Understanding Gemstones
A gemstone is, broadly, a mineral cut and polished for use in jewelry. The label covers everything from rubies and sapphires to amethyst and tourmaline. They share certain properties — hardness, durability, color, and rarity — in widely varying combinations, which is what makes the category so much harder to grade than diamonds. One scale does not fit all stones.
Mohs Hardness Scale
The Mohs scale is the standard mineralogical hardness scale, running from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). It measures resistance to scratching — not toughness, not durability, not resistance to chipping. For jewelry intended for daily wear, hardness above 7 is generally considered the practical threshold, because materials below 7 will scratch from contact with everyday particles like household dust, which contains quartz at hardness 7.
| Gemstone | Mohs Hardness | Daily Wear Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond | 10 | Excellent — the standard for daily-wear engagement rings. |
| Sapphire / Ruby | 9 | Excellent — second only to diamond. Highly suitable for daily wear. |
| Topaz / Spinel | 8 | Very good — suitable for daily wear with reasonable care. |
| Emerald / Aquamarine / Tourmaline | 7.5 – 8 | Good — suitable, though emerald in particular benefits from protective settings due to its inclusions. |
| Garnet / Tanzanite / Amethyst | 6.5 – 7.5 | Moderate — suitable for occasional-wear pieces; avoid impact-prone settings for daily use. |
| Opal / Pearl / Turquoise | 5.5 – 6.5 | Limited — appropriate for occasional wear; not recommended as the central stone in a daily-wear engagement ring. |
"Precious" and "Semi-Precious"
The traditional categorization splits gemstones into "precious" (diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald) and "semi-precious" (everything else). The distinction comes from nineteenth-century European jewelry trade and reflects neither modern market value nor rarity reliably. A fine Paraiba tourmaline can sell for more per carat than a fine ruby. A top-grade tsavorite garnet can outprice a mid-grade emerald. We use the older terms only when discussing tradition, not value.
In our catalog and conversations, we group stones by their actual market position and rarity, not by an inherited two-tier label. The chapters that follow group gemstones by trade significance — The Big Three, then a broader cast of important stones — rather than by any precious-versus-semi distinction.
Why colored stones cannot be graded like diamonds
Diamond grading works because the diamond market values the same characteristics across every stone — colorless, clear, well-cut. The 4Cs scale is a single hierarchy that applies to every stone in the category. Colored gemstones cannot be evaluated this way because every variety has its own ideal color, its own typical clarity profile, and its own treatment landscape.
The "ideal" sapphire is a saturated cornflower blue. The "ideal" ruby is a vivid pigeon-blood red. The "ideal" emerald is a deeply saturated bluish-green. The same color principles do not transfer across these stones, much less to the wider gemstone universe. Gemstone evaluation requires judgments specific to each variety — which is why no single industry-wide grading system exists for colored stones the way GIA's system exists for diamonds.
Buying a colored gemstone requires either knowing the variety well, or buying through a jeweler who knows the variety well and can explain its specific evaluation criteria. "It is GIA-graded" alone tells you very little about a colored stone — the grading report describes physical properties but does not assign a quality grade in the way a diamond report does.
How Gemstones Are Graded
For colored gemstones, color is the single dominant value driver — typically representing 60-70% of price for fine stones. Cut, clarity, and carat each matter, but their roles differ substantially from how they function in a diamond. The framework below applies broadly across colored stones, with variety-specific adjustments noted in later chapters.
Color, Across Three Dimensions
In colored gemstone evaluation, color is not described as a single attribute but as the combination of three independent dimensions. A stone's overall color quality is the product of how each of these three reads in combination.
Hue
The basic color — red, blue, green, yellow — including secondary modifiers (a bluish-green emerald, a slightly orange ruby). The most desirable hue varies by variety: pure red for ruby, slightly violet-blue for sapphire, slightly bluish-green for emerald.
Tone
The lightness or darkness of the stone, on a scale from very light to very dark. Most fine gemstones fall in the medium to medium-dark range. Stones too light look washed out; stones too dark look black under ordinary lighting.
Saturation
The intensity or purity of color — how vivid versus how grayish or brownish. Saturation is the single dimension most consistently rewarded by the market: a vividly saturated stone of any variety commands a substantial premium over a grayer stone of identical hue and tone.
