Of all items known to man, gemstones represent the most everlasting beauty of all.
For any mineral to be regarded as a gem, anyone in the gem industry will tell you that it must be durable, rare and, above all, beautiful. As “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and as we all have a different perception of what is beautiful, it is certainly the most difficult of the three requirements to define. In a Diamond, beauty is often measured by its clarity: the clearer it is, the more valuable it is. Coloured gemstones on the other hand, primarily have their beauty judged by the vividness of their colour.
When we see beauty it awakens our feel-good senses. Beauty can be observed in many things including culture, nature, the opposite sex, clothes, jewellery and, of course, gemstones. What makes gemstones more glamorous than almost any other item on Earth is the rareness of their beauty. Only when a multitude of necessary chemical elements, the right environment, the correct pressure and the right temperature are combined together - and all for the required period - is Mother Nature able to create such beautifully colourful, natural and rare treasures.
Whilst beautiful flowers will eventually die, beautiful pictures eventually fade and beautiful memories become distorted, the beauty you see in a gemstone today (as long as it is properly cared for) should last thousands of years. Many generations from now, the person that is holding your gorgeous Emerald ring, should be viewing a ring that’s just as beautiful in appearance to them as it is to you. For me, gemstones offer the longest lasting form of beauty that can be possessed by man.
When we think of an object as beautiful it normally means that we are attracted to its colour, shape, style and design. But beauty in gemstones often goes deeper. The beauty derived from knowing the mystery, magic, folklore, legends and history surrounding coloured gemstones is unrivalled by any other purchasable item.
One final thought: the beauty experienced in a place, person or object often makes us feel happiness and warmth, and this feeling is amplified by our memories and past experiences. Let me give you two examples. Firstly, I find my personal gem collection grows more and more beautiful as I gain a stronger and stronger understanding about the gems. The more I research them, the better I know the myths and legends surrounding them, the more beautiful they somehow appear to me. Secondly, I believe that pieces of jewellery that have been received as a gift on special occasions and anniversaries, plus those that have been passed on from previous generations, have an additional inherent beauty.
