when a chatoyant gem is
the gem into a domed cabochon, this sheen is concentrated across the
positioned at right angles to a light
dome into a narrow band like the one on the spool of thread. This band
source.
is called a cat’s-eye because of its resemblance to a cat’s narrow pupil.
Cat’s-eye chrysoberyl is the best known gem showing chatoyancy, and in
the trade, the term cat’s-eye used alone usually refers to chrysoberyl. Many
other stones produce cat’s-eyes, though, including tourmaline and tiger’s-
eye quartz. For clarity, you should avoid using the term cat’s-eye alone
with customers, adding the species or variety name (“cat’s-eye chrysoberyl,”
“cat’s-eye quartz”) instead.
In addition to a narrow band of light, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl shows two
other special effects. To show the first effect, shine a penlight close to the
gem. Position the chatoyant band so it’s at a right angle to the light. The
bodycolor of fine cat’s-eye chrysoberyl is said to resemble the color of
honey, so you’ll see that color on one side and a milky color on the other
side. That’s why this effect is known as milk and honey.
42
When you rotate a cat’s-eye chrysoberyl between two strong light sources, the “eye” can appear to open and close when the
chatoyant band splits in two, then merges together again.
You can see the second effect if you rotate the gem between two different
light sources positioned at 45-degree angles to the chatoyant band. This
makes the chatoyant band seem to split in two, then merge together again,
making the “eye” appear to open and close.
Chatoyancy, milk and honey, and the opening and closing effect are all
strong in fine cat’s-eye chrysoberyl. In addition, fine cat’s-eye chrysoberyl
is semitransparent, with a greenish or brownish yellow bodycolor. The
chatoyant band is a bright, sharp silvery white or yellow and reaches all
the way across the gemstone. The dome of the cabochon must be high
enough to display the cat’s-eye distinctly.
Fine cat’s-eye chrysoberyl is rare and expensive. If its magical effects

appeal to customers unwilling to pay its high price, you can show them
alternatives like cat’s-eye quartz, a semitransparent to translucent brownish
yellow gem.
Robert Weldon/GIA
This top-quality 7.47-ct. cat’s-eye Cat’s-eye chrysoberyl can show the milk
chrysoberyl has a bright, sharp, centered and honey effect when its chatoyant
chatoyant band running in a straight line band is positioned at a right angle to a
from edge to edge. strong light source.
43
Both by Robert Weldon/GIA

This natural star ruby displays the This 12-ct. labradorite, carved in the
qualities of a fine star stone. Its star is renowned German cutting center of
unbroken and centered, with distinct Idar-Oberstein, features a broad blue
rays extending across the gem. The gem flash known as labradorescence.
also has excellent color, which is rare in
star corundum.
Star Ruby, Star Sapphire, and Asterism

Asterism—Crossing of chatoyant While the needle-like inclusions in cat’s-eye gems line up in a single direc-
bands, creating a star in the dome of tion, in other gems they line up in several different directions. When the
a cabochon. chatoyant bands cross in the center to create rays, a star is born. This
striking effect is called asterism.
The number of rays in a star relates to a gem’s crystal structure. In
corundum (ruby and sapphire) and quartz, stars usually have six rays.
Other star gems with different crystal structures can display four-rayed or
six-rayed stars.
As with most cat’s-eye gems, star gems are cut as cabochons, with domes
high enough to display the star distinctly. Fine star rubies, sapphires, and
garnets can be very expensive, while black star sapphires are less costly.
In better-quality star gems, the star’s rays should be straight, cross at the
top of the cabochon’s dome, and reach completely across the gem.
Although star stones were immensely popular in the 1940s and 1950s, and
they’re still appreciated today, many customers might not be aware of them.
For information on lab-grown star sapphires and rubies, see Assignment 5.
Labradorite and Labradorescence

A relatively unknown gemstone inspired the author Ralph Waldo Emerson
to write, “A man is like a bit of labrador spar, which has no luster as you
turn it in your hand until you come to a particular angle; then it shows
deep and beautiful colors.”
44
Labradorite, the feldspar that gave Emerson this insight into humanity, is Labradorescence—A broad flash of
uncommon in today’s gemstone jewelry. Labradorite usually shows a color in labradorite feldspar that
single, bright color that flashes across a broad area of the stone and then disappears when the gem is moved.
seems to disappear as the gem is moved.
Iridescence—A rainbow effect
The most common phenomenal color in labradorite is blue, but a variety created when light is broken up into
called spectrolite labradorite shows multiple colors. Labradorite’s special spectral hues by thin layers.
effect, called labradorescence, is caused by light interacting with thin
layers in the stone. Orient—Iridescence seen in some
natural and cultured pearls and
mother-of-pearl.
Iridescence and Orient
Iridescence can be seen in the rainbow streaks shimmering across soap Aventurescence—A glittery effect
bubbles and oil slicks. In your jewelry display cases, it’s also visible in caused by light reflecting from small,
fire agate and in some pearls, where it’s called orient. flat inclusions within a gemstone.
Goldstone, Sunstone, and Aventurescence

Another phenomenon you’ll see from time to time is aventurescence. The
most familiar example of this effect is goldstone glass, a manmade material
used in low-end fashion jewelry. Goldstone glass has a spangled, glittery
look caused by light reflecting from tiny copper platelets. In natural gems,
aventurescence is seen in aventurine quartz and sunstone feldspar. In
these gems, light reflects from small, flat inclusions within the stone.
Color and phenomenon are important factors in a colored stone’s value.

They’re usually the features that first attract a customer’s eye. Looking
more closely at a gem, however, you’ll find another important quality Mike Havstad/GIA
factor—clarity. This refers to the multitude of possible internal and external This freeform piece of goldstone glass
characteristics that can also affect a gem’s marketability and value. You’ll displays aventurescence. This glittery
learn about them, and about variations in gem cuts and carat weights, in effect is caused by light reflecting from
the next assignment. tiny copper platelets within the material.
This Tahitian cultured pearl displays the rainbow colors of iridescence. When you see this
special effect in natural pearls, cultured pearls, or mother-of-pearl shell, it’s called orient.
45
KEY
CONCEPTS
Color requires the interaction of light, an object, and an observer. In some gem varieties, slight variations in hue, tone, and
saturation can make a tremendous difference in price.
A gem’s chemical composition and crystal structure affect the
way it absorbs and returns light. A conversational style, word pictures, and accurate trade
terms can help you sell gemstone color.
Each gem species or variety has its own color range and its
own best color within that range. The key to selling a phenomenal stone is to demonstrate the
drama of its special effects.
When making a sale, a customer’s preferences are more
important than trade preferences.
Key Terms
Adularescence—The cloudy bluish white light in a Fluorescence—Emission of visible light by a material
moonstone, caused by scattering of light. when it’s stimulated by ultraviolet radiation.
Asterism—Crossing of chatoyant bands, creating a star in Hue—The first impression of an object’s basic color.
the dome of a cabochon.
Iridescence—A rainbow effect created when light is
Aventurescence—A glittery effect caused by light broken up into spectral hues by thin layers.
reflecting from small, flat inclusions within a gemstone.
Labradorescence—A broad flash of color in labradorite
Bodycolor—A gemstone’s basic color, determined by its feldspar that disappears when the gem is moved.
selective absorption of light.
Milk and honey—A two-toned effect seen when a chatoyant
Chatoyancy—Bands of light in certain gems, caused by gem is positioned at right angles to a light source.
reflection of light from many parallel, needle-like
inclusions or hollow tubes. Orient—Iridescence seen in some natural and cultured
pearls and mother-of-pearl.
Color center—A small defect in the atomic structure of a
material that can absorb light and give rise to a color. Play-of-color—The flashing rainbow colors in opal.
Color change—A distinct change in gem color under Pleochroism—When a gem shows different bodycolors
different types of lighting. from different directions.
Color range—The selection of colors in which a gemstone Saturation—A color’s strength or intensity.
occurs.
Selective absorption—Process by which a material absorbs
Color zoning—Areas of different color in a gem, caused by some components of visible light and returns others.
variations in growth conditions.
Tone—Degree of darkness or lightness of a color.
Dispersion—The separation of white light into spectral
colors. Trade terms—Terms often used in the jewelry industry to
describe particular gemstone colors or link gems with
Extinction—Dark areas in a faceted transparent colored specific geographic locations.
stone.
Window—An area of weak saturation in a transparent
Fine color—The color or colors in a gemstone’s color gemstone’s bodycolor that usually results from the way
range considered by the trade to be the most desirable. the gem was cut.
46
n How do objects, observers, and light interact to create color?
n What is selective absorption?
n What are hue, tone, and saturation?
n How do a gemstone’s structure and chemistry affect its color?
n When is color zoning desirable?
n What is a best-selling pleochroic gem?
n What are the factors that contribute to a gem’s “best” color?
n How do subtle color distinctions influence gemstone prices?
n How do tradition and demand influence color preference and value?
n Why should you avoid using technical terms with customers?
n How can word pictures help you present color?
n When can you use trade terms to enhance a presentation?
n How does a unique color vocabulary help with accurate communication about color?
n What is a phenomenal gem?
n How do phenomenal gems get their dazzling special effects?
n Which phenomenal gem is perhaps the most familiar?
n What is color change?
47
Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight 3
Clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Inclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Fluid Inclusions and Included Crystals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Clarity and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Helpful Inclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Presenting Clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Shape and Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Traditional Gem Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Other Gem Shapes and Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Proportions and Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Proportions and Their Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Cutting Gems for the Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Carat Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Quoting Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Quoting Prices Based on Weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Weight and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Weight and Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Value Factors and the Consumer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
49
• Define the basic colored stone clarity characteristics.
• Present clarity to customers in a positive and effective way.
• Understand how cut relates to a gem’s other value factors.
• Identify the components of a well-cut gem.
• Communicate gem weight accurately and ethically.
50
Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight
Richard Hughes
Gem cutting is the contribution that humans make to a gem’s beauty.

As you learned in Assignment 2, color is usually the first thing a customer Clarity—A gemstone’s relative
notices about a colored stone. In fact, it’s the way many people classify freedom from inclusions and
colored stones in their minds. But as you’ll soon see, there’s more to a blemishes.
colored stone’s value than color and its occasional companion, phenomenon.
Clarity, cut, and carat weight also influence a gem’s beauty and value in
important ways. In this assignment, you’ll learn what those ways are. You’ll
also learn how to recognize the impact of clarity, cut, and carat weight
on each other.
By the time you finish this assignment, you’ll understand why clarity is a
more important quality factor for some gems than it is for others. This
assignment will also introduce you to the important decisions a cutter
makes to produce the best possible fashioned gem from each unique piece
of rough. This will enable you to explain to any customer how a gem
cutter’s skills maximize a finished gem’s beauty. You’ll also be able to
recognize important gem-cutting styles and describe them to customers.
Finally, you’ll see how gems are weighed, and how the price of a gem
relates to its size. You’ll also see why some gem species or varieties are
available in much larger sizes than others. With all this knowledge, you’ll
be well prepared for success in the gem and jewelry industry.
51
Tino Hammid/GIA
The frosty white areas on this zircon are abrasions. They’re This emerald displays inclusions, which are either enclosed
confined to the gem’s surface, so they’re considered blemishes. within the gem or reach the surface from the gem’s interior.
Clarity
n What’s the difference between blemishes and inclusions?
n What factors dictate an inclusion’s effect on appearance?
n What kinds of inclusions threaten a gem’s durability?
n How do you discuss clarity with consumers?
A major part of any transparent stone’s value is its clarity, which is its
Blemish—Characteristic or
degree of freedom from blemishes and inclusions. A blemish is an
irregularity confined to the surface of
irregularity that’s confined to the surface of a polished gem. An inclusion,
a polished gemstone.
on the other hand, is enclosed within the gem or reaches the surface from
the interior.
Inclusion—A characteristic enclosed
within a gemstone, or reaching its Colored stones have many kinds of blemishes and inclusions, with a
surface from the interior. variety of effects on a gem’s appearance and durability, which is its ability
to withstand wear, heat, and chemicals.
Clarity characteristic—Internal or
external feature of a gemstone that Blemishes are surface irregularities such as scratches and nicks. They have
helps determine its quality. little or no effect on a gemstone’s appearance, unless they’re exceptionally
large or numerous. Inclusions, on the other hand, can affect a gem in
many ways. These internal characteristics include breaks, pockets of fluid,
and foreign mineral crystals. Together, blemishes and inclusions are called
clarity characteristics, and colored stones display a wide variety of them.
KEY Besides clarity’s relationship with appearance and durability, there’s also
CONCEPTS a close relationship between clarity and rarity. Because of the way gems
form, the chances of a truly inclusion-free gem are extremely remote. The
Colored stones display a wide variety of fewer inclusions a gem has, the rarer it is. And, as you might guess, this
blemishes and inclusions. rarity also makes it a lot more valuable, all other factors being equal.
52
Inclusions
As you’ve seen, inclusions usually have a larger influence on appearance
than blemishes. Their influence depends on their size, number, position,
and color or relief.
• Size: Large inclusions have more influence than small inclusions.
• Number: In general terms, the more inclusions a stone has, the lower
its clarity. There are exceptions: A stone can have many minute inclusions
and still be high on the clarity scale for that species. Maha Tannous/GIA
Inclusions are more noticeable when
• Position: Inclusions in the center of the table are usually more visible their color contrasts with the bodycolor
than those under the bezel facets or near the girdle. of the gem, as with the yellow copper
inclusions in this tourmaline.
• Color or Relief: Inclusions that are close in color to a gem’s bodycolor
do not stand out. But an inclusion that contrasts with the gem’s body-
color, like a red inclusion in a colorless stone, will usually have a
greater effect. A break that’s filled with air will also stand out.
Beyond appearance, an inclusion’s nature or type can affect a gem’s
durability. In many cases, inclusions that affect durability have a major
influence on value. Breaks often fall into this category.
Breaks
A break in a gem is classified as an inclusion. The trade refers to breaks
as feathers because they often look white and feathery. Even when it’s not Tino Hammid/GIA
big enough to affect a gem’s appearance, a break can affect durability and An inclusion’s position can determine how
reduce value. There are three basic types of breaks: cleavage, parting, and noticeable it is. The included crystal in
fracture. the center of this sapphire is easy to see.
Feather—A general term for a break

in a stone.
Cleavage—A smooth, flat break in a

gemstone parallel to planes of
atomic weakness.
Parting—A flat break in a gemstone

parallel to a twinning plane.
Fracture—Any break in a gem other

than cleavage or parting.
Tino Hammid/GIA
The fracture in this tanzanite is called a “feather.” If you use the term, explain that it
describes a specific type of inclusion.
53
Mike Havstad/GIA
Broken glass displays the same curved
or calloped fracture you’ll see in many
gems.
©Tino Hammid
Emeralds commonly display fractures, a type of break that can affect their durability.
Twinning plane—Location of a Cleavage is the most threatening kind of break. It results from vulnerability
change of direction in a gemstone’s in a gem’s structure. Because of a gem crystal’s atomic pattern—the way
crystal structure during growth. the atoms are linked—it can be weaker in certain directions. Cleavage is
a flat break that can have a step-like appearance. Topaz, tanzanite,
kunzite, and moonstone tend to cleave. So do diamonds. Once begun,
cleavage can easily get worse if the stone is handled or worn carelessly,
especially if it’s subjected to accidental blows.
Parting is a break parallel to a twinning plane. Twinning planes are created
when a gem’s crystal pattern shifts during growth. Like cleavage, parting
is a flat break that reflects basic weakness in the stone’s structure. It can
also be created or extended by an accidental blow. You’ll see parting most
often in black star sapphires.
A fracture is any break in a gem other than cleavage or parting. Fractures
often have a scalloped shape, like the curved breaks in glass. They
frequently occur during a gem’s growth or during the mining process. A
fracture can occur in almost any gem that’s struck by a hard blow. Fractures
reaching the surface of some gems—especially emerald—are often filled
with oil or epoxy resin to make them less noticeable. You’ll learn more
about this and other treatments in Assignment 5.
54
Fluid Inclusions and Included Crystals
Many transparent colored stones, notably emerald and tourmaline, tend Fluid inclusion—Small pocket in a
to have fluid inclusions. If the inclusions are large enough or numerous gem that’s filled with fluids and,
enough, they can affect a gem’s appearance, value, and ability to withstand sometimes, gas bubbles and tiny
certain jewelry repair procedures. If a gem with fluid inclusions is exposed crystals.
to high heat during jewelry repair work, for example, the inclusions can
rupture and cause breaks in the gemstone. Included crystal—A mineral crystal
trapped within a gem as it grows.
Besides fluids, growing crystals can also trap smaller crystals. These are
called included crystals. They can occur in most gems. If included crystals
are large or numerous, they can lower gem value.
John Koivula/GIA John Koivula/GIA

Fluid or crystal inclusions can occur in groups that are sometimes As gems grow, they might surround smaller crystals, which
called “fingerprints” because they resemble human fingerprints. become included crystals. The yellowish mineral in this emerald
is pyrite.

This emerald displays a fluid-filled pocket that contains a gas Heat can cause fluid inclusions like the ones in this tanzanite to
bubble and a crystal. expand and fracture a gem.
55
KEY
CONCEPTS
Because of the way gem crystals form,
most colored stones have some
inclusions.

This tourmaline has many eye-visible Red tourmalines typically show eye-
inclusions, which can reduce its value. visible inclusions. The obvious inclusions
in this stone reduce its value and
threaten its durability.
Clarity and Value

Eye-clean—Description for a gem Very few colored stones are totally free of inclusions. Because of the way
with inclusions visible only under gem crystals form, inclusions are almost inevitable. If a gem is eye-clean,
magnification. its inclusions are visible only under magnification, and you need a loupe
or gemological microscope to see them. Sometimes, however, inclusions
are easy to spot with no magnification. Eye-visible inclusions can have a
negative effect on a gem’s value and marketability, especially if the
inclusions threaten the gem’s durability.
The type, number, and size of the inclusions can vary. Since colored stones
are created by a variety of geologic processes, it’s common for some types
of gems to have inclusions and rare for others. Some display more
inclusions, or larger ones, than others. This is why gemologists take a gem’s
species and variety into account when they judge its clarity.
For example, only a few colored stone varieties are typically eye-clean.
These include aquamarine, citrine, kunzite, tanzanite, and topaz. Any
eye-visible inclusions reduce the value of typically eye-clean stones. In
contrast, gems like emerald and red tourmaline are almost always visibly
included, and trade members take that into account when evaluating them.
This means that if an aquamarine and an emerald are equal in other ways,
the presence of eye-visible inclusions will have more effect on the
aquamarine’s marketability than on the emerald’s marketability. This
special nature of colored stone clarity makes colored stone pricing more
complicated than diamond pricing.
Robert Weldon/JCK Magazine
The trade expects some gem varieties to Helpful Inclusions
be eye-clean, so any obvious inclusions
in these varieties can reduce their value. When you discuss clarity with customers, remember that inclusions can
This aquamarine is eye-clean. sometimes make a positive contribution to beauty and value. For example, as
56
Robert Weldon/GIA
Silk is composed of long, thin, intersecting crystals called needles (left). The needles
can create the desirable phenomenon known as asterism, which is displayed by the
star ruby and star sapphire (right).

The inclusions in these rubies look similar to the untrained eye, but a gemologist can Some inclusions can enhance a gem’s
distinguish natural rubies (left) from lab-grown ones (right) by noting subtle differences value. Prized demantoid garnets contain
in their inclusions. unusual golden, fibrous inclusions
known as horsetails.
you learned in Assignment 2, groups of needle-like inclusions—sometimes Silk—Group of fine needle-like

called silk—can create phenomena such as cat’s-eyes and stars. They’re inclusions.
also responsible for the velvety appearance of the finest blue sapphires.
In rare cases, inclusions are actually prized by gem collectors. An example

is demantoid garnet’s distinctive “horsetails”—wisps of long, golden,
fiber-like inclusions that radiate from a central point. They can make the
garnet’s interior look like a miniature fireworks display.
KEY
Inclusions also play a vital role in gem identification, especially in the CONCEPTS
separation of natural gems from lab-grown gems. This is especially true
with some of the most valuable gems—ruby, emerald, sapphire, and Silk can create phenomena like
alexandrite. These gems and their lab-grown counterparts can often have cat’s-eyes and stars.
identical or nearly identical gemological properties. If natural and lab-
grown stones didn’t have different kinds of inclusions, it would be nearly Inclusions can help separate natural
impossible to separate them from one another. gems from lab-grown gems.
57
Ironically, an extremely fine gem with no inclusions at all might appear to

be lab-grown. That’s why dealers often send fine stones that lack inclusions
to a gemological laboratory such as the GIA Laboratory for identification.
Presenting Clarity
As you’ve seen, clarity’s effect on value is usually related to rarity, beauty,
and durability. In people’s minds, however, clarity is often linked to the
concept of purity or perfection. Some think of inclusions as “flaws” or
“imperfections,” but most gem professionals consider those terms too
negative. Someone whose only gem-buying experience has been with
diamonds, where eye-visible clarity characteristics significantly reduce
value, might have doubts about the value of a gem with eye-visible inclu-
sions. That person might not be aware that inclusions are much more
acceptable in colored stones.
To present gem clarity, communicate with your customer simply, accurately,

and positively. For example, when you show an emerald ring, say, “For
an emerald, this has good clarity. It does have characteristics you can see
fairly easily, but—as you can also see—they don’t affect the magnificent
Shane McClure/GIA green color.” If you’re showing ruby earrings, you might say, “If you look
Even though inclusions lower the closely, you can probably see some characteristics in the stones. Those
transparency of these rubies, their fine are inclusions, but they’re so small that they don’t take away from the fine
color and attractive settings make them red color and overall beauty of the gem.”
highly desirable.
Remember, when you discuss clarity with customers, use terms like
“clarity characteristic,” “inclusion,” or even “identifying characteristic,”
rather than “imperfection” or “flaw.” You can also describe breaks as
“feathers,” but if you do, you should explain the term when you first use
it. You might say, for example, “This stone has a small fracture—what most
people in the trade call a feather.”
If customers have questions or concerns about clarity, point out that the
majority of colored stones will show inclusions under a microscope.
Explain that inclusions are a natural part of crystal growth, so they can
often help prove that a gem is natural. Remind customers that clarity
characteristics in gem-quality stones usually don’t detract from their
appeal.
You must inform customers when an inclusion might affect durability.

Reassure them that the stone survived thousands of years in the geologic
environment where it formed and endured all the stresses involved in
mining, cutting, setting, and other processing. So, given proper care, it
should give a lifetime of satisfaction and enjoyment.
Next, tell customers how to take care of a gem that has inclusions that
KEY threaten its durability. Explain that the stone needs to be worn carefully
CONCEPTS because accidental blows might create new feathers or cause existing
feathers to grow. Some highly included gems, like emerald, might also
Always tell customers about inclusions need special care during cleaning or repair. You’ll learn more about
that might affect a gem’s durability. durability concerns in Assignment 6.
58
Cut
n How does cut relate to the other value factors?
n Why are certain shapes “expected” for certain gems?
n What are the components of a well-cut gem?
n How do proportions affect a gem’s marketability?
Cut is the human contribution to a colored stone’s appearance. It supports
each of the other three colored stone value factors in crucial ways: Shape—The face-up outline of a gem.
• It helps with the effective display of color by maximizing light return. Style—The arrangement of a stone’s
• It influences clarity through the elimination or strategic positioning of facets.
inclusions.
Proportions—The angles and relative
• It affects carat weight through the retention or sacrifice of weight from measurements of a polished gem,
rough. and the relationships between them.
When professionals talk about the cut of a polished stone, they are Finish—The quality of the polish and
referring to one of two combinations—its shape and style, or its proportions precision of the cut of a fashioned
and finish. gemstone.
Parts of a Faceted Gem

crown
girdle
pavilion
point
head
cleft
lobe shoulder
wing
belly belly
belly
wing wing
point point
point
Marquise Heart Pear
Most faceted gems have three main parts: crown, girdle, and pavilion. Fancy shapes
like the marquise, heart, and pear have special names for their contours.
59
Parts of a Faceted Gem
Brilliant cut
Baguette or Square
rectangle
arch arch
Step (or emerald) cut
Rectangular Square antique

antique
corner
Mixed cut
side
Most gems are faceted in one of three
styles. The brilliant cut’s facets (top)
radiate from the table or culet to the Square step cut
Rectangular
girdle. The step cut’s facets (center) are
step cut
arranged in concentric rows. The mixed
cut (bottom) combines a brilliant-cut
crown with a step-cut base.
Popular fancy shapes for colored stones include baguettes and squares (top row),
antique cuts (center row), and emerald cuts (bottom row).
Fancy shape—Any gemstone shape Shape and Style

other than round.
Facet—A flat, polished surface on a After color, shape and style are usually the first things you notice about a
finished gem. finished colored stone. Shape is the stone’s face-up outline. The round is
the most familiar shape. All others are generally classified as fancy shapes.
Brilliant cut—Cutting style with These include the emerald cut, cushion, antique cushion, oval, pear,
triangular or kite-shaped facets that marquise (mar KEEZ or mar KEY), and heart.
radiate from the center toward the
girdle. Style is the way the cutter arranges a stone’s facets. There are three basic
styles—brilliant cut, step cut, and mixed cut. The facets of a brilliant cut
Step cut—Cutting style with mainly
radiate from the center to its outer edges and are triangular or kite-shaped.
square and rectangular facets
arranged in concentric rows. Step cuts feature concentric rows of facets on the top and bottom of the
gem. Mixed cuts combine brilliant-cut and step-cut facets in the same
Mixed cut—A cutting style that combines stone. Besides these basic styles, cutters can create countless variations
brilliant-cut and step-cut facets. by adding, subtracting, and rearranging facets.
60
Fancy Shapes
Heart Pear
Triangular step cut

Oval
Triangular brilliant
Marquise
Some other popular colored stone cuts are heart and pear shapes (top row), triangles
and ovals (center row), and triangular brilliants and marquises (bottom row).
Traditional Gem Shapes

As gem crystals form, they develop typical shapes and sizes that lend
KEY
themselves well to certain cuts. The result is that, over the years, some
CONCEPTS
shapes and styles have become identified with certain gems because they
are suited to the usual rough crystal forms of those gems. Some gem crystals develop typical
Because of this nature-dictated tradition, particular gems have become shapes and sizes that lend themselves
linked through common industry practice with certain shapes and styles. well to certain cuts.
Professionals and consumers alike get used to seeing them that way.
Rubies and sapphires that weigh more than a carat are traditionally
fashioned as mixed-cut ovals or mixed-cut antique cushions. That’s
because these cutting styles typically retain maximum weight from ruby
and sapphire rough. The shapes of most rough emerald crystals lend
themselves to rectangular cutting styles like the emerald cut, a rectangular
step cut with beveled corners.
61
There are two types of cabochons: the simple cab with rounded top and flat bottom
and the double cab with rounded top and bottom. The third cut, called a buff top, has
a rounded top and faceted pavilion.
Other Gem Shapes and Styles

Cabochon—A smoothly rounded One of the things that make colored stones so interesting is that they can
polished gem with a domed top and be shaped in a variety of fascinating ways. Besides faceted gems, two of
a flat or curved base. the most popular colored stone cutting styles are cabochons (CAB uh shons)
and carvings.
Intaglio—A design engraved into the
surface of a gemstone. Cabochons (or cabs) are smoothly rounded stones with domed tops and
flat or gently curved bases. Fashioning colored stones into cabochons is
Cameo—A gem carving style in which a very old technique that’s still used for many phenomenal gems and
the design, often a woman’s profile, translucent or opaque stones such as chalcedony, jade, malachite, and
projects slightly from a flat or curved turquoise. The cabochon form often displays these types of colored stones
surface. to their best advantage.
Gemstones are sometimes the raw material for artists to shape into lovely
designs. One such design, an intaglio (in TAG leo), is a flat, tablet-like stone
with a design engraved, or cut down, into the surface. Intaglios featuring
warrior’s heads or animal motifs often appear in men’s jewelry. They’re
usually fashioned from opaque gems like chalcedony and hematite.
A cameo design is a figure, often a woman’s profile, sculpted to project
slightly from a flat surface. Artists often craft cameos from color-banded
material like shell or onyx, so the figure’s color contrasts with the back-
ground color.
Other gemstone carvings are three-dimensional, like miniature statues.
Jade is the best known material used for three-dimensional carvings.
Serpentine is another popular carving material. Gems that are occasionally
carved include amethyst, chalcedony, citrine, moonstone, tourmaline, and
turquoise.
Carved gemstones are often featured in competitions that recognize
artistic and innovative cutting techniques, such as the Cutting Edge
Competition sponsored by the American Gem Trade Association.
62
Robert Weldon/GIA
The cameo is a traditional cut that usually features a
woman’s portrait in profile. This cameo pendant is carved
of sardonyx.
Tino Hammid/GIA Bart Curren

This Chinese urn is carved of nephrite jade, a gem that has Three-dimensional gem carvings can be abstract, like this
been fashioned in China for centuries. 31.91-ct. carved aquamarine.
63
Proportions and Finish

A well-cut colored stone has good proportions and finish. Proportions are
the relationships between the dimensions and angles of the various facets
and parts of the stone. Finish is simply the quality of the polish and the
precision of the gem’s cut.
Proportions and Their Variations

Proportions affect a gem’s appearance and weight, how easily it can be
mounted, and sometimes its durability. When you examine the cut of a
well-made, transparent, faceted gem, you’ll see that its shape is balanced
and attractive, and the stone is bright and lively.
When you turn the gem and look at it from the ends and sides, you’ll see
that the profile is symmetrical. The girdle forms a distinct, clean edge. And
if you imagine a line running through the girdle plane, about 1/4 to 1/3
Tino Hammid/GIA of the stone should fall above it, and about 2/3 to 3/4 of the stone should
A quality cut helps a gem reach its fall below it.
highest potential for attractiveness. This All these features and optical effects are related to proportion. They tell
8.16-ct. peridot is beautifully cut in a you that the cutter gave top priority to shaping a strong and beautiful gem.
rounded cushion step-cut style.
On the other hand, the cutter might have compromised beauty in order
to remove less of the original rough and create a heavier gem. This is
called “saving weight” or “retaining weight” from the rough. The finished
gem will reflect the cutter’s decision. The effect might be subtle. It takes
training and experience to recognize the slight proportion variations that
are used to save weight.
KEY Some proportion variations are beneficial. A cutter might decide to cut a
CONCEPTS stone thinner than normal to lighten the color and make it more salable,
or to cut it deeper to darken the color. A wider-than-normal table diameter
Extreme proportion variations can makes the stone look bigger than it actually is—a good selling point for
reduce a gem’s beauty and durability. customers who want the appearance of a larger stone.

A cutter’s goal is to retain maximum Although this bi-color tourmaline’s
weight from rough while fashioning the length is out of proportion to its width,
most attractive gem. This malaia garnet the designer created a setting that
fulfills that goal. complements it.
64
Tino Hammid/GIA
The excessive bulge on the pavilion of This orange sapphire’s proportions have
this sapphire saves weight, but does been subtly altered to save weight. Its
nothing to improve its appearance. shoulders are high and its head is flat.
Maha Tannous/GIA
The golden sapphires (above) show windowing under their tables. The amethyst (right)
shows extinction. These are the result of proportion variations that the cutter used to
save weight.
Extreme variations in proportion are more obvious, and they usually make
a gem look less attractive. They also result in irregular shapes that are hard
to mount in standard settings, but can be beautiful when set in a custom-
made piece of jewelry.
Finish
An evaluation of finish involves looking at facet shapes and placement as
well as polish quality. These final touches can have a dramatic effect on
the beauty of a gem.
Besides facet shape and arrangement, finish also involves analysis of the Scintillation—Flashes of light
number of facets and how symmetrical they are. The right number of facets displayed by a polished gemstone
creates pleasing flashes of light, called scintillation. This adds to the overall when the gem, the observer, or the
harmony and appeal of the gem. light source moves.
65
Cut: Diamonds vs. Colored Stones

Why are colored stones cut to different standards than diamonds?
It’s true that colored stones rarely show the extremely precise
cutting that’s typical of faceted diamonds. The difference is that
diamonds and colored stones usually owe their beauty and appeal
to different factors.
Diamonds normally display excellent optical properties, such as
brilliance and fire, so cutters must pay strict attention to proportion
and finish, which enhance these effects. With most colored gems,
though, the primary aim is to show off the gem’s best color. Cutting
precision isn’t as crucial as it is with diamonds. Also, to show off a
colored stone’s best color, cutters must often consider pleochroism
and color zoning.
In gem crystals with color zoning, such as blue sapphire, the
crystal’s most intense color is sometimes confined to a small area.
To create an even face-up color, the cutter cuts the rough so the
color zone lies near the finished gem’s culet or slants through the
pavilion.
For strongly pleochroic gems like ruby, tanzanite, and tourmaline,
the manufacturer usually positions the rough crystal to show the
most attractive pleochroic color in the finished gemstone. That’s
because a pleochroic gem that displays its most attractive color well
is worth more than one that doesn’t. For example, sapphire’s pleo-
chroic colors are violetish blue and greenish blue. Cutters usually
fashion rough sapphires to emphasize the violetish blue color
because sapphires with greenish color are less valuable.
For gems that display color zoning, like amethyst-citrine or bicolored
tourmaline, it’s equally important to cut the stone to show each color
to its best advantage. Careful cutting at this stage results in fancy-
shaped finished gems that display the most beautiful colors possible.
Whether the gem is a diamond or a colored stone, the cutter plans
carefully in an attempt to produce the most valuable gem possible.
The goals are to balance maximum weight retention against visual
appeal and to minimize the effect of any inclusions. A gem cutter
can usually retain maximum weight from rough when he bases a
stone’s finished outline on the shape of the rough.
Diamond rough usually yields maximum weight when it’s cut into
round gems. In contrast, many colored stone gem crystals produce
more weight when they’re cut into fancy shapes. Many fancy shapes
also follow the shape of the rough crystal. For example, aquamarine
crystals are often long and thin, lending themselves well to
rectangular step cuts.
66
Polish quality includes the presence or absence of minor surface blemishes

as well as the gem’s more obvious “shine.” If the time is taken to finish
the gem properly, the result will show. Customers notice the difference
between well-polished and poorly polished gems. A well-polished
gemstone is as obvious as the shine of a highly polished pair of shoes.
The dull finish of a poorly polished gem will, like a pair of scuffed shoes,
be equally noticeable.
Cutting Gems for the Marketplace