Trade terms like "pigeon-blood" (premium ruby), "royal blue" (premium sapphire), and "cornflower blue" (Kashmir-type sapphire) are not formal grades but trade descriptors with reasonably consistent meaning at the upper end of the market. Several origin labs (GRS, AGL, Gübelin) include such designations on reports for stones meeting specific color thresholds — and these designations meaningfully influence price.
Clarity, By Stone Type
Unlike diamonds, where one clarity scale applies to every stone, colored gemstones are categorized into three clarity types based on how typically they form with inclusions. The same inclusion that would devastate a diamond may be entirely expected and accepted in an emerald.
| Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Type I | Stones that typically form with very few inclusions. Eye-clean is the expectation; visible inclusions reduce value substantially. | Aquamarine, Tanzanite, Topaz, Heliodor |
| Type II | Stones that typically form with some inclusions. Eye-clean stones command a premium, but minor visible inclusions are accepted. | Ruby, Sapphire, Spinel, Tourmaline, Garnet |
| Type III | Stones that almost always form with visible inclusions. The presence of inclusions is expected; a perfectly clean stone is anomalous and may even raise authenticity questions. | Emerald, Red Beryl, Tourmaline (some varieties) |
Cut, In Service of Color
In colored gemstone cutting, the goal is not maximum brilliance — it is maximum color saturation and depth. A well-cut sapphire holds its color evenly across the face-up view. A poorly cut sapphire shows windows (light leaking through), extinction (dark patches), or color zoning (visible bands of different intensity).
For this reason, colored stones are often cut to retain weight in less brilliant ways than diamonds. A 2.0ct sapphire may have proportions that would be unacceptable on a diamond, because deeper pavilion angles produce richer color. Beauty over brilliance, in colored stones, is usually the right trade.
Carat Weight, By Variety
Carat weight matters in colored gemstones, but the price-to-weight curve varies dramatically by variety based on the rarity of large stones in that variety. Fine rubies above 5 carats are exceptionally rare and command price multiples that vastly exceed proportional increases. Fine sapphires above 10 carats are similarly scarce. Fine emeralds at any size are scarcer than fine sapphires of the same size, despite emerald being more "common" in industrial mining terms.
Conversely, some varieties — aquamarine, citrine, amethyst — form in large clean crystals routinely, and so the price premium for size is much shallower. A 10-carat aquamarine is not 10x the price of a 1-carat aquamarine of equal quality; a 10-carat ruby is closer to 100x.
Color first. Origin second. Treatment third. Cut and clarity fourth.
For a colored gemstone, the order of priorities differs sharply from a diamond. Color is the first thing to optimize, because it is the single largest value driver and the primary thing the eye perceives. Origin is second, because for fine stones, origin documentation can affect value by 30-100%. Treatment status is third, because untreated stones command meaningful premiums and require disclosure regardless. Cut and clarity, while important, are typically the last variables to optimize after the first three are settled.
The Big Three
Ruby, sapphire, and emerald together represent approximately 70% of the high-end colored stone market by value. They are the colored stones with the longest documented trade history, the most established grading conventions, the most active origin labs, and the most refined treatment standards. Understanding the Big Three is the foundation for understanding any other colored stone.
Ruby
Ruby is corundum colored red by trace chromium. It is the same mineral species as sapphire — the only difference is color. The most desirable ruby color is a vivid, slightly bluish red sometimes called "pigeon-blood", a trade term used by major labs for stones meeting specific saturation thresholds. Ruby above 3 carats is rare; ruby above 5 carats with fine color is among the most expensive material per carat in the entire gem trade, regularly exceeding fine diamond pricing.
Almost all rubies are heat-treated — a permanent, stable, and trade-accepted process that improves color and clarity. Untreated rubies with strong color command substantial premiums, sometimes 2-3x the price of equivalent treated stones. Disclosure is non-negotiable in either case.
Burma (Myanmar) · Mogok — Historical and continuing benchmark. Highest market premiums; subject to evolving sanctions. Mozambique · Montepuez — Now the largest source of fine ruby globally; can match Burmese quality at lower premiums. Thailand, Madagascar, Tanzania — Significant secondary sources.
