Gems

By Author: Mohan Chen
Total Articles: 434
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As we watch the world financial markets fall and lumber along the bottom, we begin to consider the question, Where did this money go? Even the most brilliant financial wizards probably have a difficult time explaining every last detail and the reasons why. With all these questions in the air about investments, in the parlance of our time, it may be worth researching other areas in which to invest capital. Most financial advisors will suggest that a percentage of one's portfolio be in hard assets, which can include colored gemstones

Obviously we are too far-gone to return to the bartering system; however, we can learn from the meandering of markets and the fact that alongside the inflation and deflation of our currency, gemstones have steadily increased in value over time. With far greater historic stability than the stock market, gems have continued to captivate the human mind and hold an enormous sense of value.

We love our stocks in a bull market, but when they take a turn for the worst we loathe them and can't wait to cleanse ourselves of the disappearing act. If ...
... we were to begin with a stock holding and a gemstone of equal value and were to follow their two trajectories, even if the stone were to lose value it still could be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities—something that can't be said about most stock certificates.

The physical properties by which gems are distinguished from each other are form of the crystal, index of refraction of light, hardness, presence or absence of cleavage, type of fracture (conchoidal, even, or uneven) in stones without cleavage, specific gravity, color, streak (color of the powder as determined by rubbing it over white, unglazed porcelain), luster (appearance of the surface in reflected light—adamantine, vitreous, resinous, greasy, silky, or pearly), and transparency. Minor properties that serve to identify some stones are chatoyancy (changeable luster or color under undulating light), opalescence, asterism (starlike sparkling), play of color, fluorescence, phosphorescence, iridescence, and electrical properties. The unit of weight used for gemstones is the metric carat; one carat equals 200 mg.

Gems are generally cut to bring out their natural color and brilliancy and to remove flaws. In the cabochon cut, the upper surface of the stone is smoothed and rounded into a simple curve of any degree of convexity; the lower surface may be concave, convex, or flat. All the remaining cuts have flat facets. In the table cut, the facets of the natural octahedron of the diamond are ground to smoothness and polished; one facet, the table, is ground much larger than any other and made the top of the gem, while the opposite facet, the culet, is left quite small. The rose cut consists of a flat base and (usually) 24 triangular facets—resembling a cabochon with facets. The brilliant cut is scientifically designed to bring out the maximum brilliancy of the stone. The crown of a brilliant consists of a table and 32 smaller facets, of which 8 are quadrilaterals and 24 are triangles; the base, of a culet and 24 larger facets, of which 8 are quadrilaterals and 16 are triangles. The base and crown are separated by a girdle. The brilliant cut has certain proportions—in general, the depth of the crown is one third the depth of the stone and the width of the table one half the width of the stone. The trap, step, or emerald cut consists of a table and quadriangular facets above and below the girdle with parallel horizontal edges. Diamond cutting and the cutting of other precious stones are distinct trades.

If we look far back in history we find gold and silver coins, and a variety of gems, were the means of bartering for goods and services. It was reported that Marco Polo first discovered paper currency circulating in the Mongol empire. The paper money was printed and signed by Mogul generals and accepted throughout the empire; punishment for counterfeiting was death. Polo considered this exchange of gold and rare gems for man-made rice paper to be preposterous, harboring doubts about the stability of such an intrinsically worthless monetary note. (Polo's concern seems prescient as we look at the upside-down financial crisis that is plaguing the world today.) Nearly half a millennium later, King Louis XIV shared these same views, and late in his reign he rejected a proposal to convert to paper currency, but finally was forced to paper in 1701 only after he had bankrupted the country.

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No order is small for us and we make sure that every customer gets a personalized service. We consider our job to be complete only when you are fully satisfied with your purchase. All the inquiries and orders are personally handled by me so, if there is anything that you may wish to know regarding our website, services or items, then please feel free to contact me anytime. I'll be more than glad to respond to your concerns.