Buying
Guides
How to judge a stone before you buy it. Color, origin, treatment, and the honest price ladders, one gem at a time.
Know the stone before you buy
Our gemstone buying guides walk through what actually determines value in a colored stone, from the blue standard in sapphire to the oiling question in emerald. Each guide is honest about treatment, origin, and where the price ladder really sits.
Sapphire Buying Guide
The blue standard, the historical origins, the fancy color spectrum, and the full price ladder from commercial to Kashmir.
Read the guideRuby Buying Guide
The pigeon’s blood standard, the Burmese and Mozambique origins, the fluorescence question, and the lead glass filling trap.
Read the guideEmerald Buying Guide
Why emeralds require different expectations. Oiling, the Colombian and Zambian signatures, jardin, and durability honesty.
Read the guideEngagement Ring Center Stone
The single design decision that does the most work in an engagement ring. Size, cut, treatment, and price guidance.
Read the guideOpal Buying Guide
Play of color and body tone, the Australian and Ethiopian origins, the hydrophane question, and a price ladder drawn from live collection.
Read the guideSpinel Buying Guide
The colors and the cobalt question, the great imposter history, untreated by default, and a price ladder from live collection.
Read the guideAquamarine Buying Guide
The color that sets the price, why clarity is the baseline, the heat question, and a price ladder from live collection.
Read the guideTanzanite Buying Guide
One mine on earth, the color that sets the price, the heat that makes the blue, and a price ladder from live collection.
Read the guideTourmaline Buying Guide
Every color a gem can be, the Paraiba exception, how to read quality across a huge field, and a price ladder from live collection.
Read the guideGarnet Buying Guide
The garnet family from everyday reds to the rare greens, why none of it is treated, and a price ladder from live collection.
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