Sapphire
Sapphire is corundum in any color other than red — though when "sapphire" is used unmodified, it refers to blue. The most desirable blue is a saturated, slightly violet blue often called "royal blue" or, at the rarest extreme, "cornflower blue" (associated with Kashmir origin). Sapphire also occurs in pink, yellow, orange, green, purple, and the rare padparadscha (a delicate pink-orange that commands particular premiums).
Sapphire is the most versatile of the Big Three for engagement rings — harder than diamond on the brittleness axis, more available than ruby in larger sizes, and increasingly chosen as a center stone for clients who want fine jewelry that is not a diamond. Heat treatment is the trade standard; beryllium-diffusion-treated sapphires are a separate, lower category requiring strict disclosure.
Kashmir — The historical apex; deposits effectively exhausted since the 1930s. Stones with verified Kashmir origin carry the highest premiums in the entire colored stone trade. Burma (Myanmar) — "Royal blue" benchmark; second tier in price. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) — Lighter, brighter blues; the most common origin for fine commercial sapphires. Madagascar — Modern major source rivaling Sri Lanka.
Emerald
Emerald is the green variety of beryl, colored by chromium and vanadium. The most desirable color is a deeply saturated green with a slight bluish undertone, often associated with Colombian origin. Emerald is the only Big Three stone with a Type III clarity profile — visible inclusions are expected, even in fine stones. The trade describes emerald inclusions as "jardin" (French for garden) when they form natural-looking patterns; this is descriptive vocabulary, not a quality grade.
Almost all emeralds are oil-treated, a centuries-old practice in which natural cedarwood oil or, in modern usage, similar light oils are infused into surface-reaching fractures to improve transparency. This is industry-accepted practice that does not require special disclosure beyond standard treatment documentation — but stones with no oil treatment, or with treatment beyond minor (specifically: resin-filled or glass-filled stones), require explicit disclosure.
Colombia · Muzo, Chivor, Coscuez — The historical and continuing benchmark; the most desirable bluish-green color associated with Muzo specifically. Zambia · Kagem — The largest single producer globally; tends toward a slightly bluer, often more uniform green than Colombian. Brazil, Ethiopia, Russia — Significant secondary sources, each with distinct color profiles.
For Big Three stones, origin documentation can affect price by 30% to 100% or more at the same color and quality grade. A 2-carat ruby with verified Burma origin from a top-tier lab (GRS, Gübelin, AGL) can sell for double a comparable Mozambique-origin stone. Origin is established through trace-element analysis, inclusion fingerprinting, and crystal-growth signatures — not through paperwork alone. Origin reports come from a small number of specialized labs whose names you should learn.
Other Important Gemstones
Beyond the Big Three, fine jewelry draws on a much wider universe of gemstones — some abundant and accessibly priced, some exceptionally rare and matching ruby pricing per carat. The eleven below are the stones most commonly encountered in fine jewelry, in roughly descending order of trade significance. We have included pearl despite its organic (not mineral) classification, because it remains a foundational fine jewelry material.
A copper-bearing tourmaline first discovered in Paraiba, Brazil, in 1989. Its electric, neon blue-green color is unlike any other gemstone. Brazilian Paraiba is exceptionally scarce; African material (Mozambique, Nigeria) is more available but still rare. Per carat, fine Paraiba can exceed ruby pricing.
A blue-violet variety of zoisite found only in a small area at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Discovered in 1967, it remains the only known source globally. Single-source rarity means tanzanite faces eventual depletion as a unique gem variety. Almost universally heat-treated to enhance the blue-violet color.
The blue variety of beryl — the same mineral family as emerald, but typically forming in much cleaner crystals. The most desirable color is a saturated medium blue (often called "Santa Maria"); lighter, paler stones are abundant and accessibly priced. Heat treatment to remove greenish undertones is standard and accepted.
Long mistaken for ruby in historical jewels — the famous "Black Prince's Ruby" in the British Crown Jewels is actually a spinel. Now appreciated in its own right, with red, pink, lavender, and rare cobalt-blue varieties. Almost never treated, which gives untreated spinel a strong purity argument over heat-treated ruby in the same color range.
The pink-to-peach variety of beryl, named after J.P. Morgan. Increasingly popular for engagement rings as a softer, romantic alternative to diamond, particularly in rose gold settings. Available in large clean sizes at moderate pricing, making it a value-driven center-stone choice. Heat treatment is standard to deepen color.
A vivid green grossular garnet discovered in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, in the 1970s. Visually rivals fine emerald with substantially better clarity and durability profiles. Almost never treated — an untreated stone that competes optically with treated emerald. Becoming one of the most respected colored stones in fine jewelry.
The rare orange-to-pink-orange variety of topaz, sourced primarily from Ouro Preto, Brazil. Distinct from the abundant blue topaz that dominates commercial topaz jewelry. Imperial Topaz is genuinely scarce and commands prices that reflect its rarity. Typically untreated; the warm color is natural.
Famous for its color-change behavior — appearing green in daylight and red in incandescent light. Originally discovered in Russia's Ural Mountains in the 1830s; modern sources include Brazil and Sri Lanka. Strong color change in larger sizes is exceptionally rare and prices reflect this; a fine 3-carat alexandrite can match fine ruby pricing.
A mineral group that occurs in virtually every color — pink, green, blue, multicolor (watermelon), bicolor, even color-change. Most fine tourmaline is from Brazil, Afghanistan, or several African sources. Pink and green tourmalines are the most commercially significant outside the Paraiba category. Heat treatment of pink and green is standard.
The purple (amethyst) and yellow-orange (citrine) varieties of quartz. Both are abundant in large clean sizes at accessible prices. Most commercial citrine is heat-treated amethyst; natural citrine is rarer. Quartz is the practical hardness threshold for daily-wear jewelry — below 7, a stone will scratch from contact with everyday airborne dust.
An organic gem produced by mollusks rather than mineral crystallization. Quality is judged on luster, surface clarity, shape, color, size, and matching (for strands). Fine South Sea, Tahitian, and Akoya pearls remain foundational fine jewelry materials despite their low Mohs hardness, because the wearing surface is the protective nacre rather than the mineral structure beneath.
Famous for "play of color" — the rainbow flashes that shift across the stone's surface as it moves. Black opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia, commands the highest prices. Opal contains 6-10% water and can crack from temperature change or extended dryness, requiring particular care. Not recommended as the central stone for daily-wear engagement rings.
Birthstones
The modern birthstone calendar is a twentieth-century commercial standardization — the version most widely referenced was codified by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912, with several updates since. Earlier traditions assigned different stones to each month, and several cultures maintain their own historical variants. The list below is the current US/UK standard, used by virtually all major jewelers and grading labs.
The symbolic meanings associated with each birthstone are cultural and traditional, not testable. We list them here because they remain meaningful to many clients commissioning gifts — particularly anniversary and milestone pieces — and because tradition is itself a reason to choose a stone. We make no claims about their effects beyond their cultural significance.
Treatments & Disclosure
A "treatment" is any process applied to a gemstone after extraction to alter its color, clarity, or stability. Treatments range from universally accepted and undisclosable (heat treatment of certain stones) to universally requiring strict disclosure (glass filling, beryllium diffusion). The treatment landscape is the most opaque part of the colored stone trade — and the part where the gap between fully disclosed and partially disclosed practices is widest. Our position on this is unambiguous, and stated in the feature box below this section.
Heat Treatment
Industry StandardThe application of controlled high temperature to alter or enhance color, typically through gradual heating in a controlled atmosphere. Heat treatment has been practiced for centuries and produces permanent, stable changes indistinguishable from natural color development. The vast majority of commercial sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, tanzanite, citrine, and tourmaline on the market is heat-treated.
Commonly applied to: Sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, tanzanite, citrine (from amethyst), morganite, tourmaline, topaz
Since Love policy: Heat-treated stones are accepted and clearly disclosed on every certificate and product page. We never represent a heat-treated stone as untreated.
Oil Treatment (Cedarwood & Light Oils)
Industry StandardThe infusion of natural cedarwood oil or similar light oils into surface-reaching fractures to improve transparency. Originated centuries ago as a routine emerald treatment and remains the trade-standard practice today. Oil-treated emeralds are not considered untreated, but the treatment is reversible and considered minor relative to resin or glass alternatives.
Commonly applied to: Emerald (almost universally), occasionally other beryl varieties
Since Love policy: Oil-treated emeralds are accepted and disclosed on every certificate. The treatment grade ("none/minor/moderate/significant") is documented per GIA and AGL standards.
