Learn about semi-precious gemstones and their photos

The "New" Gemstones on Photo

We would like to offer some insight into the 'new' gemstone varieties which, thanks to the Internet, have become available to a wider public.

(Read here about: "Ruby-on-Photo" and "Sapphire-on-Photo")

Titanite: The master of fire

We define Titanite as sphene from Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are different from other sources in so far as they show a multitude of colors at the same time. Though some may have one dominant color like orange, yellow, green or red, they almost always exhibit the other colors as well. Sphenes from other origins (as so far discovered and to our knowledge) are mainly green with some yellow.

With dispersion higher than that of diamond and a rainbow of colors, Titanites are a must-see for anybody who loves fiery gemstones. Especially in candle light they are gemstone mystic pure. Even a half carat will turn heads.

Titanites are not as tough as diamond or sapphire hence they can't be worn while free-climbing. However, there is zero risk of scratching them in earrings at a dinner party (not unless your date is Hannibal Lecter).

We have set quite a few Titanites in protective rings and pendants and they all stand their ground in daily use:

Titanite on photo:

Sparkle can not be transferred on a photo, it needs movement. When you shop for Titanite (or any sparkling gemstone) the quality of the cut is most important. Diamond cuts (invented to work with high dispersion) are the best in Titanite too. Avoid windows and cuts with too few facets.
Though they do display many colors Titanites may have different characters. These may range from an earthy green or hay yellow to a lively red ocher and many other combinations. This is sometimes hard to transfer on photo, so pay attention to the seller's description. If our grading reads "orange/green/red/yellow" then orange is the most dominant colors followed by green, red and so on.

Given their affordability and the spectacle they offer, Titanites are a simply terrific deal.

Unfortunately our contact to the Pakistani mine (build up in the relative calm of 2007) has defaulted so we are not able to predict future availability or prices at this time (07/08).

See our titanites.

Spinels come in a vast variety of colors, but are not as confusing as the garnet family. The most famous colors in spinel are blue and red, but one will find fine purple, violet, pink, mauve, greenish, or black spinel. They also come with stars and color changes but have not yet gained much attention. What dignifies all spinel is their excellent luster and durability for jewelry.

The king amongst blue spinel is a rare variety colored not by iron but by cobalt. This cobalt spinel is found only occasionally in Sri Lanka (and elsewhere).

In the red hues, ruby-like colored spinel has sky rocketed in price and popularity, directly followed by hot pink and padparadscha colors.

It appears that in recent years spinel has made it from a sometimes hardly distinguishable, sapphire-substitute to a variety standing on its own. Thus they do not come cheap anymore. Even our remotest miners have started to distinguish spinel as better than other 'non-sapphire-gems' and thus have started to ask much higher prices. However, they are still a comparatively reasonable alternative to ruby or blue sapphire. The less known varieties of spinel (purple, mauve, etc.) offer not only superb visual experiences but are most likely also a good investments in the long run.

Spinel on photo: As one can see above: No problem! Like sapphire spinel are quite photogenic. They do not deceive in color or luster and are a grateful object for exquisite images. As all gems they are sensitive with inclusions in the lighter tones only.

See: Red Spinel; Blue Spinel

Green grossular garnets (of which Tsavorite is the more famous) truly are a "new" gem since their discovery has been quite recently. Tsavorite are the most expensive garnets in the market (besides demantoid perhaps).

They are found mostly in small sizes. A three carat Tsavorite is considered a giant. Most found are below one carat but even the smallest Tsavorite is far from humble.

The very best are shocking green and size doesn't matter. They are like a volcano of extraterrestrial color, and if you want a modest gemstone green garnets are probably not right for you.

They do have good luster too, but color is most important. Like in emerald, inclusions are no killer-criteria as long as the color is not affected. Hence a colorless inclusion may be tolerable but we wouldn't want brown zircon crystals.

Tsavorite on photo: Difficult, to say the least.

They tend to look darker than they actually are, and often black-out. This may be a result of their unique dense hue. It is possible to throw so much photo-technology and light at them that they loose all blackout but then they also loose their individual character and start too look all alike.

This said one might distinguish between an intense metallic green and a more alarm-color "venomous" green. The latter being a more earthy color one might expect in a poisonous coral fish and the former being without parallel in nature.

Given their availability in small sizes and their intense color Tsavorite are ideal for small but visible studs or as side-stones to contrast an intense center stone.

See our green garnets.

