If you are aware of the latest trends or even if you are mildly aware of other people you might have heard of about healing stones. The trend has caused a significant increase in the number of people wearing crystals, or gemstones, as accessories whether that is as bracelets, necklaces, hair pins, rings or otherwise. The trend is not limited to women: children and men can also be seen wearing healing gems on their person nowadays. If you are also interested in the trend, you should know first that this is all based on the belief that gemstones have an ability to heal (both in the physical and psychological sense). Of course, there are a number of different gems and crystals, all with different characteristics and healing properties, but obviously, you still need to have an eye for picking crystals. Which is why below are some tips to help you out with understanding how to exactly go about crystal and gemstone shopping!
Common advice if you ever had the chance to shop for diamonds before, you might have heard of the 4Cs rule that applies to them: cut, clarity, colour and carat. Since diamonds are also a particular variety of gemstones, you might wonder whether this advice also applies to other types of gemstones and gemstone jewellery. The answer is, not exactly. The grading tends to be somewhat different when it comes to coloured gemstones, but generally, you can expect to make use of the knowledge you have in purchasing diamonds.
Colour prior to buying gemstone bracelets or other jewellery, you might certainly have a preference with regards to the colour of the stone. Generally, you will find that specific stones are better known for certain hues (for example, topaz is usually amber or yellow in colour, whereas rubies are usually red, and jades are green). Of course, this is not an absolute statement: most gemstones have a number of colours they manifest in. What you should keep in mind, however, is that the purity of the colour indicates the quality of the gemstone the less other colours are exhibited in the stone, the purer it is.
Clarity Clarity refers to the number of flaws with a stone: the less can be spotted (with a naked eye, and then under magnification). The difference between the clarity of diamonds and other gemstones is that specific varieties will almost always have some form of inclusions in them (e.g. tourmaline and emeralds, for example).
Cut the cut follows exactly as it does with diamonds. Depending on how a gemstone is cut, its overall appearance, and value as a result, is decided. An excellent cut means that the gemstone will reflect the light at every angle, whereas a poor cut will often inhibit the lustre of the gem.
Carat and lastly, the carat of the gemstone refers to its weight. Keep in mind that densities vary for gemstones, meaning that the same weight can yield different sizes of stones with different varieties.