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It's important for any shopper to understand gemstone terms before buying any type of gemstone jewelry.

What Are Natural Gemstones?
Gems brought to us courtesy of nature, with no interference from humans. By the time they appear in our jewelry they've been cut or polished, but they've not been treated or altered in other ways.

What Are Genuine Gemstones?
Natural gemstones are genuine gems. So are other stones created by nature, even the gems that have been treated to enhance their appearance. 

They're "real," even if they've been altered in some way.

Not All Natural or Genuine Gemstones are Valuable
Don't be fooled into thinking that all natural or genuine gemstones are desirable or valuable. Small to large stones of poor quality are common and often considered mining castaways. Get the facts about a specific gem before you pay a premium price for it.

Smart Shopping

• Jewelry that includes quality synthetic gems can be just as beautiful as jewelry made with natural stones—and there are some great buys out there.
• Good synthetics aren't necessarily inexpensive, but should cost much less than natural stones of similar quality.
• Since synthetics do have the same composition as natural stones, they could technically be called "genuine," but that would be a deceptive label if used alone. A stone's origins should always be disclosed.

Question the ethics of anyone who knowingly omits origin information, and the expertise of anyone who cannot provide it.

Gemstone and Jewelry Pricing
Like any other industry, supply and demand drives gemstone prices up and down. For example,

• Natural rubies of high quality are rare and demand for them is always high. Some of the areas where topnotch rubies are mined are in political turmoil, hindering distribution even more.
• Similarly colored red garnets are gorgeous, but they aren't rare. A flawless natural garnet costs a great deal less than a ruby of similar quality.

Be Realistic & Shop Smart A large percentage of gemstones are treated to enhance their appearance. The enhancements allow jewelry manufacturers to improve the appearance of stones that consumers wouldn't otherwise purchase. Remember, treated gemstones are genuine, but they are no longer considered natural.

• Treatments allow more of us to own gemstones. If naturally "perfect" stones were the only ones available, most of us couldn't afford them.
• Shopping for a natural gemstone is a lot easier if it's a color you're after and not a specific stone. Gemstones that aren't usually treated include garnets, peridot, hematite, alexandrite and moonstone.

Read as much as you can about gemstones and jewelry, then study ads carefully to compare prices. Ask for details on all components, not just the gemstones. Go shopping so that you can compare jewelry and gemstones side-by-side. But beware if you are a naive. It is better to trust & go for only those shop where you know the shopkeeper well. 

How Synthetic Gemstones Differ
A synthetic gemstone shares a natural stone's physical, chemical and optical qualities. The difference? Synthetics are created in a laboratory. It's kind of like making a high tech batch of cookies—we know the ingredients and we know how long to cook them.

There are synthetic versions of nearly all popular gemstones and many of them have been around for a long time. Older synthetics were fairly simple for gemologists to detect—they were often too perfect. Some modern synthetic gemstones are more difficult to identify, but an experienced jeweler or gemologist can usually help.

Stone Treatments

Turquoise and other natural or mined stones used in jewelry may have been treated. Treating refers to any alteration of the properties or appearance of natural turquoise and other stones, with the exception of cutting and polishing. As per SinhaGems® business Philosphy,  consumers are told if a stone has been treated and whtether the treatment is temporary/permanent, and does pricing at true value only.

• Dyeing — adding blue dye to low-grade turquoise, and adding black to gray or pale blue onyx, to enhance the stone’s appearance.
  
• Reconstitution — pulverizing fragments of turquoise, coral or lapis lazuli into powder. The powder is mixed with epoxy and worked into cakes or stones, which are used just like natural stones.
  
• Stabilizing — Injecting clear, colorless acrylics into low- to medium-grade turquoise to toughen and harden the stone and enhance its color. Stabilizing is the most advanced and sophisticated method of treating turquoise. The majority of turquoise used today is stabilized. Natural gem-quality turquoise is usually only used by top artists and commands much higher prices than stabilized turquoise.

Gem Buying Guide Consider the Gem Alternatives We recommend buying the best quality gemstone you can afford. In general, smaller gemstones of higher quality appreciate more over  time than larger stones of lower quality. If your budget is too small to buy the quality you want, consider buying a higher quality gemstone from an unusual variety.

If your budget is too small to buy the quality you want, consider buying a higher quality gemstone from an unusual variety. Mediocre rubies, emeralds and sapphires cost a lot more than fine garnets, tourmalines, tanzanites, and other exotics.