Pyrope Garnet:

Pyrope is typically described as blood or wine-red, while his name refers to the Greek word for "fire". Though pyrope does not have what one calls "fire" in a diamond it is definitely as red as it gets. How red is that?
In case you are familiar with Spanish wine you might have a look at a Senior de Los Lamos '67, which will cost you much more than buying a pyrope, but tastes better (pyrope does not). You might also take blood samples from your neighbor's ox, but that too might not be a particular wise course. It is said that once upon a time pyrope has been more popular and much higher priced. Today pyrope is, behind the almandine, the best deal if one wants a red-red gem of significant size without selling his family.

Pyrope on photo: Pyrope typically shows blackish areas and little luster on photos. Their color gets across well, but they usually tend to show more orange or brown than they actually have. Darker pyropes simply refuse to be photographed yet look good in person. They are a fine color-bargain to hunt for.

See our pyropes.

Hessonite:

Hessonite is always clearly distinguishable: See a hessonite through a lens and he will appear to be melting inside, while you can not see anything special without the lens. Melting?

Some gemologists call it a "treacly" or 'swirly' appearance, which comes from inclusions that actually look like a petrified fluid. Hessonite is a wonderful stone in all yellow-orange to brown-red hues. Though not in line with the standard scientific gemology literature, I find hessonite in all red garnet colors from a fiery orange to a simply traffic light red. In any event they make exquisite colored gemstones and are a true miracle when seen under the lens.

Hessonite on photo: Though hessonite is wonderful to look at they struggle with serious problems in front of the camera. Unfortunately 'treacly' transfers on a photo to 'fuzzy'. One needs to experience a hessonite live to be able to capture the information hidden in a photo. As a rule, concentrate on the color and blend out the fuzziness of the photo. If you like the color you will have to test the luster in person.

See our hessonites.

Almandine:

Almandine is the most famous garnet variety in Sri Lanka. They seem close to pyrope but are of a more intense red mingled with pink and/or violet. Though often included with a very fine needle structure (which is a pleasure to see under the lens) they do have all fire and luster one might desire. In fact, a good almandine can be so amazing under a spotlight that you will not want to take your eyes off that sparkle again. Almandine is more expensive than pyrope but a still a fine deal compared to the price of a similar color thrill in e.g. spinel or ruby.

Almandine on photo: The needle structure in almandine tends to look a bit fizzy on photos. Nevertheless almandines are a pleasure to shot - they glimmer and sparkle in fine red tones and transfer well on images. Like pyrope, almandine color usually does not vary much between with day or tungsten light. Also like pyrope they tend to show black-out areas which are not as dark as they seem in reality.

See our almandines.

Rhodolite & raspberry:

Rhodolite and raspberry are red garnet with strong pink and/or purple hue. Both are characterized by their color and one will find different definitions over time and literature. However, if almandine and pyrope are wine & blood, raspberry and rhodolite are berry & flowers. They are the best deal in town for progressive color adventures. Both have excellent luster and a "juicy" color play that often mocks any description in plain words. Truly appetizing colors: Grading them sometimes makes me want to rush to the market to see whether I can find some berries.

Rhodolite and raspberry on photos: Both stones can be miraculous and nerve-wrecking in front of the camera. They are the chameleons amongst gemstones. We have seen furious discussions between photographer and grader about what is the "real" color.

Truth seems to be that there is no truth. But that doesn't matter much because these stones always excel their photos. Other than e.g. with sapphire one can not make a photo too good when in comes to a raspberry and rhodolite.

See our rhodolite and raspberry.

Color change garnet:

Color changing garnets are an exquisite rarity (and I mean rarity) in Sri Lanka. In absence of any gemologist most traders and miners in Sri Lanka consider (or wishfully think) any color change garnet to be an alexandrite and thus have dollar signs in their eyes when they get their hands on one. Therefore most color changing garnets start their life as alexandrites, but somewhere down the supply chain somebody has a bad awakening with them. On the other side, one must ask why shall a beautifully changing garnet have only 10% of the value of a dully changing pale alexandrite? That of course is a complex question of market mechanism. If one simply admires the magic of color change he might forget alex (and sapphire) and hunt the last color change garnets before the deposits are depleted.

CC on Photo: Catching color change on photos is one of the trickiest tasks in gemstone photography. This counts not only for garnet, but also for all color changers. It is so tricky, that I can only warn of too good looking but cheap color changers. A color change that is fully visible on photo without photoshoptricks is truly rare and will never be cheap (at least not in natural stones). Buying two carat 100% color changer on EBay for two dollar is like ordering a Maybach for the price of a bicycle. No complaints about dishonest sellers please!

