Gemstones have been traditionally used for jewelry. Precious and semi-precious gemstones are commonly used as beads or embellishments. They are also used in designer clothes and accessories sometimes, which needless to say, fall on the higher end of the price spectrum.
Gemstones have also been used as prosperity enhancers since long. Particularly in the Indian subcontinent, astrologers have been recommending birthstones to people who come to seek solutions for persistent problems, since old times.
According to the ancient Vedic science of India, gemstones, by virtue of containing certain particles, can deflect negative vibrations directed at us and thus, make more room for positive energy to enter our life. As it has been experienced by generations of people, positive influence manifests itself in the form of prosperity – one might suddenly land that promotion they were trying for since ages, or meet the love of their life, or even get cured of diseases. There is a general increase in happiness, and that's why many Indian parents make their children wear birthstones as soon as they get a little older.
Difference between precious and semi-precious gemstones
The words "precious" and "semi-precious" have been used since long to differentiate between costly and rare stones and their relatively cheaper, or semi-precious, counterparts. However, the terms were first used and propagated by commercial establishments and businessmen to increase the sale of precious stones and are still being used with the same purpose, although the generalization between the two categories of stones does not hold much truth. In fact, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, an agency which looks over consumer marketing, has considered making these terms illegal for use in regard to gemstones because they can be deceptive.
As of the present time, semi precious stones are as rare as the traditionally accepted precious stones and hence, the difference between their costs is generally not much. Moreover, lesser known stones can sometimes be much more valuable than well-known precious stones. For instance, a Tsavorite green garnet is much costlier and rarer than a mid-quality sapphire.
The traditionally accepted precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. On the other hand Agate, amethyst, aquamarine, black onyx, carnelian, citrine, garnet, iolite, jade, kunzite, lapis lazuli, peridot, rose quartz, tanzanite, topaz, and tourmaline are some of the popular semi-precious stones.
Is there any certification for gemstones?
Gemstones are studied and identified by gemologists. The chemical arrangement of a gemstone is the basis of classification for quality. However, there are many more groups under which gemstones are classified like natural and man made, organic and inorganic, crystalline and amorphous, rocks, minerals, species and varieties, series and blends, and so on.
While diamonds are measured in karats, colored gemstones are measured with a Natural AAA certification. Natural AAA, AA, and A are three certifications which determine the quality of a gemstone in descending order. Therefore, while a Natural AAA certified stone is from the top 10% quality, the Natural A certified stone is from the top 50% to 75%.
As far as diamonds are considered, you should ask for a Kimberly certificate. This certificate ensures that the diamond is not a conflict diamond, also known as the blood diamond. Conflict diamonds are illegally mined and used to fund finance and civil wars. They usually come from African nations. Diamonds mined in countries like Canada, Australia, and India are not conflict diamonds.
If you are just looking for something that looks good, you can also try 18k gold beads, which are much cheaper than 24 carat gold jewelry but have an equal luster and charm. They are also used in combination with colored gemstone beads, or as a standalone string of gold beads.
Even when gemstones are worn to attract positive energy, they make for pretty jewelry. And you don't necessarily need a fortune to buy some nice stones. However, you should keep in mind that rocks alone cannot propel you to riches or happiness, because hard work and practice still don't have any substitute.
Source : articlesbase.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment