Top Picks

Why do birthstones feel so personal? Explore the history of birthstones and how identity, symbolism and connection shape their appeal.

Bigger stone or better stone? Learn how size, color, clarity, cut and density affect value so you can balance gemstone size and quality.

Metal color, prongs, bezels, halos and height all change how a gemstone looks. Learn how to choose a setting that flatters your stone.

When is the best time to view gemstones? Learn how daylight, time of day and indoor lighting affect color, and how to judge a gem fairly.

From La Peregrina to Marie Antoinette’s pendant, discover the famous pearls, royal collections and remarkable stories that made pearls a symbol of power.

What sets pearl value? Discover how rarity, origin, size, luster and history separate a record-breaking natural pearl from an everyday cultured strand.

Long before photography could preserve a royal face, portraits were painted, sculpted, engraved, and sometimes carved into gemstones small enough to be worn on a finger or carried as a personal possession. Marie Antoinette’s Carnelian Intaglio is a fascinating example of this tradition, capturing royal portraiture in miniature gemstone form. Among the most fascinating examples...

The Hope Spinel, the historic red gem once mistaken for ruby, reflects a time when magnificent red gemstones were often described simply as “rubies.” Without modern gemological testing, distinguishing ruby from visually similar red stones could be extremely difficult. One remarkable gem connected with this history is the Hope Spinel, a spectacular red spinel weighing...

Queen Victoria’s influence on nineteenth-century fashion extended far beyond dresses, mourning jewelry, and diamonds. Queen Victoria’s Scottish Agates became part of one of the more distinctive trends associated with her reign, reflecting her growing enthusiasm for jewelry and designs inspired by Scotland. After Queen Victoria and Prince Albert developed a deep affection for the Scottish...

Moonstone is a feldspar gemstone famous for adularescence, a soft, floating glow that seems to move beneath its surface as the stone is turned. The glow comes from microscopic, alternating layers of two feldspar minerals, orthoclase and albite, that scatter light inside the gem. Fine moonstone has been found for centuries in Sri Lanka, as...