Many jewelry repair procedures involve replacing a stone or two in a Calibrated sizes—Gemstone sizes cut
piece of jewelry. Most commercial jewelry mountings are designed to to fit standard mountings.
hold a specific gemstone size and cut. Both factors have increased the
demand for gems cut to industry-dictated standard sizes and shapes. The Designer cuts—Artistic gem cuts that
standard sizes are known as calibrated sizes. Mass-produced gems that aren’t limited to specific proportions
vary from these basic measurements are less valuable. or shapes.
Designer cuts have no such dimension limitations. They feature special pro- Fantasy cut—A free-form cut that can
portions that arise from the particular rough’s individual optical characteristics. feature alternating curved and flat
These are usually priced higher than stones cut by mass-production surfaces.
methods. Part of the reason for their higher prices is the artistry that goes
into their design and into the cutting process.
The fantasy cut is a type of designer cut that alternates carefully arranged
curved and flat surfaces. It can be a one-of-a-kind cut based on the shape
and properties of a specific piece of gem rough. Like each piece of gem
rough, each gem-cutting artist is unique. Two cutters might produce wildly
different fantasy cuts from the same rough.
Tino Hammid/GIA
Higher-quality gems like this ruby are
usually not cut to standard industry
dimensions because too much weight
would be lost.
Some customers prefer the traditional cut of the blue topaz on the left, while others
are attracted to the innovative fantasy cut on the right.
67
Fantasy cuts are often featured in gem-cutting competitions and in

custom-designed jewelry. Fantasy cuts can also be mass produced using
modern technology. Many innovative cuts for transparent gemstones
have made their way into the mass market. The checkerboard cut, which
is especially pleasing in a bicolor gem such as ametrine, is one example.
It was conceived in the early 1990s. It made its way into the regular
output of larger manufacturers, and as more people saw the appealing
cut, more consumers demanded it. It is now frequently seen in jewelry
store inventories.
For the most part, smaller stones are usually cut in calibrated sizes. Larger
stones are usually cut symmetrically, if possible, to highlight important
value factors. For very fine stones, people in the trade tend to overlook
even fairly obvious cutting variations unless such deviations threaten
durability.
Fine gems often don’t fit standard mountings, but they don’t really have
to. A standard mounting can usually be adapted to hold the gem.
Tino Hammid/GIA Irregularly sized gems at the very top end of the quality and value scale
These tourmalines were fashioned with often require—and get—custom settings.
the innovative checkerboard cut.
Carat Weight
n How do you quote gem weights to customers?
n What is “total gem weight”?
n How can you use per-carat prices to compare gem values?
Metric carat—The international Worldwide, the jewelry industry uses the metric carat (abbreviated “ct.”)
unit of measurement for gem weight as the standard unit of measurement for gem weight. One carat equals
(1 carat equals 0.20 gram). 0.20 gram, or 1/5 of a gram.
Point—One one-hundredth of a carat For greater precision, a carat is divided into 100 units called points (abbre-
(0.01 ct.) viated “pts.”). A point is equal to one one-hundredth (0.01) of a carat.
Most dealers and retailers weigh gems to one one-thousandth (0.001) of
a carat and round that figure to the nearest hundredth (0.01) of a carat,
or the nearest point. Thus, you can say that a stone between 2.745 and
2.754 cts. weighs 2.75 cts. That statement is accurate to within one-half
point, or .005 ct.
It’s important to remember that, although carat weight is a value factor, it
isn’t the deciding factor in either quality or beauty. A 1.00-ct. gem can be
as fine and as beautiful as a 10.00-ct. stone—if not, perhaps, as spectacular.
It all depends on the individual colored stone and on consumer preference.
Quoting Weights
KEY Jewelry professionals often discuss carat weight in ranges, using fractions
CONCEPTS of a carat (such as one-quarter, one-half, and three-quarters) as general
reference points. For example, a wholesaler offering a 0.27-ct. gemstone
Color and weight are often more to a retailer might refer to it as a “quarter-carat stone.” In casual
important value factors than cut for conversation between trade members, a “quarter-carat stone” might
very expensive gemstones. weigh anywhere from 0.23 ct. to 0.29 ct.
68
In sales presentations, be very careful to use fractions like “one-quarter”

or “one-half” only when you know the gem in question weighs exactly
that much, no more and no less. For example, don’t say “This ring is set
with a half-carat amethyst” unless the amethyst weighs exactly 0.50 ct. If
the amethyst actually weighs 0.47 ct., for example, then say, “This ring is
set with an amethyst weighing forty-seven hundredths of a carat.”
In the previous example, why couldn’t a salesperson tell the customer that
the amethyst weighs forty-seven points? Technically speaking, that’s
correct. But consumers sometimes mistakenly think “point” refers to a
facet on a stone. For this reason, many retailers don’t use the term “point”
when talking with customers. Instead, they express weight in hundredths
of a carat. If you find this awkward, simply explain clearly what members
of the jewelry industry mean by “point” when you first use the word in a
sales presentation.
Accuracy is also crucial when describing total gem weight in jewelry. Total gem weight—The combined
When you’re selling jewelry items set with more than one stone, you should weight of all the stones in a piece of
communicate the individual gem weights to the customer in a way that jewelry that contains a variety of gems.
avoids any confusion. Never give the combined weight of all the stones
in the item without explaining that this figure is the total gem weight of
all the gems in the piece—not the weight of the center or largest gemstone.
The correct wording is important when quoting total weight. For example,
if you show a ring with a 1.00-ct. emerald center stone and 3.00 cts. of
accent diamonds, tell your customer, “The gems in this ring come to four
carats total gem weight.” Or say, “This emerald ring is set with a one-carat
center stone and three carats of smaller diamonds.” You would be misrep-
resenting the facts if you said, “This is a four-carat emerald ring.” Saying
this gives the impression that the center emerald weighs 4.00 cts. instead
of 1.00 ct. That’s a big difference. And such a misunderstanding could
have an even bigger impact on your reputation.
Joel Beeson/GIA
This electronic scale weighs gems to thousandths of a carat. A dealer or retailer then
rounds the figure to the nearest hundredth.
69
FTC Weight Guidelines

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the US diamond, unless the weight is also stated as decimal
government agency charged with interpreting, parts of a carat (e.g., 25 points or .25 carat).
administering, and encouraging compliance with
NOTE TO PARAGRAPH (b): A carat is a standard unit
federal trade laws and regulations. As part of its
of weight for a diamond and is equivalent to 200
work, the FTC develops and publishes guidelines
milligrams (1/5 gram). A point is one one-hundredth
for various industries. The guidelines define and
(1/100) of a carat.
explain unfair and deceptive trade practices.
(c) If diamond weight is stated as decimal parts of
Although the FTC’s jurisdiction is limited, its guide- a carat (e.g., .47 carat), the stated figure should be
lines are widely accepted as standards of ethics. accurate to the last decimal place. If diamond
Courts also tend to rely on FTC guidelines in settling weight is stated to only one decimal place (e.g., .5
legal disputes. In 1957, the FTC published its first carat), the stated figure should be accurate to the
guidelines concerning the jewelry industry. After second decimal place (e.g., “.5 carat” could represent
years of input from the industry, the agency revised a diamond weight between .495-.504).
its regulations and published them in 1996 as the
Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter (d) If diamond weight is stated as fractional parts
Industries. The agency published additional updates of a carat, a conspicuous disclosure of the fact that
in 2001, 2010, and 2018. the diamond weight is not exact should be made in
close proximity to the fractional representation and
The FTC Guides do not specifically address the a disclosure of a reasonable range of weight for
representation of colored stone weights. But those each fraction (or the weight tolerance being used)
regarding diamond weights establish reasonable should also be made.
ethical standards for colored stones as well.
NOTE TO PARAGRAPH (d): When fractional repre-
Sec. 23.18 Misrepresentation of weight and “total sentations of diamond weight are made, as described
weight.” in paragraph d of this section, in catalogs or other
printed materials, the disclosure of the fact that the
(a) It is unfair or deceptive to misrepresent the actual diamond weight is within a specified range
weight of a diamond. should be made conspicuously on every page where
a fractional representation is made. Such disclosure
(b) It is unfair or deceptive to use the word “point” may refer to a chart or other detailed explanation
or any abbreviation in any representation, advertising, of the actual ranges used. For example, “Diamond
marking, or labeling to describe the weight of a weights are not exact; see chart on p. X for ranges.”
Typically, you’ll learn a jewelry item’s total gem weight from its invoice
or sales tag. Sometimes, however, the weights of the individual gems in
an item will not be separated out. In those cases, be sure that the customer
understands you are quoting total gem weight only. In other cases, the
manufacturer might list a minimum total weight for the piece of jewelry.
This means the manufacturer assures that the total gem weight for each
jewelry item is equal to or greater than the weight listed.
Quoting Prices Based on Weight

Per-carat price—The price of the gem When retailers ask how much gems cost, a wholesale dealer might quote
divided by its carat weight. the figure in two ways—the stone price or the per-carat price. The stone
price is the total value. The per-carat price is the amount for each carat,
like the per-pound price of produce in a grocery store.
70
It’s important to know the first of these numbers, since that’s how much
KEY
you’ll pay if you decide to buy the stone. But the second amount gives
CONCEPTS
you a way to compare the values of different gems. So, you should be
able to calculate each price from the other. Here’s how to do it: Knowing the per-carat price of a gem
Stone price = per-carat price × weight. lets you compare the values of different
stones.
If the per-carat price of a blue sapphire is $750 and the stone weighs 3.72
cts., the sapphire’s price is $750 × 3.72 = $2,790. The rate at which price increases with
Per-carat price = stone price ÷ weight. weight differs from one kind of gem to
If the sapphire’s price is $2,790 and its weight is 3.72, the gem’s per-carat another.
price is $2,790 ÷ 3.72 = $750.
If you’re shopping for blue gemstones and want to compare the selling
price of the blue sapphire above to the selling price of a particular blue
topaz, use the same formula. So, if the per-carat price of a blue topaz is
$10 and the stone weighs 3.72 cts., the gem’s price is $10 × 3.72 = $37.20.
If you’re trying to compare pricing for two different quality ranges of the
same gem variety, just use the same formula. For example, if the per-carat
price of one 1.25-ct. ruby is $2,000 and the per-carat price of another
1.25-ct. ruby is $200:
$2,000 × 1.25 = $2,500
$200 × 1.25 = $250
Weight and Value

You might expect that the more a gem weighs, the rarer it is and the more
expensive it’s likely to be per carat. While this is true for diamonds, it’s
not always the case with colored stones. The geological processes that
create different kinds of gems tend to produce crystals of varying sizes,
and the weights of stones that can be fashioned from those crystals vary
accordingly. A ruby or emerald crystal that will yield a 1.00-ct. stone is
much rarer than an amethyst crystal that will produce one weighing 10.00
cts. For this reason, the rate at which price increases with weight differs
from one kind of gem to another.
Some gems normally occur in small sizes. Gem-quality rough rubies,
alexandrites, and demantoid or tsavorite garnets, for example, typically
range up to about 4.00 cts. Among these gems, as carat weight goes up, Robert Weldon/GIA
price increases sharply, especially in fine specimens. So a 5.00-ct. emerald Some gem crystals, like amethyst,
usually costs substantially more per carat than a 1.00-ct. stone of aquamarine, and blue or yellow topaz,
grow to huge sizes. This faceted blue
comparable quality.
topaz tips the scales at 20,769 cts.
Other gems—like amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, smoky quartz, and blue
or yellow topaz—occur in crystals large enough to produce truly giant
stones or a multitude of small ones. It isn’t too hard to find cut specimens
of these gems weighing over 100 cts. With such gems, there’s usually little
or no increase in per-carat price with size. A 4.00-ct. amethyst, for
example, is generally worth about twice as much as a comparable-quality
amethyst that weighs 2.00 cts. That’s because its per-carat price remains
stable as it increases in size. In fact, price per carat can drop if the gem
is so big that it’s difficult to set.
71
KEY Weight and Ethics

CONCEPTS It’s important to present carat weight accurately at every stage of a colored
The retailer is responsible for accurately stone’s travels through the market. A retail salesperson in the middle of a
quoting gem weight to a customer. presentation is not likely to remove each blue topaz from a tennis bracelet,
weigh it, and return it to the bracelet. It’s impractical and, usually, unnec-
Consumer preference can be considered essary. This is because, in the same way that retail customers rely on the
salesperson’s word, merchants typically trust their supplier’s word about
a “fifth value factor.” gem weight.
It’s essential for jewelry retailers to do business with colored stone dealers
whose reputations they trust. However, the ultimate legal and ethical
responsibility for presenting colored stone weight accurately rests with
the retailer.
Value Factors and the Consumer

n What’s the “fifth value factor”?
n Will the same gem appeal to every customer?
In this assignment and in Assignment 2, you learned how color, cut, clarity,
and carat weight determine value in colored gemstones. Consumer prefer-
ence is a “fifth value factor” that comes into play because what a given
consumer likes is what sells. In the diverse world of colored stones, the
bottom line is that there’s a market for just about anything. Your role is to
sell each gem’s unique value. If you do that, you can successfully sell any
colored stone.
All four value factors, plus consumer preference (an economist would call
it “demand”) come into play when you sell colored stones. Your
customers aren’t likely to burst through your door armed with textbook
definitions of each value factor. In fact, different customers will be
attracted to different aspects of a gem. One might be drawn to the deep
violet hue of fine tanzanite but have no preference about its shape. The
charming heart shape of a citrine pendant will captivate another, even if
pale yellow is not her favorite color. A third might appreciate the intriguing
asterism of a star sapphire but feel no disappointment at all about the
stone’s grayish color.
When you buy and sell colored stones, you don’t mentally rank them on
each value factor as if you were scoring a gymnastics competition. Neither
do customers. Instead, both consumers and trade members instinctively
consider a colored stone’s overall appearance. Does the gem have an
appealing shape? Will it look attractive set in jewelry? Does it show fine
color?
This assignment, along with the previous assignment on color and

phenomena, provides the foundation you need for Assignment 4, which
introduces you to the colored stone market. Understanding a colored
stone’s value factors helps you understand the market decisions made by
miners, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
72
Weight vs. Size

When customers shop for
jewelry, they might ask why two
colored gemstones with the same
carat weight differ noticeably in
size. An amethyst, for example,
is much larger than a ruby of
equal weight. The answer to this
question lies in the crystal struc-
ture and chemical makeup of
the stones.
As you have learned, each
gemstone species or variety has
its own unique “recipe.” Not all
gems are made up of the same
kinds of atoms. And not all kinds
of atoms weigh the same. In
addition, the atoms that form
gemstone structure can be Joel Beeson/GIA
“packed” together loosely, tightly, These gems seem similar in size, but the aquamarine on
or somewhere in between. These the left weighs 20.01 cts. and the topaz on the right weighs
variations in structure help deter- 26.37 cts. This occurs because aquamarine’s SG (2.70) is
mine a gem’s density, or how lower than topaz’s SG (3.60).
heavy it is in relation to its size.
When gemologists identify unknown gemstones, or Density—The weight of an
distinguish between similar gems, they use a relationship object in relation to its size.
called specific gravity, or SG. SG is the ratio of a
gemstone or other object’s weight to the weight of an Specific gravity (SG)—Ratio of
equal volume of water. For example, a cup of rubies the weight of a material to the
(if you could remove the air between the stones) would weight of an equal volume of
weigh four times as much as a cup of water. So ruby water.
has an SG of 4.00.
If you need to switch from one gem variety to another
in a ring it helps to know that sapphire and iolite, a
blue alternative gem, have different densities. Sapphire’s
SG is 4.00, while iolite’s SG is 2.61. Because of their
different densities and SGs, a sapphire and an iolite
that weigh the same will have different dimensions.
In the same way, a sapphire and an iolite that are the
same size will have different weights. If you order a
1.00-ct. iolite to replace a 1.00-ct. sapphire in a ring,
you’ll find that the iolite is too big to fit the ring
mounting. Because densities differ across species and
varieties, it’s best to go by measurements rather than
carat weight when you exchange gemstones in pre-
made mountings.
73
KEY
CONCEPTS
Colored stones display a wide variety of blemishes and inclusions. Color and weight are often more important value factors than cut
for very expensive gemstones.
Because of the way gem crystals form, most colored stones have
some inclusions. Knowing the per-carat price of a gem lets you compare the values
of different stones.
Silk can create phenomena like cat’s-eyes and stars.
The rate at which price increases with weight differs from one
Inclusions can help separate natural gems from lab-grown gems. kind of gem to another.
Always tell customers about inclusions that might affect a gem’s The retailer is responsible for accurately quoting gem weight to a
durability. customer.
Some gem crystals develop typical shapes and sizes that lend Consumer preference can be considered a “fifth value factor.”
themselves well to certain cuts.
Extreme proportion variations can reduce a gem’s beauty and
durability.
74
Key Terms
Blemish—Characteristic or irregularity confined to the Fracture—Any break in a gem other than cleavage or
surface of a polished gemstone. parting.
Brilliant cut—Cutting style with triangular or kite-shaped Included crystal—A mineral crystal trapped within a gem
facets that radiate from the center toward the girdle. as it grows.
Cabochon—A smoothly rounded polished gem with a Inclusion—A characteristic enclosed within a gemstone,
domed top and a flat or curved base. or reaching its surface from the interior.
Calibrated sizes—Gemstone sizes cut to fit standard Intaglio—A design engraved into the surface of a gemstone.
mountings.
Metric carat—The international unit of measurement for
gem weight (1 carat equals 0.20 gram).
Cameo—A gem carving style in which the design, often a
woman’s profile, projects slightly from a flat or curved
Mixed cut—A cutting style that combines brilliant-cut and
surface.
step-cut facets.
Clarity—A gemstone’s relative freedom from inclusions Parting—A flat break in a gemstone parallel to a twinning
and blemishes. plane.
Clarity characteristic—Internal or external feature of a Per-carat price—The price of the gem divided by its carat
gemstone that helps determine its quality. weight.
Cleavage—A smooth, flat break in a gemstone parallel to Point—One one-hundredth of a carat (0.01 ct.).
planes of atomic weakness.
Proportions—The angles and relative measurements of a
Density—The weight of an object in relation to its size. polished gem, and the relationships between them.
Designer cuts—Artistic gem cuts that aren’t limited to Scintillation—Flashes of light displayed by a polished
specific proportions or shapes. gemstone when the gem, the observer, or the light source
moves.
Eye-clean—Description for a gem with inclusions visible
only under magnification. Shape—The face-up outline of a gem.
Facet—A flat, polished surface on a finished gem. Silk—Group of fine needle-like inclusions.
Specific gravity (SG)—Ratio of the weight of a material to

Fancy shape—Any gemstone shape other than round.
the weight of an equal volume of water.
Fantasy cut—A free-form cut that can feature alternating Step cut—Cutting style with mainly square and
curved and flat surfaces. rectangular facets arranged in concentric rows.
Feather—A general term for a break in a stone. Style—The arrangement of a stone’s facets.
Finish—The quality of the polish and precision of the cut Total gem weight—The combined weight of all the stones
of a fashioned gemstone. in a piece of jewelry that contains a variety of gems.
Fluid inclusion—Small pocket in a gem that’s filled with Twinning plane—Location of a change of direction in a
fluids and, sometimes, gas bubbles and tiny crystals. gemstone’s crystal structure during growth.
75
n What’s the difference between blemishes and inclusions?
n What factors dictate an inclusion’s effect on appearance?
n What kinds of inclusions threaten a gem’s durability?
n How do you discuss clarity with consumers?
n How does cut relate to the other value factors?
n Why are certain shapes “expected” for certain gems?
n What are the components of a well-cut gem?
n How do proportions affect a gem’s marketability?
n How do you quote gem weights to customers?
n What is “total gem weight”?
n How can you use per-carat prices to compare gem values?
76
Market Awareness 4
How Source Influences Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Source as a Value Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
New Sources Emerge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Political and Environmental Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Market Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
From Mine to Cutting Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Wholesale Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
High-End and Commercial-Quality Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Expense vs. Expertise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Value and the Marketplace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Rarity as a Value Factor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
How Consumer Preference Influences Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Retail Avenues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Traditional Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Independents, Chains, and Jewelry Departments . . . . . . . . . . 95
Design Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Auction Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Nontraditional Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Putting Market Awareness to Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Learning from Trade Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Learning from Industry Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Learning from Trade Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Questions for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
77
• Communicate your knowledge of colored stone sources as they relate
to value.
• Understand the many environmental and social factors that affect gem
mining operations.
• Understand the path a colored stone takes from the mine to the retailer.
• Promote colored stones based on their rarity and the romance of their
exotic sources.
• Identify the various types of retail outlets.
• Appreciate the many benefits of gem trade organizations and industry
publications.
78
Market Awareness
Robert Weldon/GIA
Most colored stones begin the journey to the marketplace in rugged surroundings,
often in the hands of individual miners.
Market Awareness
In Assignments 2 and 3, you learned how color, clarity, cut, and carat
weight work together to help determine a colored stone’s value. This
KEY
assignment will help you make the connection between those value CONCEPTS
factors and a gem’s journey through the marketplace. Where a gemstone comes from has an
You’ll learn that where a gem comes from—its source—can also be an impact on its value.
important factor in its value. You’ll see how a gem’s supply can change
over time, sometimes being plentiful and sometimes rare, and how this
can also influence its value. Source—A gem-producing area, or a
This assignment will introduce you to the flow of the market and show particular mine in that area.
you how gems travel from the mine to the retail counter. You’ll see how
gems come to market as a result of the interaction of wholesalers, retailers,
and producers—the individuals or companies that control colored stone
mining operations. You’ll learn how consumer preferences influence the
demand for certain gems, and how those preferences can change with
time or even location.
Another important part of this assignment is a section on the many ways
a gem can be sold in the retail market. It will help you understand every-
thing from the traditional retail jewelry store to the twenty-first-century
Internet outlet.
79
Finally, you’ll find out how to gather knowledge of the market to help you
KEY
make more sales. You’ll learn how to develop your market awareness
CONCEPTS
through trade organizations, publications, and shows.
Colored stone sources are constantly
This increased market awareness will deepen your appreciation for the
shifting, causing changes in supply as
exciting and sometimes dangerous road gems must travel to reach your
well as price. store. Upcoming assignments, especially Assignment 7, will show you
how to share that compelling story in a way that sparks sales and heightens
your reputation as a knowledgeable member of the gem and jewelry trade.
How Source Influences Value

n How do you discuss sources with your customer?
n How does availability influence the price of a colored stone?
n What happens when old sources dry up or new ones are discovered?
n How do politics, the environment, and workplace safety affect the
colored stone market?
Gemstones flow from a host of exotic locations. The names of faraway

places like Tanzania, Kashmir, and Colombia weave an appealing spell.
A single country can produce many different gems. Brazil, for example,
is a source for emerald, tourmaline, topaz, amethyst, alexandrite, and
opal. Likewise, a single gem can come from many locales. Sapphire, for
example, is mined in Madagascar, the US, Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka
(formerly Ceylon), Myanmar (formerly Burma), and India.
Andy Lucas/GIA
Exotic locales like Myanmar are well known for the variety and high quality of their gems.
80
Market Awareness
Traditionally, certain regions have earned fame for producing exceptional

gems. Myanmar’s rubies are well known for their beauty and quality.
Sapphires from Kashmir, a region straddling India and Pakistan, are the
stuff of legends. Colombia is the source of exceptional emeralds.
In the trade, it’s common to link sources to value factors, as when vibrant
red color in ruby is associated with the name Burma. But fine-color rubies
can come from many locations. And some rubies from Myanmar lack the
fine color typically associated with that country’s mines. In other words, the
finest quality for each gemstone doesn’t necessarily correspond to its source.
Not only that, pinpointing a colored stone’s country of origin is often a
difficult process, even for experts. Gems are not labeled or branded before Eric Welch/GIA
they leave the mine. And a stone’s inclusions or other unique features are This collection of rough and cut
usually not enough to identify the country of origin beyond the shadow of emeralds is from Brazil, a country known
a doubt. If you and your supplier are not absolutely sure where a particular as a source for some of the world’s most
stone came from, don’t link it with a specific source. beautiful gems.
The emeralds in the earrings you’re selling might possess the deep, lush
green of fine Colombian emerald. Mentioning Colombia would add
romance and mystique to the sale. But you can’t describe the emeralds
as Colombian unless you know for sure that’s where they were mined. To
do so is misrepresentation.
Instead, you can explain that you don’t know for certain where those
particular emeralds were mined, but their vivid color is highly prized. If
a customer asks about source, explain that a gemstone’s country of origin
does not automatically ensure quality. Instead, the gem’s own unique
color and other value factors combine to make it desirable.
In addition to being difficult to verify, colored stone sources are constantly
shifting. For example, the renowned Kashmir sapphire mine in India was
active for less than 50 years. It was depleted by the 1920s, ending the
commercial supply of high-quality sapphires from that location. After
Kashmir sapphires were no longer produced commercially, buyers turned
to traditional sources like Ceylon, Burma, and Thailand. Even today,
however, appreciation for the legendary quality once available from
Kashmir lives on.
Source as a Value Factor

In the colored stone market, plentiful supplies rarely last. Alexandrite, the
color-change chrysoberyl first discovered in Russia in 1830, shook the
world market as its availability repeatedly peaked and plummeted. Just
as the supply of Russian alexandrite neared exhaustion, new sources
turned up in Sri Lanka and Brazil.
In 1987, a landmark alexandrite find in Minas Gerais, Brazil, raised expec-
tations for this unusual gemstone. The new Brazilian goods poured into
the depleted market, temporarily boosting the availability of the scarce
gem. This renewed availability increased both awareness and sales for
alexandrite. Once again, however, the alexandrite supply from the new
source began to shrink, leaving the demand for the gem greater than the
available supply, and a hungry public waiting for the possibility of a new
alexandrite discovery.
81
The shortage of fine alexandrite isn’t extraordinary. As you’ll learn later,

even if mining doesn’t exhaust a supply, yield can be affected by environ-
mental or political considerations.
New Sources Emerge

As established sources fade away, new ones often appear. An announcement
of a fresh deposit can have far-reaching effects on the market. A positive
effect is that it can expand the world’s supply of in-demand gems.
Sometimes a new source competes with existing sources, and its discovery
KEY can change marketplace standards. When geologists unearthed emerald
CONCEPTS rough in Zambia, Africa, sales of Colombian emerald were affected.
New colored stones entering the market Zambian emerald is remarkably free of the wispy, cloudy inclusions found
expand the choices you can offer your in emeralds from other locations. At first, dealers resisted the emeralds
from the new mine because their greens tended toward blue. But by 1989,
customers. enough people were willing to trade color for clarity that Zambian
emerald was widely promoted.
Sometimes, a new source actually means the discovery of a new species

or variety. Tanzanite, a purplish blue zoisite, was discovered in the shadow
of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, in the early 1960s. It hurtled
from a curiosity to a retail bestseller. Its popularity was due partly to its
vivid color, which made it an affordable alternative to sapphire.
Robert Weldon/GIA Eric Welch/GIA

Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (above), and tanzanite, a variety of zoisite (left) are two
famous symbols of East Africa. The gem was named for the country and heavily
promoted by Tiffany & Co. in the late 1960s.
82
Market Awareness
Average Wholesale Prices Per Carat for Top-Quality 1-ct. Tanzanite
$800 $
$750
$700 $$6550 $650
$
$625
$600
$525
$500 $500
$500 $475
$450 $450 $450
$
$425
$
$400
$400 $
$370
$$290 $
$300
$300 $268 $250
$2
$
$223
$200
$100
0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1982 1984 1986
19886 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996
19996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006
2 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Variations in tanzanite supply caused wild fluctuations in the gem’s per-carat price from the 1980s to the present.
As consumer demand for tanzanite intensified, its price increased. In

1984, extra-fine tanzanite hit a wholesale high of $1,000 per carat,
averaging $750 per carat during the same year. Excited miners flocked to
Tanzania’s Merelani Hills, the only known deposit of the gem. As a result,
supply jumped ahead of demand and prices fell.
But tanzanite’s new affordability helped producers in the long term.

Plenty of attention from catalogs and television home shopping networks
carrying less costly goods increased consumer interest. Demand climbed
again. Between 1994 and 1998, tanzanite consumption increased by
1,000 percent.
Until 2014, the tanzanite market was dominated by the Merelani mine’s
owner: TanzaniteOne, a publicly traded company and a subsidiary of
Richland Resources. The company was initially able to add structure and
order to the tanzanite trade. However, in 2014, Richland sold its interest
in the mine to a joint venture between the Tanzanian state mining
corporation (STAMICO) and a private company called Sky Associates
Group Ltd.
Although quantities are dwindling, the supply of commercial-quality

tanzanite has kept pace with demand. The market is tighter for high-quality
tanzanite. Supplies of high-quality, darker tanzanite are limited, while
demand for these rich colors remains high. Some experts believe the
supply of this unique gemstone might be depleted in a few decades.
83
Robert Kammerling/GIA Eric Welch/GIA

After miners excavate gravel and soil Armed patrols provide constant security in many colored stone mining locations
from a sapphire mine in Laos, the gem around the world.
gravel is taken to a nearby river and
washed to recover the sapphire.
Political and Environmental Considerations
Whether sources are new or established, outside pressures such as
political upheaval and treacherous terrain can discourage people from
getting to them. Drug lords attempting to take over Colombia’s emerald
trade, for example, have intimidated emerald dealers and miners in that
country.
Miners must penetrate the rough, snake-infested hills of East Africa, their
earth movers guzzling expensive diesel fuel, to mine tsavorite, a green
garnet whose similar color and superior durability make it an alternative
to emerald.
Already waning supplies of Burmese ruby were cut off when Myanmar’s
socialist government sealed the country in 1962.
Each of these scenarios has the same outcome: Gem rough is less likely
to reach the market. The result is like the higher prices you pay for oranges
after a cold snap in Florida, or for heads of lettuce from a California crop
battered by torrential rains.
Many variables affect a colored stone’s ultimate market price. As with
tsavorite, mine location—including its distance from roads, supplies, and
water and the difficulty of its terrain—can be critical. Also, government
restrictions on exploration, mining, or marketing gems often take their toll
on how much money a company is willing to invest in a mining operation.
When a government takes ownership of a privately owned mine, it might
restrict export of its product in order to keep trade within the country’s
borders. The government might offer the miners less than market value.
84
Market Awareness
Government-owned mines, then, might unintentionally invite a backlash

of illegal mining and smuggling, a reality in many parts of the world,
including Africa, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
In 2003 the cruelty of Myanmar’s military regime forced the US to impose
a trade embargo on all products from that country, including gems. In
2007, continuing civil unrest forced several international trade organizations
to suspend trade in Burmese ruby. Then the US imposed legislation known
as the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-democratic Efforts)
Act in 2008. The act more specifically bars Myanmar ruby and jade (stones
and jewelry) from entry into the US, even via a third-party country. It
doesn’t affect gems that were in the US prior to the act. In 2013, President
Obama relaxed some of the wider bans on imports of Burmese goods, but
maintained the ban on rubies and jadeite from Myanmar.
Safety
Concern for safety from political instability or crime can limit mining
activity, make it more expensive, or both. Some mining companies run
on limited capital and primitive equipment. Low-paid miners perform
backbreaking labor with old-fashioned picks, shovels, and washing pans.
Or they venture into deep, unsupported tunnels that threaten to collapse
around them and sometimes do. Mine pits and tunnels can sometimes
flood, as they did in Merelani, Tanzania, in April 1998, killing more than
100 tanzanite miners.
In many cases, the prospect of earning enough money in the mines to
relieve their poverty is enough to lure laborers in underdeveloped
countries into hazardous situations. And the relatively low overhead for
these makeshift mines gives owners the chance to offer rough at cheaper
prices than mining concerns with more sophisticated machinery. However,
even though their overhead is higher, big companies can mine wider areas
more efficiently and much more safely.
Eric Welch/GIA
Extreme conditions are a fact of life in most of the world’s gemstone mines. This miner
is working a deposit on the lowest level of a mine in Colombia.
85
Tino Hammid/GIA
Ric Taylor
The colored stone mines of Madagascar (above) are increasingly important sources
for the world’s gems. These sapphires (left) are from a mine in southern Madagascar.
Understanding how shifting sources influence colored stone value will

help you understand and emphasize to customers the hardships, ingenuity,
and intrigue involved in bringing gems to market. And getting to market
is only the beginning. Once mined, colored gemstones embark on another
unpredictable journey.
Market Flow
n How is the colored stone market different from the diamond market?
n How does cut improve a gem’s value?
n Why do different wholesalers specialize in different types of goods?
n What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a middleman?
Manufacturer—An individual or Like diamonds, colored stones travel from the mine to the cutter and
company that cuts and polishes polisher, also known as a manufacturer, and then to the wholesaler, also
gemstones. called a dealer. Diamond and colored stone manufacturers are often
clustered together in cutting centers. But the two markets are completely
Dealer—A wholesaler. different.
Cutting center—A city, region, or A colored stone mine might consist of a single miner sifting through mud,
country with a large number of while a diamond mine is a vast, technologically advanced operation
gemstone manufacturers. designed to produce its glittering gems for years. The colored stone market
is more diverse and less centralized than the diamond market. And while
the colored stone market is always changing, the diamond market is fairly
stable.
A single company, De Beers, once had almost complete control over the
world’s supply of diamonds. The company changed its business plan in
86
Market Awareness
Andy Lucas/GIA
This dealer is examining and sorting
emerald rough at a trading company in
Jaipur, India.
Eric Welch/GIA
India is a major cutting and trading center for many gems, including tanzanite and
emeralds.
recent years, but it still acts as a centralized marketing agency for the
diamond trade. It spends millions of dollars on campaigns to influence
consumer demand for diamonds.
There’s no company like De Beers in the colored stone market, and the
colored stone market is not yet unified enough to spearhead organized
and effective publicity campaigns. The potential exists, however, because
cooperation between miners and wholesalers seems to be growing.
A colored stone’s path through the marketplace is always changing, so
dealers have to be flexible when sudden turnarounds in a gem’s availability
or value occur. Retailers with a good understanding of the colored stone
market’s basic structure can reassure and advise customers when concerns
about price, rarity, or scarcity come up.
A colored gemstone travels far from its source and changes hands several
times before making its appearance in a jewelry display case. For many
gems, the first stop is a cutting center.
From Mine to Cutting Center

Mine operators sometimes cut the gems they produce, but more often it’s
done by a manufacturer who has a deal with the mine owner for a portion
KEY
of the mine’s total production. A manufacturer often concentrates its CONCEPTS
expertise on one type of gemstone. Colored stones go from mine to cutting
Cutting operations aren’t necessarily located near their sources. Tel Aviv, center to dealer before reaching retailers.
Israel, for example, long a major diamond cutting center, is also known
for its precision cutting of Zambian emerald in a variety of sizes and fancy A manufacturer often specializes in one
shapes. Jaipur, India, is a major cutting center for many colored stone type of colored stone.
varieties, including emeralds from Africa and Brazil.
87
Robert Weldon/GIA Andy Lucas/GIA

Craftspeople in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, In Chantaburi, Thailand, gem wholesalers trade out of their offices as well as in the
are famous for their precision colored streets. Thailand is a major center for cutting, treating, and trading colored stones.
stone cuts and carvings. This is a
designer-cut aquamarine.
Many manufacturers in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, another renowned

KEY colored stone cutting center, specialize in chalcedony, quartz, and
CONCEPTS tourmaline, among other gem materials. Bangkok, Thailand, is a major
Many colored stones are treated to cutting center for ruby and sapphire and a variety of other colored stones.
improve their color. China and other areas have developed cutting centers as well. Careful
gem cutting can literally shape the marketability of a stone by maximizing
its color and brilliance or taking full advantage of a phenomenon.
Treatments
Some colored stones go directly from the mine to the manufacturer for
Fashioning—Another term for gem fashioning. Others take a detour for heat treatment or irradiation before
cutting and polishing. being fashioned. These two treatments can alter a gem’s color. Many other
colored stones are treated after they’re cut and polished.
High-end market—Market sector
where fine-quality, expensive Thailand, a global sapphire cutting and trading center, has been a leader
gemstones are used in unique, in corundum heat treatment since the mid-1970s. You’ll learn about heat,
handcrafted jewelry pieces. irradiation, and other treatments in Assignment 5.
Commercial market—Market sector Wholesale Dealers

where average-quality gemstones are
used in mass-market jewelry. There are two major sectors of the colored stone market. The high-end
market consists of fine-quality, expensive gemstones in unique, handcrafted
jewelry pieces. The commercial market is where average-quality gemstones
are used in mass-market jewelry.
88
Market Awareness
Andy Lucas/GIA
Thailand’s many gemstone sources make it an attractive base of operations for
wholesale gem dealers.
Typically, high-end and commercial-quality goods go in separate directions

after they leave a mine. Some large manufacturers buy massive amounts
of rough and sell small quantities of high-end or commercial-quality
goods to other manufacturers and wholesalers.
Manufacturers and wholesale dealers are most likely to connect at gem
industry trade centers, which are located in New York, Idar-Oberstein, Los
Angeles, Hong Kong, Vicenza and other major cities. They might also deal
at trade centers closer to the gemstone sources, such as Colombo, Sri
Lanka or Bangkok, Thailand.
High-End and Commercial-Quality Goods

The market for scarce, high-quality colored stones is very different from
the market for the more plentiful commercial-quality gems used in most
jewelry. Few retailers can justify storing a selection of exceptional 3-ct.
rubies, each worth more than $10,000 per carat wholesale. The small
chance that a customer might want to buy one just isn’t worth the
investment. Instead, when retailers have a customer for a high-quality
gem, they generally rely on a trusted supplier to get it for them.
The commercial-quality market, on the other hand, is geared to mass
production. Instead of being special-ordered by a retailer for a specific
customer, commercial-quality goods are usually bought in bulk by jewelry
fabricators. Retailers who buy this commercial-quality jewelry typically
enjoy competitive prices, fast service, and consistent inventory.
89
Expense vs. Expertise
As you have learned, colored stones usually pass through at least one
“middleman,” such as a manufacturer or a wholesale dealer, before
reaching the retailer. An industry trend toward eliminating the middleman
has taken hold in the colored stone market. Some producers have begun
manufacturing their own goods, bypassing wholesalers, and selling directly
to retailers.
Tino Hammid/GIA This sounds like a logical move. After all, buying straight from the source
should result in a wider selection of stones at cheaper prices. But while
cutting out the middleman might sound practical in theory, in reality it
can be less than ideal. Colored stone producers are used to selling in bulk.
They often find it costly to sell smaller amounts of finished goods. That
expense is reflected in the prices they charge.
In addition, purchasing colored stones can be something of an art. Any

colored stone’s value is affected by a set of interrelated value factors. It
takes a trained eye and a seasoned familiarity with the colored stone
Tino Hammid/GIA market to decide what stones to buy and how much to pay for them. The
Buyers associate jewelry from companies middleman fills that role.
like Van Cleef & Arpels or Tiffany & Co.
with fine gems, master craftsmanship,
and exquisite design.
Value and the Marketplace
n Why is rarity a colored stone value factor?
n When might a colored stone’s rarity fail to create demand?
n What types of preferences influence demand for certain colored

stones?
Whether gems are destined for the high-end or commercial market, their
ultimate price still depends on availability, rarity, and demand. Knowing
how these factors determine value helps you justify to your customer the
higher price of, say, a rare Australian black opal compared to the price
of a white opal. Knowing which stones are rare, and why they are rare,
can help you give your customer a sense of the precious nature of each
gemstone.
Rarity as a Value Factor

