Why do you love colored stones?

[artisinalmines]

Full disclosure: I am in the trade (I source rough directly from various mines, have it cut and sell finished gems directly to retail customers), but I don't wear jewelry!

Having launched my business about a year and a half ago, I am pretty new to the world of colored gems. I started in this business more because of a love of adventure than a love of gems. I see that they are beautiful, and the more I learn about them the more I am in awe that our earth produces such miraculous things.

However, I am struggling to really understand what motivates folks to spend their hard earned money (often a lot of it!) on gemstones. Please help me understand your passion for colored stones! What is that you love about them? Why spend money on them instead of something else? What do they represent? How do they make you feel? Why do you choose a colored gem over a diamond?

 

[sydneyatl]

I think for me, I just love colorful and sparkly things. My engagement ring is a purple sapphire and I’ve always known I didn’t want a diamond, I wanted something colorful. I don’t believe they have any particular meaning or healing powers, I just think they’re beautiful and I’ve enjoyed looking at them ever since I was a little girl. There was a jewelry store near the grocery store we used to frequent and in the window they had a little dish full of colored gemstones in every cut and color, and I would always, always, always stop to look at it. When I was younger and had less money I would collect colorful glassware and ceramics (my whole kitchen is outfitted in various bright cheery pieces picked up from thrift stores and yard sales over the years) but over the last few years we’ve done well enough that I could finally start dipping into the gemstone world. I’ve only ever set two stones in my life and I have no intention to set the rest of my collection, but I take them out to look at all the time. I just really like sparkly, colorful things...there’s an attraction I can’t put into words, and it’s so much fun to sit with my child and see that same wonder in his eyes as he turns each one to catch the light.

 

[dk168]

The variety of colours, and usually more affordable than diamonds.

DK

 

[Acinom]

Because they are little colourful pieces of art and it is so much fun to look at them on your own hand and see how the light plays with the colours. And it’s fun to link them to special occasions or special people. And they are so durable when you take care of them. So the cost per wear is ok. And they are a lot more fun than diamonds (although I also like diamonds)

 

[shinyrocks]

For me, it is wearable art, and something that Mother Nature took millions of years to produce! Because of that, each one is unique and beautiful in their own right.

 

[demantoidz]

What is it that you love about them?
Color. Beauty. In some cases, Origin as my home country is a big producer of gems and minerals.

Why spend money on them instead of something else?
1) its a hobby, and hobbies usually cost money. This hobby can involve collecting, learning and seeking information on the topic, seeing as many gems as possible IRL, travelling to the mines, learning to cut/set stones (which turns a hobby into to a job)... Different people realize this hobby at different levels of commitment.
2) The journey of hunting for a specific gemstone with specific features can be a long experience, throughout which you learn more and often raise your expectations. Once you find your holy grail, its very satisfying.

What do they represent?
There's nothing sentimental that they represent to me. I've been attracted to gems, minerals and jewelry since I was a young kid so maybe that carried over to adulthood.

How do they make you feel?
1) Personally I like the feeling of awe when I see huge top quality gem. I also like how eventually a bigger/better/more impressive thing than the current best thing will be found. For example, in 09' I think sotheby's auctioned off a 3.Xct Vivid green as the largest of its kind. In 2017, it was a 5+ct.
2) The aforementioned feeling of satisfaction when finding your holy grail lingers on when you wear or see the gem.

Why do you choose a colored gem over a diamond?
Well, I love colored diamonds, but colorless diamonds interest me less because I love color. I like some antique low-colour diamonds though.

Ha. I'm too talkative today.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Genuine colored gemstones are luxury items. Most of us can get the same color and sparkle from synthetic or lab stones at a fraction of the cost but we covet genuine, earth mined colored gemstones. So rarity and uniqueness are probably the main factors.

 

[LilAlex]

Different in every light -- even time of day. Each one is unique. Beautiful and interesting even when they are not fresh from steam-cleaning. The nice ones are a bit of a secret and fly under the radar.

