Facts & Few Other Information Relevant to Gemstones

A gem or gemstone is also referred to as fine gem, jewel or precious stone. It is basically, a piece of mineral crystal, which is cut and polished to make jewelry or other fine adornments. Rarity is the crucial factor that adds value to these natural stones. It is interesting to mention here that a gem maker is called a lapidary or gem-cutter whereas, a diamond cutter is known as diamantaire.

There is no universally accepted grading system for these rare items. As far diamonds are concerned, these are graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Gemstones have been graded using the naked eye, since the historical times. The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) introduced the 10x magnification as the standard for grading clarity. The rest of the variety, apart from diamond, is still graded using the naked eye, assuming 20/20 vision.

As far as the laymen are concerned, they consider the “four c-s” while opting for these products. The so-called four c include color, cut, clarity and carat. With little modifications, these factors can be helpful in understanding the grading of all gemstones. The four factors bear different significances depending upon whether those are applied to diamonds or to other colored gemstones. For diamonds, cut is the primary factor to determine the value. Diamonds are expected to sparkle, breakdown light into its constituent (rainbow) colors and chop it up into bright little pieces or scintillation.

In its natural form, diamond never reveals any of the qualities mentioned above. In this context, it is relevant mentioning about the synthetic range of gemstones that is steadily gaining prominence in the market. The craze to buylab grown gems online is so strong that business for the cluster of manufacturers is increasing at an exponential pace. These synthetic gemstones – unlike their natural counterparts – are manufactured inside the labs. Moreover, these possess identical physical, chemical and optical properties as compared to the natural variety. The sparkle and the shine of artificial gems make these adorable in designing ornaments. In contrast to the natural variety, the synthetic range is reasonably priced. There are many dedicated and dependable gemstone manufacturers, who steadfastly deliver impressive variety of products at pocket-friendly price.

Reasons to Choose Cubic Zirconia over Natural Gemstones

An increasing number of shoppers are opting for zirconia rocks these days, without going for the precious gemstones found in nature. Even wedding bands made of it are steadily gaining prominence in the market. Brides and grooms-to-be are readily choosing cubic zirconia jewelry for the big day of their lives. There are innumerable reasons for the consumer base to choose zirconia ornaments over traditional gemstones.

These are unbelievably reasonable in price as compared to their natural counterparts. Natural gemstones are found very rare whereas, zirconia can be produced in bulk within the four walls of a laboratory. Thus, mining cost of natural gemstones is very high. Right from the historic times natural gems were affordable only by a few who were financially affluent. In contrast to that zirconia stones are easily affordable for everyone, cutting across social barriers.

The range of man-made gemstones is produced by fusing zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide. In order to fuse the components, the laboratories create a temperature as high as 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. On a Mohs scale, zirconia stones usually rate 8.5 and above, which is pretty impressive, whereas, natural diamonds usually rate a perfect 10. Zirconia rocks retain the sparkle and the glitter of their natural counterparts. Technology also allows creating man-made gemstones as per requirement specifications. Physical, optical and chemical properties of these lab-manufactured products are at par with their natural counterparts. It is even possible to manufacture colorless variety of zirconia. It is relevant mentioning here, colorless diamonds are far rarer and hence, even more expensive.

Considering the identical properties of the substances compared to naturally-occurred precious stones, it is more meaningful to refer to cubic zirconia as synthetic gems and not imitation ones. The craze to buy cubic zirconia loose gems is growing exponentially. There are many reputed manufacturing houses in this sector, who deliver impressive range of cubic zirconia at unbelievably reasonable price. The range of manufacturers emphasizes on online trade and facilitates prompt delivery at customers’ thresholds from different hemispheres of the globe. For further customer convenience, these businesses maintain easy return policies. Shoppers can furthermore avail hefty discounts from these commercial establishments at certain times of year.