Gemology by Exclusive Lifestyle
Precious stones have always fascinated the human being!
Gemology is a very rigorous study of the gemstones, which aims to educate the individual to fully appreciate the transcendent yet justifiable beauty of precious stones.
It is not for nothing that Gemology has been defined by the well-known French scholar and Gemologist Georges Gobel as “a science but also an art”!
Precious stones, as well as jewels, thanks to their unique charm have the innate ability to make us fall in love and bewitch.
As a gemologist, I want to share my passion for the incredible and mystical world of precious stones with you!
How do stones differ?
In gemology, stones are usually divided into 3 categories:
Precious stones
precious stones are gems with a particular hardness and scratch resistance, such as diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald.
Fine stones
Fine stones are gems with different colors and compositions, and are less resistant than precious stones.
Hard stones
Semi-precious stones can be opaque or transparent, with different colors and compositions, but the main difference compared to other stones is that they are not minerals, but rocks!
As you can see, this categorization is mainly based on the value and rarity of the stone, but it is possible to have fine stones that are much rarer than precious stones!
Finally, it is important to observe how all the stones are precious, unique and particular in their own way, and that colors are subjective.
Would you like to learn more about gemology or find out more about precious stones?
Contact us for more information and to book a consultation
Jewellery Consulting
Every jewels or precious stones is unique and to find the right one either as a gift or as an investment can make the difference!
Exclusive Lifestyle can guide you in your search of the perfect stone thanks to our gemologist, Sophie Perron, who has a tremendous knowledge, the best connections with the top jewellery houses and the finest workshops in Rome.
Exclusive Lifestyle will introduce you to some of the most exclusive goldsmith in Rome, of which, the famous atelier Volpotti, that for over 71 years has been designing and creating real work of art for the Romain elite!
L’atelier Volpotti will be delighted to organise for you some private tours to discover their extraordinary jewels and set your private appointment to create your favourite piece of jewellery!
Schedule a private session with Sophie and treat yourself with a unique experience!
What you should know before purchasing a gemstone!
When you are looking to buy a stone or a piece of jewellery, one of the main criteria you need to look for is the quality of the cut of the gemstone!
In fact, we often don’t realise that the cut of a gem directly affects its overall value as the cut determines how well a gem returns its body colours back to the eye.
For each gems, the lapidary is looking to find the best compromise between size and appearance, remembering that the value of the finish gem also depends on its carat weight.
The lapidary has a huge responsibility and performs a juggling act between beauty and commercial considerations such as weight retention.
How do you tell a good cut from a bad one?
No one cut is always more beautiful than other, it’s all down to the magic of nature and the artistry of the lapidary.
What is important to know is the cut is not just a gem’s shape, it’s also the cutting technique (facet, finish and proportions) used to finish the stone from the rough.
A gem’s shape will affect the overall look of the gem, but if its faceted well the shape won’t then affect necessary its value.
Balance, symmetry and proportion are the keys of a good cut.
Style, cut and shape depend on the type, shape and quality of the rough gemstone!
Beauty can be sometimes scarified to minimise rough weight loss!
Book your Ultimate jewellery consulting with our gemmologist on info.exclusivelifestyle@gmail.com
Our Services:
Do you know why we weight the gemstones in carat and not in grams? We all heard about the carat weight but what is it exactly?
Today, I am going to go through this choice and explain it to you! The carat is in fact a unit of mass equal to 200mg or 1/5 of a gr ( 1 carat =0.007ounces) and is used for measuring gemstones and pearls.
Prior to 1500 merchants used the carat to measure gold, and in the 1570’s it was adopted as a measurement by the gemstones merchants for loose stones as well.
Over the time, each countries defined a carat differently as they developed their own ways. It’s only in 1907, during the Fourth General Conference of Weights and measurements, the metric carat was adopted and established as a weight of 200mg.
Do you know what is the story behind carat weight?
Carat comes from the word “carob”.
Carobs are the seeds of a tree, the Locust tree which grows in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.
You might wonder why those seeds have something to do with the gemstones?
In reality nothing, but it is said that the Carob seeds grow unusually alike and therefore they have almost always the same proportions and weight and have been used thought out history to measure gemstones as it was believed that there was a little variance in this mass distribution which actually was inaccurate!
This is the reason why the seeds were used as a measuring unit at the first place!
Is the carat weight the most important criteria to determine the value of a gemstones?
The carat weight has an impact on the value of a gemstone but other criteria such as the cut, colour and clarity will also determine its value!
In my gemmology chapter I have already explained how important is the cut of a stone and my next topic will be on the colour!
Stay tuned!
Meet Sophie Perron
Sophie Perron is a French gemologist with over 28 years of experience in the jewellery industry!
She has been working all over Europe for the most famous jewellers in the world and also for some small ateliers!
Sophie will share with you her great passion for the gemstones and will be delighted to assist and guide you in your search for the perfect stone .
Thanks to Sophie’s knowledge and experience you will be able to discover the incredible and astonishing world of the gemstones and start a new journey!