S.S. Gems, Jewelers you can trust.


	Know Your Precious Gems Learn how to recognize excellent gemstones, including methods to differentiate the various quality grades within your carat weight preference. There are five essential criteria that determines the value of each gem. These consists of its Color, Clairty, Cut, Size and Enchancement.

		Color To most jewelers, the color of a gemstones is considered its most defining characteristic, and frequently the most important evaluation criterion. Consequently, when you are deciding upon gemstones color, examine hue, tone, and saturation. Hue Extremely valuable gemstones exhibits a pure color and very "slight" hues of other colors in addition to their primary color. The greater the intensity of hue, the less valuable the gemstone is. Tone Representing the depth of color, the tone of the gemstone may range from colorless to black. The gemstone tone is most commonly described as "light," "medium-light," "medium," "medium-dark," and "dark." Saturation Refering to the degree to which the gem is free from brown or gray hues, this is mainly known as the gemstone saturation. The most desirable gemstones, which show little gray or brown, are often described as having "vivid" or "strong" color saturation.

	Clarity Identifying Marks Each gemstones form under unique circumstances, usually comprised of a combination of trace minerals that creates an extraordinary set of identifying marks or inclusions. What to Look For Sapphires usually have higher clarity levels than rubies and emeralds, although internally flawless sapphires are very rare. Internally flawless emeralds and rubies are even more rare. The exceptional gemstones with few or no inclusions are available, but they command extravagant prices. For the best value, look for sapphires that are moderately included, and rubies and emeralds that are heavily- to moderately-included.
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