ARTICLES: Planetary Gem Choosing | The 4C’s of Colored Gemstones
The 4C’s of Colored Gemstones & their application in choice of a perfect planetary Gem
Natural Blue Sapphire of 4.02 carats
Even though there are many parameters that need to be factored in before one can choose one’s special gemstone the foundation rests on the classical 4C’s.
What are the 4C’s of colored Gemstones?
The 4C method was formally developed by the GIA-Gemological Institute of America. These 4C’s are
Cut
Color
Clarity
Carat Weight
Cut
The overall Shape or design of a gemstone is referred to as the cut. The cut of a colored gemstone also has significant bearing on the price per carat. Some gemstones are traditionally cut in particular shapes. Like the Emerald has always commanded more price when cut in the Emerald cut, and Sapphires are considered more desirable in the oval cuts.
Classical Gem Cuts Chart
What ever may be the cut, it has to be made sure that the maximum play and penetration of light takes place so as to bring out the brilliance and scintillation of the color of the gemstone.
The more masterfully crafted the gemstone the better the polish and blemish free surface the costlier the gemstone.
Exotic and unusual shapes, like round, Pear etc are priced at a premium as shaping the gems into these shapes leads to more wastage of the raw material/gem roughs.
A good cut adds beauty to a Gemstone and ensure that each facet reflects light in an alluring manner.
Color
In the world of colored Gemstone everything is color. The more alluring the color, more is the beauty of the gemstone. The world color in the world of Gemstones is not so simple. Color is everything in a colored Gemstone. Gemstone color is made up of Hue Tone and Saturation.
The purest color begets premium price. By purest we mean that minimal to no hues of other colors are present in it, have high levels of saturation and also have the best tones. Also one must keep in mind that color may vary from region to region.
Color itself is made of hue, tone and Saturation.
Hue: Impression of color immediately such as red, blue or Violet is known as Hue.
Colored Gemstones Hue Chart
Tone: The degree of lightness or darkness of an object is referred to as the tone
Colored Gemstones Tone Chart
Saturation: Degree of purity of the hue is the Saturation.
When you are evaluating color you should also try to assess how would a Gemstone look after being set in a finished piece of Jewellery?
The Same gemstone would look remarkably different in 18K Yellow Gold, 18K White Gold, 18K Rose Gold or on use of extra design elements or use of accent gemstones etc.
The Gemologist’s expertise should be leveraged to get a good color and the Gemologist’s experience will ensure maximum value for the client.
Just focus on one color to keep this simple. Are all blues same. No they are not. Notice the sheer range of Blue
Clarity
The relative freedom from inclusions is known as clarity characteristics. Lesser the clarity characteristics better the Gemstone. Although inclusions that do not hinder the beauty or color of the gemstones are generally acceptable!
And also fine inclusions are proof that the gem is natural and untreated. However there are some gemstones in which fine characteristic inclusions are accepted, like Emeralds and to some extent Rubies. Gemmologists refer to these fine inclusions in Emeralds as Jardins.
Carat Weight
Colored Gemstones are measured in carats. 1 carat is equivalent to approximately 0.2 grams. Carat weight is sometimes also expressed in cents or points. 100 points/ 100 cents are equivalent to 1 carat. Hence 57 points means .57 carats.
Provided the Gemstone excels on the above 3 C’s the higher the carat weight the rarer the Gemstone but please don’t be confuse a gemstone and a stone. A brick is not equivalent to a diamond. More details here.
Selected Rings, Pendants and Talismans made available to Gemstoneuniverse.com patrons in January 2012
Gemstoneuniverse.com Table Of Natural Blue Sapphire Gemstone Facts
| Gemstone | Natural Blue Sapphire |
| Weight | 4.02 carats |
| Treatment | None. Fully Natural, |
| Origin | Srilanka |
| Planetary Energy | Saturn |
| Patron Location |
Bangalore,India |
| All inclusive Price | $ 2929.05 / INR 162562 |
| Comments | Featured today is a 4C masterpiece. Let’s apply the knowledge we gained in the resource above to this exotic Blue Sapphire from Sri Lanka. The rectangular cushion cut with a finely faceted pavilion is making the cut scintillating and ensures a maximum play of light. See how a good cut makes the electric lustre make a profound effect on the senses.
The Color is silky cornflower blue a much desired colored in Sapphires. Ravishing color that is making the Sapphire look royal. Notice the even spread of color throughout the crystal and that when combining with the cut described above is making it very special. The exceptional clarity is again adding value and the best part is it is 4+ carats. To get an unheated earth mined Sapphire at this weight is very rare. This Blue Sapphire get a befitting setting in a silver ring with the sacred Saturn symbols and it gets further empowered with the sacred ash of Lord Saturn-Shani sealed in the tow tubes around the Blue Sapphire. A truly liberating and empowering Planetary Talisman par excellence. The Gemstoneuniverse Value Addition: This Particular Blue Sapphire was listed in October 2010 at Gemstoneuniverse but went to its owner in January 2013. Listed at a price of $685 per carat at the time of listing this will not be the sourcing cost today given its features and the 4C’s. As always, once a Gem is listed the price never gets changed at Gemstoneuniverse and we firmly believe that a Jyotish Gem chooses its owner rather than the other way around. To view this Gemstone before it was set please click here. Note: The above links generally exist on the website for a period of 40 days after which they are periodically deleted to make way for new gemstones and to enable faster browsing. Enjoy it in Video:
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