What are the types of gems used in luxury jewelry?

The lovely Carol Channing rightly said that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” but a girl does need variety in her entourage which is why the world has rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Jewelry, akin to the little black dress, never goes out of style whether it is a classic Tiffany’s cushion-cut diamond ring or the Cartier’s signature panther-shaped brooch.

Luxury jewelry has been the only weight we humans willingly like to carry for the longest time now, ever since Chaumet came into business in 1780. First, it started out with diamonds bathed in silver, and then, the baton passed on to other precious stones that embody the sheer elegance that jewelry intends to exude.

1. DIAMONDS

A diamond, some as insanely expensive as 23 million dollars, an amount which could easily eliminate the plight of penury in many third world countries, is surely worth every penny. Why you ask? Well, being the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, they’re almost as strong as the Incredible Hulk which makes it impossible for them to get even bruised. They outshine, both literally and metaphorically all popular gemstones partly because they’re symbolic of brilliance and radiance but also, as they come in a plethora of variety to satiate all the whims and fancies of us, humans.

Audrey Hepburn proudly promulgated Tiffany’s diamonds to the world in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Tiffany & Co’s diamonds are ethically sourced and only 99.6% of all the diamonds make the cut (pun intended) as they undergo a meticulous vetting process at the hands of top-notch artisans. A 1 carat round diamond ring will cost you around $13000 at Tiffany’s and you bet, they make it worth it.

Cartier is emblematic of timeless luxury which becomes you, wrapped on your body. Vaunting exemplary craftsmanship and dainty detailing, Cartier has a design process to make the rock on your finger look flawless from all angles. Basically, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of and 2.56 carats of its destiny wedding ring costs you £17,000.

Harry Winston is another name that sparkles every time you mention diamonds as its Hope Diamond has been a harbinger of positivity by taking a quick few thousand dollars from you in return. Harry Winston harbours only the finest diamonds of top-notch quality, embedded in which are eons of history like the Hope Diamond with its birth in India that later swung onto the necks of many brilliant actresses on the red carpet of Oscars.

From Buccellati with its Roman muse being reincarnated with every lacy carving of necklaces to the enormous dangling beauties of Graff to the old-school Hollywood jewelry of Piaget, in all of them lay abed the forever diamonds.

2. RUBY

The king or queen of the gemstones, Rubies come in fifty shades of pink to red, auguring a miscellany of passion, love, power, and enthusiasm to a point that it’s almost poetic. And we are not kidding when we say that as the most expensive ruby ever sold; The Sunrise Ruby was titled after Rumi’s lauded poem. Many of these ethereal pieces of rarity cost more than a diamond, sold for a staggering $1.18 million per carat which is also the selling price of Ferrari Monza, just saying.

Celebrated for its fiery red hues, Rubies are as paltry as good politicians and rate 9 on the Mohr’s scale of hardness that make them durable for routine use to rock the boardroom as well as the cradle. Their fluorescent properties sway people away whereas their clarity and profoundness of color determine their worth. This is why ruby is the new black and has become synonymous with jewelry.

Oscar Heyman & Brothers bring to life an intertwining of history and modernity with exceptional craftsmanship due to which they were crowned “The Jewelers’ Jeweler.”

They love them a Burmese Ruby either emblazoned in a platinum necklace or abed in a flawless diamond bracelet priced at $300,000.

Sylva & Cie bestows onto the world, handcrafted jewelry heaven imbued with her family legacy and her own interpretation of fashion with classic arrangements of gemstones. Their love affair with rubies made a roaring proclamation with the latest MUSE x Gemfields collaboration consisting of Dagger Drop earrings with a fierce silhouette with Gemfields ruby for $6,900 only.

Now, rubies have become a quintessential jewelry assortment regularly exploited by Harry Winton, Bulgari, Tiffany, and Cartier to opine sheer elegance and fiery power.

3. EMERALDS

It’s said that grass is always greener on the other side and it’s true if you look over here at luscious green Emeralds, drenched in vibrant tradition coming from the dainty lanes of Columbia. A remarkable emerald is distinguished by its resemblance to the uniform green hues of pastoral lands that Romantics fawned over, making the evenness and clarity of the gemstone a scale to measure its quality. Ranking 7.5-8 on a Mohr’s scale of hardness, it’s not destined to bear the wear and tear of our mundane life but to be cosseted for special occasions like the inauguration of your startup.

