Smoke, mirrors and trickery in the gemstone world is nothing new…
This is why sunlight matters when selecting a gemstone.
Gemstones can appear dramatically different depending on the lighting they are viewed in. This happens for a few reasons. Firstly, the angle of the stone affects how light travels through it and returns to our eyes. A small change in position can alter the colour we perceive.
Secondly, light behaves differently when it passes from air into a denser material like a gemstone. This bending of light (known as refraction) can subtly shift the way colour appears.
Finally, many gemstones contain trace elements within their crystal structure. These elements absorb and react to different wavelengths of light. Under certain lighting conditions they become “excited,” revealing colours that may not be visible under other types of light. Examples of well known stones that can experience this excitement are ruby, emerald and tsavorite garnet (to name a few).
This is why I always recommend viewing gemstones in natural sunlight whenever possible. It gives the most balanced and honest representation of a stone’s colour. In my video below I show you a few of my current favourite gemstones that are available to purchase alone or make into a piece of jewellery.
All of these stones are available.