Padparadscha—A rare pinkish One of the rarest colored stones is a pinkish orange sapphire, romantically
orange sapphire. called padparadscha (pod-pah-RAHD-shah). Its name is a modern term
based on an ancient Sanskrit word meaning “lotus flower” in tribute to
its unusual hue. True padparadscha is much more rare than fine Kashmir
sapphire or Burmese ruby. Because it is both rare and in demand,
padparadscha fetches high prices. But buyers beware—like the term
“imperial” for topaz or “Paraíba” for tourmaline, the label “padparadscha”
has often been applied to undeserving stones.
90
Market Awareness
Robert Weldon/GIA
Australian black opal is much rarer than
the white variety and commands a higher
price in the market, but the white variety
dominates the US opal market.
Rudy Weber/Cody Opal

Lightning Ridge, Australia, is the world’s most famous producer of black opal.
Fine Australian black opal is not only rare. Its beauty has become the ideal
for opal lovers. In 1887, a spectacular find at the Lightning Ridge mine
in New South Wales, Australia, excited connoisseurs and set off a
worldwide opal fad. Rainbow color patches in a so-called harlequin
pattern gleaming against a black base color are the hallmarks of classic
Lightning Ridge opal.
After the turn of the century, the quality of black opal rough declined,
while its price remained too high to win many American buyers. Less
expensive, readily available white opal became the staple in American
jewelry stores. This might be changing, since an abundant black opal
deposit at Lightning Ridge reportedly yields large, high-quality stones
comparable to the original extraordinary gems.
Rarity does not always mean that a given gem is valuable. Natural pink
spinel is rare. But it has never achieved high consumer recognition,
perhaps because it has never been adequately promoted. Manufacturers
who deal in commercial-quality goods tend to prefer inexpensive, plentiful
stones like amethyst or blue topaz. For rose-colored hues, such manufac-
turers overlook or ignore spinel in favor of more consistently available
gems like rhodolite garnet and pink tourmaline. Tino Hammid/GIA
This 1,126-ct. rough crystal might yield
At the market’s high end, pink spinel is likewise passed over in favor of several high-quality rare padparadscha
better-known gems like pink sapphire or pink topaz. As one gem dealer sapphires when cut. Sapphires with this
put it, pink spinel is “too expensive for the masses and too inexpensive rare pinkish orange color are named for
for the classes.” the Sanskrit word for “lotus flower.”
91
How Consumer Preference Influences Demand

Many people would probably say that diamond is the most desirable
gemstone to own and wear. But people have not always prized that
glittering jewel as highly as many do today. The ancient Egyptians cherished
turquoise, lapis lazuli, and carnelian, for example.
Cultural preferences and individual tastes change. And the pendulum of

consumer interest has a strong bearing on market value. Following the
ups and downs of gemstone popularity can help you understand corre-
sponding shifts in prices.
People in a specific geographic area can show a marked preference for a

certain type of stone. Japanese consumers, for example, show a special
fascination with phenomenal stones like alexandrite, star sapphire, and
Australian black opal. Japanese buyers are also strong consumers of
kunzite, the scarce, lilac-colored variety of spodumene (SPA-joo-meen).
Chinese buyers appreciate fine Burmese jadeite, a stone of great historical

significance to Asia. Because of the tremendous value China places on
fine jadeite, Chinese dealers are reportedly willing to pay high prices for
Gemstones like turquoise, agate, and jadeite “boulders” they hope will yield magnificent stones. Dealers from
carnelian were prized by ancient
civilizations. The fairly low hardness of
cultures that are less partial to the lustrous stone are understandably less
these stones allowed artisans to fashion eager to gamble on it.
them into jewelry, statues, and other
works of art, like this Chinese turquoise A jadeite boulder is a large piece of jadeite rough with an oxidized outer
carving. “skin” that makes it look like a rock. Without cutting the boulder to see
the inside, it’s very difficult to judge the quality of the material. Jadeite
boulders can yield surprises that are sometimes pleasant and sometimes
disappointing.
The market is thrown off balance when one culture is enamored with a
KEY gem enough to offer very high prices for high quality. Producers naturally
CONCEPTS sell their best gems to buyers who pay top dollar. Consumers in the rest
Together, rarity and consumer preference of the world tend to see lower-quality gem specimens.
help determine a gem’s value. For example, the pale pink of commercial-grade kunzite seen most often
in the United States can’t compare with the deep, pinkish lavender that
Cultural differences affect the ways finer grades, popular in Japan, display. Similarly, in recent years, Japanese
some gems are classified and named. buyers have bought out most top-notch specimens of rare black opal—at
prices American dealers hesitated to pay. In the United States, fine black
opal is usually a special-order stone.
Cultures classify some gem varieties in different ways, and this can also
affect market value. Sometimes a name can be worth a lot of money. That’s
certainly the case with pink corundum. In the United States, the stone is
most commonly known as pink sapphire, and is worth less than ruby of
comparable quality.
In Bangkok, however, dealers might call pink corundum “ruby” and ask
higher prices for it. In this case, the difference between ruby and pink
sapphire depends on where the culture draws the line between pink and
red—both are saturations of the same hue. Dealers should be aware of
92
Market Awareness
Tino Hammid/GIA
Most deep pink kunzite, like this 199-ct.
stone, is sold in Japan. The US market
usually sees a paler color.
Promotion of colored stone mines and sources have successfully “romanced the stone”
for the buying public. This Apache miner pounds away at the hard basalt in a peridot
mine in San Carlos, Arizona.
Maha Tannous/GIA
The “skin” of this jadeite boulder hides its possible interior The lovely yellowish green peridots in the ring and pendant are
beauty. Buying a jadeite boulder can be risky unless the rough from a mine in the San Carlos Apache Nation in Arizona, US.
is cut to reveal the inside.
93
Robert Weldon/GIA Tino Hammid/GIA

In the US, the red variety of corundum is called ruby, while the pink variety is considered a sapphire. In some Asian markets, both
stones would be considered ruby. One stone (left) is a fine Burmese ruby weighing 1.02 cts., while the other (right) is a 2.63-ct.
“raspberry”-colored sapphire from Montana.
the distinction if they want to avoid pain in their pocketbooks when the
KEY
rubies they buy in Thailand are perceived by US buyers as pink sapphire.
CONCEPTS
The GIA Laboratory compares a corundum to carefully selected sample
Positive and negative publicity can affect stones to determine if it’s ruby, pink sapphire, or purple sapphire.
a stone’s value.
Consumer perception, influenced by positive or negative publicity, can
also affect a colored stone’s popularity and price. For example, sales of
peridot (PAIR-uh-doe), a yellowish green gem, climbed after a promotion
of the San Carlos, Arizona, peridot mines aired on a television shopping
channel in 1998.
On the downside, television news stories about non-permanent emerald

treatments and lab-grown emeralds harmed the market for that gem. In
the final quarter of 1996, 24 percent of all colored stone jewelry sold in
the US contained emeralds. One year later, during the same quarter, the
percentage had dropped to 7 percent. Some jewelers temporarily backed
away from emeralds because of the controversy over treatment disclosure
and durability, but the emerald market eventually recovered.
Another market factor is a country’s economic condition. In the 1990s,

for example, Japan was hit with hard economic times. In less than a
decade, Japanese buyers went from being the most luxury-conscious to
being some of the more value-conscious consumers. People who could
still afford to be in the market for luxury items like rubies struggled
between their preference for quality and the need to make the best deal.
This forced the country’s jewelry merchants to adjust their inventories and
marketing tactics.
94
Market Awareness
Retail Avenues
n What are the traditional retail outlets for colored stone jewelry?
n Where do design and auction houses fit into the retail colored stone
market?
n What role do television and the Internet play in the retail colored
stone market?
Today’s consumers have many choices about where to shop for colored
stone jewelry. The more you know about the various retail avenues, the
more you can educate your customers about the advantages of your
business. And you can compete more successfully in the increasingly
diverse retail marketplace.
Traditional Outlets
Modern technology definitely influences the way jewelry is bought and
sold, but the traditional outlets—independent jewelry stores, chain stores,
and jewelry departments within stores—are still going strong.
Consumers are also spending money at the jewelry counters of mass
merchants. In 2007, a trade magazine’s annual list of companies that sold
$100 million or more of jewelry and watches ranked Walmart at the top
of its list of traditional retail outlets, with 2006 sales of $2.8 billion.
Sterling Jewelers and Zale Corp., both retail jewelry chains, came in
second and third.
Independents, Chains, and Jewelry Departments

Independent jewelry stores, chain stores, and department store jewelry
counters cater to every level of price and service. Some offer a broad
inventory while others specialize to fill a market niche, such as antique
jewelry or ethnic jewelry.
Independent jewelers usually don’t have the same buying power that a
larger chain or department store exercises. But they make up for this with
Terri Weimer/GIA
greater flexibility, specializing to meet customer needs. In addition,
Independent jewelry stores can be found
independents can offer unique items without competing with the offerings
in shopping malls in every town across
of larger concerns. Most important, independents have the time and the US and around the world.
ability to build strong personal relationships with customers.
A large chain, on the other hand, can negotiate good deals with suppliers
who want to move merchandise in quantity. Some smaller chains specialize
in higher-end goods, commonly referring to themselves as guild stores.
Other chains target the commercial market, stressing discounts and mass
appeal in their advertisements.
Large department stores, like big chains, have considerable buying Guild store—Any jewelry store that
power. Most department stores have jewelry sections that sell both specializes in high-end goods.
fashion (or costume) jewelry and fine jewelry. While most department
stores maintain their own jewelry sections, some lease space to a con- Fashion jewelry—Inexpensive, or
tractor who operates the jewelry section. The economic level of the store’s “costume,” jewelry, often composed
targeted clientele determines the type of jewelry offered by department of materials other than precious
store jewelry sections. metals and gemstones.
95
©Cartier Inc.
Design houses like Cartier on New York’s chic Fifth Avenue cater to upscale consumers.
96
Market Awareness
“Membership stores” like Costco and Sam’s Club started selling fine
jewelry in the mid-1990s. Jewelry in these mass merchandisers can range
from less than $100 to more than $20,000.
Design Houses
One of the oldest and most respected retail jewelry outlets is the design
house, which caters to the “carriage trade,” or upscale client. The names
of great jewelry design houses carry a time-honored aura of quality and
tradition that consumers respect. Some of the major design houses are
Bulgari, Cartier, Fabergé, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry
Winston. Some design houses are known for innovative work. Van Cleef
& Arpels developed “invisibly set” gemstones that are precision-grooved
to slide along a hidden track, resulting in seamless fields of color.
Auction Houses
An auction is an international marketplace where individuals and dealers
bid on jewelry put up for sale. Serious customers follow significant gems
as they go in and out of collections, and rival auction houses compete to
acquire them.
You can subscribe to auction house catalogs that give presale price
estimates and technical and historical documentation for each piece of
jewelry. Auction catalogs are a good place to gather bits of historical infor-
mation and lore to use in your sales presentations.
Most auction houses rank their offerings: Jewelry at the highest level is
labeled “magnificent,” followed by “highly important” and “fine.” The
category “antique” covers jewelry from the nineteenth century and earlier.
Gem identification or quality analysis reports from gemological laboratories
usually accompany significant loose stones brought to auction.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
Famous auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Butterfield & Butterfield no longer
cater mainly to dealers. The percentage of consumers buying jewelry at auction has
risen steadily.
97
Auction Houses: Small

Markets, Big Jewelry
Sales through auction houses are a small part
of the total market picture. Auction houses
deal mostly in unique, extraordinary items
that are far removed from the daily business
of most retailers and consumers.
An auction is exciting not only for buyers and

sellers, but also for jewelry-loving observers.
Items can end up selling for many times their
presale estimates. In 1987, the Duchess of
Windsor’s emerald-and-diamond engagement
ring, inscribed “We are ours now,” sold at Christie’s Images, Inc.
Sotheby’s for $2,126,646. The ring’s presale This magnificent ruby ring was designed
estimate was $516,200. by Bulgari. The ruby weighs 8.62 carats
and it’s surrounded by rectangular-cut
Auctions are a common venue for signed, diamonds. It sold at auction for a
spectacular $8,568,621.
design-house jewelry. In a 1998 Christie’s
auction, a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond-and-
sapphire Argentine flag brooch designed for
Eva Perón went for $992,000. At the same The Big Three at Auction
auction, a Tiffany & Co. art deco bracelet, the
Midnight Rose, sold for $525,000. • September 2014 Sotheby’s:
A ring featuring an
Auction prices for colored stone jewelry vary 8.62-ct. ruby sold for
considerably. Various factors come into play $8,568,621
for each item, including the value of the • December 2011 Christie’s
mounting and of any side stones, and whether New York: A 23.46-ct.
the stones can be improved by recutting. Colombian emerald from
Consumer interest and provenance, a record Elizabeth Taylor’s collec-
that the item had an important origin or tion sold for $6,578,500
owner, are other major factors.
• November 2014 Christie’s
Information about a spectacular auction sale Geneva: The “Blue Belle
can spice up a sales presentation. A customer of Asia,” a 392.52-ct. Sri
looking for jadeite might be interested to Lankan sapphire, sold for
hear that in April of 2014, a new record was $17,295,796
set for the sale of jadeite jewelry when an
extraordinary Hutton-Mdivani jadeite bead
necklace, once owned by Woolworth heiress Provenance—A historical record of
Barbara Hutton, sold for $27,441,026 at a ownership or origin for a gem or
Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. piece of jewelry.
98
Market Awareness
Nontraditional Outlets KEY

As you have learned, some traditional retail outlets have been around for CONCEPTS
centuries. Contemporary members of the jewelry trade, however, have
access to nontraditional marketplaces that might have been around for
TV home shopping channels and the
only a few decades. Modern jewelers and suppliers can advertise and trade Internet provide jewelry retailers with
on the World Wide Web, or attract the interest of millions of TV viewers. alternative ways to conduct business.
Television
The arrival of cable television in the US in the 1970s also saw the rise of
a new retail avenue for jewelry—the televised “home shopping channels.”
These pioneering corporations have soared in popularity to become a
force in jewelry retailing. While they sell a variety of goods, from apparel
to vitamins, more than half of their gross receipts are from jewelry sales.
“Show hosts” present the merchandise. The nature of television cuts off
two-way communication between the consumer and the show host, but
there’s a positive side to this. Many customers prefer making buying decisions
without the perceived pressure of one-on-one contact with salespeople.
Home shopping networks tend to offer commercial-quality rather than
high-end items. They also tend to buy goods in huge volume. In recent
years, however, higher-quality, more valuable jewelry has found success
on home shopping channels.
The Internet
The Internet began as a popular arena for consumers searching for infor-
mation about buying jewelry. Today, it’s an important and growing
marketplace for companies selling jewelry directly to consumers. Customers
can see color photos, compare selections, and then pay for their choices
simply by typing their credit card number or faxing an order form.
Many members of the jewelry trade maintain a presence on the Internet,
even if they don’t conduct actual business transactions there. Businesses
and organizations that don’t actually sell items via the Internet use it as a
form of advertising.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
A variety of television-based retail outlets reach the home Jewelry.com is a well-known Internet site that partners with
consumer. Promotions run by these companies expose buyers many jewelry retailers to promote jewelry to a wide consumer
to colored stones they might not know about. market.
99
Putting Market Awareness to Work

n What are the advantages of belonging to a trade organization?
n What can you learn from trade publications and websites?
n How do trade shows help you learn more about the marketplace?
You might not be able to hop a plane to Bangkok to check out the price
of ruby rough, but you can always keep in touch with the marketplace
from your home base. You can follow world events in the newspapers and
newsmagazines and be on the lookout for incidents or conditions, like
unstable political situations, that might affect the gemstone market.
Learning from Trade Organizations

You can also learn from specialized trade organizations and publications.
Having the latest information about issues and events in the colored
stone marketplace can help you make better buying decisions. And it
provides information you can share with customers to enhance your sales
presentations.
Some gem and jewelry trade organizations include:
Every year, the International Colored • American Gem Society (AGS)—A professional association for retail
Gemstone Association (ICA) holds a
jewelers and jewelry suppliers.
poster contest. The winning design is
used to help promote sales of colored • American Gem Trade Association (AGTA)—A trade organization serving
stones. This poster won first prize in the members who are primarily colored stone wholesalers.
2005 contest.
• American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC)—An organization that recog-
nizes and promotes jewelry design.
• GIA Alumni Association—A professional organization for GIA students,
graduates, and other jewelry professionals.
• Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO)—A buying group made up of
KEY small jewelry stores that united to buy from vendors at a discount.
CONCEPTS Based in Southport, Connecticut.
Jewelry trade organizations, magazines, • International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA)—An international
and trade shows help you follow industry organization composed primarily of miners, cutters, and dealers.
trends. • Jewelry Information Center (JIC)—A consumer outreach organization
that promotes jewelry and industry ethics.
• Jewelers of America (JA)—A national association of retail jewelers.
• Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC)—A watchdog organization
promoting industry ethics.
• Retail Jewelers Organization (RJO)—A centralized buying group of
small independent jewelry stores based in Newton, Iowa. This organ-
ization enables its approximately 600 members to buy from authorized
vendors at a discount. Founded in 1966.
Trade organizations can boost cooperation and communication among
producers, wholesalers, and retailers. Such groups often sponsor educational
programs or publish ethics guidelines concerning issues such as gem treat-
ment disclosure. Many trade organizations meet once every year or so to
address important trade issues.
100
Market Awareness
Learning from Industry Publications

Another way to keep on top of the latest market and technical information
about colored stones is through industry publications. Here’s a partial list:
• Couture International Jeweler • Jewellery News Asia
• Gems & Gemology • Journal of Gemmology
• InColor • Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist
• Instore • MJSA/Journal
• Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone (JCK) • National Jeweler
Many publications, including Gems & Gemology, have online editions.
Some websites add extra services, including searchable archives, subscribers’
directories, and other resources.
Learning from Trade Shows

One of the most important ways to keep informed about the colored stone
market is through the major trade shows. In the US, thousands of jewelers,
designers, and buyers congregate annually to attend a group of gem shows
in Tucson, Arizona, in early February. What sells well at Tucson often
remains popular in the US for the rest of the year. In addition, Las Vegas
and New York City each host a major US jewelry trade show every year.
Important jewelry trade shows in other countries also set trends for the
industry. Each month, there’s a trade show somewhere in the world, from
Basel, Switzerland, to Hong Kong, to Vicenza, Italy. If you can’t attend in
person, you can read about them in trade magazines and on the Internet.
You’ll learn valuable facts to pass on to your customers and also find some
ideas you can apply to your own business.
Your awareness of the colored stone market can help you increase profits.
Informed wholesalers can make better buys, and informed retailers find
new ways to sell when they put the marketplace information they gather
to practical use.
The next assignment will add to your knowledge of the gem market by
helping you understand gem treatments, lab-grown gems, and imitations.
Terri Weimer/GIA Valerie Power/GIA

Tucson, Arizona, is host to an annual trade event where thousands of jewelry industry professionals meet to buy and sell
gemstones (left). Vendors display vast quantities of loose stones for buyers and jewelry designers to select from (right).
101
Staying on the Cutting Edge

One of the best ways to keep on top of changes in the industry is
through the GIA website and the GIA Alumni Association.
The GIA website is an information-rich internet site, home to the
online presence of Gems & Gemology, the world-renowned
gemological research magazine, also available in print form. The
site also includes a Research and News section that provides
updates on the latest happenings in the industry.
The Alumni Association is dedicated to the continued professional
growth of its members, who can learn about developments that
have an impact on retail and wholesale businesses. It offers the
following services:
• AlumConnect, a free online newsletter for GIA alumni that helps
you keep on top of the latest news and alumni events. Sign up
online for this valuable resource.
• An up-to-date online alumni directory to help you make valuable
industry contacts. Gems & Gemology provides information
on the latest gem-related research and
• Local chapters that hold alumni events in locations throughout technology.
the world.
Other avenues include:
• The GIA Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP)—Available to alumni, CERP podcasts
feature interviews with prominent industry professionals that are turned into educational experiences,
complete with graded questionnaires.
• Seminars—Events that feature industry experts on topics vital to the trade. These are also valuable
venues for connecting with others in the trade.
• Lab classes—Customized by GIA to help members continue their professional training and education.
Special member discounts are available.
Links
GIA website home page:
http://www.gia.edu/
Gems & Gemology:
http://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology
Research and News:
http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research
CERP and links to alumni information:
http://www.gia.edu/gem-continuing-education
The GIA website has major feature articles as well as

detailed information for those who want to know
more about diamonds and colored stones.
102
Market Awareness
KEY
CONCEPTS
Where a gemstone comes from has an impact on its value. Together, rarity and consumer preference help determine a
gem’s value.
Colored stone sources are constantly shifting, causing changes
in supply as well as price. Cultural differences affect the ways some gems are classified
and named.
New colored stones entering the market expand the choices
you can offer your customers. Positive and negative publicity can affect a stone’s value.
Colored stones go from mine to cutting center to dealer before TV home shopping channels and the Internet provide jewelry
reaching retailers. retailers with alternative ways to conduct business.
A manufacturer often specializes in one type of colored stone. Jewelry trade organizations, magazines, and trade shows help
you follow industry trends.
Many colored stones are treated to improve their color.
Key Terms
Commercial market—Market sector where average- High-end market—Market sector where fine-quality,
quality gemstones are used in mass-market jewelry. expensive gemstones are used in unique, handcrafted
jewelry pieces.
Cutting center—A city, region, or country with a large
number of gemstone manufacturers. Manufacturer—An individual or company that cuts and
polishes gemstones.
Dealer—A wholesaler.
Padparadscha—A rare pinkish orange sapphire.
Fashioning—Another term for gem cutting and polishing.
Provenance—A historical record of ownership or origin for
Fashion jewelry—Inexpensive, or “costume,” jewelry, often a gem or piece of jewelry.
composed of materials other than precious metals and
gemstones. Source—A gem-producing area, or a particular mine in
that area.
Guild store—Any jewelry store that specializes in high-end
goods.
103
n How do you discuss sources with your customer?
n How does availability influence the price of a colored stone?
n What happens when old sources dry up or new ones are discovered?
n How do politics, the environment, and workplace safety affect the colored stone market?
n How is the colored stone market different from the diamond market?
n How does cut improve a gem’s value?
n Why do different wholesalers specialize in different types of goods?
n What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a middleman?
n Why is rarity a colored stone value factor?
n When might a colored stone’s rarity fail to create demand?
n What types of preferences influence demand for certain colored stones?
n What are the traditional retail outlets for colored stone jewelry?
n Where do design and auction houses fit into the retail colored stone market?
n What role do television and the Internet play in the retail colored stone market?
104
Treatments, Lab-Grown Gemstones, 5
Imitations, and Disclosure
Ten Types of Gem Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Bleaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Cavity Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Colorless Impregnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Dyeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Fracture Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Heat Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Irradiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Lattice Diffusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Sugar and Smoke Treatments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Surface Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Working with Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Detecting Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Some Treatments Aren’t Forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Selling Treated Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Lab-Grown Gemstones: A Century in the Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Marketing Lab-Grown Gems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
How Lab-Grown Gems Affect Sales of Natural Gems . . . . . . . . 126
How the Lab Growth Process Affects Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Imitation Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Why Imitations Sell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Disclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Creating the Proper Frame of Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Disclosing Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Disclosing When You Just Don’t Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Disclosure and Take-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Disclosure of Lab-Grown Gems and Imitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
105
• Understand the ten major gem treatment types.
• Communicate your gem treatment knowledge clearly and ethically.
• Balance an effective presentation with full ethical disclosure.
• Understand the three main methods of gem synthesis.
• Understand why people buy imitations.
• Use full disclosure practices to increase consumer confidence in you and
the gem industry.
106
Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones, Imitations, and Disclosure
Kevin Fleming/Corbis
When you show a piece of jewelry, it’s your responsibility to inform your customer about any known or
suspected gem treatments.
Treatments, Laboratory-Grown
Gemstones, Imitations, and Disclosure
Ethics are the rules or standards that govern the conduct of a person or Ethics—Rules or standards governing
the members of a profession. The jewelry trade has long prided itself on personal or professional conduct.
its ethics. There are probably few other professions where members trust
each other enough to transfer valuable goods on the mere word of another. Treatment—Any human-controlled
Diamond bourses, where dealers meet to exchange goods, like to boast process, beyond cutting and polishing,
that members can leave diamonds unguarded at a table and return to find that improves the appearance,
them untouched hours later. Nevertheless, the jewelry trade is not without durability, or value of a gem.
its ethical dilemmas.
Disclosure—Clearly and accurately
Many of those dilemmas arise from the handling of treated goods, laboratory- informing customers about the
grown gems, and imitations. Customers are often confused over the nature of the goods they buy.
differences among the three. Few consumers know anything about gem
treatments, and those who hear about them might get their information
from sensational news stories. Your customers probably aren’t sure about
the differences between treated and untreated natural gems, and many
probably think that lab-grown gems and imitation gems are the same thing.
There’s often just as much confusion in the jewelry industry about the best
way to explain those differences, especially when it comes to treatments.
There was a time, not so long ago, when disclosure wasn’t an issue. Jewelers
routinely sold treated goods, and no one held them responsible for
107
KEY
CONCEPTS
Ignorance of the FTC guides is no excuse
for not following them.
James Aronovsky/GIA
Clear and accurate disclosure is an important part of a sales presentation.
explaining the treatment to their customers. The disclosure issue grew out
of the consumer movement of the last half of the twentieth century. Retail
jewelry salespeople now have to learn how to balance an effective sales
presentation with full, ethical disclosure.
Disclosure involves delivering clear and accurate information to your

customers about the nature of the goods you sell them. No issue in the
jewelry trade tests you as thoroughly as this one. It tests your professional
standards, your understanding and respect for industry guidelines, and
the strength of your personal ethics. How you treat the subject of
disclosure reveals a lot about you to the world—and to yourself.
In the US, the framework of industry ethics is provided by Federal Trade

Commission (FTC) guides (see “The FTC on Disclosure of Treatments” on
page 109). The FTC creates the guides with input from the industry. Other
nations have similar guides. Ignorance of them, whether in your own
country or a country where you’re doing business, is no excuse for not
following them.
108
Untreated emeralds (left) often have many eye-visible inclusions. Their appearance improves after the fractures are filled with oil
(right). The treatment is not permanent and must be disclosed.
The FTC guides are just that—guides. They recommend professional

behavior rather than regulate it. But when government, consumers, or the
media expose abuses of them, the guides find their way into court. Once
there, it falls to lawyers to argue over the legality of certain business
practices. Long before that costly and aggravating circumstance, each
trade member has the opportunity to determine how ethically he or she
will conduct business. The higher you set those ethical standards, the
lower your chances of ending up the object of a journalistic exposé.
Disclosure, as it’s described in the FTC guides, is at the heart of this assign-
ment. Before getting to it, however, there’s some background on the
development and marketing of treatments, lab-grown gems, and imitations.
You’ll see how advancing technology is continually closing the gap
between what can be done in the lab and what happens in nature. As that
gap gets narrower, the issue of disclosure grows larger.
The FTC on Disclosure of Treatments

Section 23.24 of the US FTC guides is titled “Disclosure of treatments
to gemstones.” In part, it reads:
It is unfair or deceptive to fail to disclose that a gemstone has been
treated if:
(a) the treatment is not permanent. The seller should disclose that
the gemstone has been treated and that the treatment is or may not
be permanent;
(b) the treatment creates special care requirements for the gemstone.
The seller should disclose that the gemstone has been treated and
has special care requirements. It is also recommended that the seller
disclose the special care requirements to the purchaser;
(c) the treatment has a significant effect on the stone’s value. The
seller should disclose that the gemstone has been treated.
This means that if you know a gemstone is treated, you must disclose
the treatment and any related durability or care concerns.
109
Ten Types of Gem Treatments

n What is a gem treatment?
n What is full disclosure?
n Which gem treatments require full disclosure?
Gem treatment is any human-controlled process that improves the appear-
ance, durability, or value of a gem (see “The FTC on Treatment vs.
Enhancement” on page 111). This broad definition does not include basic
fashioning techniques like faceting, cabbing, or carving. It does include
those processes that create disclosure problems.
Because these processes either yield non-permanent results or require
special care, the FTC asks the seller to make full disclosure to the buyer
at the point of purchase. In today’s world, you should go one step further
and disclose all treatments, without qualification.
The following gem treatments require disclosure:
• Bleaching • Heating
Valerie Power/GIA
• Cavity filling • Irradiation
Light-colored pearls, like these akoya • Colorless impregnation • Lattice diffusion
cultured pearls, are often bleached to • Dyeing • Sugar and smoke treatments
eliminate natural discoloration. The
bleaching cleans, brightens, and helps • Fracture filling • Surface modification
produce a more uniform color.
Bleaching
Bleaching—A treatment that uses In bleaching, the treater uses a chemical to lighten or remove color.
chemicals to lighten or remove color. Usually, bleaching simply dissolves and washes out coloring agents.
Light-colored cultured pearls are commonly bleached to remove dark
Cavity filling—Treatment that fills
spots and produce uniform color. This is often a preliminary process that
and seals voids to improve
leads to irradiation or dyeing as the primary treatment.
appearance and add weight.
Pearl and other delicate materials, like ivory, will bleach under exposure
to light and bleaches, like hydrogen peroxide. Diluted acid or straight
chlorine bleach can lighten tiger’s-eye, jadeite, and some chalcedonies.
Treaters also use stronger solvents to lighten or remove dark inclusions.
It’s a commonly used treatment for diamond, where the bleach is introduced
through a laser-drilled channel.
Cavity Filling
Surface-reaching cavities, pits, and other depressions can often make a
gem less desirable. The treatment known as cavity filling fills and seals
voids, improves appearance, and adds weight. Generally, the filler is glass
or plastic. But there are other usable substances, such as shellac in cat’s-
eye tourmaline.
KEY
CONCEPTS Treatment specialists sometimes use cavity filling in tourmaline and opal
with varying degrees of success. The treatment appears often in rubies and
Full disclosure includes informing the sometimes in sapphires. There’s a big difference, however, between the
buyer of any known or suspected luster and hardness of the host corundum and that of the filler. A gemologist
treatments. can detect large filled cavities, sometimes even with the unaided eye.
110
The FTC on Treatment vs. Enhancement

At one time, the FTC’s guides for the jewelry industry declared that
under many circumstances, use of “enhancement” led to deceptive
and unfair trade practices.
In a report that accompanied the guides, the FTC explained its
ruling this way: “‘Enhancement’ is ... used by the trade to describe
the treatment of gemstones to improve their color or otherwise
improve their appearance. However, the Commission has determined
that a more accurate term is ‘treatment’ and has added this term,
in lieu of ‘enhancement,’ to the list of attributes that should not be
misrepresented.”
The FTC found treatment to be a more accurate term because many
of the processes that improve the appearance of gems are either not
permanent or require special care.
An example is fracture or fissure filling. It’s a treatment that improves
a gem’s apparent clarity, but many filling materials are less than
permanent. This means a fracture-filled gem requires special care
long after purchase to maintain its improved appearance.
Tino Hammid/GIA Maha Tannous/GIA

The term “B jade” describes jadeite that This impregnated jade bracelet has also
has been bleached and impregnated been dyed green.
with colorless polymer resin, like this
bangle bracelet.
Colorless Impregnation
Colorless impregnation improves the appearance—including luster and Colorless impregnation—Filling of
sometimes color—and the stability of porous gems. Melted wax, plastic, pores or other openings with melted
or other substances fill pores and other openings, then solidify. wax, resin, polymer, or plastic to
Skin oils and other chemicals often discolor untreated porous gems like improve appearance and stability.
turquoise. Treating porous gems with colorless substances can seal them
and improve luster. It can also turn a pale turquoise to a bright blue.
The treatment is also used on jadeite. First, the jadeite is bleached, then
it’s impregnated with a colorless polymer resin. You’ll encounter it in the
trade as “B Jade.”
If dye is added to the filler, consider the treatment both impregnation and
dyeing.
111
Robert Weldon/GIA
Quartz can be quench-crackled and dyed (above). The dye is visible in the cracks of
the green gem (left).
Dyeing
Dyeing—A treatment that adds color Dyeing is the opposite of bleaching. Its purpose is to add color or affect
or affects color by deepening it, an existing color by deepening it, making it more even, or changing it.
making it more even, or changing it. The process generally involves exposing a material to a chemical.
To accept dye, the material must be porous, like chalcedony, or have
Quench crackling—A rapid heating fractures that reach the surface. Quench-crackling, a process that combines
and cooling process that produces heat with rapid cooling, can produce the necessary fractures.
fractures in a stone so it will accept
Other commonly dyed gems include lapis lazuli, jadeite, cultured pearl,
dye.
and turquoise. Rock crystal is quench-crackled and dyed to imitate a
variety of gems.
Fracture (fissure) filling—Using a filler
to conceal fractures and improve the
apparent clarity of a gem.
Fracture Filling
Fracture filling, which is also called fissure filling, is similar to cavity filling.
The difference lies in the size of the opening in the stone. Fractures are
narrow and cavities are wide. The goal of both treatments is to improve
apparent clarity and conceal fractures or cavities.
The process involves filling fractures that reach a gem’s surface. As with
cavity filling, these treatments use a variety of fillers, including plastic,
glass, polymer resins, and oil. The oils used include Canada balsam,
cedarwood, and palm oils.
Maha Calderon/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

Low-quality ruby (left) is often filled with glass that has high lead content. The result is
a vast improvement in appearance and marketability (right).
112
Maha Tannous/GIA
Robert Weldon/GIA Maha Tannous/GIA

Quartz can be quench-crackled and dyed (above). The dye is visible in the cracks of Before treatment, this 15.22-ct. emerald
the green gem (left). had visible fractures (top). After fracture
filling, it shows improved apparent
clarity (bottom).
Sometimes the stone just soaks in the filler, but the filler is often gently
heated so it becomes more fluid. It’s also common to remove air from the
fractures by subjecting the stone to a vacuum.
Most of the fillers in this category are colorless because even a slight tint
can negatively affect a gem’s color. If a dye is added to the filler to affect
the gem’s color, the treatment is considered both dyeing and fracture
filling.
Emerald is the most commonly fracture-filled gem. Commercial-quality
ruby is often filled with high-lead-content glass to improve its appearance.
Heat Treatment
High temperature is used to change the appearance of a gem during heat Heat treatment—Exposing a gem to
treatment. The required temperatures vary widely, depending on the gem rising temperatures for the purpose
being treated and the desired result. of changing its appearance.
This is one of the oldest and most common of treatments. Examples of
heat-treated gems were found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings. The
Egyptians heated white chalcedony to an attractive orange color, creating
the variety carnelian. Today, a growing understanding of gem chemistry
has led to sophisticated heat-treating processes. The results of heating are
stable for many gems under normal wear.
The primary purpose of heating is to improve appearance. Heat can
lighten, darken, deepen, or completely change a gem’s color. For example,
heating some light or near-colorless corundum generally gives it a blue
color. Heat treatment can also lighten or eliminate the blue in dark blue
sapphires. It can also remove the blue component of purplish rubies to
highlight their red color.
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Robert Weldon/GIA
This heat-treated, pink 3.15-ct. sapphire is
from Sri Lanka. The color of heat-treated
sapphires is stable under normal
conditions.
Heat treatment in oil created the This furnace is used to heat-treat gems. It can control exact
fractures in this amber pendant. The temperature, length of heating time, rate of cooling, and
effect is called sun spangles. atmosphere. This precision increases the probability that the
treatment will yield the desired results.
Heat can change a gem’s appearance in other ways. With amber, for
instance, gentle heating usually oxidizes and darkens or “ages” it. Some
amber contains tiny gas bubbles that make it cloudy. Careful heating can
clarify or remove the bubbles.
Heat can eliminate, create, or alter the appearance of inclusions, too.
Heat can destroy some inclusion-created stars in ruby and sapphire, but
it sometimes has the opposite effect and creates stars where there were
none. The ultimate effect of heating usually depends on the treated
material. It also depends on a combination of one or more other factors,
which include:
• Temperature • Atmosphere
• Rate of heating • Pressure
• Duration of heat application • Rate of cooling
114
Heating expands most materials. Different things expand at different rates

when heated to the same temperature. The host gem material might not
expand at the same rate as its inclusions, which are usually made of
different materials. Sometimes, this difference in expansion creates enough
stress to fracture the stone.
Some materials expand more in some directions than in others. This can
break the stone during heating, even if it is free of inclusions.
Irradiation
Using electromagnetic radiation or bombardment with subatomic particles Irradiation—Exposing a gem to
to change a gem’s color is called irradiation. Experiments in gem irradiation radiation to change or improve its
began in the early 1900s. Today, artificial irradiation is routinely used to color.
treat a wide range of gemstones. Irradiated stones might retain traces of
radiation, but it’s seldom harmful.
Irradiation might change a gem’s color. As you read in Assignment 2, a
color center is a small defect in the atomic structure of a material that can
determine its light absorption. Additional energy, like that generated by
irradiation, can force atoms or electrons out of their original positions. This
can create a new color center and a resulting change in the material’s color.
New color centers are not always stable, however. Heat can change some
of them and drive the relocated atoms and electrons back to their original
positions. Once this happens, the newly created color center disappears
along with the new color.