See our color change garnets.

Zircon has suffered much bad PR due to synthetic stones with the trade name "Cubic Zirconia". In addition to this the use of zircon as a cheap diamond rip-off has led many people to believe that zircon is synthetic or some kind of fake.

It is not! Zircon is a wonderful gemstone variety that has much more to offer than all the treated zircon in uniformed colors roaming the jewelry market.

Zircon is the most brilliant of all colored gemstone (only thus he was misused as an imitation for diamonds). His brilliance and luster is unbeatable and his high birefringence is most unique. Naturally colored zircon can be green, yellow, brown, (rarely) blue, (very rarely) red and often colorless. In any color he shows a stunning fire and magnificent luster. Mostly very clean and found in good sizes zircon is a yet little known opportunity for novice collectors and experimental jewelry makers. They offer adorable colors and excellent luster for every budget. A light yellow zircon is nearly as fascinating as a fancy diamond. Sri Lanka has for centuries been the best source of gem quality zircons.

Zircon on photo: As a rule, zircons are even better than their images. The birefringence of zircon is so dominant that he is difficult to photograph clearly. Additionally they are often so brilliant that they seem to simply mirror light on the image. The strong luster of zircon is rather hindering for the color show and when it comes to zircons, one shall rather trust the seller than the photo.

(This can be said as a general rule: Don't buy gems based on photos but on the reputation of the seller and based on the security of his return policy. It is not a pleasant shopping experience if you buy a bad stone with a super photo that can't be returned.)

See our zircons.

Unfortunately, we do not get many aquamarines in Sri Lanka (at least not from Sri Lanka). Those we get are of light colors (untreated of course) with a greenish blue hue. The most expensive color in Sri Lanka is a sky blue. In former times the most wanted color was actually (in line with the name) the greenish blue. However today the sky blue is higher priced. Even more than amongst sapphires, aquamarines are generally heated to get stronger blue. If you have decided to stay with natural gemstones look out for light colors. I personally think the greenish blue ones are very beautiful and make real unique stones.

Aquamarine on photo: Light colored stones are notoriously difficult to capture. Especially in stones of good luster the light thrown back out of the stones tends to override the stone's color. Hence even if an aquamarine has a solid clearly visible blue hue he might in the photo show to be nearly colorless. Light colors also take inclusions much more serious on the photo than in reality. Again, trust the seller not the photo.

See our aquamarines.

Amethyst is very popular purple-violet quartz. It is available in fine colors and good sizes but does not demand high prices. A lot of amethyst is burned into citrine but the original stone is much more attractive. In fact, seen in color/price relation amethyst might compete with garnets. The deep purple cross-over to violet is just delicious. Amethyst is probably the only gemstone variety one can collect buying only the best "excellent" stones on a moderate price.

Amethyst on photo: No problem. Amethyst is grateful in front of the camera and makes easy realistic shots.

See our amethyst.

Tourmaline is the most versatile gemstone family. Not only do they show themselves in all colors from brown to pink, but they are also famous for bi- tri- and multicolored varieties, and rare color changers. In Sri Lanka we rarely find pink, blue and red tourmaline but are blessed with green, yellow and brown in all mixes and variation. For those who dislike today's flashy fancy colors, tourmaline with his mellow autumnal hues offers superb alternatives. Turning a bi- or tri-colored tourmaline in the sun and watching his playfully change between reddish brown, yellowish green and mellow orange is most delightful!

Pure green tourmaline is a very thankful alternative to emerald and is thus often cut in baguettes and emerald shape. Tourmaline comes in good sizes, is clean and often used as healing stone. We predict that tourmaline will gain more fame after the recent run for flashy colors has settled.

Tourmaline on photo: Mono-colored tourmaline does not cause any problems in front of the camera. His color comes out realistic and they are not too light sensitive. Multicolored stones (showing different colors in different zones) are also no challenge. But things get more difficult when it comes to bi- or tri-colored stones. Sometimes it is possible to capture all colors in one angle. But more frequently the photographer gets sore fingers and a heart attack before he leaves it to the grader to describe the color play in words.

See our green tourmalines, golden/yellow tourmalines, chrome tourmalines, red/pink/purple tourmalines.

