FAQS
Colored Diamond
Colored Stones
- Are dark veins in turquoise good or bad?
- Are emeralds from Colombia worth more?
- Are origins like “Santa Maria” important to the value of aquamarines?
- Are sapphires from Kashmir, Burma, or Ceylon worth more?
- Are there sunstone imitations?
- Can I buy an untreated emerald?
- Could a dinosaur be cloned from a mosquito found in amber?
- Does a horsetail inclusion in demantoid guarantee Russian origin?
- Does GIA grade alexandrite?
- Does GIA grade aquamarine?
- Does GIA grade emerald?
- Does GIA grade iolite?
- Does GIA grade kunzite?
- Does GIA grade lapis lazuli?
- Does GIA grade morganite?
- Does GIA grade opal?
- Does GIA grade rose quartz?
- Does GIA grade ruby?
- Does GIA grade spinel?
- Does GIA grade sunstone?
- Does GIA grade tanzanite?
- Does GIA grade topaz?
- Does GIA grade tourmaline?
- Does GIA grade zircon?
- Does GIA indicate whether an alexandrite is from Russia on the report?
- Does GIA offer reports for amethyst?
- Does GIA offer reports for ametrine?
- Does GIA offer reports for citrine?
- Does heat treatment affect the value of ruby?
- Does it matter if turquoise is blue or green?
- Does it matter where an amethyst is mined?
- Does jade come in pink and blue?
- Does the type of filler in an emerald’s fractures matter?
- How can I judge citrine’s quality?
- How does heat treatment affect a sapphire’s value?
- How does lattice diffusion affect a sapphire’s value?
- How do I know if a blue spinel has cobalt in it?
- How does heat treatment affect a sapphire’s value?
- How does lattice diffusion affect a sapphire’s value?
- How do I know if a blue spinel has cobalt in it?
- How do I know if a topaz is “Imperial topaz”?
- How do I know if my tourmaline is from Paraíba?
- How do I know that a sapphire is a real padparadscha?
- How do I know that the spinel I’m buying is natural?
- How do I tell what type an individual zircon is?
- How much is my emerald worth?
- I have a moonstone that’s scratched: can it be fixed?
- Is a Burma ruby worth more?
- Is amber perfume made from amber?
- Is any color of zircon a birthstone for December?
- Is aquavit made from amber?
- Is Baltic amber worth more than amber from other places?
- Is blue topaz radioactive?
- Is Baltic amber worth more than amber from other places?
- Is blue topaz radioactive?
- Is citrine treated?
- Is faceted moonstone available?
- Is it OK to have an amethyst engagement ring?
- Is jadeite from Myanmar (Burma) banned from the United States?
- Is lapis lazuli enhanced?
- Is lapis lazuli imitated?
- Is moonstone tough enough for rings?
- Is morganite enhanced?
- Is morganite produced synthetically?
- Is morganite “pink emerald”?
- Is opal durable enough for rings?
- Is opal from Lightning Ridge worth more?
- Is Persian turquoise more valuable?
- Is pink topaz from Pakistan or Brazil more valuable?
- Is predominately blue tanzanite more rare than violet?
- Is rainbow moonstone really moonstone?
- Is rose quartz enhanced?
- Is sunstone color-enhanced?
- Is tanzanite tough enough for rings?
- Is there a red garnet the color of ruby?
- Is there really only one source for ametrine?
- Is there such a thing as pink or green tanzanite?
- Is there synthetic citrine?
- Is tourmaline from Paraíba worth more?
- Is zircon radioactive?
- I’ve seen peridot marketed as “unheated.” Does that make it more valuable?
- My amber is darker than it used to be. Does that mean it isn’t real?
- Should I be looking for a peridot from Myanmar, Pakistan, or Egypt?
- Should I store my opal in water?
- What's the difference between the two green garnets: tsavorite and demantoid?
- What are lattice diffusion sapphires?
- What does heat treated mean?
- What is AAA-quality ametrine?
- What is AAA-quality aquamarine?
- What is AAA-quality kunzite?
- What is AAA-quality peridot?
- What is a “created” emerald?
- What is a “created” emerald?
- What is the best color of lapis lazuli?
- What is the best color of rose quartz?
- What is the best color of sunstone?
- What is the Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008?
- What is the most valuable inclusion in amber?
- What is “B” jade?
- What tourmaline color is best?
- What’s AAA-quality amethyst?
- What’s AAA-quality garnet?
- What’s AAA-quality spinel?
- What’s AAA-quality tanzanite?
- What’s an “alexandrite sapphire”?
- What’s a “created” alexandrite?
- What’s a “created” ruby?
- Where does the best kunzite come from?
- Why are jade bangles so small?
- Why are there such large price differences for turquoise that looks similar?
- Why does aquamarine cost so much more than blue topaz that's almost the same color?
- Why don't the aquamarine side stones in my ring match the center stone?
- Why isn’t iolite as popular as tanzanite?
Diamond
- Are diamonds with a higher number of facets brighter?
- Does GIA grade diamond cut?
- Does the ultraviolet component of the light used for grading affect the color grade of the diamond?
- How can I be sure a diamond is conflict-free?
- How can I be sure that a GIA grading report is authentic?
- How do I get a GIA grading report?
- I found a clear, colorless stone that I think may be a diamond because it scratches glass. How can I find out for sure?
- What is ultraviolet fluorescence?
- Will GIA appraise my diamond?
Pearl
- Are cultured pearls considered “real” pearls?
- How should I care for my pearls?
- I have seen some very strongly and brightly colored pearls: are they naturally colored?
- What are the main types of cultured pearls and what are their distinctive characteristics?
- What does it mean when cultured pearls are also called “natural?”
- What is the difference between natural and cultured pearls?
