Tamara de Rezende
Gemstones have been used in jewelry since prehistoric times and by many different civilizations. During that time they have been prized for their practicality and beauty, and used as status symbols or spiritual talismans.
Expensive rocks: Why do we value gemstones?
According to psychologists, people can value gemstones for a variety of reasons:
Color
Humans are attracted by different colors for different reasons. For example, it is a proven fact that gazing at the color green releases relaxing chemicals in the brain
Scarcity
The rarer the gem, the more valued it is. When something is only available in limited quantities, as is the case with gemstones, we assume it is more valuable
Shine
A research paper published in 2013 suggests that gemstones’ shine reminds us of water, and our love of this shine stems from a survival instinct.
Culture
From Chinese jade burial suits to the royal jewels, gems reflect the culture, values, status and technological advances of our civilizations
Sentimental value
When it comes to heirloom jewelry, such as your grandmother’s pearls or your mother’s diamond engagement ring, a gem often tells the story of its previous owners. Some of the world’s most prized and expensive stones are valued for their storied pasts, which is referred to as ‘provenance’ in the jewelry industry.
Financial value
Today, the established science of gemology offers ways to assess the value of precious and semi-precious gemstones. For instance, in addition to their rarity, the market value of a diamond is determined by The Four Cs – cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Even small, inexpensive gemstones can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars due to their quality, making them aspirational purchases for many people.
Durability and longevity
Flowers wilt, chocolates get eaten, and clothes and sports cars deteriorate. Gemstones, however, have been around for millions of years and will last well beyond our lifetime.
The history of gemstones: First uses of gemstones
The oldest gemstone mined by man is believed to be lapis lazuli, a deep-blue metamorphic rock used by people dwelling in the Hindu Kush region, or modern Afghanistan, during the Neolithic period.
From about 4,000 BC, Ancient Egyptians made jewelry using lapis lazuli and amethyst, while the earliest gemstone mentioned in ancient Chinese texts is jade, with mention of this green gem first recorded about 3,600 BC.
Sapphires, garnets and pearls were popular gemstones in Ancient Greece and throughout the Roman Empire, and were used in jewelry as symbols of wealth and status. Indians were the first to mine and use diamonds around 300 BC.
How long ago were gemstones formed?
With the exception of organic gemstones like pearls, the ages of gemstones - the time they were formed within the Earth - range from millions to billions of years.
For example, experts currently estimate that diamonds were formed deep within the Earth’s mantle more than 3 billion years ago. Sapphire, on the other hand, is a much younger gem, being formed 150 million years ago.
What is the difference between precious gemstones and semi-precious gemstones?
Although comparable classifications of stones have been made by other cultures, the Greeks are responsible for the classification commonly used today. The distinction between precious and semi-precious refers to the scarcity (and corresponding value) of a gemstone.
Although some gemstones are categorized as semi-precious, it does not mean that they are of a lesser value than their so-called precious counterparts; often, a top-quality semi-precious stone can fetch a higher price than a more moderate precious alternative.
Colored gemstones will often be used as the central stone in cocktail rings.
Precious gemstones are particularly rare and beautiful gemstones. There are only four gemstones that fall into the precious category: diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby. All other gemstones that are not classified as precious are called semi-precious gemstones. This does not mean that they are not valuable, as many semi-precious stones can fetch high prices if they are of good quality and color.
Replicating nature: the rise of lab-grown gemstones
As technology has evolved, many precious and semi-precious gems can now be created synthetically in a laboratory. These are not fake or imitation gems, but man-made gems that share virtually all chemical, optical and physical characteristics of their natural mineral counterparts. Although in some cases - namely synthetic turquoise and synthetic opal - additional compounds can be present. You will also see these stones referred to as laboratory-grown or lab-grown gems.