There are four so-called precious stones: diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Jewelry adorned with these precious stones comes in all shapes and sizes and is some of the most valuable and sought-after jewelry by collectors. All you have to do is choose the stone that suits you best!
Diamonds
To be of the highest quality, a diamond must be perfectly colorless and pure when viewed through a magnifying glass. Pretty shades of pink, blue, golden yellow, and bright green increase a diamond's value when they are uniform and vivid. Orange and violet diamonds are the rarest.
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Diamonds are generally covered by a grayish coating, and it is only after this layer has been removed that the clarity and brilliance of the stone come to the fore. Simple shapes allow the weight of the rough diamond to be retained, while more complex shapes often involve removing a large part of the original stone.
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This highly resistant stone is often chosen to adorn engagement rings. Since the 19th century, diamonds have become a symbol of marital fidelity.
Synthetic diamonds began to be produced in the 1950s, initially for industrial use. Since the 2010s, they have also been used in jewelry, thanks to new synthesis techniques that enable the creation of diamonds that are very similar to natural diamonds.
White diamonds are associated with purity and innocence.
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Sapphires
Sapphire is also a highly resistant stone, often used to adorn engagement rings.
Classic sapphires come in blue, although they also exist in a wide range of colors, including yellow, pink and green. Nonetheless, blue sapphires remain the most sought-after, especially sapphires from Burma or Kashmir.
Faceted cuts accentuate the brilliance of sapphires. Stones with distinctive inclusions, such as cat's eye sapphire or the highly prized star sapphire, will reveal all their splendor.
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It is particularly complicated for a novice to confirm the authenticity of a fine or precious stone, especially given that synthetic sapphires are often impeccably manufactured, making them difficult to distinguish.
Sapphire is associated with truth, wisdom and harmony.
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Emeralds
Emerald is one of the most valuable precious stones. The green color of emeralds varies enormously from one stone to another, and they often feature inclusions, also referred to as 'jardin' (the French word for garden). Inclusions are not a bad thing; on the contrary, they attest to the stone's origin. The most sought-after emeralds come from Colombia, because they are particularly pure.
Loved by queens and celebrities, emeralds come in shades of green that range from light to deep, brilliant to matte.
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Synthetic emeralds, although often too perfect to be genuine, benefit from recent techniques that even allow the inclusion of imperfections, making their appearance even more realistic. This makes it difficult to discern the real from the fake.
Like all green stones, emerald is a bearer of hope and the stone of love and wisdom.
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Rubies
Ruby is a precious stone that can be considered the red sister of sapphire. These two gems are made from the same material – the mineral corundum – and are the hardest gemstones after diamonds.
Like emeralds, rubies have inclusions, but the rarer and more minute these inclusions are, the more valuable the stone.
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The favorite jewel of Eastern sovereigns, who were covered in rubies, rubies soon adorned the crowns and jewels of Western sovereigns and princes.
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In the Middle Ages, the ruby symbolized the blood of Christ and kings wore it as a sign of their faith. Today, it may still be associated with the Christian religion, but it is more widely synonymous with happiness and loyalty.