Fundamentals

Abstract: If you intend to become a gemologist, or have a fervent interest in learning about diamonds and gemstones, the two basic skills are to learn how to use a loupe and a...

Gemstones misnomer are misleading names for gems.  Perhaps these names are given to romanticize and glorify their names so that a seller would...

Learning how to use a jeweler loupe properly is one of the most important skill that you have to acquire, whether you want to be a gemologist, a jeweler, a gemstones collector or...

As discussed in the previous post (Of Colored Stones, Precious & Semi Precious Stones), one would have a better understanding on the global terms used in jewelry or gemstones. Often,...

For those who are not in the jewelry or gemstones trade, these terms are often confusing.  It would take you less than 3 minutes to read this post to understand the definitions of Colored...

Usually when gemstones are defined as durable, they include two distinct traits, hardness and toughness.  These terms are not the same and people are often confused between these two. A mineral’s...

Abstract: Gemology is the science of dealing with natural, synthetics and stimulants of diamonds, pearls and other precious stones, gemstones or colored stones as they are called in the United States.

The Mohs Hardness scale was devised by a German geologist and mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs, in 1812. This hardness scale is based on the ability of one natural sample of mineral...

Abstract: Birefringence as explained in simple lay man language. When a light ray passes from air to another medium, such as a gemstone, the light...

The Refractive Index (RI) is one of the most important optical property of a gemstone.  Once the RI of a gemstone is known, one can easily identify the gemstone, given another few tests to confirm its identity.