Gemstones

Gemstones

Contributors in Gemstones

Gemstones

The cat's eye effect sometimes seen in gemstones such as chrysoberyl, apatite and tourmaline is known by the technical name of chatoyancy. The effect is caused by tiny parallel inclusions that give ...

clarity

Fashion; General jewelry

Referring to a stone's lack of inclusions or other visual defects.

cleavage

Fashion; General jewelry

The plane of weakness of some gems where they will split apart with smooth surfaces. Gems with perfect cleavage are likely to break when being cut or faceted.

color

Fashion; General jewelry

Used in the evaluation of a gem. The quality of a gem can based on either the presence or the absence of color.

color change

Fashion; General jewelry

Color change gems change color due to changing light conditions (such as alexandrite or color change sapphire) or when viewed from different angles (such as andalusite or iolite).

concave cut

Fashion; General jewelry

Traditional gem facets are flat or two-dimensional. Concave cutting creates facets that are curved or three-dimensional. These curved facets refract more of the ambient light and return it to the eye ...