Hello everyone! I am back with part 2 of my previous post on Gemstones. As mentioned in that, we gonna talk about the five basic characteristics of the authentic and original astrological gemstones i.e. The 5 C's of Gemstones.
The value and effect of the gemstones are supremely dependent on these five features. Understanding about this is of great significance as anyone can be scammed in the name of original gemstones. People who want to get results often overlook the importance of this and buy any fake stones in a hurry. They forget that wearing wrong or fake gemstones is of no beneficence. Rather it renders negative and harmful effects to the wearer.
So if you are planning to buy it or have already bought it, no worries!
Let me quickly jot down these basic 5 characteristics that are going to sift the wheat from the chaff and let you recognize the original gemstone.
1. CARAT WEIGHT
Carat is a weight that is equivalent to one-fifth of a gram. This means that one carat equals 200 milligrams in weight. The word 'carat' derived from the word 'carob'- denoting carob beans which were used in earlier times to weigh the gemstones. With the hand-held balance scales having two pans, gems were in one pan and carob beans in other. Today we have electronic digital parameters to weigh the gemstones.
One-hundredth of a carat is called as a point. For gemstones under one carat, each carat is divided into 100 points. And since each gemstone mineral has a different density, therefore, two gemstones of similar size, diameter and shape will probably have different carat weight.
In earlier days, inaccuracy and imprecision in weight measurement were a little acceptable. But In today's time, such inaccuracy is unacceptable. This is because now the gemstones are priced in relation to a carat. Carat weight must be specified to the point.
One more unit of weighing gemstone is Ratti, which is quite popular in India. One Ratti equals to 0.91 Carat.
But it is always advisable to buy your gemstones according to Carat and not other units to fetch maximum accuracy.
2. COLOUR
Colour is of great value when it comes to measuring the authenticity of the gemstones. It is the most critical factor which not only affects its effects but the prices as well. It gives identity to any gemstone.
It has three main components (HST) - Hue, Saturation and Tone.
Hue: This is how the colour is perceived by us. The name of the colour such as Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, etc. Sometimes the hue can be mixture or amalgamation of two colours such as Greenish-blue hue, Orangish-red hue, etc.
Saturation: It is referred to as the intensity of the colour. How much intensified the colour is. The price and authenticity of the gemstone depend on how bright and saturated the colour of the gemstone is.
Tone: It is what we call the value of the colour. It tells us how dark or light the colour is. The lighter tone of the colour known as the Tint and the darker one is called Shade.
In general, too pigmented or dark as well as too light gravitate towards fakeness. A gemstone with proper hue, saturation and tone embark its authenticity.
3. CLARITY
It refers to the internal surface and how clear a gemstone appears to be when seen with the naked eye. It comprises of various types of inclusions such as mesh, networks, hazy lines and dots, etc.
Such as blemishes, abrasions, gas bubbles, liquid-filled pockets, internal fractures, cleavages, etc. Some inclusions are natural as the stones are made by Mother Earth-these can be seen as the tiny particles of the crystals forming the mineral of the gemstone. While there are many inclusions which can be seen in man-made and treated stones as the by-product of impurity in artificially made stone.
One has to take due care when buying gemstones when it comes to clarity as more the inclusions, higher the impurity and less the originality of the stone. Likewise, the gemstones with higher clarity content have price towards the higher end. This further denotes that the price elevates with the degree of transparency of the stone.
However, grading scales vary for different gemstones. And there are no fixed grading systems for coloured gemstones as well.
In short, lesser the inclusions, more the transparency, rarer the gemstone and more expensive it is.
4. CUT
The cut (of the gemstone) is another aspect which has a lot of significance. It refers to the shape of the gemstone The cut brings out the best in a gemstone and it all lies in the perfection of the experienced lapidaries' hands.
The potential quality and beauty of the gemstone are measured by how well it allows the light hitting its surface, to get absorbed and reflected back to the eyes of the viewer. The proportion of the various parts of the gem, the facet relationships and the polish, finally.
The basic components of the conventional facets of cut are- crown(the upper part), pavilion(the lower portion) and the girdle(divides the crown and pavilion).
To achieve maximum brilliance from a gem, the slope should be cut to the critical angle degrees. The gemstone with good critical angles and proportions exhibit better brilliance as it prevents unnecessary leakage of light hitting its surface.
Cut analysis and evaluation depend on the type, shape and quality of the cut. Below mentioned are some of the same aspects:
Type of Cuts: Round-cut, Emerald-cut, Mixed-cut, Cabochon-cut, Radiant-cut, Princess-cut, Checker Board-cut, etc.
Shapes: Round, Cushion, Octagon, Pear, Square, Oval, Baguette, Heart, Rectangle, Triangle, Half moon, Marquise, Hexagon, Trillion. Kite, Fan-shaped, Pentagon, etc.
Quality of Cuts: Poor-cut, Average-cut, Excellent-cut, etc.
5. COST
Last but definitely not least is the cost factor. As the saying goes, the more the sugar, the sweeter the dish. Similarly, the real and authentic gemstones are a bit steep when it comes to the cost per carat. You may sometimes think that you are paying it through the nose for this small precious stone but trust me, it is always better to go for original gemstones even if it is slightly expensive.
Remember you wear the stone for some specific purpose which is priceless so never compromise with the quality for few bucks!
- As the carat increases, cost increases.
- The cost gets increased when the gemstone has the perfect colour with optimum hue, saturation and tone.
- As clarity increases, lesser inclusions, and higher transparency, the cost gets increased.
- The more defined and brilliant-cut gemstones are always on the higher price end.
This is because of the fact that when the gemstone comprised of the above characteristics, the probability of occurrence of such gemstone naturally becomes lesser as these are rare. And the cost incurred in its mining and treatment increases proportionately. Therefore the cost of the final gemstone becomes a way higher.
This is the reason such gemstones are more effective in relation to the duration one wears these.
Likewise, the gemstones of lower quality or even one used as substitutes, fail to give the required results in the given period of time. Hence, the wearer has to keep patience in this case as it takes time for such stones to give desired effects which are lesser than what it is expected out of good quality and authentic gemstones.
I can understand that not all of us could afford high-quality precious gemstones which can really burn the hole in our pockets.
So, in this case, we have a range of substitutes in the market that correspond to the respective original gemstone.
As mentioned above, these are able to give results but not so profound and that too a bit later than the original one. But it is not wise to say that these wouldn't give results at all. In this case also, one has to be cautious as these are not so pricey yet one might get scammed by the sellers in the name of original ones.
Each gemstone has a certain range of refractive index and hardness which could be checked along with other characteristics in the various Gemology Authentication labs in the respective countries.
Always buy the lab certified gemstones before wearing it be it for any purpose.
Be aware and cautious of the scammers who do the monkey-business out of these.
Stay happy and blessed!!
Until next post!
XOXO...