This sapphire’s (left) color was more marketable after irradiation (right), but even
ordinary light exposure can cause the new color to fade.
Robert Weldon/GIA
Irradiation can deepen or create color in These freshwater cultured pearls were irradiated to give them
rubellite tourmaline, but exposure to darker bodycolor.
heat can eliminate the treated color.
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Lattice diffusion—Exposing a gem to

high temperatures and chemicals to
allow penetration of color-causing
elements.
Sugar treatment—Soaking an opal in

a hot sugar solution and then in
sulfuric acid to darken it and bring
out its play-of-color.
Smoke treatment—Heating a
wrapped opal until smoke or ash
penetrates its surface to darken it Maha Tannous/GIA
and bring out its play-of-color. Lattice diffusion of corundum can result in some lovely and very marketable colors.
Lattice Diffusion
Lattice diffusion treatment uses a combination of chemicals and extremely
high temperatures to give natural corundum a more marketable color. It
can also create a shallow layer of asterism.
During lattice diffusion, the corundum is heated almost to its melting point,
allowing the chemicals to penetrate its surface. The length of treatment
and the chemical environment vary depending on the desired result.
For a blue gem, treaters use iron or titanium during lattice diffusion. For red,
they might use chromium. A newer treatment that uses beryllium results
in a wide range of colors, including pinkish orange, yellow, red, and blue.
When treaters introduce titanium oxide into the gem and then cool the
gem slowly over several days, the result is almost always a beautiful star.
Sugar and Smoke Treatments

Sugar and smoke treatments are surface treatments that can darken opal
and bring out its play-of-color. Of these two processes, sugar treatment is
the more common.
Grahame Brown When opaque porous opal is sugar treated, it’s heated in a fruit juice
This cross-section of a sugar-treated solution saturated with sugar. After the opal cools and dries, it’s immersed
opal reveals how shallow the treated in concentrated sulfuric acid. The sugar converts to carbon, darkening the
layer is. stone’s color and enhancing its play-of-color.

The untreated white opals (left) have little play-of-color. Sugar treatment can give opals a darker bodycolor and better play-of-color (right).
116
Smoke treatment involves wrapping a similarly low-grade opal in paper

(sometimes soaked in motor oil) and roasting it. Some techniques involve
packing the stone in a manure-filled clay pot and baking it over a charcoal
fire. Either way, dark, sooty particles penetrate the porous opal, darken
the background, and heighten the color display.
Surface Modification
Technically, surface modification is the most superficial of treatments. As Surface modification—Altering a
with fracture filling, the materials used do not become part of the treated gem’s appearance by applying
gem’s crystal structure. Its primary purpose is to deepen or induce color. backings, coatings, or coloring
agents like paint.
Surface modifiers vary widely in sophistication. The three basic surface
modification methods are:
• Backing
• Coating
• Painting
Ancient cultures were the first to discover that they could add color or
create phenomena, like asterism, by attaching backings to gems. From
2000 BC to the eighteenth century, the trade commonly accepted backing
treatments. The backings included silver or gold foils, fabric, paper—even
colored feathers. As modern cutting styles began to reveal more of the
brilliance of gemstones, backings fell from fashion. Today, backings are
occasionally used for fraudulent purposes, but their primary use is in
costume jewelry.
Coatings include wax, varnish, plastic, ink, and metallic compounds.
Practitioners commonly use wax to improve the luster of lapis, jadeite,
turquoise, and opal. Beryl, corundum, quartz, and jadeite are treated with
a variety of colored coatings.
Painting gem materials is another ancient practice. During the Renaissance
(1300s-1500s), authorities passed laws against tinting colored stones.
Strictly speaking, of course, painting is done with paint. But this category Robert Weldon/GIA
also includes other superficial coloring agents such as ink and nail polish. Turquoise is commonly treated with wax
Although it can work with most gems, painting most often appears in to improve its apparent color, luster, and
diamonds. Its purpose is almost always to deceive. overall appearance.
Robert Weldon/GIA Mike Havstad/GIA

Foil backing affects the apparent color and luster of glass. You can see the backing on This coated light-colored beryl simulates
the stones that are table-down. emerald. The coating is green plastic.
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KEY Working with Treatments

CONCEPTS
n What’s the purpose of most gem treatments?
Treatment of natural materials is
common outside the jewelry trade. n How easy is it to detect treatments?
n How durable are treatments?
It’s important to balance the desire to
sell with the duty to disclose. n How do treatments affect sales?
If treatment is possible, assume the Treatments have grown out of a variety of circumstances. Some developed
gem’s been treated unless proven from scientific inquiries unrelated to jewelry. Gem minerals are relatively
otherwise. simple and stable. Thus, under experimental conditions, it’s easy to identify
and analyze changes in them. This made them ideal for testing in atomic
research. Many radiation treatments evolved from these early experiments.
New treatments often result from different applications of earlier practices.

Many gem dyes, for instance, first served as dyes for porcelains, artists’
pigments, and fabrics. Likewise, the initial intent of lattice diffusion
treatment was to create asterism in lab-grown star rubies and sapphires.
Its use for natural corundum grew out of this application.
Outside the jewelry trade, treatment of natural materials is widespread

and beneficial. Without oiling, wood furniture would splinter; without
dyeing, cotton clothing would be all the same color; without tanning,
leather would remain pretty much as it is in its natural state.
Many everyday items besides gemstones are commonly “treated.” Here you see strands
of dyed (treated) cotton fibers. Without dye, your choice in cotton clothes would be
limited to dull white. The same goes for gemstones: Treatments give you and your
customers a wider selection.
118
The same is true of gems. Many lasting treatments make gems more
beautiful and durable. They also make more gems available to more
people—and at lower prices. The list of popular gems routinely treated
includes amethyst, aquamarine, chalcedony, citrine, emerald, jade, lapis
lazuli, opal, pearl, ruby, sapphire, tanzanite, tiger’s-eye, topaz, turquoise,
and zircon. If the trade limited the supply to only those specimens
naturally beautiful and durable enough to use as gems, the mighty and
rich would still be the only ones to own them.
As you will see in Assignment 6, however, without proper care and precau-
tions, many treatments—fracture filling and cavity filling, for instance—result
in only temporary improvements. Almost any standard cleaning or repair
procedure can undo them, leaving ruined stones, dismayed jewelers, and
upset customers. This is why it’s important to balance the desire to sell
with the duty to disclose.
Detecting Treatments
The job of detecting gem treatments is rarely easy. Sometimes, a gemologist Tino Hammid/GIA
can detect a treatment without instruments. A close look at beryl coated The yellowish topaz is untreated, while
with plastic to simulate emerald, for instance, might easily reveal the treat- the other one was heat-treated to a
ment. The same gemologist, however, might be unable to detect other pinkish color. The color in the treated
treatments without use of the tests and instruments available in many retail stone is indistinguishable from natural
pink topaz, and the treatment is
jewelry stores.
undetectable.
Some treatments defy these resources. Only a lab technician with access
to the most expensive and sophisticated instruments can detect them.
There are also some treatments that are virtually undetectable. Neither
training nor instrumentation can detect or prove them. These are treatments
that simulate natural processes, particularly heat and irradiation. The
treated stone might have the same appearance and stability as its natural
counterpart, with no trace of human intervention. This is often true of
treated aquamarine, citrine, pink topaz, and smoky quartz.
Sometimes, a stone might show a color rare or even nonexistent in nature.

You might not be able to prove the color is the result of a treatment. The
very presence of the extraordinary color, however, is strong evidence of
treatment. Notable examples of this include blue zircon, tanzanite, deep
blue topaz, and “black onyx” (dyed chalcedony). Whenever you come
across such a color in a variety where color treatment is routine, you can
be sure the gem was treated.
Treated gems might escape notice unintentionally. Possibly their original

owners sold them as treated. However, over time, subsequent owners
might lose sight of the fact. It might remain lost until a trained gemologist
rediscovers it years later. That could be you.
The GIA Gem Identification course is the best way to get the training you
need to identify gems and gem treatments. Until you get such training,
however, your best guideline is simple: If treatment is possible, assume
the gem is treated unless proven otherwise.
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Some Treatments Aren’t Forever

The effects of some experimental treatments last only minutes. Some
commercial treatments can endure for centuries. Many last a reasonably
long time with proper care.
Many factors can adversely affect treatments. These include routine

cleaning or repair work, light, heat, and normal wear. Some irradiated
colors fade quickly in light, whether it’s normal sunlight or the light in a
display case. Many dyes fade in sunlight, too, but usually very slowly.
Sunlight and store lighting can sometimes make enough heat to “sweat”
wax or oil out of a treated stone. Many oils eventually dry up. The cotton
pad in a stone paper or the paper itself can absorb oil.
Some treatments simply do not stand up to wear. Plastic coatings can rub
off. Scratches, chipping, repolishing, or cutting can take the color or star
layer off some lattice diffusion treated rubies and sapphires.
Under normal wear and with reasonable care, most heat treatments are
very durable. But chemicals can cause problems. Bleached materials are
usually safe unless they meet a chemical that stains them. With delicate
Robert Weldon/GIA and porous gems like pearls and ivory, this can be something as benign
The color of irradiated green spodumene, as hand lotion or skin oils. Ultrasonic cleaners, solvents, acids, and
shown with an untreated spodumene standard cleaning solutions—sometimes even warm soapy water—can
(top), is unstable and fades rapidly. The damage or remove dyes, oils, waxes, and plastics.
color of the intensely colored spodumene
(bottom) might be natural or irradiated. Heat is a significant problem. The heat from a bench jeweler’s torch can
Its color is fairly stable. change the color of a heat-treated stone and even of some naturally
colored gems. It can destroy irradiated color centers and eliminate the
color they cause. It can also burn an oil or a dye, or vaporize an
impregnation or coating. Sometimes heating leaves residues that make
the stone look worse than it did before treatment.
Robert Weldon/GIA
The uncommon greenish blue color of this
15.54-ct. zircon from Cambodia is strong
evidence that the stone was heat-treated.
Some treatments are permanent and others aren’t. Putting a plastic coating on
colorless beryl to simulate emerald, as was done with this stone, is not permanent.
120
John Koivula/GIA
Sometimes just the heat from the microscope light can damage or undo a treatment.
It caused oil to leak out of a cavity in this treated emerald.
Tino Hammid/GIA John Koivula/GIA

Chemicals can damage porous gems like Sapphire can usually survive most
this turquoise, as well as lapis lazuli, standard repair operations, but this
chalcedony, and opal. sapphire was damaged by a combination
of chemicals and heat.
Theoretically, if something damages or erases the effect of a treatment, it

should be possible to re-treat the gem. In practice, however, matching an
original result is often tricky. Expense, too, could be a problem. Having
the stone treated again might cost more than replacing it.
Selling Treated Gems

Some people in the trade disapprove of any introduction of a foreign
substance into or onto gem material. But nature’s work isn’t always
perfect—and it’s certainly not always acceptable commercial quality. So
most jewelers do sell treated goods. For them, it’s a matter of offering
a customer a treated stone that’s appealing rather than a natural stone KEY
that’s not. CONCEPTS
For these jewelers, disclosure isn’t the only issue they have to consider. Attractiveness, stability, and type of
A treated gem’s success in the market depends on several factors, including treatment affect a treated gem’s
attractiveness, stability, and type of treatment. marketability.
121
Robert Weldon/GIA

This series shows how topaz looks as it progresses through treatment. Before treatment (top left), the stones are light in color. After
irradiation (bottom left), the stones are brown. After heat treatment (above), the stones are a desirable—and stable—blue color.
Topaz provides a good example of how attractiveness and stability affect

the salability of a treated gem. Generally, untreated topaz is colorless. It’s
irradiated and heated to make it blue. There’s little demand for colorless
topaz. The treated color, however, is stable and attractive, so it increases
the stone’s commercial appeal.
Plastic-impregnated turquoise provides an even better example. Before

Robert Weldon/GIA treatment, the material is typically porous, chalky, very pale in color, and
This turquoise is impregnated with plastic. virtually worthless. Treated, it becomes more durable, attractive, and
The treatment turns virtually unmarketable salable.
turquoise into something salable.
The type of treatment also affects market appeal. Many people in the trade
are far more comfortable with heating than with other treatments. They
view the use of heat to alter color or clarify rubies and sapphires as a way
to finish what nature started. Generally, they feel that as long as the change
is permanent, the stone will have high commercial appeal. This is
particularly true if the color improves dramatically.
Tino Hammid/GIA
The mineral zoisite, for example, is usually an unspectacular brown.
More attractive natural colors are rare. So when heating produces blues,
Heat treatment helps turn brownish
zoisite into the popular gemstone violet-blues and purple, zoisite is suddenly transformed. It becomes one
tanzanite, which ranges in color from of the most appealing gems discovered in the twentieth century—
blue to violet-blue to purple. tanzanite.
122
Lab-Grown Gemstones: A Century in

the Making
n What are lab-grown gemstones?
n Who sells lab-grown gems and how do they market them?
n Do lab-grown gems hurt sales of natural gems?
n How do lab growth processes affect market prices?
As you learned in Assignment 1, a lab-grown (synthetic) gem is a laboratory

creation with essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure,
and properties as its natural counterpart. The two most basic facts to
remember about lab-grown gems are:
• Although they are the result of processes that approximate conditions
that exist in the earth, they are products of the laboratory, not nature.
• Their physical, optical, and chemical characteristics are essentially the
same as those of their natural counterparts.
The composition and structure of a lab-grown ruby are essentially the
same as those of a natural ruby. The lab-grown ruby weighs the same as
a natural ruby of the same size. There are, however, slight differences in
characteristics between the two. Gemologists rely on these differences to
tell lab-grown from natural. Kurt Nassau/GIA
Lab-grown gems have been as much a part of modern times as atomic These lab-grown rubies are from the late
research, satellites, and cell phones. Electronics, communications, nineteenth century, before full disclosure
was common practice.
manufacturing—all depend on a steady supply of high-quality lab-grown
crystals. So does the jewelry industry.
Researchers have developed a number of processes for creating synthetic Flame fusion—A process in which
gems over the past hundred years. Auguste Verneuil’s flame-fusion process powdered chemicals are dropped
involves dropping powdered chemicals through a high-temperature flame through a high-temperature flame
onto a rotating pedestal that’s slowly lowered as cooling and crystallization onto a rotating pedestal to produce a
take place. With it, Verneuil was the first to successfully create a product synthetic crystal.
that could be marketed as a lab-grown gem of suitable quality for jewelry.
Flame fusion is still the most common and least expensive synthetic gem
production method.
This historical photo shows Auguste Verneuil in his French laboratory. This is the apparatus Verneuil used in
the flame-fusion process that now bears
his name.
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Fred Ward/GIA
The flame-fusion process is the most common and least expensive method used to
produce synthetic gems.
Fred Ward/GIA
Pulling—A process in which the Molten chemicals are used to dissolve the nutrients that go into flux-grown
synthetic crystal grows from a seed that synthetic ruby.
is dipped into a chemical melt, then
pulled away as it gathers material. A number of other processes evolved through the century. Along with
flame fusion, the most important other processes are pulling (also known
Flux growth—A process in which as Czochralski), flux, and hydrothermal.
nutrients dissolve in heated chemicals, Pulling emerged in the early 1900s. In this process, nutrients are melted
then cool to form synthetic crystals. in a crucible and the synthetic crystal grows from a seed that is dipped
into the melt, then pulled away as it grows.
Hydrothermal growth—A process in
which nutrients dissolve in a water The first flux process appeared in Germany prior to World War II. Nutrients
solution at high temperature and are dissolved rather than melted as they are in flame fusion, although heat
pressure, then cool to form synthetic is added. The nutrients are then allowed to crystallize as the solution
crystals. slowly cools.
124
Kurt Nassau/GIA
The last step in the production of hydrothermal synthetic quartz crystals is to remove
them from the growth chamber.
In the 1960s researchers adapted a hydrothermal synthetic quartz process

to produce synthetic emeralds. In this process, nutrients are dissolved in
an acidic solution of water and chemicals at high temperature and
pressure. The nutrients crystallize on seed plates, forming the synthetic
gems.
Low-cost flame-fusion synthetics—corundum and spinel—have been

steadily popular with consumers. More expensive processes (see “How
the Lab Growth Process Affects Value” on page 127) like hydrothermal
and flux produce synthetic counterparts to rare and expensive natural gems
like emerald and alexandrite.
125
Marketing Lab-Grown Gems

As with many other products, when it comes to lab-grown gems, the work
in the lab is only half the job. Marketing the product usually takes as much
research and is just as crucial commercially. There have been a number
of key events in the history of marketing lab-grown gems.
Shortly after World War II ended, Carroll Chatham began producing and
marketing lab-grown emeralds commercially. A little later, the first by-
products of war research—Linde Air Products’ lab-grown star rubies and
sapphires—hit the market.
These major commercial successes spurred the new era in lab-grown
gemstone research. The research successes, in turn, greatly expanded the
This 18K gold ring is set with natural market for lab-grown gems.
diamond accent stones and a lab-grown
emerald center stone. Chatham called his creation “cultured” emerald. Japan’s Kokichi Mikimoto,
famous for pioneering the growth of cultured pearls, was Chatham’s
inspiration. Mikimoto had fought for more than 10 years to avoid marketing
his product as “imitation” or “artificial” (see “The FTC on Pearls and
Imitations” on page 128). Chatham felt just as strongly about the term
“synthetic.” He engaged natural gem dealers and the FTC in a long battle
over the issue.
Finally, in 1963, the FTC allowed Chatham to use the term Chatham-
KEY Created Emerald. The publicity surrounding the case increased consumer
CONCEPTS interest in lab-grown gems. It also set a trend for naming most later lab-
grown gems.
Major lab-grown gem development was a
by-product of defense-related research. In the late 1970s, Inamori, a US subsidiary of Japan’s Kyocera, began
marketing Kyocera lab-grown gems under the names Inamori-Created
alexandrite and Inamori-Created emerald. For a while, Inamori operated
a posh Beverly Hills salon where they sold lab-grown gems in 18K gold
mountings surrounded by diamond accent stones. This was yet another
sign that synthetic gems had arrived.
How Lab-Grown Gems Affect Sales of Natural Gems

Occasionally, retailers become concerned that lab-grown gems will drive
down the prices of natural gems. This usually coincides with a technological
breakthrough in synthetic development. History shows, however, that
overall, natural gem dealers have little to fear from lab-grown gems.
New lab-grown gems often stimulate consumer interest in natural gems,
boosting both prices and sales. The Linde Company’s synthetic star rubies
and sapphires are good examples. Beginning in the late 1940s, these
popular lab-grown gems made consumers more aware of natural star
corundum and other phenomenal gems.
Linde’s research yielded other positive effects, too. In perfecting their
product, they learned to control the material’s color and produce the fine,
needle-like crystals that cause the star effect. Eventually, researchers
figured out that what works on lab-grown gems can work on natural gems,
too. By the 1970s, treatments based on Linde’s techniques were producing
color and stars in natural rubies and sapphires.
126
Shane McClure/GIA
Flame-fusion synthetic rubies and sapphires help create fine jewelry at a lower price
for a broader consumer market.
How the Lab Growth Process Affects Value

The least expensive lab growth process is flame fusion, which produces
synthetics that might retail for only a few dollars a carat.
At the other extreme, flux and hydrothermal processes require heavy
investments in equipment, effort, and time (often over a year). Lab-grown
gems that result from such processes can retail for hundreds of dollars per
carat.
Lab-grown corundum can be made by the greatest number of processes.
These include pulling, flame fusion, floating zone, hydrothermal, and
several variations of flux growth. Because of this, lab-grown corundum is
available at many price levels, from very affordable to very expensive.
127
Maha Tannous/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

Glass has served as an emerald simulant since about 1600 BC. Plastic imitation cameos are both popular and inexpensive.
Imitation Gems
n What is an imitation gem?
n What are the main types of imitations found in jewelry?
n Why do people buy imitations?
Imitation gem—Any material that Unlike lab-grown gems that can claim atomic kinship with the real thing,
looks like a natural gem and is used imitation gems merely look the part. Sometimes, the look is no more
in its place. convincing than green paint on glass to imitate emerald. Yet imitations,
when handled appropriately and ethically, have their place in the jewelry
market (see “How the FTC Views Imitations” on page 129).
Imitations are usually not as difficult to test and identify as lab-grown
gems. A gemologist can spot most of them. Some are so obviously fake,
any wary shopper could spot them.
Imitations show up in the jewelry trade in a variety of types:
• Natural look-alikes—Before the trade established scientific definitions
for gem species and varieties, gems of a certain color were all given
the same name. Green gems, for example, passed as emerald, blue
gems as sapphire, red gems as ruby. Color wasn’t the only factor; the
ancient Chinese called any stone they could carve “jade.”
The FTC on Pearls and Imitations

Sections 23.19, 23.20, 23.21, and 23.22 of the FTC guides address
the marketing of pearls, cultured pearls, and imitations. In them,
the FTC defines pearls, cultured pearls, imitation pearls, and seed
pearls. They prohibit the use of the word “pearl” alone to refer to
cultured pearls or imitations and bar the use of terms like “faux
pearl” or “fashion pearl” unless they’re accompanied by a word like
“artificial” or “imitation.” They also prohibit the use of terms like
“cultured,” “cultivated,” “seed,” “Oriental,” and “natura” without
disclosing that the pearls are cultured pearls or imitations.
128
• Lab-grown (synthetic) gemstones—Some imitations are technically

lab-grown gems. That is, they’re created as synthetics, but they’re used
in place of material other than their natural counterpart. For example,
since it’s available in a variety of colors, lab-grown spinel is commonly
used to imitate many different natural birthstones. In this case, the lab-
grown gem becomes an imitation.
• Glass—Until the development of lab-grown corundum and other
modern materials, glass was the primary material for making imitations.
Through the centuries, people have used both manmade and natural
glasses—obsidian and moldavite—to create imitations.
• Plastics—They’re primarily used in novelty jewelry and do not try to Mike Havstad/GIA
imitate natural gemstones. But they can also simulate soft organics like
Cat’s-eye glass is an effective imitation
amber, tortoise shell, coral, and ivory. Plastics appear in treatments to for natural cat’s-eye chrysoberyl. Glass
natural gems. Beryl with a transparent, green plastic coating, for instance, imitations in different colors can mimic
can imitate emerald. other types of cat’s-eye stones, too.
• Assembled stones—When manufacturers glue or fuse two or more
separate pieces of material together to form a single piece, they call it
an assembled stone. The separate pieces can be of the same material
or a combination of different ones, natural or artificial. A doublet
consists of two pieces cemented or fused together. A triplet consists of
three segments, or of two segments and a colored cement layer. Green
lab-grown spinel triplets commonly imitate emerald.
• Phenomenal imitations—Some manmade processes can yield results
that imitate phenomena in natural gems. Fiber optics, for instance, can
be used to produce the cat’s-eye effects in cat’s-eye glass.
Why Imitations Sell

The reasons people buy imitations range from the silly to the serious.
Colorful plastic bangles and beads can make fun accessories. People
sometimes use fake jewels to foil thieves, since losing an imitation
diamond bracelet is not as bad as losing the real thing.
Imitations, of course, are less expensive than the real thing. People wear
them for effect—getting color and flash at an affordable price. Many
wearers simply use them as fashion accents. Fine jewelry might hold its Bettmann/Corbis
appeal over generations, but part of the charm of an imitation is how Actress Alla Nazimova (1879-1945) was
inexpensively it can complement the latest trend. photographed wearing imitation pearls.
Doublet—Two separate pieces of

How the FTC Views Imitations material fused or cemented together
to form a single assembled stone.
In the FTC guides, Section 23.25 (b) bars use of terms like “ruby,”
“sapphire,” “emerald,” “stone,” “birthstone” or other gem name Triplet—A single assembled stone
alone for an imitation or simulant. It requires adding the word made from three separate pieces of
“imitation” or “simulant” (or terms of similar meaning) shown just material fused or cemented together,
as clearly as the gem name to disclose that it is not a natural stone. or from two pieces and a colored
It also states that use of the word “faux” is not enough for proper cement layer.
disclosure.
129
Imitations might also help deflect social pressure. Wearing certain organic
gems can sometimes raise ethical issues very different from those addressed
by the FTC. Imitations can be fashionably pleasing without causing guilt
or outrage.
Disclosure
n Why is disclosure important?
n How do you prepare for full disclosure?
n How can you mix selling with disclosing?
n Why is disclosure more than just a selling issue?
n What are the disclosure issues for lab-grown gems and imitations?
There are many reasons people fail to disclose. Not all of them are matters
of deception. Some are due to ignorance of the product or industry guide-
lines. If you take pride in your professionalism, ignorance is almost as bad
as deception. Here are some common but weak reasons people use for
not disclosing.
• Ignorance—They find disclosure guidelines too difficult to follow. They

rely too much on the word of their suppliers in assessing their inventory.
They do business in a foreign country and think they’re exempt from
local rules.
• Competitive pressure—They know of competitors who don’t fully

disclose and get away with it. They don’t want to be at a disadvantage,
no matter the cost.
Your demeanor, attitude, and honesty
affect how people perceive you. Don’t • Resistance—They don’t agree with certain industry guidelines. Rather
let yourself be mistaken for someone than making their case through proper channels or accepting direction
like this. from the trade, they disregard the guidelines and go their own way.
• Calculated risk—They calculate that the risks of non-disclosure are less

than the cost of full disclosure. Rather than lose a sale by adhering to
guidelines, they decide to pay the penalty if and when they’re caught.
Jewelers aren’t unique in this regard. Professionals in many industries give

themselves more latitude than they should. This springs from the false
notion that people on the inside always know better than those on the
outside. Some professionals assume discretionary powers they would
never give to professionals in other fields.
Take, for instance, the jeweler who chooses not to disclose gem treatments
to customers. Would that same person be comfortable with real estate
agents who want to sell houses without disclosing toxic water supplies?
Or food and building inspectors who say they can do their jobs more
quickly by skirting their respective industry guidelines? How about air
traffic controllers? Would the jeweler like to be coming in for a landing
when the people in the tower are deciding which rules and regulations
they’re going to follow?
130
Eric Welch/GIA
Disclosure is not only a requirement; it’s the right thing to do. Customers appreciate being fully informed
about the products they buy. This jeweler displays its disclosure notice prominently in the display case.
When you view the disclosure issue in this broad context, you can see
how professional behavior contributes to the overall ethical climate of a
society. When you decide whether or not to disclose, you’re not just
making a business decision, you’re deciding what kind of society you want
to be part of.
Creating the Proper Frame of Mind

Trends toward tougher protection for consumers have made disclosure a
fact of the selling life. The fact that the FTC has directed that treated stones
be disclosed at the point of sale is a clear example.
Salespeople are naturally reluctant to bring up anything that might create

customer doubts. But the consequences of not doing so are large and
potentially devastating. It could be the loss of one unhappy customer. Or
it could be the loss of an entire business due to bad publicity.
Journalistic exposés of fraud in the jewelry trade have practically become

routine in the US. The undercover shopper comes into the store, gets assur-
ances from the jeweler that the gems are untreated, then takes them to an
expert for analysis. The expert determines that, for example, the rubies
are heat-treated, or the emeralds are fracture-filled.
131
A big part of the jeweler’s full disclosure obligation is to sell goods for what they are, not what they aren’t.
The reporter and camera crew return to the selling jeweler and confront
him with the evidence. The duplicity and humiliation are broadcast
nationwide. The jeweler’s reputation is tarnished or ruined forever. Sales
of the stone decline, as they did for emeralds after just such a story on US
television in the late 1990s. The entire industry then has to work under a
cloud until consumers forgive and forget.
Jewelers have to learn to be proactive on the disclosure issue, acting in

advance to deal with expected difficulties.
The first thing to do is know your sources. It’s important that retailers know
what they’re selling. To this end, it’s always best to go with the most knowl-
edgeable, honest, conscientious supplier available. In the end, of course,
you’re responsible for what you sell.
Second, as a jeweler, you need the proper frame of mind. Only when
your own position on treatments is clear can you help your customers
understand and accept them. Settle whatever misgivings you might
personally have about treatments, lab-grown gems, or imitations. Keep in
132
mind that all three occupy legitimate niches in the jewelry trade. Each,
in its own way, brings a level of fun, fascination, and affordability to the
marketplace. Suspicions and problems arise only when someone sells
them as something they aren’t.
Third, assume you can approach your customers honestly. Most consumers
are already familiar with the role treatments, lab-grown gems, and imitations
play in other areas of their lives. You can make that the starting point of
any discussion.
Disclosing Treatments Kurt Nassau/GIA

This piece of agate from the Greco-Roman
Treatments should be discussed right along with color, clarity, cut, and period (332 bc to 395 ad) might have been
carat weight (see “The FTC on When to Disclose” below). Your customers dyed, although early tests to determine
should know that, like the Four Cs, treatments can and do affect beauty, the presence of dye were inconclusive.
value, and sometimes durability.
Begin by asking your customers what they know about treatments in

KEY
general. That’s not just gem treatments, but treatments to everyday items
like clothing, food, and health. Remind them that things like vitamin
CONCEPTS
supplements, gold dental fillings, and skin creams are treatments for the Problems arise only when you sell goods
human body. When you place the subject in this context, you reduce the as something they aren’t.
anxiety level for yourself and your customer.
Treatments should be discussed along
As you move into the area of gem treatment itself, mention some of the
history of treatments. Make sure your customers understand that colored
with color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
stone treatments go way back, and their intent has primarily been to
improve, rather than deceive.
When you get to the specific item you’re trying to sell, be open and clear
about any treatments you know or suspect. Open The Essential Colored
Stone Reference Guide that came with this course and show the appropriate
pages to your customers. Discuss with them what it says about the treat-
ment in question. Point out its purpose, prevalence, and special care needs.
The FTC on When to Disclose

In the FTC guides, a note to Section 23.23 states that disclosure
guidelines apply to sellers at every level of the trade, including
manufacturing, wholesale, and retail. It also states that disclosure:
“…may be made at the point of sale prior to sale; except that where
a jewelry product can be purchased without personally viewing
the product (e.g., direct mail catalogs, online services, televised
shopping programs), disclosure should be made in the solicitation
for or description of the product.”
The guides, then, not only explain what should be disclosed but
when the disclosure should take place.
133
Aquamarine like this is usually heat- These red stones are lattice diffusion treated corundum, but you probably wouldn’t
treated. be able to tell just by looking at them. Even so, it’s up to you to be aware that they
probably are and to disclose that information to your customer.
It’s possible that talk of treatments will scare a customer off no matter how
honestly or tactfully you’ve handled it. Or it could be that your customer
is a comparison shopper and was going to check out a competitor anyway.
In any case, before your customer leaves your store, make sure she leaves
knowing that you have her best interests in mind. Give her some key
questions to ask as she continues her shopping:
• Is this stone treated?
• If not, how do you know it’s not?
• If not, are you willing to document that it’s not?
• If so, how has the treatment affected the appearance?
• If so, what special care requirements does it have?
Finally, there are a number of very good brochures available that explain
treatments for customers. Your store should have some on hand. Give them
to your customers, both the buyers and those who’ve only come to look.
It’s a good idea to prominently display your name on the brochure so your
customers will always know that it was you who took the time to teach
them about treatments.
Disclosing When You Just Don’t Know

As you’ve seen, some treatments are undetectable. They produce changes
that can also come from natural processes. Was the aquamarine cooked
by nature or by charcoal fire? It might be impossible to tell. Heat and
irradiation both accompany natural geologic events. Heat treatment of
aquamarine is common. So you should assume that most aquamarine you
handle has spent some time in an oven.
134
The FTC on Describing Lab-Grown

Gemstones
In Section 23.25 of the guides, the FTC states:
“It is unfair or deceptive to use the unqualified words ‘ruby,’

‘sapphire,’ ‘emerald,’ ‘topaz,’ or the name of any other precious or
semi-precious stone to describe any product that is not in fact a
mined stone of the type described.
“It is unfair or deceptive to use the word ‘ruby,’ ‘sapphire,’ ‘emerald,’

‘topaz,’ or the name of any other precious or semi-precious stone,
or the word ‘stone,’ ‘birthstone,’ ‘gem,’ ‘gemstone,’ or similar term to
describe a laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, [manufacturer
name]-created, synthetic, imitation, or simulated stone, unless such
word or name is immediately preceded with equal conspicuousness
by the word ‘laboratory-grown,’ ‘laboratory-created,’ ‘[manufacturer
name]-created,’ or some other word or phrase of like meaning, or
by the word ‘imitation’ or ‘simulated,’ so as to disclose clearly the
nature of the product and the fact it is not a mined gemstone.”
Section 23.27 of the FTC guides states:
“It is unfair or deceptive to use the word ‘real,’ ‘genuine,’ ‘natural,’

‘precious,’ ‘semi-precious,’ or similar terms to describe any industry
product that is manufactured or produced artificially.”
This is where the retailer’s relationship with the supplier is important. The
retailer should always ask questions. Ask if the supplier knows if the gems
in question have been treated. Moreover, ask about the kind of treatment,
since there can be significant differences. As you learned earlier, for
instance, the colors in heated rubies and sapphires might be more durable
than those produced by lattice diffusion treatment. Remember, knowing
these things is a jeweler’s responsibility. Only by asking questions can you
meet your responsibility and protect your reputation.
If a supplier can’t provide definitive answers, you might be tempted to

give the stone the benefit of the doubt when you sell it. This would be a
mistake. The wise professional knows what stones can be treated. For
those stones, assume every one you encounter has been treated, unless
documented evidence proves otherwise.
Disclosure and Take-in

Treatments are a definite concern when you take in jewelry for repair or
appraisal. Customers, of course, aren’t bound by the same rules of
disclosure that you are. They might prefer not to reveal that they own
treated gems. Often they’re not even aware that their gems were treated.
135
Your store might also be left unaware of a treatment because the take-in
person was too busy to make a thorough inspection of the jewelry. Or
the treatment in question could be one of those that takes a laboratory
gemologist to spot. It might be a treatment that’s undetectable. Whatever
the case, remember that when a store takes jewelry in, the store takes
responsibility for its condition when it goes out again. To meet this
responsibility, a store should have a clear, precise, documented take-in
procedure.
Disclosure of Lab-Grown Gems and Imitations

Government attempts to regulate the jewelry trade, like the US FTC
KEY guides, are nothing new. As far back as 300 ad, the Roman Emperor
CONCEPTS Diocletian ordered the burning of all books that discussed making
Jewelry professionals have to do their imitation gems.
part to maintain the legitimacy of lab- Today, lab-grown gems and imitations are an accepted part of the market.
grown gems and imitations. However, jewelry professionals have to do their part to uphold that legit-
imacy. You need to work constantly to keep the lines between natural gems
New lab-grown gems often stimulate and lab-grown gems, as well as between lab-grown gems and imitations,
consumer interest in natural gems. clear (see “The FTC on Describing Lab-Grown Gemstones” on page 135).
There’s a great deal of confusion among consumers on these distinctions.

