Rough and faceted East African spinels from Columbia Gem House. Photo courtesy of Columbia Gem House. Reason #1 why spinel is underrated: it is just an attention-grabbing gemstone no matter what color it comes in, period! Untreated “Jedi” East African spinels from ANZA gems. Photo courtesy of ANZA Gems. Yes, those pink spinels you’re seeing […]
We think this semiprecious, glowy stunner is quite underrated, and we hope after reading this blog you’ll agree! Reason #1 Why Carnelian is Underrated: Carnelian is a type of Chalcedony that can actually be found in the US in places like the Oregon Coast (where we found some), Washington, Montana and Arizona. “Carnelian” is the […]
At a glance: the sea blue variety of the mineral species Beryl, March's birthstone Aquamarine with its soothing hues has historically been a crowd pleaser. Color Aquamarine (meaning "seawater" in Latin) comes in shades of light, pastel blue all the way to deep saturated aqua, sometimes with a strong greenish tint. Its gorgeous hues reminds […]
Garnet’s stunning varieties are so underrated in our opinion, even though awareness about these juicy gems has been expanding! Reason #1 why garnets are underrated: some garnets have even greater color dispersion than diamonds! Demantoid garnet, the most highly sought after type of andradite garnet, has better color dispersion aka “fire” due to its high […]
A vibrant stone that has been used in Eastern jewelry since ancient times, lapis lazuli is massively underrated! There are few gemstones that are as rich in saturation as Lapis Lazuli, and that is one of the many reasons why we love it so much. For thousands of years, the only known source of “Lapis” for […]
At a glance: they come in all different colors, they’re very durable, and they are classic gems that will never go out of style! Color Sapphires are truly magical. Most people associate sapphires with the blue variety, but they actually come in every color of the rainbow, even black, white, grey, and beige! In fancy […]
At a glance: As the rich green variety of Beryl and one of the “Big Three” gemstones, Emerald’s ethereal glow has withstood the test of time. Color To be considered an emerald, a gem must be a bluish green color and medium-to-deep in saturation. Lighter or pastel greens are simply referred to as “green beryl.” […]