Precious colored stones

Formed in the depths of the Earth, colored gemstones offer the jewelry world a formidable cameo of nuances. While all gems have their own particular beauty, they are classified according to strict categories. Mineralogy lists some 30,000 types of stone, most of which are considered ornamental. The others, those that invite us to dream and exert an inalterable fascination on man, belong to the ranks of precious stones or gemstones. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires take center stage. They are formed when all the chemical elements come together in the same place, at the same temperature, at the same time. The creation of these natural jewels, accompanied by a procession of bewitchingly colorful gemstones, is a veritable miracle.

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Stories of gemstones, from Spinelle…

Their color is so close to that of a ruby that the spinels adorning England’s crown jewels have long been mistaken for what they are not. For, despite its hue and such deep brilliance that it could easily be mistaken for a ruby, spinel does not belong to the closed circle of precious stones.

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… to Tanzanite

It’s a surprising stone in more ways than one. First of all, its color. Blue when viewed lengthwise, it appears violet when viewed widthwise. Then there’s its astonishing history. Discovered in the 1960s, this stone was first marketed in 1967 by the owner of Tiffany & Co, shortly after the sapphire crisis. At the time, it had littlevalue. However, it soon became a huge success in the USA. Today, only one mine is in operation, in Tanzania. Its small size – just 8km2 – means that its scarcity is already foreseeable, and therefore its value.

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Gemstone glossary

Fancy
Extremely rare, colored diamonds are also known as Fancy Diamonds. Fancy Yellow is veryfashionable; Fancy Pink is known for its rarity and sky-high price; and Fancy Blue’s reputation is well established with the Titanic’s famous Hope Diamond. Other well-known colors include green, brown and black.
The gardens
This is what we call the inclusions found in emeralds. The gardens are, in a way, the identity card of this precious stone, sought-after for its deep, intense, almost hypnotic green. Known since the Inca and Mayan civilizations, the most sought-after emeralds come from Colombia.
Pigeon’s blood
This expression refers to the purplish-red color specific to ruby. No other gem presents such a pure shade of red as this stone, considered the most precious and expensive of them all. A member of the corundum family, ruby derives its distinctive color from the presence of chromium in its composition. They are found in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Padparadscha
This word means lotus flower. It’s also the name of a salmon-orange sapphire whose intensity makes it one of the most sought-after. But sapphires also come in all colors, thanks to the combination of aluminum, titanium and, possibly, chromium in minute quantities.

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