Many believe synthetic means imitation or fake. To combat this misunder-
standing, lab-grown gem manufacturers have long marketed their products
under trade names that link them with natural gems. “Symerald,” for
instance, is a combined form of synthetic and emerald. Manufacturers
also try to connect their own names with terms such as cultured and
created. Chatham-Created emerald is an example.
Liaison Agency/Hulton Getty Robert Weldon/GIA
The Roman Emperor Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletian Natural red Burmese spinel like this has often been used to
(245-313) ordered the burning of all books that described imitate ruby. It’s long been known by the misnomer balas ruby.
how to imitate gems.
136
Other marketing names can also lead to confusion. “Kyocera sapphire,”

though a legitimate company name, might confuse the unwary customer
who might think that Kyocera, like Kashmir, is an exotic name associated
with natural sapphires.
No matter what the marketing strategy, your responsibility is clear. When
you are selling a lab-grown gem, you must explain to your customer that
it is lab-grown. Failure to do so does your customer as well as the lab-
grown gem manufacturer an injustice.
“Natural” imitations can be another area of consumer confusion. As
you’ve read, natural look-alikes were the first imitations. There’s nothing
wrong when the seller labels and sells them as imitations. When someone
tries to sell them under misleading names, however, it is very wrong.
As you saw in Assignment 2, such misleading names are called misnomers.
If someone tries to sell green tourmaline as African emerald, for example,
that’s a misnomer. Customers aren’t the only ones hurt by this practice.
Misnomers cast suspicion on the genuine article as well. In this example,
the reputation of real African emeralds also suffers.
It’s important to be aware of all the treatments, lab-grown gems, and
imitations in the market so you can inform your customers about them.
And keep reminding yourself that they can have positive effects on the
sales of natural gems. Whenever a new lab-grown gem comes along,
for example, it encourages interest in its natural counterpart, and this
translates into sales.
Sharing this information with your customers has another important
advantage. It shows them how well informed and honest you are. This
means they’ll be more likely to come to you the next time they want to
make a jewelry purchase. And customer loyalty is an important key to
your success in the gem and jewelry industry.
In the next assignment, you’ll learn about another important gem industry
issue: How a gem’s properties and the presence or absence of treatment
dictate the way it should be handled, cleaned, and displayed.
137
Documenting Your Disclosure Checklist

Disclosure
Gem:___________________________________
There is really no substitute for docu-
1. Treatment status of this item
mentation when it comes to handling
potential legal issues. Jewelry profes- ___ Treated
sionals should make and keep accurate ___ Assumed treated
records, especially with regard to treat-
ments. You should always carefully note ___ Not treated
sales receipts, identification reports,
and appraisals. 2. If treated or assumed treated, the kind of treatment is
(explain any that apply)
You should also be totally familiar with
your store or company policy regarding ___ Bleaching
disclosure, and you should follow it. ___ Cavity filling
Here’s a checklist that can help you ___ Colorless impregnation
explain disclosure to a customer. You
___ Dyeing
probably don’t want to use the form
itself during a sales presentation, but ___ Fracture filling
you can use it to plan a presentation. ___ Heat
You can also use it when you take in
jewelry for repair or appraisal. ___ Irradiation
___ Lattice diffusion
___ Quench-crackling and dyeing
___ Sugar or smoke treatment
___ Surface modification
3. The treatment of this item creates the following special

care needs (explain all that apply)
___ Avoid contact with abrasives, which can wear away surface
modifiers and some lattice diffusion created colors.
___ Avoid contact with chemicals, which can damage surface
modifiers, dyes, impregnations, sugar or smoke treated
opals, fracture fillings, and remove or discolor oils.
___ Take care in cleaning, which can damage many treatments.
___ Check safety of steam and ultrasonic cleaners for all
colored stones.
___ Beware of heat, which can be very damaging to treatments.
___ Beware of prolonged exposure to light, which can bleach
some irradiated colors and dyes.
___ Take care in repolishing or recutting, which can remove
surface modifiers, some lattice diffusion created colors,
fracture or cavity fillings, shallow layers of irradiated
color, oils, impregnations, and treated layer on opal.
138
KEY
CONCEPTS
Ignorance of the FTC guides is no excuse for not following them. Major lab-grown gem development was a by-product of
defense-related research.
Full disclosure includes informing the buyer of any known or
suspected treatments. Problems arise only when you sell goods as something they
aren’t.
Treatment of natural materials is common outside the
jewelry trade. Treatments should be discussed along with color, clarity, cut,
and carat weight.
It’s important to balance the desire to sell with the duty to
disclose. Jewelry professionals have to do their part to maintain the
legitimacy of lab-grown gems and imitations.
If treatment is possible, assume the gem’s been treated unless
proven otherwise. New lab-grown gems often stimulate consumer interest in
natural gems.
Attractiveness, stability, and type of treatment affect a treated
gem’s marketability.
139
Key Terms
Bleaching—A treatment that uses chemicals to lighten or Imitation gem—Any material that looks like a natural gem
remove color. and is used in its place.
Cavity filling—Treatment that fills and seals voids to Irradiation—Exposing a gem to radiation to change or
improve appearance and add weight. improve its color.
Colorless impregnation—Filling of pores or other Lattice diffusion—Exposing a gem to high temperatures

openings with melted wax, resin, polymer, or plastic to and chemicals to allow penetration of color-causing
improve appearance and stability. elements.
Disclosure—Clearly and accurately informing customers Pulling—A process in which the synthetic crystal grows
about the nature of the goods they buy. from a seed that is dipped into a chemical melt, then
pulled away as it gathers material.
Doublet—Two separate pieces of material fused or
cemented together to form a single assembled stone. Quench crackling—A rapid heating and cooling process
that produces fractures in a stone so it will accept dye.
Dyeing—A treatment that adds color or affects color by
deepening it, making it more even, or changing it. Smoke treatment—Heating a wrapped opal until smoke
or ash penetrates its surface to darken it and bring out its
Ethics—Rules or standards governing personal or play-of-color.
professional conduct.
Sugar treatment—Soaking an opal in a hot sugar solution
Flame fusion—A process in which powdered chemicals and then in sulfuric acid to darken it and bring out its
are dropped through a high-temperature flame onto a play-of-color.
rotating pedestal to produce a synthetic crystal.
Surface modification—Altering a gem’s appearance by
Flux growth—A process in which nutrients dissolve in applying backings, coatings, or coloring agents like paint.
heated chemicals, then cool to form synthetic crystals.
Treatment—Any human-controlled process, beyond
Fracture (fissure) filling—Using a filler to conceal fractures cutting and polishing, that improves the appearance,
and improve the apparent clarity of a gem. durability, or value of a gem.
Heat treatment—Exposing a gem to rising temperatures Triplet—A single assembled stone made from three
for the purpose of changing its appearance. separate pieces of material fused or cemented together,
or from two pieces and a colored cement layer.
Hydrothermal growth—A process in which nutrients
dissolve in a water solution at high temperature and
pressure, then cool to form synthetic crystals.
140
n What is a gem treatment?
n What is full disclosure?
n Which gem treatments require full disclosure?
n What’s the purpose of most gem treatments?
n How easy is it to detect treatments?
n How durable are treatments?
n How do treatments affect sales?
n What are lab-grown gemstones?
n Who sells lab-grown gems and how do they market them?
n Do lab-grown gems hurt sales of natural gems?
n How do lab growth processes affect market prices?
n What is an imitation gem?
n What are the main types of imitations found in jewelry?
n Why do people buy imitations?
n Why is disclosure important?
n How do you prepare for full disclosure?
n How can you mix selling with disclosing?
n Why is disclosure more than just a selling issue?
n What are the disclosure issues for lab-grown gems and imitations?
141
Durability, Care, and Cleaning 6
Durability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Hardness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Toughness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Cleavage, Parting, and Fracture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Care and Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
In-Store Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Ultrasonic Cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Steam Cleaners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Safe and Gentle Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Displaying Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Take-In and Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
The Home Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Handling and Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Lifestyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
143
• Identify the properties that contribute to colored stone durability.
• Use your knowledge of colored stone durability to display and promote
gems most effectively.
• Handle any gem with the care and respect it needs and deserves.
• Use in-store cleaning devices properly and safely.
• Explain at-home care and cleaning.
144
Durability, Care, and Cleaning
Terri Weimer/GIA
Soft padding and individual compartments provide the best protection for all types of colored stone jewelry.

When the subject of care and cleaning comes up, veterans of the jewelry
business swap stories that don’t usually end with “and they all lived KEY
happily ever after.” Unfortunately, it’s the horror stories that are remembered CONCEPTS
and retold. These are tales of broken stones, expensive replacements, It’s important to inform consumers
unhappy customers, and lawsuits.
about the unique characteristics of
“Did you hear about the guy who put a fracture-filled emerald ring in an their gems and the care they require.
ultrasonic cleaner?” asks one jeweler.
“I heard it came out covered with white cracks. It was almost as bad as
that ruby ring we had that was ruined by a torch,” says another. “You try
telling a customer her expensive ruby broke apart. We had no idea it had
that large liquid inclusion.”
Unfortunately, most damage to stones can often be traced back to the

jeweler. Your customers depend on you for care and cleaning information.
What you don’t tell them can be hazardous to their jewelry’s health.
145
As you learned in Assignment 5, care advice and the disclosure of

treatments should be part of every sales presentation. You can supplement
your explanations with consumer brochures and other educational
materials. When you explain durability and treatments, your customers
become aware of their gems’ unique characteristics. This can prevent
problems when they bring jewelry in for repair. Your honesty might also
persuade them to send friends to your store. Disclosing treatment and care
information is a way to prevent future jewelry horror stories starring you.
Most colored stones are quite durable, but some stones require special
care. Steam-cleaning a pearl ring, for instance, is always a bad idea, no
matter how dirty it is. Simple jewelry repairs that require heat can damage
an irradiated red or purple tourmaline by causing its color to fade or
change.
This assignment and The Reference Guide have the kind of information
you need to educate your customers about the care and cleaning of their
colored stone jewelry.
Durability
n What are the three components of durability?
n What’s the difference between hardness and toughness?
n How do treatments affect durability?
If you’ve completed Diamond Essentials, you’ll know that even diamond—

KEY the hardest natural material on earth—isn’t indestructible. A five-foot drop
CONCEPTS to a concrete floor can break a diamond, while a scrape against a rough
The three components that make up stone wall would probably leave it unharmed.
a gemstone’s overall durability are That same diamond, if tossed carelessly in a drawer next to jadeite jewelry,
hardness, toughness, and stability. might scratch the jade. But the jade would probably survive the fall that
broke the diamond. Durability is the reason one gemstone with certain
properties can survive abuse that would damage another.
In gemology, durability consists of three qualities: hardness, toughness,

and stability. Most people think “hardness” and “toughness” mean the
same thing. But when you use the words while explaining jewelry care
to a customer, you should know the difference.
Hardness
Hardness measures resistance to scratches. Because diamond can scratch
any other natural material on earth, it’s said to be the hardest gemstone.
In 1822 a German professor and mineralogist named Friedrich Mohs

(MOZE) developed a system for rating the relative hardness of minerals.
Because diamond scratched every other mineral, he gave it the number
10. He then tested other minerals in a similar way. This is the scale Mohs
developed:
146
Tory Kooyman/GIA
This amethyst has two obvious scratches on its table facet.
Diamond 10
Corundum 9
Topaz 8
Quartz 7
Orthoclase 6
Apatite 5
Fluorite 4
Calcite 3
Gypsum 2
Talc 1
Topaz, with a hardness of 8, can scratch any mineral ranked the same or
lower, such as citrine, a member of the quartz family. A mineral with the
same or higher number, on the other hand, will scratch the topaz.
The Mohs scale can be confusing. Without knowing anything else about
the minerals on the list, you might think diamond is only a little harder
than corundum. In fact, destructive scratch tests done with a weighted,
diamond-tipped lever show that diamond is 140 times harder than
corundum and almost 124,000 times harder than talc. These tests are done
only rarely in gem labs, and should never be done on transparent, finished
stones.
Many everyday items measure about a 7 on the Mohs scale. Any gem that
has a lower rating than topaz might pick up some scratches, even if the
wearer is very careful. Even scratchy fabrics like wool can strip away a
pearl’s lustrous outer layer, or nacre, over time.
147
diamond
Robert Weldon/GIA
H A R D E R
Robert Weldon
Ruby and sapphire, both corundum
varieties, are among the hardest of the
colored gemstones (Mohs 9). These stones
make good choices for everyday jewelry.
corundum
S O F T E R
Robert Weldon/GIA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Robert Weldon/GIA
Amethyst and aquamarine are two MOHS RANKING
popular colored stones that fall in the
medium hardness range, between Mohs Peter Johnston/GIA
6 and 8. Although they’re not as hard as This chart illustrates the degrees of hardness between numbers on the Mohs scale.
corundum, they’re still hard enough to Note how hardness levels increase gradually, except between corundum and diamond,
stand up to most daily wear. where the gap is much wider.
148
Robert Weldon/GIA
Opals and pearls are “soft” gemstones. They’re softer than Mohs 6 so they require more
care to prevent scratches.
If you sell a pair of peridot earrings (Mohs 6.5 to 7) and a ruby ring (Mohs
9), you should caution your customer that the ruby—a corundum—can
easily scratch the peridot. In addition, most precious metals are relatively
soft, so a sapphire that’s loose in its mounting can easily wear through a
prong setting.
You should understand the Mohs scale, but it’s better not to quote Mohs
scale numbers to customers. Instead, when you cover other care and
cleaning issues, let the customer know about anything special they need
to do to protect their new gem. This is especially important if they purchase
a softer gem like pearl.
When you show jewelry, handle it with respect. This shows you care for
the item, reinforces its value, and demonstrates proper handling to your
customer. A glass countertop, at Mohs 5 to 6, can easily damage softer,
porous colored stones like amber, pearl, coral, or jet, all at less than 4 on
the Mohs scale. When you set jewelry down, lay it gently on a soft pad.
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These leather work boots might be soft to the touch, but they’re tough enough to
withstand years of wear.
Toughness
Toughness is the second component of durability. Tough stones resist
chips, nicks, cracks, and breakage. Exceptional hardness doesn’t necessarily
mean exceptional toughness. Topaz, a hard stone, breaks rather easily if
it’s hit in the right place. Jadeite, although only 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale,
is much tougher than topaz.
To explain the difference to a customer, try using non-gemological
examples. A leather shoe, for example, is soft and scratches easily with
just a fingernail, but it’s very tough, so it stands up to a lot of wear. On the
other hand, expensive bone china teacups are very hard, but can shatter
if you wash them too vigorously.
A china plate is very hard, so it resists There’s no precise measurement for toughness. Instead, gemologists rate
scratches well. It’s not very tough, gemstone toughness as exceptional (jadeite, nephrite), excellent (chryso-
however, so it breaks easily.
beryl, corundum), good (quartz, spinel), fair (tourmaline, lapis lazuli), or
poor (topaz, amber). As with hardness, the ratings are relative.
Toughness varies depending on gemstone structure, which is something
you’ll learn more about when you take the Colored Stones course. When
a gemstone suffers a fall or a blow, any damage depends on that internal
structure. As you learned in Assignment 3, cleavage, parting, and fracture
are the three main types of breaks.
Cleavage, Parting, and Fracture

A gem has certain weaknesses in its crystal structure. Those weaknesses
are like the grain in a log. You can split a log with an ax only if you strike
it along the grain. If you want to cut it against the grain, you have to use
a saw. In a gemstone, the “grain” is called an atomic plane. Cleavage is
a flat, relatively smooth break that’s parallel to an atomic plane.
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Toughness Groupings
Exceptional: Jadeite, nephrite
Excellent: Alexandrite, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, ruby, sapphire
Good: Agate, almandine, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone,
carnelian, chalcedony, chrysoberyl, citrine, coral,
emerald, onyx, pearl, peridot, pyrope, rhodolite, rose
quartz, smoky quartz, spessartine, spinel, tiger’s-eye
quartz, tsavorite, turquoise, zircon
Fair: Almandine, coral, emerald, hematite, lapis lazuli, opal,
pearl, peridot, pyrope, rhodolite, shell, spessartine,
tanzanite, tortoise shell, tourmaline, tsavorite,
turquoise, zircon
Poor: Amber, emerald, malachite, moonstone, opal, pearl,
tanzanite, topaz, turquoise, zircon
Varieties might appear under more than one rating due to variations in their toughness.
Emerald, for example, ranges from good to poor. Also, factors like inclusions, fractures,
and structural features can lower the toughness of any individual stone.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
An accidental blow fractured this
moonstone along its internal atomic
planes. This type of break is called
cleavage, and it commonly looks
step-like.
Peter Johnston/GIA
A colored stone’s cleavage planes are similar to a log’s grain. You can use an ax to split
a log with one blow if you hit the log with the grain. The kunzite shows a pronounced
step-like cleavage while the blue topaz shows a much flatter, smoother cleavage.
Colored stone cutters use cleavage directions to determine how to cut a

stone. They know that the table facet on a topaz shouldn’t be cut parallel
to the cleavage direction, because that would make the stone very
delicate, even for a careful owner. A mild strike, like accidentally hitting
it against a door or desk, might cleave the stone.
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Tory Kooyman/GIA
Parting is a fracture along twinning
planes. It sometimes occurs in corundum,
especially black star sapphire.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
Citrine quartz can show curved breaks called conchoidal fractures. They’re the most
common fractures in transparent gemstones.
Like cleavage, parting is a flat break, but it occurs along a twinning

plane. Twinning planes are the boundaries between alternating growth
layers in a gemstone. Parting can occur in corundum, especially black
star sapphire.
Conchoidal fracture—A curved and Almost any gem can fracture, and conchoidal (con-KOY-dal) fractures are
ridged fracture in a gemstone, the most common. They’re curved fractures that show up in many gems,
extending from the surface inward. including citrine, amethyst, and garnet. Glass can also have conchoidal
fractures. You’ve probably seen them in broken car windshields.
Stability
The third element of durability is stability, which measures how sensitive
a gemstone is to light, heat, and chemicals. Stability determines care and
cleaning methods, so a lack of information about stability can spoil the
appearance or value of a stone. The Reference Guide is an excellent source
for finding light, heat, and chemical reactions for many popular colored
stones.
Diamonds are very stable. Most colored stones are, too, but some have
individual considerations that might include increased sensitivity to light,
heat, or certain substances. In addition, many colored stones are treated
in some way to improve color or apparent clarity and sometimes luster
and overall durability. These treatments can introduce problems in an
otherwise stable gemstone.
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Terri Weimer/GIA
Be careful when planning displays in outside-facing windows that receive a lot of
light. Exposure to strong sunlight can cause some colored stones to fade.
Light
Sunlight is actually a mild form of radiation, but you don’t notice its effects
unless you’re outside too long and end up painfully sunburned. Most
colored stones are immune to the effects of bright light, whether artificial
or natural, but some popular gems will fade noticeably if exposed to light
for extended periods.
Kunzite and amethyst are two stones that can fade. Brown topaz can fade
over time, as can pink conch-shell cameos. These are beautiful and desirable
items, but there are some things you should tell customers about them. For
example, kunzite, long known as an evening gem, should not be exposed
to light for long periods of time. The Reference Guide lists other colored
stones that might fade, so refer to it when you try to match a specific stone
to a person’s lifestyle. You’ll learn more about this later in this assignment.
Dyed stones like some lapis lazuli and jadeite, as well as some dyed pearls,
can fade. With these gems, though, it’s the dye that fades, not the gem
material. Amber darkens naturally with age and environmental conditions. Robert Weldon/GIA
Some dealers treat amber to darken it prematurely, reasoning that darker The brilliant pink color of this kunzite
amber looks older and thus more expensive. can fade if it’s exposed to bright light for
long periods of time.
Naturally, you shouldn’t put any gemstone that might fade or darken in
display windows that receive a lot of daylight. You should keep them away
from bright halogen lights, too. These lights can be dangerous for another
reason: heat.
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Valerie Power/GIA
Halogen bulbs used in retail displays generate a lot of heat. Keep this in mind when you’re deciding where to display stones that
might fade.
Heat
Although it’s unlikely that you’d ever accidentally cook your jewelry in
your spaghetti sauce, heat from a more likely source—a jeweler’s torch—
can change a gem’s color. Colored stones that can respond to high heat
by changing color include aquamarine, topaz, jadeite, lapis, amethyst,
tourmaline, turquoise, and zircon.
Gems with liquid-filled inclusions might be damaged—or even shatter—

if they’re subjected to excessive heat. A jeweler’s torch can damage treated
stones like rubies with glass-filled cavities or fracture-filled emeralds. The
oil or resin filling in a treated emerald can alter and seep out of the stone.
Be sure to stress that a treated stone’s clarity can deteriorate if the treatment
is not stable or permanent. Oiling, dyeing, and wax impregnation are
examples of non-permanent treatments.
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John Koivula/GIA
The network of tiny cracks in this opal is called crazing. It can Thermal shock during a repair caused the internal cracks in this
happen when a stone loses moisture from excess heat. peridot.

The fluid-filled inclusion (above) in this sapphire burst from exposure to heat (right). If this happens to inclusions that are large
enough, they can shatter the stone when they rupture.
Excessive heat can easily remove the natural moisture some gems need Crazing—The network of tiny
to keep their beauty. Pearls, for instance, can dry out, crack, and discolor fractures that develops when an opal
from excess heat. And opals will turn white or brown, develop tiny cracks loses moisture.
from moisture loss—called crazing—and might lose their play-of-color if
they’re heated during a repair. Dry storage can be just as damaging. Like Thermal shock—Damage caused by
pearls, opals draw moisture from the air. Tell your customers that long-term sudden, extreme temperature
storage in a dry area like a safety deposit box can harm opal or pearl jewelry. changes.
Thermal shock is damage caused by a rapid change in temperature. It can
affect tanzanite, peridot, opal, and some other colored stones. It’s most
likely to occur during a jewelry repair.
Organic gems like pearls, shell, coral, ivory, and amber are very easily
heat-damaged. They discolor and crack at relatively low temperatures.
Inorganic gems with a low tolerance for heat include opal, lapis lazuli,
and turquoise.
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Chemicals
Lotions, perfumes, cosmetics, hair spray, and cleaning products—especially

ammonia—can easily damage soft organic gems. Any acid—even diluted—
will damage these and other organic gems. Always tell customers that, to
avoid accidental contact with pearl jewelry, any hair spray or perfume
should be applied before pearls are put on.
Non-organic stones stand up better to chemicals, but it’s always a good

idea to remove jewelry when using cleansers or solvents. Chlorine can
attack gold alloys, and acids can sometimes etch gemstones. Tell your
customers that they should take off fine jewelry before taking a swim.
Chlorinated swimming pool water attacks gold jewelry, and can damage
some colored stones, including pearls and other organics.
As you learned in Assignment 5, treatments are not bad things in and of

themselves. Without treatments, there would be far fewer gemstones on
the market today. The vivid color of blue topaz would be unavailable, and
the supply of intensely colored ruby and sapphire would be much smaller.
Most tanzanite would be an unattractive brown color, and most citrine
Tell your customers to remove their fine would be lower-quality purple amethyst. Treatments are a fact of life. You
jewelry before swimming. Chlorinated
must tell customers about treatments and about any changes in durability
water attacks gold and damages some
colored stones. caused by them.
Care and Cleaning

n What is the best way to handle finished jewelry for presentation?
n How should you clean fracture-filled emeralds?
n Why should you keep durability in mind when displaying certain

stones?
Tino Hammid/GIA n How does durability affect your store’s take-in procedure?
Exposure to chemicals caused the visible
etching in this peridot. Not all colored Durability plays a role in how retailers display, handle, clean, and repair
stones react the same way to similar colored stone jewelry. You can’t care for all colored stones the same way
chemicals. because their durability range is too wide. The Reference Guide lists
durability characteristics for many of the colored stones you see every
day.
Handling
Tweezers are an essential tool in the jewelry industry, and you should be
comfortable using them. If you’re not adept at using tweezers, it’s easy to
send a loose stone flying across the room.
Of course, you don’t use tweezers for handling finished jewelry. Hold it
carefully and with respect, and wipe it with a soft, lint-free cloth before
you present it and again before you put it away.
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Tory Kooyman/GIA Tory Kooyman/GIA

Whether you’re showing a loose stone like this cushion-cut tanzanite or a finished
piece like this pink sapphire ring, handle jewelry carefully and wipe it before
presenting it to a customer.
Tory Kooyman/GIA Tory Kooyman/GIA Tory Kooyman/GIA

A good way to demonstrate a loose Remember to hold a ring by its shank when putting it on or taking it off (left). It’s
colored stone is to place it on the back wrong to hold a ring between the stone and the bottom of the shank (right). This
of your customer’s hand. This technique smudges the stone and puts pressure on the setting.
conveys a sense of ownership.
One way to get your customer personally interested in a stone is to let her
KEY
handle it. If the gem is going to be set in a ring, pick it up and place it on
CONCEPTS
the back of the customer’s hand, in the space between the middle and
ring fingers, near the knuckle. This lets your customer visualize wearing A gemstone’s durability dictates how
the stone in a ring. Place a pad under your customer’s hand so if she you display, handle, and clean it.
opens her fingers, the stone will fall on the pad rather than the hard glass
countertop.
Colored stones don’t attract grease and oils the same way diamonds do. Shank—The part of a ring that
Even so, handling them will make them dirty. Hold a ring by the shank— encircles the finger.
the part that surrounds the finger—when you present it to your customer.
This is better than holding it between the stone and the bottom of the ring
because it keeps the stone clean and protects it from the push-and-pull
motions some people use to get a ring over their knuckle. You want your
customer to see that beautiful blue sapphire or deep red spinel.
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Get a Grip
Although you will deal mainly
with finished jewelry, you’ll
occasionally find yourself show-
ing loose gems to customers.
The professional, respectful way
you handle loose stones will
show customers you care about
their purchases.
When you show a stone, pick it

up carefully by the girdle with a
neutrally colored pad under-
neath. Pause for a moment to
look at the stone, letting your
customer know that you see it as
Tory Kooyman/GIA
a thing of beauty, not just a
commodity or a “sale.”
You’ll probably pick up larger

stones with your fingers. Colored
stones don’t attract grease as
strongly as diamonds do, so it’s
fine to handle them without
tweezers. Just be sure to wipe
them with a soft cloth before
putting them away, as gemstone
tables can show fingerprints and
smudges.
Most tweezers are made of
hardened surgical steel and can
scratch soft stones. Even medium- Tory Kooyman/GIA
hard or hard stones can be A “hard surface pick-up” lets you hold a stone in tweezers and
damaged by tweezers. If you show it face-up. This technique simulates what a stone would
apply too much pressure, you look like set in jewelry.
can chip or break them.
To do a “hard surface pick-up,” position the gem table-down on a flat surface. If the size
of the gem makes it necessary, open the tweezers slightly with your fingers, then close
the tweezers around the stone at the girdle. Keep your hand relaxed. You need only enough
pressure to keep from dropping the stone.
This grip lets you examine the table or pavilion. To see a stone’s profile, or to look at the
girdle plane, you’ll need to do a “soft surface pick-up.”
158
Start with the stone table-down on

a stone cloth. Pick up the cloth,
slide one tip of the tweezers under
the table, and center the other tip
over the culet. The culet is the most
delicate part of a gemstone, so be
careful. Once you’re holding the
stone table-to-culet in the tweezers,
you can turn the stone with a pencil
eraser or other small tool.
If the customer wants to examine

the stone, use a spring-loaded stone-
Tory Kooyman/GIA holder instead of tweezers. This tool
holds the stone securely while your
customer examines it.
Before you try these methods in a

sales presentation, it’s a good idea
to ask your store gemologist or
supervisor to teach you the proper
techniques.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
Although colored stones like this

tanzanite don’t attract grease as
strongly as diamonds do, they still
show fingerprints and other smudges.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
A “soft surface pick-up,” where you hold the stone table-to-
culet, lets you inspect the girdle plane while turning the
stone.
159
Ultrasonic cleaner—A machine that In-Store Cleaning

cleans jewelry with high-frequency
sound waves in a liquid solution. Durability also influences how a particular colored stone should be
cleaned. Many of the cleaning techniques practiced in stores—and tried
Steam cleaner—A machine that at home—can spell doom for some colored stones. A little education
cleans jewelry with high-pressure eliminates a lot of care-related problems.
steam. Jewelry stores typically have an ultrasonic cleaner and a steam cleaner.
While they’re safe for some colored stone jewelry, refer to The Reference
Guide to see which gems can be cleaned in these devices.
Ultrasonic Cleaners
Ultrasonic cleaners send high-frequency sound waves through a liquid
solution. This removes dirt and build-up on jewelry. Unfortunately, it can
shake stones loose from their mountings and cause real problems for
porous stones like lapis and turquoise. It can also affect stones with low
toughness, like opal. Fracture-filled and oil-impregnated stones like
treated emeralds should never be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner. Doing
so can remove the filling.
The cleaning solution itself can also cause problems with certain stones.
The solution can remove the dye from treated lapis and turquoise and can
etch porous and organic colored stones.
Steam Cleaners
Steam cleaners use high-pressure steam to quickly remove dirt and build-
up. The problem is the machine can blow dirt into cracks on the stone’s
surface, loosen stones from their mountings, or cause thermal shock.
A gemstone blasted hard enough with a shot of steam can hit a wall or
the sink. If you use a steam cleaner, hold the jewelry or gem you’re
Joel Beeson/GIA
cleaning firmly with coated tweezers so you can avoid flying gemstones.
Ultrasonic cleaners send high-frequency
sound waves through a liquid solution. Like an ultrasonic cleaner, a steam cleaner can damage cavity fillings in
This cleans dirt and build-up from jewelry, corundum. If you’re unsure, always assume a stone has been treated and
but might damage some colored stones. do not subject it to ultrasonic or steam cleaning.
Tory Kooyman/GIA
The dye originally used to treat this lapis lazuli cabochon has faded, either from
exposure to heat or to chemicals like ultrasonic cleaning solution. The result is an
uneven, mottled appearance.
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Tory Kooyman/GIA
A safe way to clean most colored stone jewelry is with a soft Frequently worn pearls should be restrung once a year or after
toothbrush and warm, soapy water. every other cleaning.
Safe and Gentle Cleaning

With colored stones, gentle handling is always best. Some safe cleaning
methods include:
• Warm water, mild, detergent-free soap, and a soft toothbrush
• Pulsed-water dental cleaning appliance
• Lint-free gemcloth
Before cleaning any jewelry, make sure you cover the sink’s drain. This
will save any gemstones that come loose while cleaning. A rubber mat in
the sink can stop stones from chipping if they drop.
Don’t use a toothbrush on pearls or other soft gems because they scratch
easily. Instead, use a clean makeup brush and warm, soapy water. Once
the strand of pearls is clean, lay it on a towel to dry. The wet string can
stretch and attract dirt, so don’t touch a string of pearls until it’s completely
dry. Pearls worn every few days should be restrung once a year, or after
every other washing. It’s a relatively inexpensive job that’s usually priced
per inch, and it will keep your customers’ pearls ready for daily wear.
Displaying Gems
As you learned in the section on stability, some stones react to light and
heat, creating problems with in-store displays. Retailers should be aware
that the bright halogen lights in display cases generate heat. Even ordinary
incandescent light bulbs can be a problem. The Reference Guide lists
some gems that can be ruined if left under high-intensity lighting for
extended periods of time. These include opal, amethyst, kunzite, organic Nicholas DelRe/GIA
gems, and dyed or treated stones. Both amber cabochons are from the
same lot and were originally the same
Display windows in direct sunlight can cause certain stones to fade or color. The stone on the right was
otherwise change their color. The soaring temperature inside a display displayed in a brightly lit display case
window on a hot summer day might cause the oil to leak from an emerald. while the other stone was not.
161
More Than Just Repairs

A bench jeweler can be a great asset for a retail outlet. Although
you might think their purpose is mainly repair and design, bench
jewelers also generate customer traffic. If your store advertises that
there’s a bench jeweler on the premises, people are likely to stop
in to have their jewelry cleaned or old pieces repaired.
There are several ways to take advantage of this extra foot traffic
and increase your sales. While the work is being done, take the
opportunity to show merchandise, and ask the customer about any
upcoming special occasions. You can suggest gift ideas and even
explain credit plans.
A good bench jeweler can also save money for a store. If there’s a
stock of loose stones and a selection of mountings available, a cus-
tomer can choose a unique look from different combinations. This
type of jewelry fabrication is faster and easier than custom work,
yet still offers a personalized item for the customer. The benefit to
your customer is a wide range of mounting options for loose colored
stones.
A growing trend, and one
that a store with a bench
jeweler can capitalize on, is
remounting. A customer
comes in with a piece of
older, out-of-fashion jewelry
and an idea for a new setting.
Your bench jeweler can
remove the stones from the
old setting and design or
construct a new setting from
“off-the-shelf” components,
called findings, which include
shanks, heads, and prongs.
A less tangible benefit to
having a bench jeweler in
the store is the aura of
expertise he provides. The
store becomes a full-service
jeweler, ready and able to
tackle even the most complex Terri Weimer/GIA
design job. But not all loca- Many jewelry stores feature on-site
tions can support a bench jewelry repair. This can help them attract
jeweler. High-volume sales and retain more customers.
alone aren’t enough to
warrant the equipment and Findings—Small components used to
salary. make or repair jewelry.
162
Take-In and Repair

Even if your store doesn’t do any repairs, you should know about durability Take-in—A procedure for receiving
and the repair process. Before a piece of jewelry can be repaired or customer jewelry for repair, appraisal,
customized, the first step is take-in. This is an industry term for accepting or cleaning.
an item, inspecting it, and recording information about it.
The more thorough the information, the less likely there is to be a problem.
The person who reads the notes and makes the necessary repairs is the
bench jeweler. From cleaning and polishing to complex jewelry design,
a bench jeweler might see many different colored stones in the course of
a day.
Most retail jewelry stores have their own individual take-in policies.
Check with your supervisor or bench jeweler for more information and
follow your store’s procedures. Your supervisor or bench jeweler is familiar
with colored stone properties and treatments, but sound take-in procedures
help prevent problems. Remember that if a stone can be treated or
enhanced, you should assume that it has been.
Typical repair and customizing jobs requested by customers include
cleaning, polishing, retipping prongs, resizing rings, remounting, and
replacing or adding stones to an existing jewelry item.
Experienced jewelers know that colored stone durability can vary widely.
Different procedures can affect a stone in different ways, so before you
tell a customer your store can perform a job, check with the jeweler to make
sure it’s safe for the stone. For instance, ring resizing can put stress on
mounted kunzite, which has poor toughness. The bench jeweler can elimi-
nate the potential for damage by removing the gem before the resizing.
Eric Welch/GIA
Always check with the bench jeweler to
The Home Front make sure a repair can be done safely.
Not all gems can handle the stress of
n What’s the best way to clean jewelry at home? certain jewelry repair procedures.
n Which is more likely to suffer damage—earrings or a bracelet?
“When should I clean my jewelry?” You’ll probably get asked this question
after making a sale. The simple answer, of course, is: “When it’s dirty.”
Unfortunately, you frequently can’t see when a stone is dirty. You might
just notice that it’s just not as bright or clear as it once was. Soap, hand
lotion, grease, and food can all accumulate on jewelry, leaving it looking
lifeless and dull. Regular at-home cleaning keeps fine jewelry looking new.
Cleaning
While in your store, your customer might ask about commercial jewelry
cleaning products. Your store might even stock them. Many of these
KEY
cleaners contain ammonia and are safe only for diamond jewelry and
CONCEPTS
the more durable colored stones. They should never be used on soft Commercial jewelry cleaning products
gemstones, but they work well on precious metals. The same warning should not be used on soft, porous, or
applies to household ammonia and cleansers that contain ammonia.
organic gems.
Bleach, a common household solvent, can pit gold alloys, as can pro-
longed exposure to chlorinated water.
163
The Take-In Procedure
Eric Welch/GIA
Careful notes during take-in can protect your store from a lot of potential problems later.
When you begin jewelry take-in, you should always inspect the piece carefully in front
of the customer. With the focus of more and more TV documentaries and evening news
“exposés” on the jewelry industry, customers are understandably nervous about
jewelry scams. They might not come out and say it, but some worry about gemstone
switching and other dishonest practices.
It doesn’t pay to ignore this attitude. Consumer stories are constantly in the news, from
shady mechanics to dishonest accountants. It takes only one fraudulent jeweler to ruin
the public perception of an honest profession.
You should first inspect the item under magnification to check for damage. If the
customer brings in a garnet ring for resizing and you notice that the stone moves around
in the setting, you should inform the customer. You should also mention and note
visible treatments like oiling, wax impregnation, and fracture filling.
You should also pay close attention to the setting itself. Examine it for missing gems
and note any broken prongs or chipped stones. If you spot any of these problems, you
should immediately report them to the customer.
Experienced take-in professionals don’t assume anything. They know that not all red
gems are rubies and not all purple gems are amethysts. Even if a customer says “It’s
my grandfather’s natural ruby ring,” you should note that you took in a “yellow-metal
ring with a red cabochon.” Not every yellow metal is gold, and the customer’s
grandfather might have owned a lab-grown ruby manufactured as long ago as the late
1800s. A qualified staff gemologist will be able to provide a positive identification.
If the customer still insists that the red cabochon is a natural ruby, you can write
“Customer states red cab is a natural ruby” on the take-in form.
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Valerie Power/GIA
Your customer will appreciate it if you tell A padded jewelry case protects valuable
her about the special care and handling jewelry pieces against travel-related
her pearls require. damage.
As you learned earlier, the best tools for cleaning colored stone jewelry
are a soft toothbrush or a pulsed-water dental hygiene machine, warm
soapy water, and a soft, lint-free cloth.
Although small ultrasonic cleaning machines are commonly sold, you should
educate your customers on their proper use. As you have learned, there
are some colored stones that should never go into an ultrasonic cleaner.
Handling and Storage

Although most customers treat their expensive jewelry with care, they
might not realize that even ordinary handling can reduce its life. Remind
them to be careful with cosmetics, hair spray, perfume, skin lotion, and
sunblock when wearing porous or organic gemstones.
Storage is something many people don’t think about. They should never
just toss their jewelry in a drawer or on top of a dresser. That can lead to
scratches and fractured stones. Most jewelry pieces come in a box or pouch
from the store. Either one is perfect for safely storing individual pieces.
Jewelry boxes that feature individual padded slots for rings and posts for
hanging necklaces and bracelets are also ideal, as long as the design keeps
the items from rubbing against one another. Traveling with jewelry can
be another concern customers have. Let your customers know that the
container they choose to protect their jewelry has to serve two functions:
It must protect the piece or pieces from scratches or other impact damage,
and it must also be padded to keep the jewelry from bouncing around
inside the container.
Tell your customer to remember that pearls and opals need a certain
amount of moisture from the air. Customers might not realize that sealing
them in an airtight container or an extremely dry place, like a safety
deposit box, can ruin them. Share this information with them before they
leave your store.
165
Many women work in fields traditionally dominated by men. Because of this, their
jewelry durability needs are changing.
Lifestyles
One of the best ways to avoid problems with colored stones is to match
the stone with the owner’s lifestyle.
People live differently than they did 25 years ago. Lifestyles are more
active and fashions are less bound by convention. Many men wear
earrings and other jewelry, and many women work in fields like
construction. Don’t assume you know your customers’ needs. Ask plenty
of questions and don’t be afraid to educate a customer if you think their
colored stone choice might not be ideal for them.
Overall lifestyle is an important consideration. A pearl ring might not be
the best choice for someone with an active lifestyle. A pair of pearl earrings
might be better because they’re less likely to be struck. If the athlete prefers
rings to earrings, suggest something like a sapphire ring. Explain that
jewelry worn on arms and fingers is subject to a lot of everyday abuse.
More “protected” jewelry includes necklaces, pendants, pins, and earrings.
Informing your customers about the care and cleaning of their stones will
help them enjoy many years of pleasure from their purchases. It will also
demonstrate your honesty and knowledge and encourage them to trust
you with future business.
The next two assignments contain more valuable information you can use
every day. You’ll see how planned sales procedures can help you make
the sale almost every time. And you’ll learn to apply what you’ve learned
in this course to selling the industry’s most popular gems: emerald, ruby,
and sapphire.
166
KEY
CONCEPTS
It’s important to inform consumers about the unique A gemstone’s durability dictates how you display, handle, and
characteristics of their gems and the care they require. clean it.
The three components that make up a gemstone’s overall Commercial jewelry cleaning products should not be used on
durability are hardness, toughness, and stability. soft, porous, or organic gems.
Key Terms
Conchoidal fracture—A curved and ridged fracture in a Steam cleaner—A machine that cleans jewelry with high-
gemstone, extending from the surface inward. pressure steam.
Crazing—The network of tiny fractures that develops Take-in—A procedure for receiving customer jewelry for
when an opal loses moisture. repair, appraisal, or cleaning.
Findings—Small components used to make or repair Thermal shock—Damage caused by sudden, extreme
jewelry. temperature changes.
Shank—The part of a ring that encircles the finger. Ultrasonic cleaner—A machine that cleans jewelry with
high-frequency sound waves in a liquid solution.
167
n What are the three components of durability?
n What’s the difference between hardness and toughness?
n How do treatments affect durability?
n What is the best way to handle finished jewelry for presentation?
n How should you clean fracture-filled emeralds?
n Why should you keep durability in mind when displaying certain stones?
n How does durability affect your store’s take-in procedure?
n What’s the best way to clean jewelry at home?
n Which is more likely to suffer damage—earrings or a bracelet?
168
Presenting Colored Stones 7
The Seven Steps to a Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Approaching the Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
I’m Just Looking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Exchanging Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Ask Why. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Talking About Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Building Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Creating Desire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Be Agreeable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
The Trial Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Handling Objections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
The Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Add-On Closes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
“I Don’t Know”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
The Follow-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Key Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
169
• Determine the best possible customer approach and information
exchange.
• Promote the value of the jewelry to create desire in your customer.
• Use features and benefits to promote colored stones.
• Follow up to retain customers and inspire their referrals.
170
Presenting Colored Stones
Eric Welch/GIA
There are many steps to take on the way to a successful sale and a satisfied customer.

