Why coloured gemstones are so popular right now

CNA Lifestyle

Why coloured gemstones are so popular correct now

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but precious coloured gemstones such every bit spinels, peridots and tourmalines are gaining prominence. CNA Lifestyle finds out why, and if y'all should consider investing in them.

Why coloured gemstones are so popular right now — Pretty every bit a rainbow, and in some instances just equally rare, coloured gemstones are all the rage these days. (Photo: GIA)

30 Oct 2022 06:45AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 09:31PM)

If you've been following the imperial weddings this year, you might accept noticed that the rocks adorning the imperial brides' ring fingers aren't your typical white diamonds, crimson rubies, bluish sapphires or greenish emeralds – the so-called Big 4.

Earlier this yr, Jack Brooksbank proposed to Princess Eugenie with a sunset-coloured Padparadscha sapphire, the rarest of all sapphires. Meghan Markle goes well-nigh her daily business with a low-cal-blue aquamarine (a variety of beryl) ring.

Away from the royal universe, the biggest jewellery houses have also been infusing their collections with all fashion of rainbow-hued rocksnon of the Large Four diverseness. Tiffany & Co. is trumpeting the merits of pink morganite, lilac kunzite, and purple-blue tanzanite, while Cartier's Coloratura family of jewels is a treasure trove of mint tourmalines, pink morganites, ruby rubellites, and others.

Angela Loh, founder and CEO of jewellery exhibition JeweLuxe, said that these stones accept only gained popularity in Asia some three to five years agone. Jessica Nasr, Manager of Marketing and Communications for jewellery house Mouawad Singapore, said the increase in demand for coloured stones began ii years ago.

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For the casual heir-apparent, information technology might be like shooting fish in a barrel to be overwhelmed past the sheer amount of varieties and species of minerals out at that place, and past the deluge of data (sometimes incorrect) that you can find online.

Tanja Sadow, Dean of the Jewellery Design and Direction International School Singapore (JDMIS), explained: "In that location are near iv,800 minerals, of which merely most 100 or so are of gem quality. Some species have many varieties. For instance, bluish, yellow, pink, and orange sapphires and rubies are all varieties of the corundum species."

A pair of ear pendants from Cartier decorated with pink sapphires and diamonds. (Photo: Cartier)

She added that information technology does non help either that in that location are more varieties of minerals than there are colours in the earth. Translation: Many of the stones boast like or even the same colours, and sometimes, only a professional person with the correct equipment can tell the difference between a red spinel and a red reddish.

True COLOURS

While coloured gemstones such as tanzanites, rubellites and spinels take been around for decades – fifty-fifty centuries – why are nosotros only starting to see more of them these days?

This interest in "culling" precious coloured stones tin can be attributed to diverse factors, simply the main reason has been the exploding prices of the traditional Large Four gems.

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Ane of the most expensive coloured gems sold at auction was a 25.59-carat Burmese dove blood ruddy which sold for US$30 1000000, or but over US$one million per carat, at a Sotheby's Geneva sale in 2015. Such prices are usually accomplished only past the rarest and most infrequent coloured diamonds.

Tay Kunming, Managing director of the Far East Gem Group, put it succinctly: "About gemstones are relatively not equally expensive as diamonds, and gemstones practise not have a standard price guide similar the Rapaport guide for diamonds. So, men tin can hide the cost of their gift".

A ring from Tiffany & Co.'due south Blue Book 2022 collection features pear-shaped and marquise-cut tanzanites totalling over four carats. (Photo: Tiffany & Co.)

Sadow added: "The price of a nice ruby is astounding nowadays. Some of the traditional stones are really not affordable to almost people. That is why [culling] gemstones accept better prices. Nosotros have been training people for the longest time about what makes a gemstone beautiful, and 1 of the main factors is colour.

"Nosotros look at the same four C'due south (color, cut, clarity and carat) used to grade diamonds when grading coloured gemstones. Just unlike diamonds, where the cut is the nigh important, nosotros care most about color for coloured gemstones."

Color is a very of import factor in determining the value of a coloured gemstone, like this Paraiba tourmaline. (Photo: The Gem Museum)

That'due south not to say that y'all can disregard the balance of the C's, equally it's the sum of all the parts that determines the value of the stone.

JeweLuxe'southward Loh explained: "Some people think the bigger the rock, the better. True, but it must come up hand-in-hand with clarity and colour saturation. Some people also recall provenance is important, for instance, untreated Burmese pigeon blood rubies. But if this gemstone has intrusions, it would non be of as high a value as an untreated Mozambique loftier saturation blood-red scarlet of superior clarity. It's all almost the gem as a whole, and ane attribute does not absolutely decide its value."

IS There AN UPSIDE POTENTIAL?

This begs the question: If prices of traditional Large Four gemstones have increased exponentially, can we start seeing a like upward trend for coloured gemstones? And if and so, can they be considered investments?

The experts we spoke to warned confronting such speculative sentiments. Tay Thye Sun, Senior Gemologist at Far East Jewel Lab, explained: "The coloured gemstones business organization tin can be risky if you do not know how to trade. Knowledge of gemstones is vital. For instance, how do you differentiate natural from constructed stones? There is a lack of knowledge, high risk of fraud at each level, and no articulate guidelines on the quality and price guide for unlike gemstones.

"Since I got into the trade in 2007, the overall market value of rubies have risen at least 400 per cent for specific qualities, such as vivid red, unheated Burmese rubies [with no visible inclusions, weighing] 1 carat and higher up. Whatsoever investment that has then many factors involved is risky. To expect at a gemstone, to remember about investment first, might not be that wise."

This 25.59-carat Burmese pigeon blood ruby (prepare on a Cartier ring) sold for US$30 million at a Geneva auction in 2015. (Photo: Sotheby'due south)

For Sadow, it'southward simple. "Jewellery should be appreciated not just for its intrinsic fabric, merely for the design, the joy it gives you, its sentimental value. If you put a loose stone away in the safe, where's the value and joy unless you lot can wear it and enjoy it?"

Play a joke on OR TREAT

Navigating the world of coloured stones tin can seem more than challenging than reaching the final level of Processed Crush. Simply ultimately, it'southward cardinal to recognise the basic trifecta that makes a gemstone "precious": Beauty, rarity and immovability.

The first is a matter of sense of taste, and information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel enough to develop an eye for cute stones by only visiting every bit many jewellers every bit y'all can to go an idea of the different stones available, and their artful patterns.

Rarity is harder to establish, but questions like "where is this gemstone from", "how many mines can it be found in", or "are at that place many known quantities of this gemstone left" are helpful guides. Of class, a Google search is imperative, too.

READ: Accessorise like a queen: How to buy your kickoff real pearls

As for durability, the Mohs scale is typically used to determine hardness, but it should not be confused with toughness. For case, a diamond, the hardest material on the earth, is scratch-resistant but is notwithstanding susceptible to chips and breaks if non handled properly. Hence, knowing the durability of your gemstone will guide you on how to take care of it.

Another aspect of gemstone buying that frequently confuses consumers is that of treatments: Gemstones are sometimes sold with the prefix "unheated" or "untreated" – does this hateful those that are heated and treated should be regarded with suspicion?

Absolutely not, said Sadow. "Nigh gemstones are treated nowadays, it's a standard practice. It'southward similar me putting on foundation, mascara and lipstick before leaving my house – it'south still me under the makeup. The stones that are not treated are often big and stunning, and have a document of proof – and it will come up with a different price range."

With such an extensive range of coloured gemstones available, we asked the experts which five they believe are worth a second glance.

1. SPINELS

A choice of spinels from Mouawad. (Photo: Aaron De Silva)

Spinels came into the spotlight a few years agone when the 170-carat Black Prince's Ruby adorning the Majestic State Crown of England was "denounced" as a spinel. Even then, said Sadow, it took a long time for people to really appreciate the stone. Only it has many virtues that are worth because. "It comes in beautiful colours like carmine, blue, and regal," she said.