Natural untreated topaz is rarely available, and a lot of consumers buy all kinds of cheap synthetics, citrine or treated and irradiated stones under the name "so-and-so-fake-topaz". This has led to much confusion and a devaluation of the original topaz. However, naturally colored topaz is an exquisite rarity and a true collector's item. Colorless topaz (which is often taken to be radiated) is a reasonable alternative to white sapphire and a good place to start a collection. The light blue stones we find in Sri Lanka are a delightful brilliant sight. Unfortunately we rarely get yellow (the "true" topaz) or pinkish topaz.

Topaz on photo: Natural colored topaz is notoriously difficult. Topaz with their naturally light colors outshine themselves and (like aquamarine) tend to look colorless even if the eye clearly captures a nice color. In any case an untreated light blue topaz is a terrific stone with a dazzling luster surpassing many much higher priced stones. I dare say, that if you see a fully colored topaz on a photo it is either heavily treated or heavily photo-shop-faked. If not, it should cost a good deal.

See our topaz.

Chrysoberyl is yet another continent to discover. The famous color changing alexandrite is a sub-variety of chrysoberyl. Normal Sri Lanka chrysoberyls come in light to fully saturated green and fine yellow hues. They are hard and durable and thus much appreciated for jewelry. Generally of good clarity and fine luster they are a unique alternative to green or yellow sapphire.

The fabulous cat's eye is one of the miracles in the world of gemstones. Fine parallel needles throughout the stone break light in a way that the stone displays a ray moving across the stone. While garnets, quartz and other varieties might show the same effect, only chrysoberyl is correctly referred to as the cat's eye. Basic parameters to judge the ray is his definition (full and clear?), position (centered?) and his movement (flawless?) across the stone.

Chrysoberyl on photo: While faceted chrysoberyl is easy to capture, a cat's eye needs a strong single light source to display the ray. This is difficult without changing the color of the stone in the yellow tungsten light. Therefore when buying cat's eye on the web, one should also pay attention to the 'official' color description and grading.

See our chrysoberyl and alexandrite.

Kornerupine is a fine new opportunity for the collector of natural colors. Until recently quasi non-existent in the gem market, kornerupine has now found attention as a nice untreated gemstone in very unique hues: From mellow green mingled with yellowish and brown tints to forest green. Depending on the cut some stones show different colors from different angels but they are not as unpredictable as tourmaline (with which they are often confused). Though kornerupine has entered the gem market only recently, we have so far always received positive feed back from those who ventured to buy this unknown variety.

Kornerupine on photo: Similar to other green stones kornerupine likes to be photographed and does neither show too good not too bad. When it comes to his pleochroic effects, things get more difficult but since we usually try and cut him into one color, this has not been of much trouble to us.

See our kornerupine.

Though soft, diopside has raised some attention from jewelry makers for his strong but reasonable priced green hues. Chrome diopside has actually become quite famous and expensive for his emerald green. However it is soft and has to be protected in jewelry. In Sri Lanka we mostly find the mellow green hues mingled with some lively yellow. Together with kornerupine, diopside make the most exciting new discovery in the world of green gems. Especially the cat's eye variety seems to have huge potential as an alternative to the more expensive chrysoberyl.

Diopside on photo: Due to his strong birefringence diopside tends to come out slightly fuzzy and light green hues present inclusions stronger that the lens shows them.

See our diopside.

Sinhalite is the Sri Lankan stone (in regard to the origin of the name). He is usually found in fine yellow brownish colors and highly priced in honey yellow. Sinhalite is a rare collector item that was identified only a few decades ago. Though uncommon in jewelry it has all the qualities to be mounted and we would love to see more of it.

Sinhalite on photo: Though we did not find many sinhalite (the 10 ct on the photo is our best) it seems that, as long as the color is not too light, sinhalite poses well in front of the camera.

See our sinhalite.

How to judge ruby on photo.

Semi-Precious on Photo.

For an in-depth and more scientific study of gems we recommend you start with http://www.gia.edu or www.gemstone.org.

Both websites will easily bring you into the world of gems, the first one from the view of a gemologist, the latter more from the position of the trade.

To join the growing number of gem collectors on the internet we recommend:
http://www.gemologyonline.com/ and
http://www.yourgemologist.com/.

Roughs and Crystals

It is illegal to export rough, uncut stones from Sri Lanka with the exception of crystals that fulfill certain specifications.

If you are interested in crystals, have a look at our featured sapphire crystals and please contact us if you seek something different. We usually have some crystals in our stock which have not been cut yet and can be set aside.