A doublet or triplet is a stone that is composed of two or more pieces. Often, a thin slice of a high-quality, expensive, or naturally colored stone is glued to a base of a cheaper material (like black glass or plastic) to make it look larger or more expensive. Always check the sides of a mounted gem with a magnifying glass to see if you can spot a “glue line” where the layers meet.
Technically, no. Pearls are classified as organic gemstones because they are created by living organisms (mollusks like oysters and mussels). When an irritant (like a grain of sand) enters their shell, they secrete layers of a substance called nacre to coat it, eventually forming a pearl.
In the professional world of gem grading, “eye-clean” is a term used to describe a colored gemstone that has no visible inclusions (flaws) when viewed by the naked eye from a distance of about 6 to 12 inches. If you need a magnifying glass to see the internal marks, it is considered very high-quality.
A gemstone’s sparkle is primarily determined by its Refractive Index (RI). This is a measurement of how much light bends when it enters the stone. When a stone with a high RI (like a Diamond) is expertly cut, light enters the top, bounces off the angled inner facets like a house of mirrors, and reflects…
This magical-looking trait is caused by the way certain stones absorb different wavelengths of light depending on the light source. The most famous example is Alexandrite, which looks green or bluish-green in natural sunlight, but turns purplish-red under incandescent indoor lighting. This is known as the “Alexandrite Effect.”
Sri Lanka (historically known as Ratnadweepa, the “Island of Gems”) produces many highly valuable stones. The most prominent include:
Geuda is a semi-transparent, pale, and cloudy form of corundum found abundantly in Sri Lanka. For centuries, it was considered low-value, useless gravel. However, in the 1970s, it was discovered that applying specific high-heat treatments to Geuda transforms these dull stones into brilliant, deep Blue Sapphires. This groundbreaking discovery revolutionized the Sri Lankan and global…