HPHT & Irradiation (Diamonds)
Disclosure RequiredHPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) treatment can convert brown diamonds to colorless or alter color in fancy-color diamonds. Irradiation is used on certain diamonds and gemstones to produce fancy colors. Both produce stable, permanent results — but both require explicit disclosure as the resulting stones are categorically distinct from natural-color stones.
Commonly applied to: Diamonds (HPHT for color alteration), blue topaz (irradiation, near-universal), some yellow sapphires
Since Love policy: HPHT-treated diamonds are not used as center stones. Irradiation-treated stones, where used, are labeled explicitly with the treatment named.
Surface Diffusion (Lattice Diffusion)
Disclosure RequiredA process in which color is introduced into the outer layer of a stone through high-temperature exposure to coloring agents. Diffusion-treated stones can lose their color if recut, because the color penetrates only the surface. The treatment requires unambiguous disclosure because the stone's color is not throughout-the-body in the way natural color is.
Commonly applied to: Lower-grade corundum (sapphire and ruby) to enhance perceived color
Since Love policy: Surface-diffusion-treated stones are not used in our pieces. We do not source from supply chains where this treatment is common without certification.
Beryllium Diffusion
Refused at Since LoveA specific high-temperature diffusion treatment using beryllium that produces strong yellow, orange, and padparadscha-like color in corundum (sapphire). Distinct from standard heat treatment. The treatment is detectable only by specialized lab analysis (LA-ICP-MS), and many beryllium-treated stones were sold as untreated for years before the trade developed reliable identification protocols. The practice remains controversial.
Commonly applied to: Yellow, orange, and padparadscha-like sapphires (commercial market)
Since Love policy: We do not sell beryllium-diffusion-treated stones. Every padparadscha and orange sapphire we offer carries a major-lab report ruling out beryllium treatment specifically.
Glass Filling & Lead-Glass Filling
Refused at Since LoveA process in which heavily included rubies are filled with molten lead-glass to mask fractures and improve apparent clarity. The resulting stones are structurally compromised composite materials — they cannot tolerate ordinary jewelry repair temperatures, can be damaged by household chemicals, and degrade in use. Sold widely in commercial jewelry as "ruby" without sufficient disclosure.
Commonly applied to: Low-grade ruby material for the commercial market
Since Love policy: We do not sell glass-filled or lead-glass-filled stones, regardless of price tier. Every ruby in our catalog carries lab documentation ruling out glass-filling specifically.
Resin Filling (Heavy Treatment of Emerald)
Refused at Since LoveThe use of artificial resins (such as Opticon or epoxy) to fill emerald fractures, distinct from traditional cedarwood-oil treatment. Resin treatment is more permanent than oil but is graded as "significant" enhancement and substantially reduces the value of the underlying stone. The treatment is sometimes obscured behind the language of "oiling" without specifying the substance used.
Commonly applied to: Heavily included emerald material
Since Love policy: We do not sell emeralds with resin-filling, Opticon-filling, or any treatment graded as "moderate" or higher by GIA/AGL standards. Our emeralds are documented at treatment level "none" or "minor" only.
If a stone has been treated, we say so. By name. On the certificate, on the product page, and on the receipt.
The colored stone trade has historically tolerated levels of treatment opacity that the diamond trade would not. Stones described as "natural" with significant treatments. Treatments named generically when specific names should be used. Treatments omitted entirely when their disclosure would affect price. We reject all of these practices. Every stone we sell carries, in writing, the specific named treatments applied to it — or the affirmative statement that it is untreated, supported by lab documentation. Disclosure is not a courtesy at Since Love. It is a precondition of the sale.
Origin & Provenance
For Big Three stones, geographic origin is the second most significant value driver after color — sometimes affecting price by 30% to 100% at identical color and quality grades. Origin documentation is established through laboratory analysis of trace elements, inclusion patterns, and crystal-growth signatures specific to each mining region. Origin is not paperwork; it is forensic gemology.