In general, gemstone pricing within each variety follows common sense: the more beautiful the gemstone, with the final visual effect of all the quality factors, the more valuable it is. Don’t be afraid to choose what looks best to you!

Different varieties have different price ranges. some varieties are lower in price because they are readily available, some because the color isn’t very popular (brown and yellow stones, for example), some because the material is relatively soft, some because they are too rare to create demand and some because no one has heard of them or they have a weird name. You think I am kidding? Why does tanzanite cost more than tsavorite or spinel? A pretty name is the only explanation.

UNDERSTANDING GEMS We can break down the price ranges of the different gem varieties into five basic categories: Basic Three, New Classics, Connoisseur Gems, Collector Gemstones and Affordable Gems.        These categories have basic price ranges. Lower quality stones, stones with particularly fine quality or color may cost more. These price ranges are meant to give you a general idea of the price relationship between the different varieties of gemstones.

BASIC THREE OR THE TRADITIONAL GEMSTONES

These are the ruby, the emerald and the blue sapphire. Because of their lasting appeal and distinguished history, they are usually more valuable than other colored gemstones.

Generally, rubies and emeralds are priced higher than a sapphire of comparable quality, due to rarity. For a one-carat stone of average-to-good quality you can expect to pay between $250 and $10,000 per carat. Of course, truly fine gems will cost more.

NEW CLASSICS

Then there are the gemstones that are the rising stars of the jewelry industry: tanzanite, tourmaline, aquamarine, imperial topaz, and tsavorite garnet. These gemstones are usually available in standardized sizes, but you really should look at some of the fine, larger single stones to see why they have so many fans.

Gems in this category range from $50 to $1,000 per carat, for an average-to-good-quality one-carat stone. As a perfect example, tsavorite easily can reach $3,000 per carat.

CONNISEUR GEMS

These are gemstones that have a more specialized market because they are more of a rarity. They include black opal, jadeite, pink topaz, chrysoberyl cat's-eye, fancy colored sapphires, and rare stones like demantoid garnet and alexandrite, which are practically "extinct" in rough form.

These gemstones are highly prized, with prices that range from $250 to $5,000 per carat. For instance, an alexandrite with a good color change will command at least $10,000, even in a one-carat size.

COLLECTORS ITEMS

These are not available in quantity to be marketed effectively, so you get a lot of beauty for the money. This category includes spinels, zircons, moonstones, morganites and other beryls, along with many other rare gemstones. Red and hot pink spinels can command a few thousand dollars per carat, but most of the gems in this category will sell for hundreds, not thousands, even those specimens with excellent color.

AFFORDABLE GEMS

The more affordable gems combine great color with surprisingly reasonable prices and good availability. These stones include some old favorites, as well as some new ones: amethyst, white opal, citrine, ametrine, peridot, rhodolite garnet, blue topaz, iolite, chrome diopside, kunzite, andalusite, and many ornamental gemstones such as lapis lazuli, turquoise, onyx, chrysoprase, nephrite jade, and amber. Prices for these gemstone range between (Rs. 200/- and Rs. 4000/-) i.e. $5 and $100 per carat for a one-carat stone.

UNDERSTANDING VALUE

In every gem variety, especially the more expensive ones, you should expect to pay more for matched pairs, sets, and special shapes and cuts.

When you shop for gemstones in jewelry stores you will see a range in qualities. Generally, you will find low-to-medium quality gemstones set in jewelry, and a wider range of qualities in unset gemstones. Often, the jeweler will have to call in top-quality gemstones from a supplier: most jewelers do not stock a wide selection of fine gems even in ruby, sapphire and emerald.

How can you comparison-shop on the web? Very carefully. Some sites make extravagant claims about the "investment quality" of their stock. With gemstones, color is the most important value factor; but it's difficult to compare color online, because the differences between monitors make the color comparison of even the best photographs difficult.

To counter this effect, the better gem retailers such as My Jewelz will stock and sell only top-quality gems, because it's very difficult to show subtle differences in quality on the screen. Also, a liberal return policy can assure you of the opportunity to independently appraise your gem in order to verify its quality.

Certainly, lesser-quality and less expensive gems can be sourced out by retailers who offer finding services. However, before you decide to trade down in quality, think instead about choosing a top-quality gemstone in a more unusual gemstone variety.

Remote locations
adverse political conditions
difficult terrain
inhospitable weather
primitive mining techniques
These together made it difficult to make every gemstone available in every terrain. Moreover, heavy taxes, duties & levies making it more costlier. This is why the quality of natural gemstone is depleting by the order of day. And any collectible piece may garner 10 to 50 or more times than its original value then.

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