A lot of information has come your way. You now know why gems are
valuable; where they come from; how they get to your store; the difference
between simulants and lab-grown gemstones; how light, heat, and
chemicals can affect a stone; and much more.
The facts, terms, and concepts you learned in Assignments 1 through 6 Sales presentation—A structured
laid the foundation for this assignment. “Presenting Colored Stones” will method of talking about a service or
give you the opportunity to apply this information to the most important demonstrating a product with the
part of your retail career: the sales presentation. Even if you work in a intent to sell.
different segment of the jewelry industry, such as wholesale or manufac-
turing, it always pays to know how to deal with the consumer. You’ll apply
many of the same sales techniques when you deal with clients.
Even if you’ve never sold anything in a business or retail environment,
you use sales skills every day. When you go on a job interview, you sell
your talents. When you apply for a loan, you sell your ability to pay on
time. Your approach might not be as structured as it is in a formal sales
presentation, but you use many of the same techniques.
This is a good time to be selling colored stones. Stones that were once
very popular, like opal, are making a comeback. Relatively new stones
like tanzanite are popping up in jewelers’ windows all over the world.
Fine-quality tanzanite has become an affordable alternative to fine-quality
sapphire.
171
KEY
CONCEPTS
Your main goal is to help your customer
make an informed buying decision.
You “sell” yourself and your abilities every day. Whether you’re talking to a loan officer
at a bank or the head of human resources at the company you want to work for, you
use many of the basic principles that professional salespeople use.
Like clothing and design fashions, colored stone popularity can be

cyclical, so keep an eye on magazines and television programs to get an
idea of trends. Many people buy jewelry or fashions based on what they
see around them. “Radical” and “cutting-edge” fashions gradually gain
acceptance as consumers become comfortable seeing them. In the same
way, unique stones like spessartine garnet became popular as the bright
orange color found its way into fashion and design. The way colored stone
retail sales have been increasing, colored stones can be as important to
your store’s success as diamonds are.
With this increased popularity comes the need for well-trained salespeople.
An informal poll among retail jewelers found that “product knowledge”
was lacking in most fine-jewelry salespeople. Your knowledge of colored
stones, precious metals, mountings, and your store’s inventory is your
ticket to more sales and greater customer satisfaction. As you’ll see later
in this assignment, product knowledge can increase customer desire, help
you through the more difficult parts of a sale, and demonstrate to the
customer that you are a professional.
This doesn’t mean you should neglect sales knowledge. Salespeople who
can recite the properties of every variety of spinel or tourmaline without
knowing when to apply that information are not good salespeople. At
best, they might just put their customers to sleep with boredom. At worst,
they’ll lose the sale completely.
On the other hand, a sales professional who neglects product knowledge
in favor of the “hard sell” will probably come across as pushy and manip-
ulative. If you’ve ever felt pressured into making a decision about a car,
computer, or sofa, you’ll understand why people don’t like to do business
with this type of salesperson.
172
Using Product Knowledge to Turn

Features Into Benefits
As you’ve learned, product knowledge is one of the most powerful
tools you have as a sales professional. If you know what you’re
talking about, you can answer questions, help customers make
decisions, suggest alternatives, and clear up confusion.
Throughout this assignment you’ll find pictures of gems and jewelry. Feature—A characteristic or part of a
Under each picture is a list of some of the piece’s characteristics, piece of jewelry.
called features, and some suggestions on how to discuss the advan-
tages those features hold for your customer, called benefits. Benefit—The value a feature holds for
a customer.
The pictures represent a wide cross-section of what you might find
in your store. The samples range from the simple to the complex,
Add-on sale—Additional merchandise
showing some popular gemstones as well as a few exotic examples.
sold to a customer in an ongoing
If your store carries jewelry that’s similar to one of the examples, transaction.
try modifying the benefit statement to fit it. After you’re finished
with the assignment, go through some of your store’s inventory and
develop feature and benefit statements for each piece. After you do
this, you’ll be very familiar with your store’s stock and ready to
answer any questions that come your way.
Never forget that, as a retail sales associate, your one main goal is to help
your customer make an informed buying decision. The balance between
product knowledge and sales technique will help you select the right
colored stones for your customers, answer any questions they might have,
offer care and cleaning advice, and close more sales.
The Seven Steps to a Sale

n What’s the most critical part of a sales presentation?
n Why is it a mistake to ask customers how much they want to spend?
n What’s the difference between a feature and a benefit?
n How do you use word pictures as sales tools?
n How do you complete an add-on close?
Sometimes, a person might walk into your store, point at a pair of peridot
earrings and say, “Those are perfect—I’ll take them.” If that happens,
consider yourself lucky, write up the sale, try an add-on sale (you’ll learn
more about this later), and compliment the customer’s good taste.
Generally, however, a successful sale doesn’t happen by itself.
More often than not, selling is like a chess game. You move, then the
customer moves, then you counter, the customer might retreat, then you
counter again, and so on. The more you prepare yourself with product
and sales knowledge, the more quickly and effectively you can make the
sale. Easy sales do happen—you just can’t count on them.
173
The sales process typically has seven steps. Some of these steps can (and
will) be modified or shortened, but it’s important to handle each one in
order. Think of each step as a goal. Here are the seven steps to a sale:
• Approach the customer
• Exchange information
• Build value
• Create desire
• Attempt a trial close
• Close the sale
• Follow up
Terri Weimer/GIA
This process is effective in any segment of the jewelry industry, from mass
Tsavorite and Diamond Ring merchandising to high-end. The first two steps—approaching the customer
Feature: Fine-quality, oval-cut, 3.94-ct. and exchanging information—are extremely important. Even if a customer
tsavorite garnet. starts by asking you to recommend a necklace for his girlfriend, don’t try
Benefit: Tsavorite is an exotic gem from to close the sale without introducing yourself. It’s possible to sell jewelry
East Africa. It’s rarer than emerald and has that way, but it’s not very effective or courteous.
better clarity, even when it’s untreated,
as this stone is. Its large size makes it Remember that most purchases—especially expensive ones like fine
even rarer. jewelry, real estate, and cars—require tact and skill on the salesperson’s
Feature: Diamond accents. part. If you carefully work your way through these steps while giving
Benefit: The diamonds add value and superior customer service, you’ll notice a dramatic rise in the number of
sparkle, and their icy brilliance contrasts sales you close compared to the number you attempt, called your closing
attractively with tsavorite’s rich green. ratio.
Feature: Contemporary yellow gold
setting. Usually, you don’t have to do all the talking during a sales presentation.
Benefit: The mounting complements As you present a piece of jewelry, your customer will raise objections that
the gems and protects their girdle edges act as temporary obstacles to the sale. These could consist of anything
from damage. from a simple question about a piece’s durability to a half-hearted “Umm,
I should probably talk to my wife about it first.”
Closing ratio—The number of Objections can happen at any time during the sales process. Think of your
successful sales compared to the product knowledge and sales skills as preparation. You can use them to
number of total sales attempts. overcome any objections and answer any questions honestly and ethically.
Objection—A temporary obstacle, Approaching the Customer

raised by the customer, that delays or
even stops the sale. Approaching the customer is usually the shortest part of your sales presen-
tation, but it’s also the most critical. Remember that people are more likely
to buy when they’re comfortable and happy. It sounds simple, but most
rules in business are.
Your first job has three parts: to greet customers, to make them feel at
ease in your store, and to get past any negative resistance they might
have. The catch here is you have to do this all in one or two short, friendly
sentences.
When you greet a customer, don’t instantly start selling merchandise.
Instead, make sure you use a friendly greeting like “Hello,” “Hi, I’m Pete
Becker,” “Hi there! I’m Diane Lane.” Overeager salespeople sometimes
forget this basic step in their haste to show off new inventory.
174
Fantasy-Cut Garnet Pendant

Feature: Fantasy-cut rhodolite garnet.
Benefit: Rich, reddish purple color looks almost like fine ruby,
but its price is more affordable. The stone’s size, color, and
unique cut guarantee that it will be a striking conversation
piece. Garnets like this are generally untreated.
Feature: 14K yellow gold mounting and chain.
Benefit: The textured yellow gold mounting contrasts with the
gem in both color and texture, and its flowing design blends
with the gem’s unique cut.
Tino Hammid/GIA
The best time to learn your customer’s name is right after you introduce
KEY
yourself. If you look your customer in the eye and say your own name
CONCEPTS
while you greet her warmly, chances are very good that she’ll automatically
tell you her name. Commit it to memory and don’t hesitate to use it Introduce yourself when you first
frequently during your presentation: It will make her feel important. Even approach the customer.
if your sale is unsuccessful, use your customer’s name when you thank
her for stopping in.
Try to ask open-ended questions so the customer has to think about the Open-ended question—A question
responses. Closed-ended questions require only a “yes” or “no” answer that requires a thoughtful, specific
and discourage conversation. As one seasoned sales professional puts it, answer other than “yes” or “no.”
“A talking customer is a buying customer. The only time I feel like I’m in
trouble is when my customer shuts up.” Closed-ended question—A question
that requires only a “yes” or “no”
Here are some examples of common closed-ended questions. The next time
response.
you’re out shopping, notice how often you hear these (usually) unsuccessful
openers:
• May I help you?
• Do you know what you’re looking for?
• Can I help you find something?
• Isn’t that a nice (necklace, pair of earrings, ring, etc.)?
Even the question “How are you today?” usually earns you a curt “fine.”
It’s not technically a closed-ended question, but it’s not very useful either.
Try not to use it in your approach.
A good open-ended approach might be, “How’s the traffic out there today?
The freeways looked busy this morning!” Try to think of other open-ended
questions you can use when you talk to customers. Pay attention to
outward signs that reveal a person’s interests or social role. College or
university sweatshirts, sports team hats, a beautiful watch, or a child in a
stroller can all be great icebreakers. Even that old standby, the weather,
can help you engage your customer in a little small talk.
Remember that sincerity and uniqueness are important, but make sure
you ask questions or make statements that are comfortable for you. Other-
wise, you’ll sound forced and unnatural, and your discomfort will be
immediately obvious to your customer.
Don’t race through this part of your approach. Some people enter a
jewelry store only two or three times in their lives. Do your best to make
it a pleasant experience.
175
I’m Just Looking

It’s no secret that most people try to avoid salespeople in retail stores.
Often, your attempts at conversation will fail and you’ll hear those
dreaded three words: “I’m just looking.” It’s the most common phrase
customers use to get out of what they think is an uncomfortable situation.
If this happens, don’t give up. You can still easily get to step two from here.
One way to proceed is to agree with your customer, and then use the
take-away to remove their excuse. For instance, if Jane says, “I’m just
looking,” Pete can agree by saying something like, “We have lots of
beautiful things to look at.” Then, to take away the “looking” defense (or
“just browsing” or “just killing time”), Pete could say, “Is it for yourself,
or a gift for someone else?” This gives Jane another open-ended question
to deal with.
If Jane insists at this point that she really is “just looking,” it might be best
for Pete to back off a bit. He might say, “Great! When you’re ready to look
at something, just let me know. Our diamonds are right here, pearls are
this way, and colored stones are along this wall.” This doesn’t mean,
however, that you should give up completely after the second attempt.
Stay visible and offer to answer any questions or show merchandise.
Exchanging Information
Robert Weldon/GIA
Once you’ve established a relationship with your customer, you can start
Aquamarine Pendant to discover what they want and why they want it. This second step also
Feature: Fine-color step-cut gives you the opportunity to develop your customer’s trust. Increased trust
aquamarine, about 36 cts. in size. leads to repeat and word-of-mouth business, both of which add up to
Benefit: Fine aquamarine combines higher sales and bigger paychecks.
striking transparency and clarity with
large size. It gives you a lot of gem for Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be concerned with price yet. Price is
the money, and people will notice and ultimately important, but too often, it acts as a brick wall. You should avoid
talk about the gem’s size and quality. questions like “How much were you looking to spend?”
Aquamarine’s tranquil blue hues have
been romantically compared with the Instead, keep using open-ended questions. Journalism’s famous “Five Ws”
color of the ocean for centuries. This (plus two) work well: who, what, why, where, when, how, and “tell me.”
stone has undergone no treatment Remember that customers aren’t clones—the same sales approach won’t
beyond simple heating. work on every buyer. Make sure you listen to what your customer says
Feature: Diamond-set white metal and ask appropriate follow-up questions. Don’t rush through the information
pendant mounting. exchange so you can show off your store’s inventory. Think of this step as
Benefit: The diamond accents add a “screening process.”
brilliance and sparkle, while the cool,
white metal mounting complements the Although few customers know very much about fine jewelry or colored
stone’s serene blue color. The curve of stones, many have clear ideas about what they want. Listen to their
the mounting contrasts pleasingly with opening statements and use them to narrow your questions and find
the gem’s straight sides. exactly the right piece for a customer. For instance, if a man knows he
wants a strand of pearls, you can easily get more information:
Take-away—A two-part sales • What length would you like?
technique that removes a customer’s
• Whom are you shopping for? (Note the word “shopping,” not “buying.”
“just looking” defense.
A word like shopping takes some of the pressure off the customer.)
• What special occasion is this for? (This is a good way to pose a “why”
question.)
176
A Model Approach
Here’s an example of an open-ended approach and conversation:
As he greets the customer with a smile, Pete notices she’s carrying
a number of bags from different department stores.
Pete: You’re carrying quite a load there. I’m Pete Becker, by the way.
Customer: I’m Jane Hathaway. Yes, I’ve got a fundraiser to go to
tonight ... it might be fun, or it could be a nightmare!
Pete: Either way, it sounds like a full evening, Ms. Hathaway. What’s
the occasion?
Customer: My husband’s on the board over at the university, and
this is a party to raise money for the new sports center. Anyway, I
bought a new dress and I thought it would be nice to find a bracelet
to go with it.
Now that Jane has brought up the subject of jewelry, Pete can easily
dive into his presentation and start asking questions and showing
merchandise. While he’s guiding the customer over to the bracelet
counter and considering items to show, he can continue the conver- Robert Weldon/GIA
sation:
Cultured Pearl Strand With
Pete: Our bracelets are right over here. Boy, they’ve got a great Citrine Clasp
basketball team this year, don’t they? Do you make it to many home Feature: Yellow-gold clasp with 25-ct.
games? non-traditional-cut citrine. Clasp
converts to pendant and can be used
Customer: We try, but the more they win, the harder it is to get without the cultured pearl strand.
tickets. Benefit: Citrine’s warm hue and the
brilliance of its cut complement the
Pete: Well, I’m sure they’ll appreciate an updated sports center. clasp’s yellow gold. The piece is
Why don’t you tell me more about the dress, and I’ll see what I have convertible—the clasp can be used on
to go with it... its own as a striking pendant, so it offers
“two pieces in one.” The unusual cut
provides more brilliance than normal
for a citrine of this size.
Feature: Uniform, well-matched double
strand of cultured pearls.
Conversely, if a woman comes in and would like “some jewelry to match Benefit: These high-quality, exquisitely
a new outfit,” you’ve got to ask more questions: matched cultured pearls complement
any outfit, and they’re appropriate for
• What can you tell me about the outfit? almost every occasion. The cultured
pearls highlight the citrine clasp to
• How often will you wear it? create a unique piece of fine jewelry.
• What precious metal do you prefer?
If you find out this customer wants a blue gemstone, and will wear it as
everyday jewelry in a bracelet, you probably won’t suggest iolite for
durability reasons. You learned about matching lifestyles with colored
stones in Assignment 6.
177
Ask Why
Many salespeople don’t like asking “why” questions because they see it
as a pushy word. Actually, if used correctly, “why?” can be a very useful
tool, especially when you suspect your customer might have some
mistaken information. Consider “why” an essential part of your sales
professional’s “toolbox.”
If you’re talking with a customer and she says, “I’d like to look at opal
rings,” you can use “why” effectively: “Tell me why...” or “May I ask you
why...” work well.
You: May I ask you why you’re interested in opal?
Customer: Well, I work with my hands a lot, and my friend told me that
Tino Hammid/GIA
opal is almost indestructible. I thought it would make a good ring.
Peridot Ring
Feature: A fine-quality 2.76-ct. peridot As you learned in Assignment 6 and in The Reference Guide, opals are
with a non-traditional cut. far from indestructible. You’d be doing this customer a favor by educating
Benefit: Peridot’s rich, warm green color her and helping her pick out a different, tougher colored stone, such as
has been cherished since the time of the jadeite, sapphire, or ruby.
Egyptian pharaohs. The distinctive cutting
style blends traditional emerald-cut
shape with a modern checkerboard-cut Talking About Money
table. The gem’s size and striking color
make it an ideal ring stone. Peridots are Many salespeople sabotage their own sales by asking their customers how
usually not treated in any way, so this much money they want to spend. While this might seem like a perfectly
gem’s beauty is completely natural.
good question, it’s actually a brick wall that prevents you from making
Feature: 18K yellow gold bezel-set bigger sales.
mounting.
Benefit: The mounting’s clean, simple, If you ask, and your customer says “$250,” that might stop you from
geometric look suits the style of the gem.
The warm color of the gold complements
showing the $400 pearl earrings in your display case. It’s very difficult to
the peridot’s rich yellowish green. The sell anything more expensive once a price is established. If you present
bezel mounting protects the gem from those $400 earrings before your customer tells you a price, he might like
damage and emphasizes the stone’s them enough to stretch his budget a bit.
exceptional proportions and cut.
Surveys show that most jewelry buyers spend less money than they were
prepared to for their jewelry. This simply means they weren’t shown
merchandise in the proper price range. Be sure to start out with one of
your better pieces because everything you show after that will be
compared to the first one. Similarly, anything less expensive than that first
item will seem like a bargain, even if it’s also a high-end piece. It’s like
the law of gravity: It’s much easier to go down than to go up. Most
customers will buy the best item they can afford.
At the same time, don’t criticize the less-expensive jewelry your store
carries. Remember that all jewelry is beautiful and valuable. If a customer
says he prefers purple tanzanite to blue, don’t argue—show him purple
tanzanite. Just because the blue-colored stone is more prized to connoisseurs
doesn’t make your customer’s preference any less valid. The customer will
get the stone he likes, and you make a sale. Both of you win.
178
Diplomas Inspire Trust

Hairdressers tuck their diplomas in salon mirrors. Mechanics hang
theirs in garages. Physicians and dentists display them in their
waiting rooms. Professionals with diplomas don’t hide their creden-
tials in drawers. Why not? Because diplomas inspire trust, especially
when they’re earned from a world authority like GIA.
Your enrollment in Colored Stone Essentials already demonstrates
your trust in GIA. You might have chosen this course for the concise
and timely product knowledge and sales pointers you have probably
already begun to use on the sales floor. Or you might be looking
forward to earning that ultimate hallmark of professionalism—a
diploma.
Tino Hammid/GIA
Completing Colored Stone Essentials is a major step toward a
diploma of your own. This course can be applied to the Graduate Kunzite Ring
Gemologist (GG) program or the Accredited Jewelry Professional Feature: A 3.51-ct. oval-cut kunzite
(AJP) program for sales associates. The choice is yours. Either way, spodumene.
your diploma from GIA will pave the way for your progress in the Benefit: The gem’s pastel color is feminine
jewelry industry, whether your field of expertise is buying, appraising, and delicate, and it can complement any
grading, or selling. wardrobe color. Its large size makes a
statement, but it’s not too big to be worn
Interested in gaining customer confidence while your own confidence comfortably.
soars? Take all three courses in our focused, relevant “essentials”
Feature: Round-brilliant diamond accent
line—Diamond Essentials, Colored Stone Essentials, and Jewelry
stones in graduated sizes.
Essentials—to gain the right to add “AJP” after your name.
Benefit: The diamonds add sparkle, and
GIA’s internationally acclaimed gemology programs offer the in- their carefully chosen sizes complement
depth knowledge and skills that a fully qualified Graduate Gemologist the ring style. The graceful arrangement
needs, including professional gem-buying skills; identification of matches the kunzite’s contours.
treatments, lab-grown gems, and imitations; and analysis of diamond Feature: Contemporary gold setting.
quality. Benefit: The setting cradles and protects
the stones, and its rounded, flowing
Customers do business with jewelers they trust. Your business card, design complements the oval cut.
your resumé, and that important document framed on your wall,
all demonstrate that you are a professional to be trusted when it
comes to jewelry sales.
If you are not currently progressing toward a diploma, find out how.
For more information about earning your AJP or GG diploma, or
about other GIA education programs, call toll-free in the US at
(800) 421-7250, ext. 4001. Outside the US, call (760) 603-4000,
ext. 4001.
Building Value
After all this talk, you’re probably ready for some action. The next two KEY
steps—building value and creating desire—make up the demonstration CONCEPTS
part of the sales process. This is where you actually show jewelry, mention
features, and explain benefits. It’s where your product knowledge will Features and benefits are essential parts
be needed most. of a sales presentation.
179
Cat's-Eye Chrysoberyl Brooch

Feature: Cat’s-eye chrysoberyl cabochon.
Benefit: This is the finest, most-prized
chatoyant gem, and the size and quality of
this gem make it extremely rare.
Feature: Art Deco mounting with
diamond and emerald accents.
Benefit: This piece shows exquisite
craftsmanship, and the perfectly matched
diamond and emerald accents give it a
distinctive character that more modern
items lack. It symbolizes a bygone era
when jewelry was handmade by the finest
Robert Weldon/GIA
artisans with the utmost attention to
detail. The exceptional phenomenal gem
and the high-quality handmade mounting
combine to make this a “one-of-kind” As you’ve read, a feature is a distinctive part of a piece of jewelry: “One
jewelry piece. feature of this ruby is its hardness.” A benefit is what the feature does for
the customer: “Ruby is a hard gemstone that can stand up to everyday
wear.” One feature might have several benefits.
The old sales cliche is still true today: People don’t buy features, they buy
benefits. It’s important to know the features of a piece of jewelry, but it’s
more important to show the value of those features. After you take the
time to personalize the features, customers begin to sell the jewelry to
themselves in their minds.
If you’re presenting a tanzanite ring, you can say, “This beautiful 3-ct.
tanzanite is a rich violet-blue.” This is the feature, but the benefit statement
should personalize this for the customer: “Not only does this color
complement your eyes and skin tone, it also looks wonderful in the
durable platinum setting.” You can finish by stating additional benefits,
such as “Tanzanite is more affordable than a comparable sapphire and
stones this size and quality are very rare. Why don’t you try it on?”
A good exercise is to take a piece of merchandise and list all its features.
Try to come up with benefits that would be valuable to an imaginary
Robert Weldon/GIA customer. Try to take the same feature and vary its benefits to suit different
customers. What appeals to one person doesn’t always appeal to another.
Loose Amethyst Pretend one customer is buying the jewelry for an anniversary, while
Feature: Large, fine-color, cushion-cut another is buying it for herself as a reward for reaching a goal at work.
amethyst.
Work through your inventory this way during your store’s “down time.”
Benefit:This is a large, fine-quality, richly
purple-hued gem that’s also affordable. You’ll be prepared for any questions, and your professionalism will be
It would make the perfect centerpiece immediately obvious to your customers.
for a custom jewelry design. The gem’s
color has been valued for centuries and
Pay attention to news stories about jewelry or world events. The International
its exquisite cut maximizes that color, as Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) named 1996 “The Year of the Ruby.”
well as its beauty and brilliance. This announcement, coupled with the widely publicized Sotheby’s auction
of the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, inspired many people to buy
ruby jewelry and sales skyrocketed.
It might also help you to read about colored stone history and lore in your
spare time. The exotic nature of colored stones and their sources is a
powerful attraction for many people.
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Creating Desire
People have many reasons for buying jewelry. These include social status,
pride of possession, and a love of beautiful things. Even gifts can be seen
as status symbols because the more wealth and power people hold, the
higher-quality their gifts tend to be.
The fastest-growing motivation, according to many jewelers, is personal
adornment. More men and women are buying jewelry for their professional
wardrobes so they can be seen as successful. These are all valid reasons,
but the main reason is as a token of affection: People buy jewelry mainly
for their loved ones.
As you build desire, you need to consider everything you’ve learned from
your customer. The customer’s motivation, coupled with the information
you’ve gathered from the sales process, will give you the tools you need
to create desire and close the sale.
Your attitude toward the merchandise can often influence your customer.
If you treat a $12,500 ruby bracelet carelessly by letting it drop on the
glass countertop or showing it when it’s dirty, you’ll have trouble
convincing your customer to spend so much money on such a small thing.
However, when you show the piece under flattering light, lift it carefully,
Tino Hammid/GIA
pause and look at it admiringly, and gently place it on a neutrally colored
pad after wiping it with a cloth, you’re building suspense and showing Blue Topaz Pendant
your respect for what you’re selling. Feature: Pear-shaped 6.85-ct. treated
Also consider that, although you see your inventory every day, it’s all new blue topaz.
to your customer. Keep your enthusiasm level up, even when you’re Benefit: The gem has the look of fine
showing a pair of amethyst earrings for the fifth time in one day. aquamarine at a fraction of the price. Its
pear shape is ideal for a pendant. The
Be careful, though, not to distract the customer. Try not to show more than treatment is stable.
one piece at a time. The customer can lose focus and get distracted, which Feature: 14K yellow gold bezel setting.
is not a good thing when, as a salesperson, you’re trying to get a Benefit: The setting follows the contours
commitment on an item. This policy is important for security reasons as of the gem, and the bezel protects the
well. It’s easy to lose track of a pair of earrings if you have six or seven gem’s edges from damage. The simple
pairs strewn on the counter. geometric elements and sculpted edge
add definition and balance. The texture of
Sometimes, creating desire is as easy as letting your customer try on a ring the pendant contrasts with the brilliance
or bracelet. They might understand value perfectly after your presentation, of the diamond accent stones.
but jewelry is rarely a necessity, so there has to be a passionate impulse Feature: Round brilliant diamond accent
to buy it. stones.
The traditional sales term for trying on jewelry, test-driving a car, or any Benefit: The diamonds add sparkle and
value to the pendant.
other type of interactive demonstration, is “the puppy dog close.” If you
let a person take a puppy home, there’s little chance they’ll want to give
it back. Likewise, once a customer sees herself wearing that beautiful
garnet necklace in a store mirror, it’s harder for her to say “no.” You
strengthen desire for the item when you let the customer wear it. KEY
CONCEPTS
As you learned in Assignment 2, the use of word pictures is an effective
way to create passion for jewelry. “Brown” might be a perfectly valid word, People buy jewelry most often as a
but it leaves a lot to be desired as a descriptive tool. If you’re showing a token of affection.
topaz pendant that’s to be a gift for a spouse, play up the romance angle.
That topaz isn’t “brown,” it’s “the rich tawny color of expensive sherry,” Letting a customer try on a piece of
or “a deep, luscious caramel color.” jewelry helps you create desire.
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Valerie Power/GIA
Word pictures help you compare gems and their colors to beautiful items or places.
Comparing a topaz to the rich golden tones in a glass of sherry or an emerald to the
vibrant green hills of the Irish countryside can give your sales pitch a boost and increase
desire for the jewelry.
If you know from your conversation that your customer likes to travel,
describe an emerald in terms of rolling Irish hills or an aquamarine as the
color of warm Caribbean water. Word pictures are powerful tools. They
transform a gem’s value factors into something poetic that makes the
customer passionate about a purchase.
Be Agreeable
Tag—Restatement of a benefit, As you build value and create desire, don’t be afraid to add to your feature-
posed as a question and designed to and-benefit statements by including tags. These are simple questions that
elicit agreement. require your customer to stay involved. Use a question that you know
your customer will agree to. This ensures he is consistently nodding his
head or saying “yes” to you. Although it seems like a minor point, having
a customer agree to small things makes it a lot easier to get him to say
“yes” to your final (closing) question.
182
Always try to relate tags to things you’ve learned about your customer.
Here’s an example of a tag used in a pearl demonstration:
Feature: This lustrous, opera-length strand of akoya cultured pearls is 32
inches long.
Benefit: The versatile length lets you wear the pearls as a long single strand
or doubled, as a choker.
Tag: Having two looks in one piece of jewelry is a nice plus, wouldn’t
you say?
Here’s another example to try with a bracelet:
Feature: This bracelet is sterling silver with alternating beads of malachite
and lapis, and it has a safety chain on the clasp.
Benefit: The brilliant white metal sets off the glowing greens and blues of
the stones, and the safety chain keeps the bracelet secure.
Tag: I’m sure the extra security the clasp gives is important to you, isn’t it?
As you did with features and benefits, try to come up with unique tags for
some of the pieces in your store’s inventory. Sylvia Bissonette/J. Grahl Design
Rubellite Tourmaline and

The Trial Close Cultured Pearl Earrings
The trial close is a step many salespeople forget. In essence, a trial close Feature: Fine-quality, matched, pear-
is like taking a customer’s “temperature.” If he’s “warm,” you might be shaped rubellite tourmalines.
ready to make a sale. If he’s “cold,” you have to create more desire or Benefit: These bold red tourmalines give
rich color and large size at an affordable
build more value.
price.
The direction you go depends on the customer. If the customer is an Feature: Cultured pearl accents.
analytical type, like an accountant, a banker, or an engineer, try building Benefit: The cultured pearls add softness
more value. Stress features and benefits, but don’t use too much technical and femininity, and their soft luster
jargon. If the customer is a creative type, try to build desire through word contrasts with the brilliance of the other
pictures or demonstrations. gems. The rosé overtones complement
the tourmalines.
During a demonstration, you might get signals from your customer that Feature: Round brilliant diamond accent
tell you it’s time to try a close. He might be ready to buy but he might not stones.
be ready to tell you that directly, so pay attention to these subtle clues: Benefit: The diamonds add sparkle and
grace and beautifully frame the pearls
• The conversation speeds up or slows down and tourmalines, adding substance to
the piece.
• A quiet customer becomes more animated and asks questions
• Your customer asks about warranties or guarantees
• Your customer asks about payment plans or credit
• Couples become affectionate and start smiling at each other
Most trial closes use a formula of one or two positive responses to test
whether or not a customer is ready to buy. Here are some examples:
“Would you wear this ring on your left hand or your right hand?”
“Do you plan to wear these earrings every day, or just on special occasions?”
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KEY Tahitian Cultured