The market premium for verified origin
Certain origins have historically produced the most desirable stones of their variety, establishing pricing benchmarks that persist long after the original mines are exhausted. Kashmir sapphires, mined intensively for only forty years (1880-1920) before the deposits effectively closed, remain the highest-priced sapphires in the world a century later. Burmese rubies and Colombian emeralds carry similar legacy premiums.
| Stone | Premium Origin | Typical Premium vs Comparable |
|---|---|---|
| Sapphire | Kashmir · verified | 3 - 5x or more over Madagascar of identical color |
| Sapphire | Burma (Myanmar) | 1.5 - 2x over Sri Lanka of identical color |
| Ruby | Burma (Myanmar) · Mogok | 1.5 - 2.5x over Mozambique of identical color |
| Emerald | Colombia · Muzo | 1.3 - 2x over Zambian of identical color |
| Paraiba Tourmaline | Brazil · Paraiba State | 2 - 3x over African (Mozambique, Nigeria) |
For most buyers, the critical question is not "which origin commands the highest premium" but "which origin-color combination represents the best value for what I want to wear". A Mozambique ruby of fine color is visually indistinguishable from a Burmese ruby of fine color — the price difference reflects market premium for documentation, not visual difference. We help clients decide which side of that trade-off makes sense for their purchase.
Five labs whose names you should learn
Origin determination is highly specialized work performed by a small number of laboratories. The five below dominate the trade, with significant overlap in capability but meaningful differences in market reputation, geographic specialty, and report format.
Gübelin
- Most prestigious lab in the trade for Big Three origin
- Reports carry the highest market weight at the top tier
- Especially strong on Kashmir sapphire and Burma ruby
- Conservative grading; trade considers Gübelin opinions definitive
SSEF
- Second to Gübelin in trade prestige; often consulted in parallel
- Particularly strong on emerald origin and pearl analysis
- Pioneers in advanced spectroscopy techniques
- Fluent in modern treatment detection (beryllium, etc.)
GRS
- The dominant lab for ruby origin reports
- Originator of trade-recognized color descriptors (pigeon-blood, royal blue)
- Strong global presence with offices in Asia
- Reports widely accepted at auction and in the high-end trade
AGL
- The leading US lab for colored stone origin and treatment
- Originator of the modern emerald clarity-enhancement scale
- Highly respected for treatment detection and disclosure standards
- Strong domestic reputation in the US auction and estate trade
GIA
- The diamond standard, with growing colored stone capability
- Origin reports available for major Big Three varieties
- Conservative on color descriptors; less likely to assign trade terms
- Universal recognition; widely accepted at all market levels
The ethical and regulatory landscape
Burmese (Myanmar) origin commands the highest market premiums for ruby and certain sapphires — but Burma has been subject to evolving US and international sanctions for decades, with several rounds of restriction targeting its gem trade specifically. The current regulatory landscape is complex: certain Burmese stones can be legally imported and sold under specific conditions, while others cannot.
Beyond regulatory questions, there are genuine ethical considerations for buyers regarding the conditions under which Burmese stones reach the market. We treat these as a legitimate part of the buying conversation rather than an awkwardness to navigate around. If you would prefer not to purchase a Burmese-origin stone for ethical reasons, we will help you find a comparable stone from a different origin without prejudice or upselling. The visual difference is often imperceptible; the conscience difference is yours to weigh.
Since Love's Gemstone Standards
The colored stone trade has historically operated with less standardization than the diamond trade, which means buyer protection depends substantially on the specific commitments of the seller. The four standards below govern every colored stone we sell, and they are higher than what the colored stone industry baseline requires. Specific. Verifiable. Documented.
Four commitments that govern every gemstone we sell
These standards apply to every colored stone we offer, regardless of variety, origin, price tier, or whether the client asks. The verification happens whether anyone is watching.
Every stone is sold with explicit, named treatment disclosure on its certificate, product page, and receipt. We do not use the umbrella word "natural" to describe heat-treated stones. We do not omit minor treatments because they are common. If a stone has been touched, the touch is named.
Every ruby, sapphire, and emerald above 1 carat sold by Since Love carries a major-lab origin report (Gübelin, SSEF, GRS, AGL, or GIA), with the geographic origin stated on the report itself. We do not sell Big Three center stones above 1 carat without origin documentation.
Beryllium-diffusion sapphires, glass-filled or lead-glass-filled rubies, and resin-filled emeralds (treatment level "moderate" or higher) do not enter our catalog. We do not lower this standard for clients seeking lower price points; we instead help them find acceptable alternative stones at their budget.
