Gem Buying Guides
How to select the best quality gem for a given budget. Covers color, clarity, cut, carats, origin and more.
Agate Buying Guide
Decorative, patterned forms of agate are excellent natural gems. Learn more about agate's mesmerizing patterns in our agate buying guide!
Alexandrite Buying Guide
Vivid color change makes alexandrite one of the world’s most coveted stones. Our alexandrite buying guide can help you find the best gem for your budget.
Amber Buying Guide
One of the earliest known gems, amber’s bright sunshine hues delight and enthrall. Learn more about this ancient gem’s qualities in our amber buying guide.
Amethyst Buying Guide
Long valued for its purple color and symbolic associations, amethyst is a versatile gem. Our amethyst buying guide can help you pick an excellent stone.
Aquamarine Buying Guide
No gem evokes the blue-green colors of the sea like aquamarine. Our aquamarine buying guide can help you choose the best gemstone for your jewelry project.
Citrine Buying Guide
Citrine’s affordable autumn hues make it a great option for trendy jewelry. Read about the quality factors for this stylish gem in our citrine buying guide!
Emerald Buying Guide
Our emerald buying guide can help you learn how these gems are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Garnet Buying Guide
With so many colors and varieties available, garnet buying can be daunting. Whether starting your collection or completing it, our guide can help.
Pearl Buying Guide
In this golden age of pearls, a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors are available. Our pearl buying guide can help you select a pearl you’ll love.
Precious Coral Buying Guide
Deep-water coral displays bright, rich reds and delicate pinks. Our precious coral buying guide will help you choose a gem for your next jewelry piece.
Sapphire Buying Guide
Our sapphire buying guide can help you learn how sapphires are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Blue Tourmaline (Indicolite) Buying Guide
Our indicolite buying guide can help you learn how these blue tourmalines are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone.
Chrome Tourmaline Buying Guide
Our chrome tourmaline buying guide can help you learn how these gems are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone.
Crystalline Quartz Buying Guide
Although often overlooked, quartz is available in many styles at reasonable prices. Our crystalline quartz buying guide can help you pick your next piece.
Fancy Colored Blue Diamond Buying Guide
Blue diamonds are among the rarest and most prized diamonds. Our blue diamond buying guide will help consumers understand the value factors for these gems.
Fancy Colored Yellow Diamond Buying Guide
Fancy colored yellow diamonds are becoming increasingly popular. Our yellow diamond buying guide has the information you need before your next purchase.
Green Tourmaline (Verdelite) Buying Guide
Our verdelite buying guide can help you learn how verdelites are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Jade Buying Guide
“The Stone of Heaven,” jade has an unmatched elegance. Learn more about the unique quality factors of both jadeite and nephrite in our jade buying guide.
Kunzite Buying Guide
Rare and fragile, kunzite challenges lapidaries and delights jewelry aficionados. Our kunzite buying guide can help you add this gem to your collection.
Lapis Lazuli Buying Guide
Our lapis lazuli buying guide can help you learn how to grade these gems, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Moonstone Buying Guide
With sheen reminiscent of moonlight, moonstone is treasured across civilizations. Our moonstone buying guide can help you pick a gem for your next project.
Morganite Buying Guide
Morganite has become a popular jewelry stone, especially for engagement rings. Our morganite buying guide can help you pick a great gem for any occasion.
Opal Buying Guide
Our opal buying guide can help you learn how opals are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Oregon Sunstone Buying Guide
Our Oregon sunstone buying guide can help you learn how these gems are graded and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Peridot Buying Guide
Our peridot buying guide can help you learn how these gems are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Rubellite Tourmaline Buying Guide
Our rubellite buying guide can help you learn how rubellites are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Ruby Buying Guide
Our ruby buying guide can help you learn how rubies are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Sphalerite Buying Guide
Our sphalerite buying guide can help you learn how these gems are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Spinel Buying Guide
Our spinel buying guide can help you learn how spinels are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Tanzanite Buying Guide
More than just a simulant for sapphire, tanzanite’s vivid hues have stunned the gem world. Our tanzanite buying guide can help you find a gem you'll love!
Topaz Buying Guide
Our topaz buying guide can help you learn how topazes are graded, what to avoid, and how to identify a high quality stone or a bargain in the rough.
Tourmaline Buying Guide
Known for stunning, saturated hues, tourmaline is a colorful and modern gemstone. Read about quality factors for this gem in our tourmaline buying guide.
Turquoise Buying Guide
Revered for millennia, sky blue turquoise still has a dedicated following. Our turquoise buying guide can help you pick a gem for your next jewelry project.
Zircon Buying Guide
Long valued for its brilliance, zircon is a natural and affordable beauty. Learn more about the quality factors for this gem in our zircon buying guide.
Demantoid Garnet Buying Guide
Stunning green hues and a brilliance that outshines diamond combine to make demantoids truly captivating. Read more in our demantoid garnet buying guide.