CONCEPTS Pearl Strand and Ring
Feature: Matching ring
Objections provide customers with a and necklace.
way to request more information before
Benefit: Large, perfectly
they buy. matched spherical
cultured pearls of the
highest quality make this
suite very valuable. Pearls
this size are extremely rare,
and a suite that’s this well
matched might represent
Buying uncertainty—A customer’s many years of work for the
“fear” of buying. manufacturer or pearl
grower. This elegant suite
Blind purchase—A purchase made will bring style, confidence,
without any research or prior and pride of ownership
knowledge. to the wearer.
Robert Weldon/GIA
When you use these phrases, let your words and tone suggest the decision
to buy has already been made. If you get a positive response, stop talking
and write up the sale. Nothing ruins a presentation like not realizing
you’ve made a sale. If you get an objection, you also need to know how
to overcome it and close.
Handling Objections
As you have learned, objections are temporary obstacles standing between
you and a sale. Here’s where your product knowledge can make the differ-
Tino Hammid/GIA
ence between a sale and a customer who walks out of your store
empty-handed. Objections can happen at any time and can be about
Pink Sapphire and Diamond Ring practically anything, from price to color to size to more vague things like
Feature: Oval-cut pink sapphire. buying uncertainty.
Benefit: The vivid pink hue makes this
gem beautiful and desirable. Sapphire’s Remember that jewelry is often a blind purchase, which means a person
durability makes it a perfect choice for might know nothing about a ring or pendant before buying it. Jewelry
everyday wear. consumers usually rely on the jeweler’s word alone that a ruby is well-
Feature: Pavé-set diamond accent stones. cut, or that a cultured pearl necklace has good color. Use your knowledge
Benefit: Perfectly matched round brilliant to reassure customers that you are trustworthy. It will impress them and
diamonds fill the ring’s shoulders with help your sale along.
brilliance. The care taken in matching
and mounting the accents reflects a high First, understand that your customer came to you, not the other way around.
level of craftsmanship and signals the They probably already realize that fine jewelry is usually expensive. In spite
value of this piece. of that, customers often worry that they’re spending too much money, that
Feature: 18K yellow gold and platinum the person they’re buying for won’t like the gift, or that their choice is foolish.
mounting. The more you build value and create desire, the fewer objections you’ll
Benefit: The yellow gold bezel mounting encounter. Remember that “no” usually just means “not yet.”
complements the principal gem’s warm
hue and protects its girdle from damage. Specific objections are the easiest to handle. These include questions about
The white look of the platinum accents the style, color, size, durability, or price. Your product knowledge will help you
diamonds’ beauty and quality, making respond because you’ll be able to clear up confusion or offer alternatives.
them look “whiter and brighter.” The This removes the objection and clears your way to closing the sale.
sleek, smooth nature of the mounting
gives this ring a clean, attractive, Here are some sample objections and possible ways to provide more infor-
contemporary look. mation and remove them:
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Active Listening
When faced with an objection, your first impulse might be to argue with your customer. No matter how
“right” you think you are, you should control that impulse and listen to the entire objection. This lets your
customer know you care, and it might give you useful information.
The first way to approach any vague objection is simply to restate it in the customer’s own words. This type
of active listening allows the customer to hear what he’s just said, and it gives him a chance to clarify and
reveal the real objection. Raise your voice’s pitch at the end of the restatement. This enforces the idea that
you’re asking a question.
Objection: I’m not really ready to buy right now.
Restatement: You’re not really ready to buy right now?
At this point the customer might tell you what’s really wrong.
Customer: No, I guess I just don’t like the style.
Using what you learned earlier in the assignment, it’s easy to proceed from this specific objection. You
can suggest alternatives or, if your store does that sort of work, even ask if he’d consider having a custom
item made.
If your customer just repeats that he’s not ready, it’s best to acknowledge his concern as valid. This lets him
know you’re trying to help. Immediately after you validate his objection, ask him for more information. If
the rest of your presentation was solid, he might tell you exactly what’s wrong.
Validation: I understand you feel you’re not ready to buy the citrine pendant right now, Mike, but I’m not
sure why. Is it the color?
Customer: No, I think she’ll like it. I just didn’t think it would be so expensive.
It’s clear now that the real objection is price. To overcome this objection, you can talk about the value of
fine citrine, the quality of the setting, and how much Mike’s girlfriend will love her new pendant. This will
take the focus away from the price and emphasize the value. You should also paint word pictures and even
talk about credit terms. But here’s the key: You know exactly why Mike doesn’t want to buy right now. And
you can overcome that with product knowledge and sales skill.
Objection: Well, I think the ring is okay, but it’s the wrong size, and I
wanted to give it to my wife for her birthday tomorrow... maybe I’ll just
look around at some other stores.
Response: You like the ring, don’t you, Mr. Brady? (“Yes.”) We can easily
have our bench jeweler size it so you’ll have it by tomorrow morning.
Can you imagine the look on her face when she tries it on for the first
time? It will seem like you had it custom-made for her hand. Will you let
me do that for you?
Objection: Fourteen hundred dollars is a lot more than I wanted to spend
on a bracelet. I don’t even have my checkbook with me. Can you hold it
for me for a few days? (This stalling technique is known as a “be-back,”
as in: “I’ll be back to buy it.”)
Response: Marcia, I know $1,400 sounds like a lot of money, but when
you consider the quality of the rubies, it’s actually very reasonable. You
really like this bracelet, right? (“Yes.”) From what you’ve told me, you
deserve to treat yourself after earning that promotion at work. And we do
have a very affordable and convenient credit plan.
185
As you can see, specific objections like these can be handled by simply
giving the customer more information. In the first example, you made the
customer aware of the bench jeweler services offered by your store and in
the second, you suggested a credit payment plan. Try it yourself: Practice
overcoming specific objections dealing with size, style, color, and price.
Vague objections take a little more diplomacy. Often, these “fear”
objections hide the real reason for the hesitation. Once you identify the
real problem, it’s much easier to get past it. Here are some examples of
vague objections:
• It seems like a lot of money.
• I’m not really ready to buy right now.
Tino Hammid/GIA
• I still want to shop around.
• I don’t think it’s “me.”
One method of handling objections is called indirect denial. It’s a way of
correcting a customer’s misconceptions without calling them “wrong.”
The powerful key word you use with this method is “feel.” Don’t forget
that most jewelry purchases are made from the heart, not the head. If you
can appeal to romance and desire rather than logic, you’ll close more sales.
Objection: I don’t like that this tanzanite has been treated. Doesn’t that
mean the stone isn’t real?
Indirect denial: I’m not surprised to hear you say that, Sally. Many people
feel that way about treatments until they find out tanzanite is heat-treated
Tino Hammid/GIA to bring out that rich, velvety color. Tanzanite is an unattractive brown
when it comes out of the earth. Think of heat-treating as something nature
Loose Color-Change Garnet could have done, but didn’t get around to. Best of all, the treatment is
Feature: Color-change garnet. stable and durable. That’s very important to you, right, Sally?
Benefit: This rare gem has an unusual If you need to confront a misconception in a more head-on manner, try
phenomenon: It changes color when you
direct denial instead. Direct denial can be a good tool for overcoming
move it from fluorescent to incandescent
lighting. This makes it a striking objections, but be careful not to start an argument. The best time to use
conversation piece. direct denial is when the customer has a misconception, but attributes it
to a friend or relative.
Feature: Modified trillion cut.
Benefit: The symmetrical, balanced cut Objection: A friend of mine said I can get emerald jewelry cheaper at
displays the gem’s brilliance. It’s equally Crosstown Jewelry.
suitable for setting in a ring, pin, or
pendant. Direct denial: Your friend might be right about some jewelry items, but
it’s important to realize that, when it comes to emeralds, a slight change
in clarity can mean a large jump in price. Mark, you must know that a
cheaper price doesn’t always mean a better value, right?
Indirect denial—A way to correct a
It’s good to point out the intangible sales points like superior service,
customer’s misconceptions without
repairs, warranties, credit plans, exchange policies, or even custom design
calling them “wrong.”
work. Remember that you’re selling yourself as much as you’re selling
jewelry. It’s unprofessional to criticize other stores or salespeople.
Direct denial—A direct way to correct
a customer’s misconceptions. Compensation is another good technique for overcoming objections. It
works best when you want to politely correct a customer who has the wrong
Compensation—A way to overcome idea. To use this method, acknowledge part of your customer’s objection,
objections by acknowledging part of but suggest an alternative, or compensating, benefit. Their incorrect or
the initial objection, then inserting a incomplete knowledge becomes your selling point. The more product
compensating benefit. knowledge you have, the easier this method will be.
186
Tanzanite and Diamond Ring

Feature: Oval-cut 7.11-ct. tanzanite.
Benefit: Tanzanite is one of today’s most sought-after gems. Its rich blue color rivals
the finest sapphires, yet it’s much more affordable. It’s rare and comes from just one
location on earth.
Feature: Round brilliant diamond accents.
Benefit: These well-chosen gems provide a substantial presence without being
overwhelming, in perfect balance with the rest of the piece.
Feature: Custom-designed 18K yellow gold and platinum mounting.
Benefit: This is a truly unique “one-of-a-kind” design, and nobody else can have anything
like it. The combination of yellow and white metals contrasts with the tanzanite’s blue
hue. The setting protects the tanzanite, and its substantial design conveys high quality.
Tim Nighswander/Carol Ackerman Designs
Objection: Wait a minute. Those aren’t natural pearls?

Compensation: John, you’re right, but natural pearls are extremely rare.
Cultured pearls are the result of a joint effort between nature and man.
They’re made by a living animal, in nature, but humans help the process
along. Cultured pearls are usually rounder and more uniform than natural
pearls. Our cultured pearls are of the highest quality, and don’t you think
they look beautiful?
Address objections immediately. If you ask your customer to “hold on for
just a second” while you finish the rest of your presentation, she might
think you’re stalling, or even worse, that you have something to hide. When
you can overcome objections quickly, you can move on to the close.
The Close
The close is an important part of your sales presentation that’s essentially
nothing more than asking the customer for the sale. It’s sometimes unnec-
essary. If everything goes smoothly and your customer likes you and what
you’re selling and you overcome any objections, you might not need to
close. He might just say, “Do you accept credit cards?” And you’ll write
up the sale.
Don’t count on that happening all the time. As you learned earlier in this
assignment, hope for the easy sale, but prepare for the tougher customer.
This doesn’t mean, however, that selling has to be a battle. If you go out
of your way to make your customer happy, that can lead to word-of-mouth
sales. If you make a favorable impression, your customer will probably
tell friends about that great sales associate at that excellent jewelry store.
There’s no single tried-and-true way to close a sale. Each customer is
different, and each situation and piece of merchandise varies. And yet
there are countless books and videos dedicated solely to the “art of the
close.” Why is this?
Sales surveys show that many times, salespeople are just too timid to ask
for the sale. Almost 60 percent of the time, salespeople don’t even attempt KEY
to close. They go step by step through the entire sales presentation, but CONCEPTS
when it’s time to ask the customer to sign the invoice, they get scared and Don’t fail to ask for the sale.
wait for the customer to offer to buy the piece. In reality, there’s nothing
to be afraid of. The worst thing a customer can say during a close is “no.”
From there, treat “no” as an objection and continue.
187
Although there are no guaranteed closes, there are a few questions you
can ask that are a little like the trial closes you learned about earlier. Such
questions steer the customer toward an indirect buying decision. For
instance, instead of asking: “Do you want to buy this ring, Mrs. Brown?”
you would ask what method of payment she prefers to use. If the customer
stalls after you attempt one of these closes, however, ask some more
questions, as you did in the objection phase.
Here are some sample closing questions:
• Would you like to charge your necklace or pay by check?
• Can I wrap your earrings in a box for you, or would you like to wear
them home?
• I can have that bracelet sized for you at no charge. Would you like to
pick it up tomorrow or Wednesday?
After you attempt your close, don’t say another word. Another time-tested
Loose Spinel sales rule is that the first person who speaks keeps the piece. There might
be a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, but it’s important to let the
Feature: Fine-quality oval-cut red spinel.
customer speak first. You might get the answer you want: “Wrap it up,
Benefit: Spinel rivals ruby’s intense red please!” But you might also get another objection. If so, try another close
color. This is a real find because not many
people know about this underappreciated
when you’ve addressed the latest objection.
gem. It’s far more affordable than a ruby
of similar quality, and it’s completely Add-On Closes
natural and untreated. The gem would
make an ideal center stone for a beautiful
If you’re confident you’re heading for a successful sale, you might want
ring or pendant. to try an add-on. With this technique, you’re not only suggesting that the
customer will buy the item you’ve been presenting, you’re also offering
an additional item for them to buy. At best, the customer will take your
advice and buy both items—at worst, she’ll buy nothing. But you have a
pretty good chance of at least selling the main item you’ve been presenting.
The key here is confidence. Your words and tone can do a lot to reassure
an uncertain customer.
Trigger—The part of the add-on close One form of an add-on close uses a customer’s question as the trigger. A
that requires the customer to make a trigger is a closing question that requires a “yes” or “no” decision from
“yes” or “no” decision. your customer. The word comes from sales slang: “Pulling the trigger on
a deal.”
Basically, you’re answering a question with another question. The caution
here is to never automatically answer “yes” to the customer’s initial
question. Instead, use their question as a sales point and continue to close.
Customer’s question: You’re right, this is a unique ring. Does it come with
a blue stone instead of the peridot?
The trigger: Would you like it to come with a blue stone, like a topaz?
Customer: Sure, that would be great. Topaz is my wife’s birthstone.
Your response: I’ve got a great collection of topaz rings right here. (Add-
on) I’ve also got some beautiful matching earrings. Wouldn’t she be happy
wearing these? Why don’t I wrap them up for you?
When you’ve made a successful sale, make sure you include your business
card with the receipt. As you’ll soon see, this can lead to future sales.
188
Fantasy-Cut Garnet Pendant

Feature: Fine-quality 18.50-ct. emerald.
Benefit: This is a perfect example of a stone that’s traditionally
regarded as having the finest green color of any gem. Emerald
has a long history of romantic associations with kings and
maharajahs.
Feature: Pendant mounting with gold link necklace.
Benefit: The smooth, classic style of the mounting protects the
emerald’s corners, and its rich yellow metal complements the
stone’s green color. The gold chain has a solid, reassuring look
that complements the pendant’s mounting.
Feature: Diamond accent stones.
Benefit: The diamonds accent the emerald’s four corners and
help define the stone’s shape. The white metal areas around
the diamonds make them appear whiter and more brilliant and
provide a contrast against the yellow gold.
Sylvia Bissonette/J. Grahl Design
“I Don’t Know”
While “I don’t know” seems to be a sale-killing phrase, it might actually
help you to use it. Although they shouldn’t, some salespeople fake
knowledge of their products. This is wrong, and it’s illegal to falsely
represent a piece of jewelry. For instance, if your customer asks if a lab-
created ruby is natural and you, without knowing the facts, insist that it
is, your store could be in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission. You
read about the FTC and its guidelines in Assignment 5.
It can’t be emphasized enough: If you don’t know something, admit it.
Then tell your customer you’ll find out, politely excuse yourself, and ask
your store’s gemologist, bench jeweler, or supervisor. Your customer will
appreciate your honesty and your willingness to find the correct answer.
The Follow-Up
The follow-up step serves two purposes: It builds additional sales and it
prevents “buyer’s remorse.”
Buyer’s remorse is a kind of “post-purchase anxiety.” It’s the feeling many
people get after spending money. Shortly after their purchase, they might
feel regret or even guilt, regardless of the amount spent. They might feel
they didn’t get a good deal, that they were taken advantage of, or that their
purchase was unnecessary and wasteful. It’s easy for you, as a salesperson,
to ease some of your customer’s fears.
During the sales process, be sure to acknowledge every positive statement
your customer makes about the jewelry. If your customer says “I hope my
husband likes this ring,” be sure to confirm it: “Based on what you’ve told
me about him, Nancy, I know he will. I think you made a smart decision
to go with the platinum setting. It will look stylish for a very long time.”
Another way to ease buyer’s remorse is through after-the-sale contact.
Many stores have a policy on this kind of follow-up contact. If your store
has such a policy, make sure you follow it. Remember, too, that some
customers won’t want to be contacted after the sale. If a customer hesitates
to give you an address and telephone number, don’t press the issue.
189
Ruby and Diamond Choker

Feature: Fine-color Burmese ruby.
Benefit: Throughout history, ruby has been
considered the “king of all gemstones.”
No other red gem has the lore, tradition,
romance, and value of ruby. The value of
this large top-quality ruby surpasses that
of all other colored stones, and even that
of colorless diamonds. The Burmese
location is associated with rubies of the
finest quality.
Feature: Contemporary gold necklace
with diamond and ruby accent stones.
Benefit: The seamless design of this
ribbon-like necklace emphasizes the
fine yellow of the gold and the rich red
of the ruby center stone and accents.
The diamond accents contrast well with
the colored stones and add character to
the piece.
Sylvia Bissonette/J. Grahl Design
Post-sale follow-up typically combines a telephone call with a note. Make

the follow-up telephone call as soon after the sale as practical—the next
day, if possible. A few minutes of your time on the phone can make
somebody who’s just spent $5,000 on a small piece of jewelry feel a lot
better. Reassurance is very important. You might say something like: “You
made a very good decision. Every time you see your wife wearing that
ruby necklace, you’ll remember your anniversary and what a great 15
years it’s been. Her happiness will make you glad you chose so wisely.”
One week after the sale, send your customer a “Thank You” card with a
simple, handwritten message. Add a business card. Keep the address and
the purchase date, plus other important dates such as anniversary and
birthdays, on file. Send an appropriate card with a short, handwritten note
on these dates.
When your customer comes in to buy additional items, don’t be afraid to
ask her to recommend friends or relatives who might need your services.
Referral—A new customer referred to Those referrals can mean big business for you. Surveys confirm that 20
you by a past, satisfied customer. percent of sales of jewelry items costing $1,000 or more were made in
stores recommended by friends and relatives. There’s no doubt that people
feel more comfortable buying from salespeople they trust.
In this assignment, you gained some valuable tools for success in the
colored stone market. The next assignment will focus on emerald, ruby,
and sapphire—the Big 3. They’re the industry’s most popular gems, and
Assignment 8 will provide you with the information you need to sell them
most effectively. You’ll learn about each gem’s history, how and where it’s
mined, and what its properties are. There’s also information about lab-
grown gems and imitations of each gem. That information, combined with
all you’ve learned so far in this course, will help you on your way to a
long, successful, satisfying career in the colored stone industry.
190
KEY
CONCEPTS
Your main goal is to help your customer make an informed Letting a customer try on a piece of jewelry helps you
buying decision. create desire.
Introduce yourself when you first approach the customer. Objections provide customers with a way to request more
information before they buy.
Features and benefits are essential parts of a sales presentation.
Don’t fail to ask for the sale.
People buy jewelry most often as a token of affection.
Key Terms
Add-on sale—Additional merchandise sold to a customer Indirect denial—A way to correct a customer’s
in an ongoing transaction. misconceptions without calling them “wrong.”
Benefit—The value a feature holds for a customer. Objection—A temporary obstacle, raised by the customer,
that delays or even stops the sale.
Blind purchase—A purchase made without any research
or prior knowledge. Open-ended question—A question that requires a
thoughtful, specific answer other than “yes” or “no.”
Buying uncertainty—A customer’s “fear” of buying.
Referral—A new customer referred to you by a past,
Closed-ended question—A question that requires only a satisfied customer.
“yes” or “no” response.
Sales presentation—A structured method of talking about
Closing ratio—The number of successful sales compared a service or demonstrating a product with the intent to
to the number of total sales attempts. sell.
Compensation—A way to overcome objections by Tag—Restatement of a benefit, posed as a question and

acknowledging part of the initial objection, then inserting designed to elicit agreement.
a compensating benefit.
Take-away—A two-part sales technique that removes a
Direct denial—A direct way to correct a customer’s customer’s “just looking” defense.
misconceptions.
Trigger—The part of the add-on close that requires the
Feature—A characteristic or part of a piece of jewelry. customer to make a “yes” or “no” decision.
191
n What’s the most critical part of a sales presentation?
n Why is it a mistake to ask customers how much they want to spend?
n What’s the difference between a feature and a benefit?
n How do you use word pictures as sales tools?
n How do you complete an add-on close?
192
Presenting the Big 3 8
Emerald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Emerald Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Emerald: When It’s Not as Nature Made It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Treated Emeralds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Emerald Value Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Ruby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Ruby Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Ruby: When It’s Not as Nature Made It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Treated Rubies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Ruby Value Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Sapphire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Sapphire Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Sapphire: When It’s Not as Nature Made It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Treated Sapphires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Sapphire Value Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Selling the Big 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Care and Cleaning of the Big 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
193
• Use all you’ve learned in the course to promote the Big 3: emerald, ruby,
and sapphire.
• Convey the romance and lore of each member of the Big 3.
• Understand emerald, ruby, and sapphire sources.
• Use ethical disclosure of possible treatments.
• Identify the most prized emerald, ruby, and sapphire hues.
• Communicate the safest cleaning methods for the Big 3.
194
Presenting the Big 3
Tino Hammid/GIA
Diamonds and the Big 3 combine in this beautiful platinum Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet, which features emerald flowers and
sapphire and ruby leaves.

In classical music, the Big 3 are Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart. In art,
they’re da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt. The world of colored KEY
stones has a Big 3 of its own—emerald, ruby, and sapphire. CONCEPTS
Like great music, these stones can inspire the heart and soul. Like great Ruby, emerald, and sapphire are the
art, they can dazzle the mind and the eye. Each has a long, glorious history. most important colored stones in the
For various reasons—romance, marketing, luck—the modern gem universe market.
seems to revolve around the diamond. But people have desired emeralds,
rubies, and sapphires just as passionately as they have lusted after diamonds.
Lives, loves, and fortunes have been won and lost on each of them.
As you’ve discovered, the world of colored stones is broad and varied:
Gems are mined from the earth, they’re produced by animals and plants,
and they’re created in labs. They can be almost any color, from the deepest
blues, reds, and greens to pastel tones and shades of gray. Some gems lack
any color at all, like colorless sapphire and topaz, and a few are completely
black. In short, there are hundreds of gem materials beyond the Big 3.
But emerald, ruby, and sapphire are so important in today’s jewelry
business that this entire assignment is devoted to them. By the end of the
assignment you will know a lot about each of them. You’ll know their
history, their virtues, their strengths and weaknesses, and their imitators.
195
Christie’s Images Inc.

This Big 3 parcel includes (top row, left to right) pink sapphires, rubies, blue sapphires,
(center row, left to right) a mixed assortment, sapphires, emeralds, (bottom row, left
to right) emeralds, and rubies.
All of this is good information. But information isn’t worth much if you
don’t know how to use it. The English writer T. S. Eliot once wrote, “We
should never confuse knowledge with information.” The distinction Eliot
was making was this: Information is nothing more than bare facts. Infor-
mation alone is not very useful. In fact, it can be dangerous in the wrong
hands.
Knowledge is gained through experience or study. It includes the under-
standing of how to correctly and effectively analyze information, complete
a task, solve a mathematics problem, or sell jewelry.
196
Here’s an example of the distinction between information and knowledge

in a sales presentation:
• Information: “Ruby ranks 9 on the Mohs scale for hardness. That’s one
less than diamond. It also has excellent toughness.”
• Knowledge: “Ruby is very durable. You said you were pretty active, so
it’s the perfect choice for you.”
You have acquired a considerable amount of knowledge in this course.

You know that different gems have different value factors, and that this
relates to price. You know that different gems have varying degrees of
durability, and that this translates into different care and cleaning require-
ments. You know that some gems are treated, and that you should disclose
this fact when you sell treated gems.
You now know how to combine product information with the steps of a
sale to effectively and ethically deal in colored stones. That’s powerful
knowledge.
This assignment will add to your store of information and help you gain Tino Hammid/GIA
knowledge you can apply to create targeted, effective sales presentations
Colombia has been an important emerald
for the Big 3. You can use your new knowledge to anticipate frequently source since the sixteenth century. The
asked questions and also to answer the not-so-frequently asked questions. 5.61-ct. fashioned emerald and the over-
50-ct. crystal are both from Colombian
You’ll find more information about the Big 3 as well as about other gems mines.
in The Essential Colored Stone Reference Guide that came with your
course materials. You can add to that information by reading gemological
books and trade magazines, and by joining trade organizations.
But all of that comes later. For now, it’s time to look at some essential
information about three very important gems.
Emerald
n What are the essentials of emerald history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major emerald sources?
n What are the key disclosure issues when you are selling emerald?
n What’s the most important emerald value factor?
Emerald, famous for its distinctive green color, is a variety of the beryl
mineral species. Other beryl varieties include aquamarine and morganite.
The first known emeralds emerged from the mines of ancient Egypt.
Estimates of the earliest emerald mining range widely, from about 3500
to 330 BC. The exact date is not as important as this: The obstacles to
mining emeralds were overwhelming. And the quality of the stones
themselves was, by modern standards, disappointing. These emeralds
were small, discolored, and heavily included, but quickly became adorn-
ments for the powerful and priestly classes.
197
Robert Kammerling/GIA
An Egyptian temple carved into the wall
of this Wadi Sikheit mine dates it to the
days of Ptolemy (300 bc). This is one of
the so-called Cleopatra mines, the first
known emerald mines in history.
Shane McClure/GIA
The first known emeralds came from Egypt’s Cleopatra mines. They adorned the elite
of ancient civilizations and were also credited with magical powers.
Egypt’s Cleopatra Mines operated off and on for about 1,700 years. Greeks
KEY and then Romans also worked the mines. These ancient civilizations
CONCEPTS attributed all kinds of magical qualities to emeralds. Their beliefs took
Emeralds have been mined for hold and spread through the centuries, enhancing emerald’s allure.
thousands of years. Some people believed its green color represented fertility and rebirth.
Others believed you could see the future by holding an emerald under
your tongue. Still others thought wearing one would strengthen your
memory, make you more eloquent, help you avoid evil spells, and reveal
the truth of your lover’s statements. Emeralds were also used as antidotes
for poisons and to prevent epilepsy in children.
198
Shane McClure/GIA
Santa Terezinha, Brazil, is a source for some of the finest Brazilian emeralds. These Unlike most emeralds, which are colored
miners are stationed at a hand-operated hoist over a mineshaft. primarily by chromium, the color in these
fine Brazilian emeralds is due mostly to
vanadium.
The history of emeralds became deadly serious in the sixteenth century.

Spanish conquistadors, rampaging through South America for riches,
discovered the Chivor and Muzo mines in Colombia. They looted
thousands of emeralds and then massacred or enslaved the natives. They
put the slaves to work mining Muzo and other mines in western Colombia.
Royalty throughout the world looked to Muzo as the primary source of
large emerald crystals. Many of the crystals found their way to India, where
Indian cutters made their reputation as master shapers of emerald rough.
When Persia’s Nadir Shah sacked Delhi in 1739, he not only got away
with India’s prized mogul-cut diamonds, but also with thousands of
emeralds, some as large as 300 carats.
In 1963, Jules Sauer, noted Brazilian gem dealer, found beryls in Salininha
in Brazil’s Bahia State. For more than a century, the gem world had defined
“emerald” as green beryl, colored by chromium. The Bahia emeralds were
colored by both vanadium and chromium, but mostly by vanadium.
In an effort to expand the emerald definition to include his discovery,
Sauer submitted his stones to the GIA Laboratory. Because the GIA lab
bases the emerald variety designation on color rather than the elements
causing the color, it recognized Sauer’s stones as emerald. This not only Shane McClure/GIA
opened up new emerald sources in Brazil, but also in Africa, which had Spanish conquerors sent many treasures
large deposits of emerald colored primarily by vanadium. home from the New World. Among them
was this emerald cross, probably
A few gem dealers still refuse to accept beryl colored primarily by
fashioned of stones from Colombian
vanadium. There’s also persistent questioning in the trade about how green mines. It went down with the Nuestra
beryl must be before it’s classified as emerald. Add to these issues the Señora de Atocha galleon in the
degree of physical danger modern emerald miners and marketers face, seventeenth century and was recovered
and you can see how the gem’s legacy of violence and controversy is more than 350 years later during salvage
almost as eternal as the stone itself. operations off the coast of Florida.
199
King-Sized Emeralds
Some very big emerald crystals can be found in museums all over the world. The
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History has a 1,965-ct. crystal. The British
Museum has the Devonshire emerald, a fine-color, 1,384-ct. Colombian crystal. The
Smithsonian Institution has the 858-ct. Gachala emerald crystal. And New York’s
American Museum of Natural History has the 632-ct. Patricia emerald crystal.
Not surprisingly, the best collection of major emerald crystals is in the same country
where the best emeralds come from—Colombia. There, the Banco de la Republica, in
Bogotá, displays emeralds ranging from about 200 cts. to 1,796 cts. in weight.
Notable fashioned emeralds include a 2,681-ct. carved emerald vase in Vienna’s
Kunsthistorisches Museum, a 136-ct. step-cut stone at the Diamond Fund in Moscow,
and a 117-ct. stone at the Smithsonian Institution.
The world’s greatest collection of fashioned emeralds is found in the Iranian crown
jewels. The emeralds are mostly cabochon and carved styles. Their last known location
was the Bank Markazi in Tehran.
One of the most spectacular pieces of emerald-set jewelry is the Crown of the Andes.
It was carved from a block of pure gold in 1593 for a statue of the Virgin Mary. It is set
with 453 stones, including the 45-ct. Atahualpa emerald, totaling 1,521 cts. in weight.
In recent times, it has resided in a private collection.
©Harold and Erica Van Pelt

There’s an Islamic prayer carved on one surface of this 217.8-ct. Mogul emerald. In the seventeenth
century, many large emerald crystals were sent from Colombia to India to be carved in a similar manner.
200
Eric Welch/GIA Eric Welch/GIA

The Puerto Arturo mine (left) is one of the oldest and most famous emerald mines. It’s located near the town of Muzo in Colombia.
Independent miners, called guaqueros (right), search the area for emerald rough.
Emerald Sources
Out of the millions of dollars’ worth of emeralds that come out of the
earth each year, about 60 percent come from Colombia. The Puerto Arturo KEY
mine is located near the town of Muzo. The most famous of all emerald CONCEPTS
mines, it still yields some of the best and biggest of the world’s emeralds. Major emerald sources are Colombia,
The violence that attended emerald mining during the exploitation of the
Brazil, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
conquistadors, however, continues to be a fact of life in Colombia.
Modern-day smugglers prevent the country from reaping the full rewards
Violence, remote locations, and harsh
of this rich natural resource. In one recent year, the Colombian government climates make emeralds difficult to
recorded $11 million in emeralds legally exported to the US. In that same mine.
year, US Customs in Miami recorded importation of $42 million in Colom-
bian emeralds. That means perhaps $30 million in emeralds left the
country with no accounting. There’s no telling how much other black-
market emerald made its way out during that or any other year.
There are other emerald sources. Brazil, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan,

Afghanistan, and Madagascar account for most of the other 40 percent of
the world’s supply. But in each of these countries, manmade problems
combine with natural obstacles, such as remote locations and punishing
climate, to make getting emeralds to the marketplace a difficult task.
Inflation in Brazil, political maneuvering in Zambia, and corruption in
Zimbabwe have each at one time or another helped undermine the
legitimate emerald market.
201
Fred Ward/GIA
Zambia began commercial emerald production in 1967. The country’s terrain and
remote locations make mining difficult.
Emeralds from different sources have distinctive features. As you learned

in Assignment 4, however, experts know that the mere presence of these
features might not be enough to pinpoint the exact source of an emerald
or any other colored stone. So unless you know for sure that a stone came
from a particular place, don’t mislead your customer into thinking that it
did. Instead, keep your sales presentation focused on the known qualities
of the stone, such as color and size.
202

When you present lab-grown emeralds like these, make sure you disclose to your This quartz was quench-crackled and
customers that they’re manmade. dyed green to imitate emerald.
Emerald: When It’s Not as Nature Made It

There are many enthusiastic buyers for laboratory-grown emeralds. In fact,
there’s nothing wrong with lab-grown gems as long as the buyer fully
understands what he’s getting. The price alone—below that of natural
emeralds—makes them attractive.
Of course, you might find yourself receiving a lab-grown gem, either as
a buyer or as someone taking in lab-grown-emerald jewelry for repair.
Your job at this point won’t be as easy. Lab growth processes can closely
approximate natural gem growth, which often makes it difficult to tell the
products apart. It takes a trained and experienced gemologist with gem-
testing equipment to tell natural emeralds from lab-grown. Magnification
can help, because it can detect telltale inclusions in both lab-grown and
natural emeralds.
As you learned in Assignment 5, simulants are imitations, not lab-grown Common emerald imitations include
gems. One modern-day emerald simulant might also be the oldest. assembled stones like this lab-grown
spinel triplet.
Egyptians began using glass to imitate emerald about 1600 bc. People
also imitate emerald by applying green paint to colorless materials or
colorless gems, or green backings to inferior gems.
On rare occasions, non-emerald beryl is coated with green plastic to pass
for emerald. Also, emerald imitations are fashioned from pieces of other KEY
materials. A triplet of vividly colored resin sandwiched between two pale- CONCEPTS
colored beryls might yield the right color, hardness, and appearance to Glass is an ancient emerald imitation
simulate emerald.
still in use today.
Treated Emeralds
Most emeralds are treated to improve
It’s common knowledge in the trade that most emeralds are treated. Some their apparent clarity.
are filled with oils, such as cedarwood. Others are filled with polymer
resins to hide surface-reaching breaks and improve transparency. It’s important to practice full disclosure
As with most treatments, there’s nothing wrong with this as long as the and educate your customers about
buyer knows that the stone he’s buying is treated. This gets back to the emerald treatments.
disclosure issue you read about in Assignment 5.
203
Internationally, Colombian emerald exports decreased sharply after major

KEY
foreign buyers learned that sellers were secretly treating stones with palma
CONCEPTS
oil, a manmade resin. This unstable substance reportedly turned milky
The most prized emerald hues are vivid white. This lowered the clarity and brilliance of the treated stones.
green and vivid bluish green, neither too In November of 1997, a US television show exposed the failure of several
dark nor too light. retailers to disclose emerald treatments. The show’s undercover shopper
bought emeralds from five different retail stores. Each assured the shopper
that the emeralds were untreated. Each was wrong. Their error—or decep-
tion, in a few cases—was graphically demonstrated to 14 million viewers.
Many television viewers are potential customers. You have to respond to
whatever concerns they have for the product. You do this by being
prepared. You become part of the solution to this problem by educating
your customers and practicing full disclosure.
Emerald Value Factors

The most prized emerald hues are green to bluish green. As you read in
Assignment 2, emeralds are pleochroic, meaning they display different
colors in different directions. The colors are so similar that you usually
need special equipment to tell one color from the other.
Besides hue, another important factor is saturation, which is a color’s
weakness or strength. The highest priced emeralds are those with intense,
vivid color saturation.
Tone—lightness to darkness—also contributes to emerald value. An
emerald’s value is lower if it’s too dark, even if it has high saturation. If
beryl is green, but too light in tone and too weak in saturation, it’s simply
green beryl, not emerald.
John Parrish
These emeralds from Zambia display the market’s most-prized vivid green hue.
204
Robert E. Kane/GIA
The ancient city of Mogok, near the historic mining area in Myanmar, formerly Burma, is the source of some of the world’s great rubies.
Ruby
n What are the essentials of ruby history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major sources of ruby?
n Why is heat treatment of ruby a disclosure issue?
n What’s the most important ruby value factor?
It’s very probable that humans discovered rubies about 3000 bc. The
famous Mogok mining area of Burma (now the Union of Myanmar) has
been so heavily mined for so many thousands of years that evidence is
rare. Yet the caves were once so rich that it’s unlikely that the early cave-
dwelling, tool-wielding humans who lived there weren’t aware of the
dazzling red corundum crystals around them.
There are documented references to ruby from far back in history,
however. The Old Testament describes the “ruby” in a high priest’s breast-
plate. Ancient Sanskrit texts honor ruby with the word “ratnaraj,” meaning
“king of precious stones.”
Tino Hammid/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

To be considered ruby, corundum must have a red color that falls within a certain range.
This 0.87-ct. pear-shaped ruby (left) displays that desired color. Some Far East gem
dealers might call this 3.15-ct. stone (right) a ruby, but it’s actually a pink sapphire.
205
Tino Hammid/GIA
At 9.37 cts., this natural orange sapphire
from East Africa is beautiful and rare.
Some people might want to classify it as
a ruby, but because the dominant color
is orange, not red, it’s a sapphire.
Tino Hammid/GIA
Kunzite, rubellite, pink topaz, spinel, and garnet are among the gems often used as
alternatives to ruby and pink sapphire. In this group, only the ring on the far right
contains a ruby.
Through time, a number of other gems have achieved glory by association

with ruby. Many misnomers, which you read about in Assignment 2, were
applied to materials that bore even the slightest resemblance to ruby. Some
gems come in ruby-like colors, and they’re often given names that link
them to ruby. These include “rubellite” for red tourmaline, “rubolite” for
red opal, “rubicelle” for red spinel, and “rubace” for red-stained quartz.
Ruby’s coveted red ranges from medium to dark orangy red to purplish
KEY red. Red must be the dominant color for corundum to be considered ruby.
CONCEPTS If the stone is reddish orange, it’s considered an orange sapphire. If it’s
Red must be the dominant hue for reddish purple, it’s a purple sapphire. As you read in Assignment 4, though,
corundum to be considered ruby. it’s not always that simple. Some dealers, particularly in Asia, insist that
pink corundum is ruby, while many other dealers say it’s pink sapphire.
Surely it was ruby in its reddest state that inspired the notion that rubies
could cure blood disorders or heal wounds. People from the distant past
swallowed rubies whole or pounded them into powder and put them into
a liquid or pasty mixture, which they then rubbed on their skin.
According to thirteenth-century medical literature from India, rubies were
believed to cure digestive disorders. Warriors in Burma inserted rubies
under their skin so they would not be wounded in battle.
People once believed rubies could ensure a peaceful life. Wearing ruby,
they thought, could bring health, wealth, wisdom, and love. People
believed that if you wore a ruby in a ring on the left hand or in a brooch
on the left side, it would give you a magical ability to live in peace among
your enemies.
206
Thai rubies like this one tend to be darker

and less saturated than Burmese rubies.
Tino Hammid/GIA
This 15.97-ct. Burmese ruby, mined in
the famed Mogok region, has exceptional
color.
Jeffrey Scovil Tino Hammid/GIA

These specimens are from the Mong Hsu region of Myanmar, which produced East Africa has become a major ruby
impressive quantities of rubies. source in recent years. This 1.02-ct. ruby
was mined in Tanzania.
Ruby Sources
The name Burma is practically synonymous with fine-quality ruby. Political
changes led to the renaming of the country as Myanmar, but many people
in the gem trade still refer to Burma when they talk about the source of
the world’s most prized rubies.
The first Burmese mines were located in Mogok, and production fluctuated
through much of the post-World War II era. The discovery of a rich deposit
in Mong Hsu helped the country get back to the forefront of ruby
producers. Still, as you read in Assignment 4, not all Burmese rubies are
extraordinary, and not all rubies from other places are inferior.
207
Robert Kammerling/GIA
Miners in Vietnam use primitive recovery methods to unearth rubies whose quality
can rival Myanmar’s output. This location was given the name “Millionaire Hill.”
Other locations have also emerged as important ruby sources. One of

KEY those is the African nation of Mozambique. Ruby production began there
CONCEPTS in early 2006, and the area has since become the world’s most important
Mozambique has become the world’s ruby source.
most important ruby source. Sri Lanka is also a significant producer, yielding steady supplies to the
ruby market. The quality of rubies from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
sometimes rivals Myanmar’s output. Afghanistan, Kenya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Tajikistan, and Tanzania are a few of the world’s other ruby sources.
208
Robert Weldon/GIA Tino Hammid/GIA

C. Russ/Paula Crevoshay
The first commercially successful lab- Flux is one of the many processes used The gold ring and earrings feature red
grown gems were created by flame to create synthetic rubies. These rough spinels and diamonds. Red spinel is
fusion. Today, it remains the cheapest and cut flux-grown rubies were marketed sometimes found near ruby deposits,
and most common lab growth process. under the trade name Ramaura. and it has often been confused with ruby.
Ruby: When It’s Not as Nature Made It