For clients seeking specific stones not in our standing inventory — particular origins, particular sizes, particular color descriptions — our family's twenty-year trade relationships allow us to source at wholesale levels typically inaccessible to consumers. This service is complimentary for any prospective client commissioning a piece.
Gemstone Questions
Answers to the questions clients ask most often about colored gemstones, in the order we hear them. If your question is not covered, the easiest way to get a useful answer is to email info@sincelovejewelry.com.
For sapphire and ruby, absolutely — both have Mohs hardness 9, second only to diamond, and are well-suited to daily wear in any setting. For emerald, yes with reasonable care — the Type III clarity profile means emerald benefits from protective bezel or halo settings rather than exposed prong settings. For softer stones (tanzanite, opal, pearl), we do not recommend them as the central stone in a daily-wear engagement ring; they are better suited to occasional-wear pieces or anniversary jewelry.
An untreated gemstone is one that has been cut and polished but has not undergone any post-extraction process to alter its color, clarity, or stability. Heat treatment is the most common treatment by volume, so "untreated" most commonly means "not heated." For Big Three stones, untreated status requires verification by a major lab (GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, GRS, or AGL); a seller's claim of "untreated" without lab documentation is not the same as verified untreated status. Untreated stones command meaningful premiums — typically 1.5x to 3x for ruby and sapphire, 30-50% for emerald (graded as "no oil") — precisely because verification adds value.
It depends on what you value. For collectors and investment-minded buyers, origin documentation can substantially affect future resale value — a Burmese ruby with Gübelin origin typically holds its value better than an undocumented stone of comparable color. For clients buying primarily for personal enjoyment, the visual difference between premium and standard origins is often imperceptible, and the additional cost of the origin premium may be better spent on color quality or carat weight. We can help you decide which side of that trade-off makes sense for your purchase.
Heat treatment is accepted because it produces permanent, stable changes that are essentially indistinguishable from natural color development — the stone behaves identically to an untreated stone of the same final color in all subsequent use. Treatments like glass-filling and resin-filling are not accepted at Since Love because they produce composite materials that behave differently from the natural stone — they are vulnerable to ordinary jewelry repair temperatures, household chemicals, and degradation over time. The acceptability of a treatment is not about purity; it is about whether the resulting stone behaves like the gemstone it is sold as.
Yes. Lab-grown ruby, sapphire, emerald, and several other varieties are produced commercially and offer significant savings over natural stones. They are real, gemological-quality stones with the same chemical and optical properties as their natural counterparts — the same as the lab-grown diamond market. We can source lab-grown colored stones for clients who specifically want them. For most Big Three commissions, however, our clients prefer natural stones because the trade ecosystem (origin labs, treatment standards, secondary market) has been built around natural material; lab-grown colored stones do not yet have the equivalent ecosystem that lab-grown diamonds have developed.
For most fine colored stones (ruby, sapphire, tourmaline, garnet, spinel), warm water with mild dish soap and a soft brush is appropriate for routine cleaning. Avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaners for emeralds (which can affect oil treatment), opals (which contain water and react to thermal change), pearls (which are organic and porous), and tanzanite (which is heat-sensitive). When in doubt, hand-clean. Our complete care guide is available at the Jewelry Care page.
Yes, gradually. Cedarwood oil and similar light oils are not permanent — over years of wear, exposure to ultrasonic cleaners, or hot environments, oils can dissipate and the underlying clarity profile will return to its untreated state. Re-oiling is a standard, non-invasive maintenance procedure, performed by skilled jewelers. For Since Love emeralds, we offer complimentary re-oiling as part of our Lifetime Service program.
Yes — bespoke commissions around colored stones are one of our atelier's specialties, drawing on twenty years of family relationships in the colored stone trade. We can source specific origin-color combinations not in standing inventory, work with a stone you already own, or design around a specific provenance commission. Initial consultation is complimentary; commission discussions can begin by emailing info@sincelovejewelry.com with your concept.
A colored stone is a longer conversation than a diamond.
This guide is the first chapter.
Colored gemstones reward attention to detail in a way that diamonds rarely do. The same color quality, the same lab certification, the same carat weight can sell at radically different prices depending on origin, treatment, and provenance. That is also where the most interesting purchases happen — once you know what you are looking for. Whenever you are ready, we are here to help you look.