How to Choose a Diamond
First-time gem buyers may find diamond grades confusing. Our consumer guide explains how diamonds are evaluated and gives advice on how to choose a diamond.
Paraíba Tourmaline Buying Guide
Paraíba’s neon blue hues stunned the gem world in the 1980s. Read about the quality factors for this striking gem in our paraíba tourmaline buying guide.
Iolite Buying Guide
Soft, violet-blue hues have made iolite a popular stone. Read about the quality factors for this trendy gem in our iolite buying guide.
Rutilated Quartz Buying Guide
Silky golden rutile inclusions in quartz have become quite popular. Read our rutilated quartz buying guide to help you choose a stone for your next project.
Ammolite Buying Guide
With bright rainbow iridescence, ammolite is sure to draw attention. Read about this gem’s unique quality factors before your next ammolite buying trip.
Fancy Colored Pink Diamond Buying Guide
With only a few produced each year, pink diamonds are among the rarest gems on the planet. Learn how quality impacts cost for these rarities in our fancy colored pink diamond buying guide.
Yellow Gemstones (With 9 Gems Best for Rings!)
From bright, sunny colors to deep golden hues, yellow gemstones are warm and inviting. Learn how to assess the quality of yellow gems, and find out which ones won't scratch or break in a ring.
Chrysoprase Buying Guide
With bright, apple-green hues, chrysoprase makes an attractive, eye-catching jewelry stone. If you’re looking for a top-quality gem, read this guide before your chrysoprase buying trip to help you choose the best gem for your project.
Conch Pearl Buying Guide
Considering a conch pearl buying trip to the Caribbean? Quality factors for these gems differ from colored gemstones. Before you make a purchase, learn to evaluate their unique flame structure and other features.
Diamond Buying and the Four Cs, Part 1: Diamond Carat Weight
Diamond buyers often want to know which of the Four Cs of gem grading is most important — color, clarity, cut, or carat. However, these qualities aren’t as distinct as they seem. Learn more about diamond carat weight and how it affects the other qualities as well as overall value.
Diamond Buying and the Four Cs, Part 2: Diamond Color
Diamond buyers often want to know which of the Four Cs of gem grading is most important — color, clarity, cut, or carat. However, these qualities aren’t as distinct as they seem. Learn more about diamond color and how it affects the other qualities as well as overall value.
Diamond Buying and the Four Cs, Part 3: Evaluating Diamond Cuts
Cut is perhaps the most complex of the Four Cs of gem grading and is usually taken for granted by consumers. However, diamond cuts greatly affect brilliance and fire as well as how large a stone actually looks. Learn the basic anatomy of a diamond and how professionals grade cut quality.
Diamond Buying and the 4 Cs, Part 4: Assessing Diamond Clarity
Don't overspend on diamonds. Check out our diamond clarity chart to learn about the four most important factors impacting a stone's value.
Blue Gemstones (With Photos of 37 Kinds!)
Symbolic of sea and sky, blue has always been a popular color for gems. Learn how to assess color in blue gemstones and see which ones hold up best in rings and other jewelry.
The Fifth C: What Determines Diamond Cost?
What does a diamond cost? When consumers think of diamonds, they think “expensive.” However, what exactly makes that so? Beyond the unavoidable factors of mining, cutting, grading, and setting, who or what determines diamond prices?
Buying Diamonds Online? Match Your Shopper Personality Type to an Online Store
How can you find the right website when you’re buying diamonds online? Since everyone shops a little differently, see which of these diamond websites matches your shopper personality type.
Emerald Quality Simplified
How can you evaluate emerald quality? Emeralds have many properties to consider. In particular, clarity can be very complex for these gems. Navneet Gems & Minerals has proposed the following system in situations when factors such as color, cut, polish, and symmetry are equal.
Something Blue: Choosing Sapphire Engagement Ring Stones
Rare, beautiful, and expensive, sapphires will really wow when brides need “something blue.” When you’re shopping for sapphire engagement ring stones, some knowledge of this gem’s optical and physical properties, grading, and varieties might save you some time and money.
Red and More: Choosing Garnet Engagement Ring Stones
For thousands of years, garnets have symbolized love, life force, and victory — perfect associations for an engagement ring. This durable gemstone also comes in a wide variety of colors, not just classic red, many relatively affordable. Learn how to choose a garnet engagement ring stone that’s perfect for your big day.
Padparadscha Sapphire Buying Guide
Lovely orange-pink sunset and lotus hues define a padparadscha. Before your padparadscha sapphire buying trip, learn the quality factors for this stone and the controversy over its definition.
Watermelon Tourmaline Buying Guide
Looking for a fun summertime gem? Watermelon tourmaline adds a pop of color that's perfect for a playful summer look. Learn about the quality factors for this gem in our watermelon tourmaline buying guide.
Choosing Pearl Engagement Ring Stones
Although natural pearls are extremely rare and expensive, the availability of cultured pearls makes it easier to buy this classic, elegant gem than ever before. However, before choosing a pearl engagement ring stone, you need a crash course to understand this aquatic gem and the special care it requires.