In terms of value, Sadow said that fine Burmese spinels with vibrant and intense colour that are under one carat are still very affordable. Prices tin can range from US$200 (S$276) to US$500 per carat. Prices do go upward exponentially with size.

"Top reds and pinks typically easily sell for US$600 to U.s.a.$i,200 per carat in the ane-to-2 carat size, and increase dramatically over two carats," said Sadow.

"Height quality spinels (very good colour, clarity and cutting), which are two to v carats in size, will easily sell for US$3,000 to US$5,000 per carat. For even rarer stones over 5 carats, prices accept been institute in the range of Usa$eight,000 to US$10,000 per carat, but the colour and clarity have to be the best."

2. COLOURED SAPPHIRES

Nearly people exercise not know that rubies and sapphires belong to the aforementioned species of corundum. While blue sapphires are well-nigh common, these stones can likewise come in a plethora of colours. "Sapphires can come in light green, pink, colour-changing varieties and more. As these sapphires are less marketed, the need for them is non then high and prices are inexpensive," said Far Eastward Gem Group'due south Tay.

According to Simone Ng of Simone Jewels, regal sapphires of "super acme quality" average around US$2,000 per carat for stones less than one carat in size. Those between i and 2 carats boilerplate US$two,800 per carat; and those three-to-five-carat stones are US$5,000 per carat. Gems weighing more than v carats fetch effectually The states$eight,000 per carat.

3. PARAIBA TOURMALINES

Paraiba tourmalines from Mouawad, seen at the recently-concluded JeweLuxe. (Photo: Aaron De Silva)

These blueish-greenish stones have captured the imagination of jewellers for their brilliance and nearly swimming puddle-like quality of their colour, but are condign increasingly rare. It's the only tourmaline in the world that is coloured by copper, which gives it its neon-like hue.

Sadow explained: "The Paraiba tourmaline was only discovered in the 1980s in the Paraiba mine in Brazil, from where it derives its name. Only recently, information technology was establish in Africa as well, and after extensive testing, it was discovered to be the exact same cloth. Even and so, the mines are tiny and the stones are becoming very rare."

When it comes to prices, Simone Jewels' Ng explained that the intensity of color matters more than carat weight, with height quality Paraibas costing between Us$10,000 and US$20,000.

4. PERIDOTS

Peridots from Simone Jewels exhibited at JeweLuxe. (Photo: Aaron De Silva)

Distinguished past their lime-light-green hue, peridots were formerly plagued past their distinction as semi-precious stones, only Tay dismissed this classification. "Did you know that only three or four countries come to heed when talking well-nigh gem-quality peridots?" he said. "They are Pakistan, Myanmar, China, and the US (Arizona). About of these mines are small-scale open up pits or open up-cast mines, compared to the open-pit mining of diamonds in general."

For top quality peridots, Ng said that stones nether one carat fetch an boilerplate of US$500 per carat. This goes up to US$800 per carat for stones between one and ii carats, and United states of america$2,500 for those between iii and 5 carats. To a higher place five carats, the price jumps to US$8,000 per carat.

5. COLOURED DIAMONDS

Singapore-based Vihari Jewels has one of the earth's finest selections of dark-green diamonds. (Photo: Aaron De Silva)

You've probably read the news about blue and pink diamonds going for stupendous prices at auctions. But Loh believes that there is even so "some bandwidth to grow in the adjacent couple of years", particularly for fancy coloured diamonds that are defined by their high-colour intensity, such as blueish, green and pinkish, she said.

For pink diamonds, Vihari Poddar, Managing Director of Vihari Jewels, explained that bold the diamonds were of Fancy Pinkish color, VS2 clarity and amend, and with no fluorescence, the prices can range from The states$40,000 to US$xc,000 per carat for stones under one carat. At the acme cease (that is, stones heavier than five carats), the price is between The states$350,000 and United states of america$400,000 per carat.