One of the most important dates in ruby’s modern history is 1902. That’s
KEY
when Auguste Verneuil announced the successful development of his
CONCEPTS
flame-fusion process for synthesizing the stone. Today, lab-grown rubies
pose one of the most difficult challenges to gemologists: telling them from One of the major challenges facing
natural rubies. gemologists is telling natural rubies
As you read in Assignment 5, ruby was the first gem to be synthesized. from lab-grown ones.
Today, it’s possible to synthesize ruby using a number of processes. In
addition to flame fusion, these include flux, hydrothermal, and Czochralski
pulling.
Rubies, like emeralds, have telltale inclusions. These inclusions often

provide the only way to tell whether a ruby is natural or lab-grown. To
make that determination requires gemological training and specialized
equipment.
As you learned in Assignment 5, many gem imitations are natural

materials. This is especially true of ruby imitations, which include red
spinel, known by the misnomer balas ruby. This gem often grows in or
near ruby deposits. This occurs in Burma’s Mogok mining area, home to
the world’s premiere rubies. Its source location makes red spinel very
deceptive, especially for wishful thinkers. To see some of the history of
this deception, see “Rubies Share the Spotlight” on page 211.
209
Treated Rubies
Regardless of Thailand’s declining production of ruby rough, its role as a
major ruby trading center influences the entire market. It’s a common Thai
practice to highlight the red color of rubies by heat-treating them and
removing purple or brown overtones. The procedure becomes controversial,
however, when they pack the rubies in borax powder.
Some contend that this practice merely protects the stones during heating.
Others argue that their intent is to conceal fractures and cavities. Whatever
the intention, the result is the same. The borax melts into the stones’
fractures and cavities. It hardens, giving a false impression of the stone’s
face-up appearance and weight.
One of the most important lessons of Assignment 5 was that when
particular treatments are common, as heat treating is for rubies, you must
assume any rubies you’re selling have been treated unless proven other-
wise.
In disclosing heat treatment to your customers, provide a positive
explanation for the treatment. Explain that it was treated to enhance its
color and appearance. This will make disclosure more comfortable for
you and your customer. Ultimately, however, disclosure of treatment is
not just about why it was done, but the effects of what was done.
In recent years, a new treatment that fills ruby fractures with high-lead
Tony Laughter
content glass has become more common in the market.
Most rubies are heat-treated, many by
primitive methods. This woman’s Some corundum is also subjected to lattice diffusion treatment to create
improvised set-up contrasts sharply a red color. The new color can be shallow, so some treated stones should
with the very sophisticated furnaces not be repolished. Scratches, chips, and other surface damage can also
used by others.
remove or damage the treated color.
Dyeing is another possible corundum treatment. Lower-quality corundum
with surface-reaching fractures might very well be dyed red.
KEY
CONCEPTS Even though treatments might be done half-a-world away, their conse-
quences can visit you right where you work. Any treatment can present
Most natural rubies are heat-treated to durability concerns for your buyers. That’s why, in order to maintain
improve their color. customer confidence and loyalty, disclosure is vital.
Shane McClure/GIA
The corundum in this ring was treated by lattice diffusion. The treatment improved its
color, but not enough for it to be called a ruby.
210
Rubies Share the Spotlight

You could probably assemble a very impressive museum collection
of famous rubies that turned out not to be rubies at all.
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, the seventeenth-century merchant and

traveler, is responsible for much of our knowledge of famous early
diamonds, but he wasn’t so helpful when it came to rubies. Many of
the large rubies he described in his writings were very likely red spinel.
The Timur Ruby, Catherine

the Great’s Ruby, and the
Black Prince’s Ruby have all
taken long turns in the annals
of famous rubies. But they’re
not rubies at all—they’re all
red spinels. Each has earned
its place in history, however.
So they not only get to keep
their popular designation as
rubies, but they each get
displayed in notable collec-
tions alongside actual rubies.
If you eliminated the imita-

tions, ruby—or the name at
least—would be seriously
underrepresented in the
world’s great collections.
There are few large, fine-
quality rubies of historic ©The Smithsonian Institution
value available. Part of the At 138.70 cts., the Smithsonian
problem, of course, is that Institution’s Rosser Reeves Ruby is the
those that have been saved world’s largest fine star ruby.
turned out not to be rubies.
But another part of the problem was the habit of early Burmese
kings to order the gems cut into small pieces. By the time they left
the country, their impressiveness was undercut by their diminished
size.
Still, there are a few genuine rubies of note on display. Among them,
the British Museum collection includes a crystal that weighs 3,450
cts. There’s also the 167-ct. Edwardes Ruby that’s part of the British
Crown Jewels. The US has the 138.70-ct. Rosser Reeves Star Ruby,
perhaps the largest such ruby in existence. It’s on display at the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
211
Robert Weldon
The high-quality, well-matched Burmese rubies in this suite make it extremely valuable.
Ruby value factors can vary, but most would agree that these are superior.
KEY Ruby Value Factors

CONCEPTS Color is the most significant factor affecting a ruby’s value. Ruby hues
range from orangy red to purplish red. The finest ruby has a pure, vibrant
The most valuable ruby colors are red
red to slightly purplish red hue and the highest-quality rubies have vivid
to slightly purplish red with medium to saturation. Orangy or more purplish rubies are less valuable.
medium-dark tone and vivid saturation.
Most people prefer medium to medium-dark tones as long as the stone isn’t
so dark that it has a negative effect on brilliance. At the other extreme, if
the stone is too light, it’s considered pink sapphire, even if the color is vivid.
As you’ve read, dealers and retailers often debate the borderline between
ruby and pink sapphire. Historically, the word ruby referred to shades of
red, which technically included pink. But the names ruby and pink
sapphire reflect a wide difference in value. That’s why, given a choice, a
seller would prefer to be able to call a corundum gem ruby rather than
pink sapphire.
212
Tino Hammid/GIA
Blue sapphire’s hue has been compared
to hyacinths and the heavens. These
sapphires are from southern Madagascar.
Tino Hammid/GIA
These specimens from Montana show the wide variety of sapphire colors.
Sapphire
n What are the essentials of sapphire history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major sources of sapphire?
n What are the disclosure issues when selling sapphire?
n What are the important sapphire value factors?
If you were a pre-eighteenth-century student of gems, your studies

would be a lot easier, but they would also be inadequate. You’d only
have to learn how to identify gems by color because that’s how it was
done. Anything green was emerald. Anything red was ruby. Blue stones
were categorized as hyacinths (HI-uh-sinths), named for the bluish
flower.
213
With what you know now, however, you’d be able to go back in time—
say, 2,000 years—and dazzle Roman encyclopedist Pliny with your
knowledge that ruby and sapphire are related. Pliny’s study of gems was
actually quite advanced for his time. He understood that properties other
than color were important in identification. But he was operating under
several disadvantages. One of the biggest was that he really didn’t know
the sources of the few samples he had to examine. It’s possible that the
first sapphires to appear in ancient Rome came from Sri Lanka by way of
a trade route through India.
In any case, it’s a measure of how far gemology has advanced that gem
identity is now based on far more sophisticated analyses. Sapphire and
ruby are corundum. Except for the impurity elements that cause color,
they are the same chemically, physically, and optically.
Robert Weldon
This beautiful 19.63-ct. sapphire was When the word sapphire stands alone, it usually means the gem is blue.
mined in Burma. Sapphires also appear in colorless and black variations as well as a wide
range of colors. They include violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, and
purple. They’re considered fancy-color sapphires and designated by color,
as in “yellow sapphire.”
Clergy in the late Middle Ages favored blue sapphire for their ecclesiastical
KEY rings because its color symbolized heaven. Magicians said it led them to
CONCEPTS prophecies and allowed them to command spirits. People also turned to
Sapphire and ruby both belong to the sapphire as medicine for eye ailments like cataracts. France’s fourteenth-
century King Charles V owned “an oval oriental sapphire for touching the
gem species corundum.
eyes, set in a band of gold.”
Sapphires come in blue and also in a People took sapphire as an antidote for poison and poisonous bites. They
variety of other colors. believed the stone could clear the mind and skin and cure fevers, colds,
and ulcers. They even enlisted it in their fight against the plague—at least
those who could afford one did.
The superstition and faulty science began to recede in the late eighteenth
century. That’s when crystallographers determined that sapphire and ruby
were the same species and moved toward categorizing them under the
name corundum.
For centuries, people used “oriental” to designate stones of a particular
hardness that originated east of the Mediterranean. Eighteenth-century
gem experts replaced that word with the new word “corundum” when
describing sapphires. The word might not have been exact enough, but the
idea was right. Corundum, no matter the color, was hard, and its primary
source was in the East.
Sapphire Sources
Of the more than two dozen places that produce sapphires, the most
famous historical sources are the Kashmir region, which straddles Pakistan
and India, as well as Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Kashmir, high in the Himalayas, is renowned for the finest of all sapphires.
They are an intense, medium-dark blue, with a unique velvety appearance.
The color is called “cornflower” because it resembles the almost fluorescent
blue petals of that flower.
Burmese sapphires are also beautiful. Their blue is intense, but somewhat
darker than the blue of those from Sri Lanka.
214
Sapphires on Display
Large, beautiful sapphires draw
admiring crowds to many of the
world’s top museums. The Smith-
sonian Institution boasts the
Logan Sapphire, a 423-ct. blue
stone from Sri Lanka, as well as
the dark blue 98.60-ct. Bismarck
Sapphire and a 92.60-ct. yellow
Burmese sapphire. The Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto has
a 179.40-ct. yellow sapphire
from Sri Lanka.
The British, whose royalty has
had a long-running love affair
with sapphires, display many of
them among their crown jewels
in the Tower of London. One of
the most prominent, the rose-cut
Saint Edward’s Sapphire, is set in ©The Smithsonian Institution
the center of the cross that adorns The Logan Sapphire is displayed in
the Imperial Crown. Also on the the national gem collection at the
crown, but of far lower color and Smithsonian Institution.
brilliance, is the Stuart Sapphire.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City has an
outstanding collection of sapphires from Sri Lanka. These include
a 100-ct. yellow, a 100-ct. orange, and a 163-ct. blue sapphire. But
the prize is the Star of India, also from Sri Lanka. This 563-ct. semi-
round, double cabochon is the most remarkable loose phenomenal
sapphire of all.
©The Smithsonian Institution

The fabulous 182-ct. Star of Bombay Sapphire is at the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, DC.
215
Robert Weldon/GIA
Ceylon sapphires from Sri Lanka, like this
exceptional example, are often lighter and
brighter than sapphires from Thailand or
Myanmar.
Tino Hammid/GIA Brendan Laurs/GIA

Australia, home of large sapphire Madagascar is one of the world’s major sapphire sources. Most gem-mining
deposits, was the source for these fine- operations in the country are extremely primitive.
quality specimens.
Another long-time source of sapphires is Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon.

KEY Connoisseurs put a premium on padparadschas, the pink-orange to
CONCEPTS pinkish orange sapphires from Sri Lanka. The blue sapphires from that
Madagascar is the most significant country are called Ceylon. They are often lighter and brighter than stones
source of good- to fine-quality blue from Myanmar.
sapphire. Today, the major sapphire sources are Madagascar, eastern Africa, Sri
Lanka, and Australia. Madagascar is the most significant source of good-
to fine-quality blue sapphire. Thai sapphires are usually dark blue in color,
giving some stones an inky appearance. Cambodia supplies many fine-
quality blue sapphires. Australia’s sapphires tend to be dark to very dark
bluish green with strong pleochroism.
Other sources include mines in Africa and the US, which are known for
producing fancy-color sapphires.
216
Robert Weldon/GIA
The blue in this 4.78-ct. sapphire is
natural. The other sapphire’s color is
the result of heat treatment. It weighs
3.15 cts. Both are from Sri Lanka.
Fred Ward/GIA
In a primitive Sri Lankan heat-treating facility, two men puff twice a second through
pipes. This raises the temperature of the sapphires in the pot to improve their color.
Sapphire: When It’s Not as Nature Made It

Many lab-grown sapphires are the result of the first and least expensive
of lab growth processes: flame fusion. Some of the earliest examples are
in original pieces of art nouveau and art deco jewelry. It’s relatively easy
for a trained gemologist to distinguish flame-fusion synthetic sapphires
from natural material.
Flux-grown sapphires have been commercially available since the 1960s,
but they are more costly than flame-fusion synthetics. Also, their inclusions
aren’t as easily identified as those in flame-fusion synthetics, even by
experts.
Also hard to determine are synthetic sapphires from either the Czochralski- Maha Tannous/GIA
pulled or hydrothermal processes. Neither type usually has much in the This portable immersion cell is designed
way of visible inclusions. to detect lattice diffusion treatment.
Treated Sapphires
The industry views heat treatment as not only common for sapphire, but
also as practically an art form. This is because sapphire changes color
KEY
when it’s “cooked” for the right amount of time and under the right condi- CONCEPTS
tions. Improved color is the main objective of heat-treating sapphires, Sapphire is commonly heat-treated to
while a secondary goal is improved clarity. improve color and sometimes clarity.
Sapphires are also candidates for lattice diffusion treatment. Because the
resulting color is sometimes only surface deep, it might disappear during
polishing, be chipped away, or lost in other damage.
Irradiation is another treatment that’s used on fancy-color sapphires, but
the effect is temporary. Strong sunlight alone often destroys the resulting
color.
217
Whatever the treatment, customers have a right to know what they’re

getting. And you have an ethical obligation to tell them. Whether you’re
selling a member of the Big 3 or another gem, your store should have a
clearly stated policy on disclosure that’s in line with industry guidelines.
Know what that policy is, and don’t hesitate to get assurances from those
farther up the line, including managers, owners, and suppliers, that they
will provide whatever support is necessary.
Sapphire Value Factors

The most important influence on a blue sapphire’s value is its color, which
can appear in a wide array of hues, tones, and degrees of saturation. Sapphire
color ranges from very light to very dark violetish blue to greenish blue.
The most highly valued sapphires are velvety, violetish blue to blue, in
medium to medium-dark tones. Preferred sapphires also have strong to
vivid saturation. The saturation should be as strong as possible without
darkening the tone too much. Sapphires with these qualities command
Robert Weldon/GIA
the highest prices per carat.
Pink-orange padparadschas are among At the other end of the price scale are commercial-grade sapphires with
the rarest sapphires. This one is from greenish blue bodycolor or strong greenish blue pleochroism, color
Sri Lanka and weighs 6.81 cts. zoning, a grayish look, and very light or very dark tone.
Prices also vary for fancy sapphires. For example, the pricing on padparadschas
KEY can be as exotic as the color itself. Only the most experienced buyers
CONCEPTS can successfully make their way through a market where sapphires
The most valuable blue sapphire colors showing the slightest pink or orange might be offered as padparadschas.
are velvety, violetish blue to blue with Generally, the color in the finest padparadschas is an intense pinkish
orange hue.
medium to medium-dark tone and
strong to vivid saturation. There are two phenomena typical to sapphire and both affect value. One
is color change. Many color-change sapphires come from Sri Lanka and
East Africa. Some in the trade compare them to fine alexandrites. Typically,
with strong change, the actual colors are blue and purple.

Color-change sapphires display strikingly different colors in incandescent light (left)
and fluorescent light (right).
218
Tino Hammid/GIA
This star sapphire is extraordinary for its exquisite star as well as for its 204.39-ct. size.
It’s one of the largest star sapphires in existence.
The other phenomenon is asterism. Star sapphires have traditionally been

very popular, especially those with blue or black bodycolors. (The so-
called black bodycolor is actually a very dark brown). The sharper and
straighter its rays and the purer its blue—the less gray it shows—the more
valuable a blue star sapphire.
Black star sapphires are more fragile than other star sapphires. As you read
in Assignment 6, they’re susceptible to parting, so they’re usually cut in
a low cabochon for protection against being hit. Black star sapphires are
relatively inexpensive.
Local pride is also a factor in assessing value in the sapphire market.
Buyers in the northern US place a premium on sapphires from the nearby
mines of Yogo Gulch, Montana.
Selling the Big 3

n What’s a positive way to explain clarity to a customer?
n How should you explain durability concerns?
n What should you tell your customers about cleaning the Big 3?
Compared to other colored stones, the gems of the Big 3 are fairly easy
to sell. Unlike most other colored stones, you don’t have to introduce
customers to emeralds, rubies, or sapphires. Customers generally come
to retailers already knowing about them and looking to buy one of them.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have a job to do when they come to you.
Even if you’re not defending the gems against some recent bad publicity,
there are still some bridges you have to lead your customers across.
219
Some customers
might not be aware
that sapphires
come in colors
other than blue.
You might have
to educate them
about sapphires
like these gold,
orange, and
brown stones
from Montana.
Tino Hammid/GIA
The presentation of inclusions is a good example. In almost all the negative

KEY
reporting done on gems, the word “inclusions” gets thrown around very
CONCEPTS
loosely. Potential buyers end up with a bad impression of what inclusions
Inclusions can prove that a stone is are. If you encounter this kind of misunderstanding, your best bet is to
natural and not manmade. explain that inclusions are like a gemstone’s birth certificate. They can
prove that a stone was born in the ground, not a lab.
Of course, there are times when you have to acknowledge that inclusions
can hurt the beauty or durability of a stone. If there are durability concerns,
this is the time to discuss them. This can easily lead to an explanation of
treatments. Customers can appreciate the efforts of professionals over the
years to improve upon the beauty and durability of natural stones. If you
don’t make this case, you leave it to amateurs and crooks to distort it for
the entire industry.
You might have to demonstrate that the reason emeralds of equal weight
don’t cost the same is because they have different color saturations. For
security reasons, it’s not a good idea to show multiple stones at once, but
you might have to in order to show gem color properly. If store policy and
insurance concerns allow, show your customer a range of emerald greens,
starting from the faintest.
By the time you get to the deepest green, your customer should understand
the major reason why the last one costs so much more than the first. While
conducting this demonstration, keep security in mind and return the
stones to safekeeping as soon as you’ve made your point.
Care and Cleaning of the Big 3

You learned a lot about durability in Assignment 6. Approaching the
issue of care and cleaning starts with understanding a gem’s durability.
Corundum, for instance, is one of the hardest natural materials on earth.
220
Robert Weldon/GIA
Selling emerald, ruby, and sapphire includes informing customers about how to keep
their new gems beautiful. Emerald isn’t as hard as ruby and sapphire, but all can be
safely cleaned with warm, soapy water.
Both ruby and sapphire score a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. This means
they can scratch almost anything, and no natural gemstone other than
diamond can scratch them. In fact, non-gem-quality corundum is often
used to cut and polish other colored stones.
Emerald is not quite as hard as ruby or sapphire, but it’s still fairly hard,
rating a 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale.
You can sell the durability of a gemstone, but always remember that tough-
ness can be a concern for some stones. Emerald toughness, for instance, can
range from good to poor. So while you can sell durability, don’t oversell it.
You should also educate customers about the care and cleaning of their KEY
jewelry. Ideally, they should bring their jewelry to you for professional
CONCEPTS
cleaning, but they might not. Protect yourself and explain which care and
cleaning methods are safe and which aren’t. It’s important to inform customers about
As long as rubies and sapphires are not oiled or glass-filled, they can be the care and cleaning of their jewelry.
cleaned with ultrasonic or steam cleaners. Warm, soapy water is safe for
cleaning, although strong detergents or vigorous scrubbing can hurt an
oiled stone.
The widespread use of oiling makes emerald a bigger care-and-cleaning
risk than ruby or sapphire. Emeralds should never be subjected to ultra-
sonic or steam cleaning. Warm, soapy water is the safest way to clean them.
Any detergent should be mild, and gentle rubbing should substitute for
scrubbing.
This is the last assignment in Colored Stone Essentials. All that’s left is to
take and pass the assignment questionnaire and the course final exam.
Then it’s time to take the next step. If your goal is the Accredited Jewelry
Professional (AJP) Diploma, you’ll have to take Jewelry Essentials and
Diamond Essentials, if you haven’t already. After that, the sky’s the limit!
You can use these three courses as a springboard to the coveted Graduate
Gemologist (GG) diploma. Contact your Distance Education instructor
for help as you continue your exciting GIA education.
221
KEY
CONCEPTS
Ruby, emerald, and sapphire are the most important colored One of the major challenges facing gemologists is telling
stones in the market. natural rubies from lab-grown ones.
Emeralds have been mined for thousands of years. Most natural rubies are heat-treated to improve their color.
Major emerald sources are Colombia, Brazil, Zambia, and The most valuable ruby colors are red to slightly purplish red
Zimbabwe. with medium to medium-dark tone and vivid saturation.
Violence, remote locations, and harsh climates make emeralds Sapphire and ruby both belong to the gem species corundum.
difficult to mine.
Sapphires come in blue and also in a variety of other colors.
Glass is an ancient emerald imitation still in use today.
Madagascar is the most significant source of good- to fine-
Most emeralds are treated to improve their apparent clarity. quality blue sapphire.
It’s important to practice full disclosure and educate your Sapphire is commonly heat-treated to improve color and
customers about emerald treatments. sometimes clarity.
The most prized emerald hues are vivid green and vivid bluish The most valuable blue sapphire colors are velvety, violetish
green, neither too dark nor too light. blue to blue with medium to medium-dark tone and strong to
vivid saturation.
Red must be the dominant hue for corundum to be
considered ruby. Inclusions can prove that a stone is natural and not manmade.
Mozambique has become the world’s most important ruby It’s important to inform customers about the care and
source. cleaning of their jewelry.
222
n What are the essentials of emerald history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major emerald sources?
n What are the key disclosure issues when you are selling emerald?
n What’s the most important emerald value factor?
n What are the essentials of ruby history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major sources of ruby?
n Why is heat treatment of ruby a disclosure issue?
n What’s the most important ruby value factor?
n What are the essentials of sapphire history and lore?
n Where are the world’s major sources of sapphire?
n What are the disclosure issues when selling sapphire?
n What are the important sapphire value factors?
n What’s a positive way to explain clarity to a customer?
n How should you explain durability concerns?
n What should you tell your customers about cleaning the Big 3?
223
Photo Courtesies
The Gemological Institute of America gratefully acknowledges the following people and organizations for their assistance in
gathering or producing some of the images used in this assignment book:
23rd St. Shoppe, Santa Monica Henry Lo

Allan Caplan Herring and McManus Collection
American Gem Corp. Indogems, Inc.
Andrew Lucas J Grahl Design
Apache Gems JCK Magazine
Arthur Groom Jewelry of Castelnuovo d'Aiassa Designs
Assael International Johnnie Huang
Assil New York , Claudio Salvati & Inter-Color Jonte Berlon
Barker & Co., Scottsdale, Arizona Leslie Sott
Beatrice Marini Lewis Allen
Buccellati Lynda Starbird
Bulgari Marc Bielenberg
C. Y. Sheng Marc Sarosi
Carol Ackerman Designs Mayer & Watt & Mary Murphy Hammid
Cartier Mr. Sham Kapil
Chris Almquist Our Secret Creations, Beverly Hills
Chris Keenan Overland Gems
Cody Opal Pty, Ltd Pete Flusser
Crescent Jewelers, Westwood, CA Pala International
D. Humphrey Paula Crevoshay
Dave LeRose Petra Jewelry
David Humphrey R. Homer
Debbie Hiss Sapphire Gem, LTD, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dona Dirlam Saskia, Nurnberg Germany National Museum
DW Enterprises Stone World
Edward Swoboda Sumangal Gems
Epstein Susan Helmich Designs
Eternity Natural Emerald T. O'Halloran
Finell's Jewelers, Escondido, CA The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Gary Bowersox The Smithsonian Institution
Gemstones and Fine Jewelry Co. Thermal Technology, Inc.
Golden Stone USA Inc., Los Angeles Traditional Jewelers
Gordon Bleck Vasken Aintablian
H. Naka Xuwen Pearl Paradise
224
For Further Reading
For Further Reading

Gems & Gemology (G&G), GIA’s professional journal, and GIA’s website
(www.gia.edu) provide in-depth feature articles on the latest gemological
research, from gem treatments, lab-grown gems, and the evaluation of gem
quality to developments in gem production, market sources, and more.
To give you the opportunity to learn more about the subjects you are studying
and enrich your gemological knowledge, a list of articles relevant to each
Colored Stone Essentials assignment is provided below. It is important to note
that this reading is optional. You will not be tested on the content of these articles.
Scan the QR code above or go to
All G&G articles are available for download free of charge at www.gia.edu. https://www.gia.edu/library to
Copies of these articles are also available at your GIA campus location. access articles for further reading.
Check with your instructor for access to them.
Assignment 1: Introduction
Gems & Gemology current issue
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology
News and Articles
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research
GIA Gem Encyclopedia
https://www.gia.edu/gem-encyclopedia
GIA Birthstones for Each Month
https://www.gia.edu/birthstones
GIA Gem Project
https://www.gia.edu/gia-gem-database
GIA Library recommended reading & bibliographies for gems and historical localities
https://www.gia.edu/library
Assignment 2: Understanding Color and Phenomena

Bohannon S. (2016) Optical Effects of Phenomenal Cabochons. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/optical-effects-phenomenal-cabochons
Gems for Pantone Colors Spring/Summer 2015 (2015). GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-pantone-spring-colors-2015
Assignment 3: Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight

Gilbertson A. (2018) Colored Gemstone Value Factors. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/value-factors-design-cut-quality-colored-gemstone-value-factors
Gilbertson A. (2018) Gem Cutting Styles – Definitions. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-value-factors-gem-cutting-styles-definitions
Gilbertson A. (2018) Colored Stone Darkness & Brightness. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-colored-stone-darkness-and-brightness
Gilbertson A. (2018) Factors in Colored Stones that Interact to Affect Value. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-some-factors-that-interact-to-affect-value
Gilbertson A. (2018) Colored Stone Quality – What to Look For. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-colored-stone-cut-quality-what-to-look-for
225
Renfro N. et al. (2017) Inclusions in Natural, Synthetic, and Treated Ruby. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 53, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2017-inclusions-natural-synthetic-ruby
Renfro N. et al. (2017) Inclusions in Natural, Synthetic, and Treated Sapphire. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 53, No. 2
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2017-inclusions-sapphire
Renfro N. et al. (2016) Inclusions in Natural, Synthetic, and Treated Emerald. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 52, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2016-inclusions-natural-synthetic-treated-emerald
Renfro N. et al. (2015) A Closer Look at the Micro-World of Gems. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/micro-world-gallery
Renfro N. (2015) Digital Photomicrography for Gemologists. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2015-digital-photomicrography-gemologists
Skalwold E.A. et al. (2015) Introduction to the Micro-World of Gems. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2015-microworld-introduction-gems
And Then Came the Fantasy Cut (2014) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/munsteiner-gem-cut
Insights from Inclusions (2014) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gem-inclusion-insight
The Hidden Beauty of Gemstones (2013) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/photomicrography
Kane R.E. (2004) The Creation of a Magnificent Suite of Peridot Jewelry: From the Himalayas to Fifth Avenue.
Gems & Gemology, Vol. 40, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2004-peridot-jewelry-himalayas-fifth-avenue-kane
Carmona C.I. (1998) Estimating Weights of Mounted Colored Stones. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 34, No. 3
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-1998-estimating-weights-mounted-stones-carmona
Assignment 4: Market Awareness

Tucson 2019 Overview (2019) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2019-gemnews-tucson-2019-overview
Tucson 2018 Overview (2018) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2018-gemnews-tucson-overview
An Inside Look at the 2017 Tucson Shows (2017) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2017-gemnews-tucson-overview
An Inside Look at the 2016 Tucson Shows (2016) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/2016-tucson-show-inside-look
Archuleta J. (2016) The Color of Responsibility: Ethical Issues and Solutions in Colored Gemstones.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2016-color-responsibility-ethical-issues-solutions-colored-gemstones
Lucas A. et al. (2016) Jaipur, India: The Global Gem and Jewelry Power of the Pink City. Gems & Gemology,
Vol. 52, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2016-jaipur-india
Lucas A. et al. (2016) Jaipur, India: The Emerald Cutting and Trading Powerhouse. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/jaipur-india-emerald-cutting-trading-powerhouse
226
For Further Reading
Chapin M. et al. (2015) Mozambique: A Ruby Discovery for the 21st Century. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 1
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2015-mozambique-ruby-discovery-21st-century
Hsu T. et al. (2015) Chasing the Rainbow: Australia Opal Fields Expedition. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/australia-opal-fields-expedition
Hsu T. et al. (2015) Splendor in the Outback: A Visit to Australia’s Opal Fields. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2015-splendor-outback-australia-opal-fields
Lucas A. et al. (2015) The Belmont Mine and an Emerald’s Journey from Mine to Market. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/belmont-mine-emeralds-journey-mine-to-market
Lucas A. et al. (2014) Sri Lanka: From Mine to Market, Part 1. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-sri-lanka-mining-part1
Lucas A. et al. (2014) Sri Lanka: From Mine to Market, Part 2. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-sri-lanka-mining-part2
Shor R. (2013) Auction Houses: A Powerful Market Influence on Major Diamonds and Colored Gemstones.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/Spring-2013-shor-auction
Weldon R., Jonathan C. (2013) The Museum of London’s Extraordinary Cheapside Hoard.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/FA13-cheapside-hoard-weldon
Shigley J.E. et al. (2010) Gem Localities of the 2000s. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 46, No. 3
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2010-diamond-pearl-colored-stones-shigley
Shor R., Weldon R. (2010) An Era of Sweeping Change in Diamond and Colored Stone Production Markets.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2010-diamond-pearl-shor
Shor R. (2007) From Single Source to Global Free Market: The Transformation of the Cultured Pearl Industry.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2007-global-free-market-pearl-industry-shor
Assignment 5: Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones, Imitations, and Disclosure

Weldon R. (2013) An Introduction to Gem Treatments. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gem-treatment
Weldon R. (2013) An Introduction to Simulants or Imitation Gem Materials. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gem-imitation
Weldon R. (2013) An Introduction to Synthetic Gem Materials. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gem-synthetic
McClure S.F. et al. (2010) Gemstone Enhancement and Its Detection in the 2000s. Gems & Gemology,
Vol. 46, No. 3
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2010-detection-disclosure-heating-mcclure
Renfro N. et al. (2010) Synthetic Gem Materials in the 2000s: a Decade in Review. Gems & Gemology,
Vol. 46, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2010-synthetic-diamonds-renfro
Overton T.W. (2004) Gem Treatment Disclosure and U.S. Law. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 40, No. 2
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2004-gem-treatment-disclosure-us-law-overton
Smith C.P., McClure S.F. (2002) Chart of Commercially Available Gem Treatments. Gems & Gemology,
Vol. 38, No. 4
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2002-commercially-available-gem-treatments-smith
227
Assignment 6: Durability, Care, and Cleaning

Alexandrite Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/alexandrite-care-cleaning
Amber Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/amber-care-cleaning
Amethyst Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/amethyst-care-cleaning
Ametrine Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/ametrine-care-cleaning
Aquamarine Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/aquamarine-care-cleaning
Citrine Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/citrine-care-cleaning
Emerald Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/emerald-care-cleaning
Garnet Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/garnet-care-cleaning
Iolite Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/iolite-care-cleaning
Jade Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/jade-care-cleaning
Kunzite Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/kunzite-care-cleaning
Lapis Lazuli Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/lapis-lazuli-care-cleaning
Moonstone Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/moonstone-care-cleaning
Morganite Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/morganite-care-cleaning
Opal Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/opal-care-cleaning
Pearl Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/pearl-care-cleaning
Peridot Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/peridot-care-cleaning
Rose Quartz Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/rose-quartz-care-cleaning
Ruby Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/ruby-care-cleaning
Sapphire Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/sapphire-care-cleaning
228
For Further Reading
Spinel Care and Cleaning Guide

https://www.gia.edu/spinel-care-cleaning
Sunstone Care and Cleaning Guide
https://www.gia.edu/sunstone-care-cleaning
Tanzanite Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/tanzanite-care-cleaning
Topaz Care and Cleaning Guide
https://www.gia.edu/topaz-care-cleaning
Tourmaline Care and Cleaning Guide
https://www.gia.edu/tourmaline-care-cleaning
Turquoise Care and Cleaning
https://www.gia.edu/turquoise-care-cleaning
Zircon Care and Cleaning Guide
https://www.gia.edu/zircon-care-cleaning
McClure S.F. et al. (2006) Identification and Durability of Lead Glass–Filled Rubies.
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2006-identification-lead-glass-filled-rubies-mcclure
Assignment 7: Presenting Colored Stones

Alexandrite (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/alexandrite
Amber (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/amber
Amethyst (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/amethyst
Ametrine (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/ametrine
Aquamarine (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/aquamarine
Citrine (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/citrine
Emerald (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/emerald
Garnet (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/garnet
Iolite (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/iolite
Jade (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/jade
Kunzite (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/kunzite
229
Lapis Lazuli (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)

https://www.gia.edu/lapis-lazuli
Moonstone (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/moonstone
Morganite (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/morganite
Opal (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/opal
Pearl (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/pearl
Peridot (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/peridot
Rose Quartz (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/rose-quartz
Ruby (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/ruby
Sapphire (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/sapphire
Spinel (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/spinel
Sunstone (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/sunstone
Tanzanite (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/tanzanite
Topaz (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/topaz
Tourmaline (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/tourmaline
Turquoise (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/turquoise
Zircon (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/zircon
Bohannon S. (2018) Colorblocking: The Art and Fashion of Multicolor Gemstones. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/colorblocking-art-fashion-multicolor-gemstones
Bohannon S. (2018) December Blues: Birthstone Gifts that Will Delight. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/december-blues-birthstone-gifts-will-delight
Bohannon S. (2017) The Red Hot Gems of Summer. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/red-hot-gems-summer
Bohannon S., Tsiamis P. (2015) The Glory of Green Gems. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/glory-green-gems
230
For Further Reading
Assignment 8: Presenting the Big 3

Ruby (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/ruby
Lucas A., Pardieu V. (2014) Mogok Expedition Series, Part 1: The Valley of Rubies. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research-expedition-to-the-valley-of-rubies-part-1
Lucas A., Pardieu V. (2014) Mogok Expedition Series, Part 2: The Expedition, the Mines, and the People.
GIA Research & News
Lucas A., Pardieu V. (2014) Mogok Expedition Series, Part 3: The Market and the Stones. GIA Research & News
Sapphire (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/sapphire
Hsu T. et al. (2016) Montana’s Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine: Sharing the Excitement of Mining with the Public.
GIA Research & News https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/montana-gem-mountain-sapphire-mine
GIA Field Gemology Team Explores Sapphire Mines at Ilakaka, Madagascar (2015) GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/sapphire-mines-ilakaka-madagascar-field-expedition
Hsu T. et al. (2015) Seeking the Legacy of Australian Sapphire. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/seeking-legacy-australian-sapphire
Emerald (GIA Gem Encyclopedia)
https://www.gia.edu/emerald
Bohannon S. (2017) Emerald’s Colombia’s Buried Treasure. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/emeralds-colombia-buried-treasure
Lucas A. et al. (2015) The Belmont Mine and an Emerald’s Journey from Mine to Market. GIA Research & News
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/belmont-mine-emeralds-journey-mine-to-market
231

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Colored Stone

2. Understanding Color and Phenomena

3. Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight

5. Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones,

6. Durability, Care, and Cleaning

7. Presenting Colored Stones

8. Presenting the Big 3

Assignment 2 Understanding Color and Phenomena . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Assignment 3 Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Assignment 4 Market Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Assignment 5 Treatments, Laboratory-Grown Gemstones,

Assignment 6 Durability, Care, and Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Assignment 7 Presenting Colored Stones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Assignment 8 Presenting the Big 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

For Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Welcome to Colored Stone Essentials! This course is your introduction to the

Learning from this Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Questions for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The Nature of Gemstones

In the world of gems, the diamond is in

Gemology—The study of gems.

Tino Hammid/GIA Tino Hammid/GIA

Organic—Once living, or produced by

Mineral—A natural, inorganic

Inorganic—Composed of, or arising

Chemical composition—Kinds and

Describing Lab-Grown Gems

Three Traits of all Gems

Chemical Composition and Structure

In fashioned gemstones, visual appeal typically results from a combination

Getting Clear on Transparency

Demand is unpredictable. Amber, highly treasured in centuries past, is

Often, shrewd marketing can sway consumer preference. If a major

Tory Kooyman/GIA Tory Kooyman/GIA

Species and Variety

Tino Hammid/GIA Tino Hammid/GIA

Maha Tannous/GIA Robert Weldon/GIA

Bart Curren Robert Weldon/GIA

Learning from this Course KEY

Your Essential Travel Companion

Checking Your Progress

Now that you’ve finished Assignment 1, complete the first questionnaire.

MyGIA is a World Wide Web-based service available through your normal

The Final Examination

You must complete each questionnaire with a minimum score of 75 percent

Just Say “Gem”

Help Isn’t Far Away

The FTC Issues Standards for Ethical Practices

Chemical composition—Kinds and relative quantities of Luster—The appearance of a material’s surface in

Chemical formula—Written description of a material’s Mineral—A natural, inorganic substance with a

Questions for Review

n What three traits do all gems share?

n How does consumer demand aﬀect a gem’s value?

n What features help classify gems?

n How can you benefit from the GIA website?

n What are some of the ways you’ll get feedback?

Color Quality and Gem Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Presenting Color and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Phenomena and Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39