Glossary of the Gemtrade

In fact 95% of all that is sold as ruby or sapphire does not even qualify as semi-precious while some amethyst or garnet may be relative cheap but can be high-end collector items and are surely precious.Setting: The setting is what makes replica watches a gemstone wearable in jewelry.Shape: General outer form, like square or oval, of a gemstone. Sleepiness: Special quality attributed to high-end rubies and Kashmir blue sapphires due to very fine invisible needles shattering light rays.Sustainability: Usually describing non-destructive and maintainable use of natural resources, as opposed to overexploitation. In the gem trade, with basically non-renewable resources, the term is used to express concern for environmental and social welfare in the mining countries.Often illegal to export from 3rd world countries without special permission.Saturation: A 100% red saturation theoretical means there is nothing but red in a gem. In reality you will always have secondary hues and grey tones. However, a red gem with 80% saturation is very red and you will probably not recognize anything but red.Semi-precious: Criticized term for less valuable gems. Most people in the trade agree that it has no meaning but continue to use it to differentiate between high-end collector stones and cheaper gem material. Some previously semi-precious stones like red spinel or chrysoberyl have sure entered the precious realm. However, just because something is called sapphire or ruby does not mean that it is precious.