Crystal and gemstone jewelry is an effective way to help manifest your intentions, whether that’s to love more deeply, heal yourself more efficiently, find inspiration or reach goals more effectively. However, it’s essential that your energy remains focused on one goal at a time.
Our sellers take great care to responsibly and ethically source their gems and crystals – often traceable!
Color
Gemstones get their color from impurities and inclusions not present in normal mineral structures, known as trace elements. These inclusions absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light to produce different hues – for instance, trace amounts of chromium in corundum can create red rubies while titanium produces blue sapphires.
Gemstone colors arise from how light passes through its crystal structure; Alexandrite is one such gemstone known to experience sudden shifts in hue, but many other stones also exhibit this remarkable property.
Pearls and select opals are classic choices when it comes to lighter shades; for deeper rich tones, onyx or black diamonds may be preferable.
Saturation
Saturation refers to the intensity (purity) of a gemstone’s hue. Saturations levels can range from light to very intense and vivid hues; those with more saturated colors usually command greater value.
The second number in a gem’s color grading code indicates its saturation level; this range can vary between 1 and 6. Warm hues like red and orange gradually become shades of brown as their saturation decreases, while cool colors such as blue and violet gain deeper hues as their saturation increases.
Many gems exhibit pleochroism, or the ability to display different hues depending on its orientation. This natural phenomenon can be found in tourmaline, andalusite, sapphire and spodumene; drop/briolette cuts or pear-shaped gems may also exhibit color zoning when cut.
Clarity
Your experiences at jewelry stores likely included encounters with letters and numbers such as “VVS,” “VS” and “SI,” all used by jewelers to indicate gemstone pricing and clarity grading codes developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to define stones’ transparency.
Clarity in gems is determined by their presence or absence of inclusions, blemishes and fractures – from microscopic imperfections that cannot be seen to large ones visible to naked eyes – that are naturally present and affect value, beauty and durability of gems.
Gemstones with high clarity are scarcer and more desirable for collectors and jewelers. The Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) clarity scale grades stones from Flawless to Included; however, the exact standards depend on which clarity type a stone falls into; emeralds tend to feature more inclusions, making tanzanite more suitable as an inclusion-prone gemstone than type 3 emeralds which usually are almost always included.
Shape
Many gems come in various forms, and their shape influences their meaning and healing properties. For instance, heart-shaped crystals represent the energy of love, joy, and vitality and help support intentions related to them.
Freeform shapes celebrate a crystal’s raw and natural beauty and can be used for pendants and earrings. Jewelers and consumers often prefer leaving gemstones in their original state as it preserves authenticity while cultivating an environment-minded mindset.
Rough crystals can be cut into various shapes, with two of the most popular being cabochon and faceted cuts. A cabochon cut features a smooth, rounded top with a flat base; typically used to cut opaque or translucent soft gemstones. Faceted gems have flat, angled cuts which reflect more light; this style works for both clear and coloured gemstones.
Size
Gemstones are beautiful minerals used in jewelry making. Not all crystals qualify as gemstones – it is important to distinguish these two categories of stones as each type has different properties and significance.
Smaller crystal spheres tend to emit lower vibrational levels and are ideal for everyday jewelry and personal use, while larger versions are best used as home or office decoration or energetic support. Some individuals find large crystal spheres too heavy or strong and prefer the smaller 4-6mm sizes instead.
Fancy shapes like ovals and octagons offer brilliance through their 56 facets, while step cut (also referred to as the staircase cut) gems feature rows of faceted edges resembling steps for extra sparkle and shimmer. These special gems reflect light beautifully to create beautiful shimmer.