High-color well-cut IF diamonds are all the same.

 

[GeliL]

Mesmerizing colors and sparkle! Looking at them makes me happy and brightens up my day

 

[voce]

High-color well-cut IF diamonds are all the same.

This is what I think as well. Diamonds look generic to me; natural colored stones offer more variety and keep value better if you buy the "investment" ones. I mostly love how unique the colored stones are and interesting color combinations.

 

[Bron357]

My love for coloured gems is based on intriguing beauty and rarity. Diamonds are beautiful but they are all “the same”. And not “rare”
Ruby is magical because with chromium content just a fraction of light and they glow.
Any colour change gem, definately a little bit of magic.
opals, so unique, no two ever the same. A different play of colour and pattern with movement of the gem.
Emeralds, that pure green colour is somehow soothing and refreshing. Even with inclusions, the glow is mesmerizing.
I could go on and on but it is possible to express your taste and personality better with coloured gems, and the range is vast.

 

[Arcadian]

I've always been attracted to colored stones even as a very young child, I went quartz hunting at 14 and thats all she wrote! So for me it comes down to variety. So many different types, so many different colors and locations.

Speaking for myself, a diamond is ...a diamond. They can be amazingly gorgeous but at least those in the colorless to near colorless realm, rely on the cut to bring their beauty out. It can be a bit boring for me to be honest. Colored stones (which include colored diamonds frankly), sure, yes the cut frankly speaking if the color is off the charts beautiful I will mostly ignore cut. This is not what everyone does, just me...lol

I have a couple that have windows you can yodel through but because the material itself is rare and expensive, I snapped it up if it was at a good price.

I don't mind inclusions on stones. And in fact, I WISH that more gemstone sellers would not use terminology for diamonds to convey cleanliness. VVS in a diamond is NOT going to be the same as VVS in a sapphire. Its apples and oranges.

I also am not one to go down the path of only ideal colors. I like what I like. I can usually find a colored stone to scratch that itch too!

Colored stones allows you to explore an entirely different world out there not only in terms of color, but compositions. How these stones get their colors, where these stones are formed, that to me is the allure. If you're really into the science of stones, it really can be very addicting. Its probably the reason why I have 3 boxes of non set stones...lol

I don't just wear I also collect, so my answers might be different from someone who does not collect at all. I think in the colored gemstone area, you get all types.

 

[arkieb1]

My uncle (father's brother) married into a family that had sapphire mines in Inverell Australia when I was a small child my grandfather gave me a tin of the tailings (tiny rough sapphire pieces) that I loved to play with and I guess you could say my love of coloured rocks grew from there....

Then I married my husband - his family own the largest privately owned rock, crystal, mineral fossil gemstone museum and shop in Australia.... My sister in law owns a warehouse in a different place to my in laws selling similar things..... and has degrees in geology, archeology and mineralogy.... so I guess I was destined to like rocks

 

[missy]

I love them because they can be magical in a special way unique from diamonds. When they are beautiful it’s the stuff of fairy tales.

 

[Catmom]

The infinite possibilities of color which can be made into little pieces of wearable art. Each different and unique, never the same.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Because a diamond is a diamond is a diamond. But corundum, beryl.....etc etc ?

So much more excitement and possibilities with colored stones.

cheers--Sharon

 

[AV_]

I am somewhat like you - more interested in the what/how/where of these things than wearing. However, I regard a few pieces of jewelry as a summary of life.

 

[TeaGlutton]

Please help me understand your passion for colored stones! What is that you love about them? Why spend money on them instead of something else? What do they represent? How do they make you feel? Why do you choose a colored gem over a diamond?

I love colored stones for the color! I think my appreciation for color came from admiring the flowers in my mother's gardens throughout the years. I always slow down to take in the beauty, I don't think many people pay that much attention to them, admire them. I do the same with my jewelry. I love the floral jewelry from Yvonne Raley (all? of my CS jewelry is from her shop, including my engagement and wedding rings).

