Gemology 101: Understanding Gemstones for Your Custom Jewelry

Gemology is the study of gemstones, focusing on their properties, quality, and classification. For those looking to invest in fine jewelry, understanding the basics of gemology can help in selecting the perfect stone for your custom piece. At Bang Diep, we have a team of GIA-certified gemologists who use the high GIA (Gemological Institute of America) standards when sourcing and educating you on gemstones and diamonds, ensuring that every stone meets the highest level of quality and ethics.

What Is Gemology?

Gemology encompasses the scientific analysis of gemstones, focusing on aspects such as:

Gemstone types (precious vs. semi-precious).
Cut, clarity, and color of stones.
Treatments and enhancements applied to gemstones.
Origin and ethical sourcing.

Understanding gemology allows you to evaluate the quality of gemstones used in fine jewelry, ensuring that your chosen stone is both beautiful and durable.

Key Gemstone Characteristics

When choosing gemstones for custom jewelry, there are a few important characteristics to consider:

Cut: The cut of a gemstone determines how light interacts with the stone, affecting its brilliance and sparkle. Popular cuts include round, princess, and emerald.
Clarity: Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions (internal imperfections) within the gemstone. While some inclusions are natural and acceptable, fewer inclusions generally mean a higher quality stone.
Color: For colored gemstones, hue, saturation, and tone are key factors. The most valuable gemstones usually have vivid, pure colors without too much lightness or darkness.
Carat Weight: Just like diamonds, colored gemstones are measured by carat weight. However, some stones, like sapphires or emeralds, may appear smaller than diamonds of the same carat due to their density.

Treated and Untreated Gemstones

Many gemstones are treated to enhance their color or durability. Common treatments include:

Heat treatment to improve color (used for sapphires and rubies).
Oil filling for emeralds to reduce the appearance of inclusions.
Irradiation for enhancing the color of stones like topaz or diamonds.

While treated gemstones can still be valuable, it’s important to understand whether your gemstone has undergone any enhancements. At Bang Diep, our GIA-certified gemologists will explain whether the gemstone has been treated and ensure that every stone you choose aligns with your personal values and aesthetic preferences.

Ethical Sourcing of Gemstones

With growing awareness about ethical practices in the jewelry industry, more people are prioritizing ethically sourced gemstones. Ethical sourcing means that the gemstones are mined and sold in ways that prioritize fair labor practices, environmental sustainability, and transparency.

At Bang Diep, we are committed to sourcing gemstones from suppliers who adhere to these ethical standards. Our GIA-certified gemologists work to ensure that all stones meet the rigorous standards set by the GIA, providing you with the peace of mind that your gemstone is responsibly sourced and high-quality.

Certified Gemstones for Rare and Valuable Stones

When purchasing a rare gemstone, we always recommend ensuring the stone has been certified by a trusted laboratory. Certification from reputable labs such as the GIA or AGL (American Gemological Laboratories) provides valuable insight into the stone’s authenticity, quality, and characteristics. Having a certified gemstone not only guarantees that you’re getting what you pay for, but also increases its long-term value and investment potential.

At Bang Diep, we guide you through the entire certification process, making sure that any rare or valuable stone you purchase is fully verified by a trusted lab. This ensures transparency and confidence, especially when selecting unique gemstones like spinels, emeralds, or rare diamonds.

Customizing Your Jewelry with the Right Gemstone

When you’re working with our team to create custom jewelry, we guide you through the process of selecting the right gemstone based on your preferences, budget, and design vision. Our GIA-certified gemologists will ensure that you fully understand the quality, origin, and characteristics of your chosen stone, whether you’re drawn to traditional stones like diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, or prefer non-traditional gemstones like spinel or garnet.

(Get to know our Custom Jewelry Design Process)