The Value of Precious Stones

Precious stones have been utilized in some of the finest jewelry the world has seen. Adams jewelers offers a variety of stones that are cut, polished, and paired with fine metal such as white gold, yellow gold, and sterling silver to bring together a  beautiful collection of gemstone jewelry. Though many people know tend recognize the beauty of the gemstones, the way they are formed, valued, and crafted into the finished product you see people wearing is just as brilliant.

What are precious stones? They are defined as being visually appealing and valuable piece of naturally occurring mineral or rock. These minerals can be classified loosely as precious and semi-precious gemstones. They are categorized due to the minerals rarity and clarity which means the semi-precious minerals carry less commercial value than precious ones. The most common precious gemstones are diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. These days a number of rare semi-precious gems can cost just as much as ruby or sapphire. This means that the line distinguishing the two categories is becoming more and more unclear as time goes on.

How are they formed? Many gemstones are formed under the surface of the earth over several million years. The interaction between different minerals and water in the earth’s crust or mantle is what creates different types of stones.  For example, when silica rich rocks such as sandstone mix with water, it will produce gemstones like amethysts and opals. Copper rich rocks give you copper bearing minerals like turquoise. Emeralds are formed when rain water mixes with minerals and then cools in open cracks or cavities. Topaz and ruby are created by the crystallizing of magma or gas bubbles that occur in volcanic rock. When a solution evaporates and cools, you have the mineral in its final natural form.

These stones can either be mined or naturally brought to the surface. After the raw minerals are collected they can be valued. Most value of these stones depends on the rarity of the mineral. The rarer the mineral the higher the price tag will be. However, color, cut, carat and clarity are also factors that are used to determine the value of gemstones with color and clarity holding the most weight. Usually, only extremely experienced professionals are the only ones who can put a value on most precious  gemstones.

If you are interested in more information about fine precious stones or to take a look at the beautiful collection offered at Adams Jewelers, don’t hesitate to call or click today!

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