As far as spending, like another PSer said, the price is low if you really wear the jewelry. I don't wear jewelry for others to admire (if they do, great), but for my own enjoyment. I love to look into the gems, for faceted gems I watch the color flicker through the gem, for cabochons, that polished dome of juicy color.

I wouldn't say colored stones represent anything for me. My engagement ring and wedding ring are CS pieces, they have meaning, but the stones don't represent anything.

CS are enchanting. Staring at them doesn't get old, to me. I still feel the "Oh, this is just so beautiful", and "I'm so lucky to be able to see this all the time" and "Ah, this color!" It fills me with joy.

I choose colored gems over diamonds because diamonds feel like a trap, a lie. They're not rare and the price is not justified. I can appreciate the marketing and the business aspect, but I won't be fooled into thinking it's worth it. I like the hardness, I like the way they manipulate light when cut just right. But that's it, unless it's a fancy-colored diamond. But many of those I've seen (online) aren't special, there's color but it's not "wow". Like (most) green sapphires, sapphires "aren't good at" green. Diamonds "aren't good at" color. Colored stones have, to me, better phenomena. I love color-change and asterism. Diamonds (to my knowledge) cannot do those things. Pity.

 

[T L]

I have a deep love of science, and gemstones have always fascinated me for their creation and beauty. I also get gushy about precious metals. The fact they’re formed in supernovas is incredible to me.

 

[GliderPoss]

My uncle (father's brother) married into a family that had sapphire mines in Inverell Australia when I was a small child my grandfather gave me a tin of the tailings (tiny rough sapphire pieces) that I loved to play with and I guess you could say my love of coloured rocks grew from there....

Then I married my husband - his family own the largest privately owned rock, crystal, mineral fossil gemstone museum and shop in Australia.... My sister in law owns a warehouse in a different place to my in laws selling similar things..... and has degrees in geology, archeology and mineralogy.... so I guess I was destined to like rocks

Hey @arkieb1 is the rock museum in northern QLD by any chance? Think I’ve been to it!

To answer OP - I’ve always loved gemstones since I was a child. Much more fun & interesting than diamonds in my opinion. So much variety & pretty colours too.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Even if you don't really care for coloured stones, I get the impression you enjoy seeing the ways in which they manipulate light and also in the broad spectrum of different colours and types. Otherwise I can't imagine why you would bother with fancy cuts (they generally don't have a bigger market than more traditional cuts as far as I can tell). I imagine this is the draw for most of the people here as well... Ofcourse if they also took us to exotic locations that would be great too, but we usually don't get that perk.

I don't really wear much jewellery either. Too much trouble and really not in my personality. Oddly I have little interest in the science either (I never loved chemistry or classical optics though, so that might be why). The economics side the commodity might be quite interesting though.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Their sheer individuality.
No two are alike.

Information on them and the never-ending search for new types are endless.

Sparkle. Color.
Theres something about holding something so beautiful that is yours that the earth fully made naturally.

Theyre just plain f*n' fun.

Also: Natural + Beauty = Its a no brainer?!

Thats like asking why a man finds beautiful women beautiful.

Natural beauty will always be natural beauty, and when you throw in color that adds such a unique individuality, now then do you only have a subject worth obsessing over.

 

[MarionC]

What a great thread. It makes me more interested in CS, however maybe CS vs Diamond preferences are genetic?! LOL I have a huge passion for diamonds...people say they are all the same, but I love to scroll through inventories and find the ones that are cut oddly and full of inclusions. They are all beautiful to me. So...perhaps there is a link between my way of loving diamonds and why the posters love CS. They sound fascinating.

 

[arkieb1]

Hey @arkieb1 is the rock museum in northern QLD by any chance? Think I’ve been to it!

To answer OP - I’ve always loved gemstones since I was a child. Much more fun & interesting than diamonds in my opinion. So much variety & pretty colours too.

No the shop and museum is in central Western NSW, and the warehouse is between Gosford and Newcastle.