Donning an emerald evokes the aura of spring wind caught in your hair which epitomises a touch of nature, beauty, and love as green was the colour of Goddess Venus in ancient Rome. Honoured by the touch of Cleopatra and a plethora of Indian kings, these beauties can command extravagant prices of $90,000 per carat.

Amrapali Jewels, whose thrones have been both Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities, is a true flag bearer of the timeless Indian heritage and workmanship, poured into contemporary silhouettes of jewelry. Encircled by other precious metals, these emeralds come up in rings, earrings, and in an 18 -carat gold emerald and diamond bracelet priced at $47,000.

A dichotomy of creativity of lacework and apex quality, Jewelry by Chopard is a breathtaking sight to behold. With iconic masonry, Geneva Chopard churns out one-of-their-kind designs that are lauded worldwide. One of their highest selling pieces was a suite of emerald and diamond jewels sold at $1,171,932.51.

Emeralds with their voracious personality have charmed their way into Boucheron with their unique diamond, emerald and enamel brooch. Even, Louis Vuitton couldn’t resist donning its Metamorphosis ring with a mine cut Colombian emerald which is proof enough of the bewitchment of emeralds.

4. SAPPHIRES-

Extremely juxtaposed with the Blues poems denoting despair, sapphires augur good fortune, immense power, and strength along with virtues like kindness. A heavenly blue that reigns in the sky and crashes as waves; reside in sapphires which by the way are runners up in the race of hardness, losing to diamonds. So, sapphire jewelry can be pretty pragmatic as they prove to be highly durable but shouldn’t be used as weapons, nonetheless.

Akin to the aforementioned precious gemstones, the quality and purity of sapphires are tested by passing them through a big old ocean of fire. Just kidding, the four C’s are the right criterion to gauge the level of integrity and excellence of the gemstones namely, colour, clarity, cut, and carat.

Christian Dior, a French Courtier who poured his soul into his work and whose modernistic jewelry is a manifestation of his couture spirit to go with one of his avant-garde ball gowns. Dior’s association with sapphires becomes crystal clear with the Christian Dior White Jade Sapphire Yellow Gold Flower ring priced at $6,500.

Our beloved Bulgari is widely renowned for its distinguished imbibing of vivid, rainbow-tinged gemstones. Invoking Italian craftsmanship, Bulgari is as high jewelry as it can get, churning out elegant settings with cuts meant to die for (and not to die from). One of its celebrated items is the ‘Trombino’ ring with a blue sapphire of idyllic saturation enclosed by diamonds that sold for $866,500.

Moreover, sapphires proudly star in Tiffany’s Blue Book collection, Chaumet’s Horstenia collection, and make frequent guest appearances with Graff, Cartier as well.

A turn of the millennium to sustain the next millennium

Ever since whirlwinds of climate change started flashing more often before our eyes, the luxury jewelry business has also tried dipping its toes in conscious luxury for our Mother Earth and also, for the smart consumers. De Beers Group, a leading diamond company stirred up drama with its Lightbox Jewellery, previously lab rats turned into synthetic diamond offerings.

Many brands have boarded the train to sustainable luxury as real is truly rare and keeping in mind the environmental repercussions of mining which are even worse than the fashion crime of wearing Uggs.

Atelier Swarovski’s collaboration with Penelope Cruz made an appearance at the Paris Haute Couture Week where the actress wore diamond and popular gemstones earrings crafted in the exemplary Atelier’s laboratories. This range was launched with a spirit to tackle social issues of child labor, human rights, and environmental degradation. Similarly, Mia Donna, Chatham, and many more brands followed suit to create a community that is the power engine of a better and cleaner tomorrow.

While the characters of the aforementioned 4 precious stones remain embedded in high jewelry, the curtain mustn’t fall on the evolution of luxury into a sustainable industry so that it can represent timelessness for the next few centuries to come as well.