Coloured gemstones
have been a symbol of power and beauty since the beginnings of recorded
history. Given as gifts of friendship, romance, power and protection, coloured
gems have a special place in the hearts and minds of us all. That being said,
the world of coloured gemstones can be both fascinating and confusing. Apart
from renown favourites such as Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, Aquamarine and Emerald, the
variety of coloured gems sold in mainstream jewellery shops, if any, are only a
fraction of what is actually out there. Stones such as Amethyst, Citrine,
Peridot, Topaz, Quartz, Amber and Agate have been given the tag of “semi
precious” which completely underrates the stunning and often extremely valuable
examples of these earth-made natural beauties. Due to lack of marketing they
often go overlooked. So here I give you a list of my top five underrated gemstones:
1.
Zircon- Zircon
has to be one of the most misinterpreted coloured gems out there. Unfortunately
its name is quite close to that of the synthetic diamond stimulant “Cubic
Zirconium” and this has tainted its reputation greatly. Recently a piece of
Zircon was discovered in Western Australia that was found to be over four
billion years old! Definitely natural…and old. Zircon is most commonly seen in an earthy brown colour but
it also comes in pink, blue, yellow and green. It also has a very high
refractive index, which means that when cut well the light that shines from it
is seen in dazzling spectrums of flashiness.
2.
Tourmaline-
To call Tourmaline a stone of many colours would be an understatement. It is the most colourful gemstone in the
world. The sheer amount of colour varieties that Tourmalines can exhibit is an
astonishing fact in itself. Add to this the varying hues and you can see where it gets it reputation. Legend has it that the Ancient
Egyptians believed that Tourmaline got its colour by passing through a rainbow
on its way down to earth. A neon blue-green variety called “Paraiba Tourmaline”
is considered the most valuable, with stones being valued as high as 10k per
carat! Stones can also be “Bi-Colour”, a popular example of this being
“Watermelon Tourmaline”. A mixture of Pink and Green and a personal favourite
of mine.
3.
Spinel- Spinel
can also be found in a wide range of colours however its most popular and need
I say infamous colour would have to be red. For hundreds of years red Spinel was
mistaken for Burmese Ruby. A
famous example of this is the “Black Princes Ruby” which sits in the British
crown jewels. The royal family seem to have had a hard time distinguishing Ruby
from Spinel with another example of confusion being the famous 361 carat “Timur
Ruby”, owned by Queen Elizabeth. Advances in gemmology after the 19th
century have put a stop to this confusion. Fine red Spinel is actually rarer
than Ruby and way more affordable.
4.
Sphene- Sphene
is a very rare yellow-green gem that exhibits an extreme brilliance unrivalled
by most. When polished well, Sphene is said to equal and even surpass the
brilliance exhibited from Diamond. Despite it being around since the 1700’s,
this gorgeous gem is virtually unknown to the general public. Unfortunately its
rarity has made it impossible to sell in large commercial quantities. Sphene is
still quite popular among hard core gem enthusiasts.
5.
Oregon
Sunstone- Oregon Sunstone is relatively new on the gemstone market however its
popularity is increasing in leaps and bounds due to larger quantities being
excavated in the last couple years. It is found exclusively in the state of
Oregon, USA. This gorgeous stone comes in colours of champagne, golden yellow,
red, green and sometimes mixtures of all of the above. Large stones of high
clarity are often found but It can also sometimes display an effect called
“shiller”. This appears in the form of a shimmery copper presence within the
stone and can add to its beauty. Oregon Sunstone is often associated with
its lesser Sunstone counterparts that are found in other places around the
world. A man made material called “goldstone” that is sometimes wrongly sold as a
natural material has also been given the title of Sunstone. This has caused
much confusion however due to its astonishing beauty, Oregon Sunstone is slowly
overcoming its mistaken reputation.
