Gemstone reference

A popular purple quartz, affordable and widely available.

Clarity note: Usually eye-clean; darker saturated stones are more valuable.

A pale blue to blue-green beryl, member of the beryl family.

Clarity note: Often eye-clean; deeper blue commands higher prices.

A yellow-to-orange quartz often used as a budget-friendly gem.

Clarity note: Often clean; natural citrine is rarer than heat-treated amethyst.

The hardest natural gemstone, valued for brilliance and durability.

Clarity note: Clarity graded from flawless to included; cut strongly affects value.

A green beryl loved for its rich color, though softer and included.

Clarity note: Almost always included; acceptable inclusions are common.

A family of minerals with many colors; red garnets are classic.

Clarity note: Almandine/rhodolite often included; tsavorite/demantoid cleaner.

A feldspar known for its billowy adularescent sheen.

Clarity note: Adularescence is the key value factor; often translucent.

A silica gem prized for its unique play-of-color patterns.

Clarity note: Body tone and play-of-color determine value; often translucent.

A vivid green gem formed deep in the earth, often with inclusions.

Clarity note: Often has a sleepy or slightly included appearance.

A precious red corundum prized for vivid color and hardness.

Clarity note: Often included; eye-clean stones command premium.

A precious corundum available in many colors, best known in blue.

Clarity note: Typically cleaner than ruby; Kashmir/Ceylon origins valued.

A blue-violet zoisite found only in Tanzania.

Clarity note: Often eye-clean; pleochroic, showing blue/violet/brown.

A hard, versatile gem best known in blue and imperial orange hues.

Clarity note: Usually clean; imperial topaz is most valuable.

A colorful gemstone family that can display two or more colors.

Clarity note: Can show color zoning; clean, vivid stones are prized.

An opaque blue-to-green phosphate prized since antiquity.

Clarity note: Often porous and treated; matrix patterns affect value.