Are there other things you love about colored gems other than color?

[T L]

I know people always say they love color #1 when it comes to buying a gem, but are there people that look at other factors instead/as well, when deciding to make a gemstone purchase? For example, I love the sparkle and luster of a well cut spinel, regardless of the color. I also love light and medium light tones. While I do think for myself that color is #1, I have looked at stones that may not be the best color, but have other things to offer. This is just meant to be a fun topic of conversation, nothing serious.

 

[movie zombie]

the variety of colors....oh, i guess that''s still color related.

mz

 

[Kismet]

The tricks they can play... cat''s eye, star, adularescence, opalescence.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I love that the color can be "sleepy" but beautiful. I love the variety of cool inclusions.
I love the variety of shapes and sizes that are affordable!

 

[jstarfireb]

I love the sparkle of a precision-cut gem, the rarity of some stones like alexandrite or benitoite, and cool effects like piezoelectricity and the ones Kismet mentioned.

 

[cellentani]

YES! I know it''s all about color, but for me, cut is almost equally important - my OCD self loves the exactness of precision cuts. The other thing I really enjoy about colored stones is getting a size that will cover my finger! Any DSS can get cured pretty quicky with a 9mm gemstone, lol!

 

[Upgradable]

I love that colored stones draw me inside of them. They truly envelope my mind. With diamonds its all about the brilliance and fire they''re giving off. With colored stones I get to dive right in and wrap myself up!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Cut, interesting inclusions, and the variety--and I''m not talking color, but more the various properties of the stones. Two stones could be very similar in color, and while one has sparks and rainbows, another just reflects light. Fascinating!

 

[LD]

Colour is king and it''s what I look for first. If the colour doesn''t attract me then it''s almost definite I won''t buy it. However, apart from colour I''m attracted to gemstones that I consider to be "different", so colour changers, colour shifters, unusual gemstones, etc.

 

[Indylady]

I love natural, untreated gems. I love feeling of being able to carry a little piece of nature around with me.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Innovative cuts and carved stones
Cool inclusions
Phenomenal gems (colour change, tenebrescent, adularescent, schiller, cats eye and many more!)
Glow!

Things I do not like
Why do they have to be so soft? Sphelerite, for example

 

[allsparkly]

The memories and feelings different colors evoke. Also - the price (versus diamonds)!

More technically, the color is definitely #1. I also like colored stones that are very clear and light to medium in tone.

 

[oddoneout]

Colour and the different shapes and cuts.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I am liking the "glow" that my spess and spinel have. It is just so cool, and it allows it to stand up to my diamond in low light!!!!

I am not going to be buying any big ticket colored stones for quite a while, but any future stones I do buy would have to have a "glow."

 

[ma re]

I absolutely agree that color is extremly important, but I also understand what you''re saying about sometimes liking stones that market would not perceive as ideal. I figured that, eventhough we all love intense and rare colors in gems, sometimes a stone with all it''s visual components (color, clarity, shape, size, R. I., cut...) carefully balanced will draw my attention much more than a highly included, wonky shaped stone of an ideal color - even if the first one isn''t exactly close to an ideal in color.

And when it comes to other things fascinating, well, effects like pleochroism come to mind, phenomena like stars, various degrees of transparency (some gems have a glowy translucency, while others seem more crisp than a mountain stream), and let''s not forget inclusions that make some gems that much more captivating. I could probably go on for hours, but I''ll stop here.

 

[Fly Girl]

I''d like to mention cost. You can find big, beautiful and/or interesting colored stones at a fraction of the price of diamonds. I enjoy mixing and matching my colored jewelry wardrobe on a daily basis. And, these are real gems, not costume jewelry.

 

[marcy]

The wide variety of gemstones
How some react better to light than others
Properties like color change
Knowing some of them are very rare or are found only in one location
How they formed

 

[Gailey]

Coloured gems wreak of "classiness". Remember that photo of my Mum you posted TL?

 

[T L]

Date: 4/17/2010 11:08:41 PM
Author: Gailey
Remember that photo of my Mum you posted TL?

Oh, yes, Your Royal Highness, I did.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 4/18/2010 9:15:35 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/17/2010 11:08:41 PM
Author: Gailey
Remember that photo of my Mum you posted TL?

Oh, yes, Your Royal Highness, I did.

I hope you curtsied when you recalled that!

 

[CharmyPoo]

I must say CUT is equally as important to me as well. Beautiful color .. bad cut .. I am still not loving it.

I also like the deals that can be had with gemstones - you rarely find a deal with diamonds.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/18/2010 11:26:00 AM
Author: Gailey

Date: 4/18/2010 9:15:35 AM

Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/17/2010 11:08:41 PM

Author: Gailey

Remember that photo of my Mum you posted TL?

Oh, yes, Your Royal Highness, I did.

I hope you curtsied when you recalled that!

Oh Gailey, you crack me up. LOL!!

Americans are not required to curtsy to British royalty though.

 

[jewelz617]

I like that colored stones have varying personalities. Some are sparkly and vibrant, some have a sleepy glow about them. I also like the light play in different types of stones. And I really like the fact that I can get big honkin'' rocks that are beautifully cut in fabulous settings for much less than a diamond of the same size.

 

[chrono]

Because I’m easily amused, when I’m not going for top colour, I like carved gems, interesting inclusions, or fun tricks like colour change, cat’s eye, star, adularescence, opalescence and the like.

 

[redfaerythinker]

Color is a big thing for me, but I also love that anyone can go into any jewelry store and buy a diamond, but you can''t go into a jewelry store and walk out with a Tsavorite. ya know? I also love gem carvings, and cats eye, and star sapphires and the like. They''re just a whole lot more interesting on the whole than a run of the mill diamond. Although I would never turn down a diamond!

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 4/18/2010 11:41:30 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/18/2010 11:26:00 AM
Author: Gailey

Date: 4/18/2010 9:15:35 AM

Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/17/2010 11:08:41 PM

Author: Gailey

Remember that photo of my Mum you posted TL?

Oh, yes, Your Royal Highness, I did.

I hope you curtsied when you recalled that!

Oh Gailey, you crack me up. LOL!!

Americans are not required to curtsy to British royalty though.

Yeah Americans don''t curtsy. We just nod our head and say, "Sup!"

 

[platinumrock]

Top color, brilliance, fire and precision cut are great, but nothing wows me more than...


FLUORO! And if I get really lucky, some phospho. It''s sooo cool! If feel like I''m wearing a glowstick in the dark.

 

[ts44]

The cool tricks colored stones pull are definitely interesting to me. For example, I was at the Field Museum''s Grainger Gem Hall on Sunday, and learned that the tourmaline case is the most annoying to clean because at certain temperatures tourmaline becomes electrically charged and attract dust particles like a magnet! If your tourmaline looks fuzzy, check its temperature.