How can you tell if the gemstone is a natural stone? Typically you can’t tell unless you are very knowledgeable of stones and as far as translucent stones you have to rely on the supplier to tell you. We only offer natural stone jewelry. There are a lot of simulated stones available in jewelry that we will not sell. The reason for this article is to educate you on what you are buying.
There is no definite rule today as to what is a fine gemstone or a semi-precious stone. We offer translucent stones and pearls in our fine gemstone jewelry section. Translucent gemstones are usually faceted and can have a rating from A to AAA. Translucent gemstones may not be rated and still be a natural stone, meaning the stone is authentic. You can be sure the stone is authentic if it has a rating. There are different types of translucent stones and some of these stones are not what I consider natural stones. There are Lab-Grown gemstones and simulated (fake) stones; this type of stone is never graded. Does this mean the stone is cheap? This type of gemstone can be quite expensive; you cannot judge the authenticity of a stone by the price. This is a list of translucent or more valuable gemstones that are graded that our supplier offers. These stones are not listed in any particular order as to the rating or value: Alexandrite, Amethyst, Chrome Diopside, Emerald, Whiskey Quartz, Green Quartz, Smokey Quartz, Ruby, Tanzanite, Aquamarine, Apatite, Fire Citrine, Yellow Citrine, Sapphire (white, pink, blue, and yellow), Sunstone, Topaz (Swiss blue, purple passion, London blue, ice blue, green, and white) and Opal. Opals are usually only authentic in very small sizes. Opals are very delicate and are hard to cut. The larger opals you might find in jewelry are usually synthetic.
We classify semi-precious stones as opaque stones. These stone are usually not graded; the exception to the rule is Lapis Lazuli. There are hundreds of names for semi-precious stones especially Jasper due to the different colors and patterns of this stone. The other stones in this category are Onyx, Lapis Lazuli, Denim Lapis, Turquoise, Chinese Turquoise, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, Hematite, Moonstone, Crysocolla, Iolite, Amber, Jade, Chalcedony, Carnelian, Chrysophase, Pyrite, Variscite, Coral, Mother-of-Pearl (MOP), Tiger Eye, and Malachite. We only offer some of these stones in this list at SilverStones. We do have some jewelry we make that has different gemstone options. You will see the word “option” underneath the particular piece of jewelry when there are different stones available.
Are there Lab-Grown and synthetic versions of these stones listed in this article? I guarantee you there are. That’s why you have to be very careful what you buy when it comes to gemstone jewelry. Visit our FAQ page on our Web site for more terms used in jewelry and what they mean.
Tags: fine gemstone jewelry, information, natural stone jewelry