 |
 |
|
January 2000 Gemstones & Pearls : News The Meaning of Gem The definition has been tugged, prodded and stretched over two thousand years. It might be time for an update The sign above his desk reads: "Sensory Supercedes Articulation." This quote says it all when it comes to defining gems for Josh Hall of Pala International, Fallbrook, CA. "When I come across a gem material so beautiful that all my senses react, the only possible word that can describe what I see is the word 'gem,'" he says. Hall sees a lot material, most of it excellent. But when truly superb stones pass through his hands, he reverently pencils in "gem" on the right-hand corner of the stone paper, designating it as something special – a benchmark. In the industry, the word is used in a much more generic sense.
"There are gems and there are rare gems," says Gerry
Manning of Manning International, New York City. "Most stones
set in jewelry today can be defined as ornamentation rather than
gems. But a ruby bracelet for $149.99 could not be sold if it
did not have the word gem attached to it. If you restrict a merchandiser's
ability to say this, you wipe out 90% of the market, as well
as the public's ability to have access to affordable jewelry." So what constitutes a gem? For decades, the Gemological Institute of America has taught students that "gems are specimens of minerals or organic materials used for personal adornment that possess the attributes of beauty, rarity, durability and portability." GIA teaches these attributes must hang together – a stone lacking one or more of them risks losing its status as a gem. Let's look at each attribute. Beauty It's important for a gemstone to stand on its own, gem enthusiasts are fond of saying. Beauty may seem like the most straightforward attribute, but beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Still, there are certain characteristics. In loose gems, strength of color is probably the most important factor. Strong colors are expected in certain gems, including ruby, emerald and sapphire. Kunzite and aquamarine aren't known for inherent color strength, yet are greatly appreciated when they have the strongest color in their normal range. Some gem enthusiasts believe making color saturation such
an issue limits the potential of less-saturated material. For
example, light-colored amethyst, considered among the lowest
quality of quartz, gains in appreciation and value if it's creatively
and superbly cut. "It is a value-added effect," says
Michael Dyber, a prize-winning cutter in Rumney, NH. "But
if it stirs your soul, it's a gem!" Rarity What is rare and beautiful is generally coveted. But the rarity
of some gems jeopardizes commercial viability. Tsavorite garnet
is rarer than emerald and entirely free of enhancement other
than fashioning. Yet even with the depressed state of emerald
prices, tsavorite can't compete on a per-carat price because
there's simply not enough of it to go around to warrant consumer
awareness. Then consider amethyst, a quartz that's not considered rare. Often beautiful, clean, durable and colorful, its abundance brings its status as a gem into question. That wasn't always the case. In medieval Europe, amethyst was rare and purple was coveted. Today, amethyst is coveted only when it's derived from a few top-color specimens known to have come from extinct sources or when fashioned by famous cutters and carvers. Diamond isn't rare either, given the enormous stockpiles and new sources springing up around the world. But no one paying the per-carat prices and listening to the advertising in today's market would believe this. Strict control of polished diamonds on the market combined with ingenious consumer advertising elevate diamond to a rare and coveted product. Some laboratory-grown gems are rarer than their natural counterparts, such as synthetic diamond and certain types of grown corundum. "Inventing and manufacturing [laboratory-grown gems] is not as easy as some would have you think," says Manning. "The number of exceptional stones out of a harvest is rare; often there is a 20:1 failure ratio, which can make production extremely expensive. Today, it's more costly to produce consistent flame-fusion ruby than it is to produce lower-than-average quality natural ruby from Burma." Many say the vagaries of natural production and the finite resources of any gem deposit will always give natural gems status, allure and mystique. "Gems are like the miracle of life itself – they are a precious time-capsule that nature made on a very limited basis," says Bruce Lawton of Lawton & Associates, Los Angeles, CA. Durability & Portability Gems have an analogous relationship to precious metals. Both materials have been used for personal adornment, but also as stores of value that can be carried in times of crisis. But portability is rarely discussed today because its relevance dissipated as other ways of concealing and transferring wealth emerged. Debating Definition Gems have long been seen as symbols of power, wealth and status. But their perception and use has changed over time. The word gem now encompasses a larger, more democratic meaning. So should the definition of gem change? The definition has served well for more than 2000 years. But
there have been momentous changes. Many more gem materials are
available today thanks to sophisticated geological surveys, technologically
advanced mining methods and treatments, and generally increased
production. Volume has affected the notion of rarity – and
skewed the perspective of what is beautiful. More than ever, she says, jewelers must educate customers about the amazing ranges of quality and value in gems, including full information about laboratory-grown and enhanced gems. Matlins also believes there should be a special way to distinguish that which is truly rare or special, that which Josh Hall describes as a benchmark. As Kunz writes, "The sheen and coloration of precious stones are the same today as they were thousands of years ago and will be for thousands of years to come. In a world of change, this permanence has a charm of its own that was early appreciated." – by Robert Weldon, G.G.
|
