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THE MYSTIC POWER OF GEMS
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BY
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PANKAJ KHANNA
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| General
Information on Gems |
| Generally, people think
that the beautiful gems sold in the market are found in
that very form in the nature. But the Gems pass many stages
and many hands before being seen in that form. |
| Gems are found in river
beds or on the banks of sea but mostly they are mined
from under the surface of earth. At this stage these Gems
are in uneven shape and look like a pebble to an untrained
eye. |
| After this stage they
are sorted and graded according to quality. They are then
cut and polished and sold in the market. At this stage
the Gem dealers do their sorting and grading and price
them according to their quality. |
| The price of the Gems
is decided according to the four C's. Which are :- |
| i) |
Colour : A gem with good
colour which is vibrant and clear is always costlier than
a gem with less colour or dull colour. |
| ii) |
Clarity : A natural gem
will always have some inclusions in it. The lesser the
inclusions, the costlier the Gem will be. |
| iii) |
Carat Weight : The bigger
a Gem, costlier it is, e.g. a very good quality Burmese
Ruby if it of 25 cents may be available at the rate of
Rs. 500/- per ct, but the same quality if it of 8 carats
will be Rs. 50,000/- per ct. |
| iv) |
Cut : A finely cut Gem having
sharp angles and high polish is more valuable them a Gem
having cutting defects. |
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| Why are
the Gems so costly ? |
| The high value of the
Gems is due to their rarity. Rarer a Gem, higher is its
value. Good quality, clear gems, are very rare so command
really high prices. |
| In ancient times, AMETHYST
was considered to be a very precious Gem but after the
discovery of Australia, where this Gem is found in abundance,
it is now considered to be a semi-precious Gem having
a retail prize between Rs. 12/- per ct. and Rs. 45/- per
ct. only. |
| Gems, especially, Emerald,
Ruby, Diamond and Sapphires are considered to be a store
of value. Since, times unknown these gems had been held
by Kings and Headmen as a symbol of wealth and power.
Worldwide all Kings declared that all GEMS found are their
property. These Gems were also used as a medium of exchange
i.e., as a currency. |
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| How are
these Gems weighed ? |
| In case of Gems very
small quantity means a lot of money. So, the weighing
systems used have to be very accurate and fine. Gems are
generally weighted in CARATS. Carat being a measure of
weight which means on metric scale 200 milligrams. This
is a standard system and is recognised worldwide. |
| In India, though for
business dealings carat is being used, but for retail
sales the traditional concept of 'RATTI' is still in use.
Ratti is approximately 182 milligrams. In few areas 120
milligrams is said to be a Ratti. |
| Weighing scales having
very high level of accuracy are generally used for weighing
Gems as a few milligrams on either side can make a lot
of difference in price. |
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| Upkeep
of Gems : |
| Gems are precious, they
should be bought with great care and should be kept with
care to maintain their value. |
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| Security
: |
| Gems store very high
value in small quantity so they can be easily stolen.
Hence, they should be kept under lock and key. Getting
them insured is always better. |
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| Storage
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| Gems should be wrapped
in cotton cloth or paper and then kept. Two Gems should
not touch each other otherwise they can get scratched.
Gems should not be kept in a place which has very strong
light or heat otherwise their colour can change or fade. |
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| Wearing
: |
| Gem studded jewellery
should not be worn regularly as sunlight and sweat fade
the lustre of the Gems. Sweat contains a kind of acid
which diminishes the polish of the gems. In case of pearl
and coral, these being biological products, acid actually
eats them up. |
| In case of studded jewellery
if oil enters the holes it leads to loss of brightness. |
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| Cleaning
: |
| If Gems are kept clean
then their lustre is always maintained. Gems should be
washed in a solution using very high quality soap/shampoo
or RITHA. A tooth brush can be used for scrubbing it clean.
After this it should be wiped with a cotton cloth and
kept in air to dry. |
| The water used for cleaning
should not be hot and tap water should never be used as
it contains Chlorine which spoils the polish of the Gems.
Pearls and corals are eaten up by Chlorine. |
| Sweat, soap, talcum
powder, oils etc. are the enemies of Gems. One should
not wear Gem studded jewellery while taking bath or doing
kitchen work. |
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| Special
care of Pearls : |
| Pearls are the softest
Gem worn. It has to be taken care of in a very special
way. It not kept properly it gets scratched or becomes
lustreless. Pearls should be kept in sea water for 1 to
3 months if they have lost their shine, they will regain
it. |
| Otherwise, Pearl strings
should not be washed as the water enters its holes and
spoils it. Instead after wearing it should be wiped with
a moist cotton cloth to remove sweat, dust, talcum powder,
perfumes etc. After this it should be wrapped in a silk
or cotton cloth and kept safely. |
| If well kept Pearls
can retain their lustre for 100 to 150 years.. |
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| Identification
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| Identification of Gems
is a very technical job. Thus, Gems should be bought from
a professional Gem Dealer with repute and should be got
tested from a Gemological Laboratory for confirmation
of originality. |
| The address of the Gemological
Laboratories in India and Abroad are given below where
you can get your Gems tested :- |
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| 1. |
Indian Diamond Institute,
Katargam, GIDC, Sumol Dairy Road,
Surat - 395008. |
| 2. |
Gemological Laboratory,
Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council,
Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India,
Flatted factory complex,
Jhendewalan,
New Delhi. |
| 3. |
Gemological Laboratory,
Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council,
Rajasthan Chamber Bhawan, M.I. Road
Jaipur - 302003, Rajasthan. |
| 4. |
Gemological Laboratory,
Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council,
Mathew Tower, 1st Floor,
16/3, Jagannathan Road,
Off. Mungambakkam High Road,
Chennai - 600 034. |
| 5. |
Gemological Institute of America,
1660, Stewart Street, Santa Monica,
California 90404, U.S.A. |
| 6. |
Gemological Association of Great
Britain,
27 Qreville Street,
London E CIN 85U
U.K. |
| 7. |
Gemological Association of Israel,
1, Jabotiusky Street, Ramat Gan - 52520
Israel. |
