Similar to a Star Stone, the Cat’s Eye effect (scientifically called Chatoyancy) is an optical illusion where a single, sharp band of light sweeps across the surface of a domed (cabochon) gemstone, making it look exactly like the slit pupil of a cat’s eye. The most valuable and famous stone that displays this effect is the Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye, which is also heavily mined in Sri Lanka.
Though they sound exactly the same, they measure completely different things in the jewelry world:TermWhat it MeasuresCarat (ct)The physical weight of a gemstone. (1 carat = 0.2 grams).Karat (k)The purity of gold. 24K is pure gold, while 18K means it is 75% gold and 25% other metal alloys.
Opals are unique because they don’t have a single solid color. When light hits the internal structure of an opal—which consists of tiny silica spheres—the light bends and splits, creating flashes of every color of the rainbow that seem to jump and dance as you rotate the stone. This phenomenon is strictly called “Play-of-Color.”
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…
Sri Lanka is famous for its traditional, relatively eco-friendly mining methods, most commonly known as pit mining or Pathal.
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…
Many people confuse these terms, but they are very different: Hardness: Measures a stone’s resistance to scratching (using the Mohs scale). Toughness: Measures a stone’s resistance to breaking, chipping, or fracturing from a hard blow. Example: A Diamond is the hardest (10), meaning it won’t scratch easily, but it is not the “toughest.” A hard…