Globally, gemstones have re-emerged as fundamental pieces in jewelry. It is important to know their value, characteristics, and the reason for the differences in their price. For example, some factors that can affect the value of gemstones are their size, if they are natural or created in a laboratory, and if they were subjected to any treatment to improve their appearance. In Planderful we will tell you which are the 10 most valued gemstones in jewelry.
What are precious stones?
As we already know, the human being, since its appearance, has always felt devotion and endowed with a certain mysticism to precious or rare stones or stones very difficult to find in nature. Various uses are attributed to these stones, as ornaments, as symbols of exclusivity and power, as tools for healing or meditation, or they may be associated with cults of certain deities.
Precious and semiprecious stones are, almost in their majority, minerals. Some of them, however, are organic (such as amber, fossilized vegetable resin). In order to distinguish between precious stones and semi-precious stones, three factors are used:
- Their scale of hardness (which guarantees their durability).
- The rarity, scarcity, or difficulty to find them in nature.
- Their beauty and perfection. By this, we mean their color, brightness, transparency, and purity (without imperfections).
You may also be interested in: What are the differences between precious and semi-precious stones?
- Pearl
Pearl is the most valuable of all organic gemstones. Pearls are created when an oyster feels an irritating substance in the soft mouth inside its shell, then covers it with layers of nacre. Today, almost all pearls on the market are artificially cultured by inserting a small bead into the mouth of an oyster.
Source: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/identifying-pearls-used-in-antique-and-vintage-jewelry-4119948
- Moonstone
Moonstone is a member of the large family of feldspar minerals that includes about two-thirds of all stones on Earth. It has a hardness of 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale and exhibits a wide range of colors from green, brown, yellow, grayish pink, rainbow, and colorless to very rare blues.
You may also be interested in: Mystic & Beautiful Moonstone
- Topaz
Topaz is one of the most common gemstones worldwide, as much for its beauty as for its hardness. It has a very good hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale. Topaz comes in a rainbow of colors, the most valuable of which are red, pink, and orange, although there are also yellow, and smoky blue, among others. The rarest and most sought after variety is the imperial topaz, which has a reddish orange-yellow color. Its color is unmatched by any other stone. These stones are mined in Brazil, Pakistan, and Russia.
- Opal
The opal family is known for its special play of rainbow colors and is available in an almost infinite variety of shades, including black, white, colorless, yellow, red, green, blue, and multicolored. The word opal comes from the Greek 'opallos', meaning "color change", referring to the color of this gemstone that appears to vary when tilted under the light. This phenomenon occurs due to the internal diffraction of light that scatters a spectrum of iridescent colors. Opal averages 5.5 -6 hardness on the Mohs scale.
Source: https://www.navratan.com/blog/astrological-benefits-of-opal
- Amethyst
It is the most valued variety of quartz in the market. Its most prized color is lilac (ranging from light lilac to deep purple), but it can be yellow or even transparent, depending on the amount of iron it contains. Amethyst is very sensitive to heat and sunlight and can lose all its color when exposed to strong ultraviolet rays for long periods. This colored stone has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
- Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a variety of the mineral beryl. This gemstone is named for its sea-like color, which can range from pastel blue to deep blue to greenish blue or yellowish blue. Deep blue aquamarine stones are considered to be the most valuable of their kind. Aquamarine has a good hardness of 7.5 -8 on the Mohs scale.
- Ruby
Ruby is the red manifestation of corundum; all other colors of corundum are called sapphire. Due to its durability, brilliance, and magical red color, it has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones for thousands of years. Larger rubies, being rarer, fetch the highest prices. Because of its red color, ruby is commonly associated with passion, love, power, warmth, blood, and fire. This precious mineral has a very good hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale.
- Emerald
The highest priced emeralds exhibit a bright green grass-like luster. Its name comes from Persian and its meaning is "green stone". Emeralds have a very good hardness of 7.5 - 8 on the Mohs scale. Emeralds are known worldwide for their exquisite green hue and have been embraced by mankind for over 4,000 years. Although there were other green stones, the only crystalline one was the emerald. Nowadays, we know other green crystalline stones, but none of them is comparable in color and transparency to the emerald.
- Sapphire
Sapphire is a member of the corundum family. Sapphires most often occur in blue and the most vivid, pure, and deep blues are the most valuable. For thousands of years, sapphire has been linked solely with the color blue. Its name originates from the Greek word 'sappheiros', meaning blue. However, sapphires can be found in all colors except red: red sapphires are called rubies.
- Diamond
Diamond is the hardest mineral that exists in nature. This characteristic, together with its beauty and the rarity for which it is famous, makes it the most valued stone. In addition, the rough diamond is not a very striking stone. In ancient times it was believed that colored stones possessed some special powers and cured diseases. Because of their beautiful colors, they were also used in majestic jewelry, especially for kings or nobility. Nowadays these precious stones are highly valued.
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