For Every Occasion:

GEMSTONES & DIAMONDS

Each gemstone or diamond is a unique treasure, a reflection of nature’s artistry and a symbol of individuality.

 

Discover the allure of gemstones, the perfect way to add a touch of color, personality, and elegance to your jewelry.

transparency:

GUIDANCE

We offer a curated selection of stunning gemstones that are as diverse as they are captivating.

 

From vibrant rubies to serene sapphires, from mystical emeralds to sparkling diamonds, each gemstone in our collection tells its own story and evokes a sense of wonder and enchantment.

 

Solitaire x Alex Armen bring clarity to the often murky waters of gemstone purchasing. With their guidance, you are not just a buyer, but a connoisseur, a collector of beauty and history, a seeker of the rare and the exquisite.

Expert Insights and Advice to Help You Buy a Diamond.

SOLITAIRE x ALEX ARMEN:

OUR DISTINCTION

We are well-versed in the art of evaluating gemstones and diamonds, and can provide you with valuable insights into what makes each stone special.

 

Whether you’re looking for a classic diamond or a vibrant ruby, we can help you understand the factors that influence a gemstone’s value and guide you towards making a wise investment.

 

Solitaire x Alex Armen stand as beacons of expertise and guidance. With a keen eye for quality and a deep understanding of the allure of precious stones, we offer a level of professionalism and insight that is unmatched in the industry.

 

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GEMS OF SOLITAIRE

Ruby

RUBY NOTES

Eye-flawless ruby, particularly unheated ruby, is extremely rare. However, small amounts of rutile inclusions can be beneficial to break up and scatter light throughout the gem.

Over ninety-five percent of rubies on the market are heat enhanced.

Ruby of similar Burmese appearance has been found in Pakistan, Vietnam,

Mozambique and elsewhere. The appropriate term would be 'Burma-type' to use when discussing ruby from these sources.

Like rubies from Thailand, gems from East African sources all contain traces of iron, which makes a ruby brownish and with very little fluorescent.

COLOURS

Orangy red, red, slightly purplish red, strongly purplish red (5RP, 7.5RP, 10RP, 2.5R, 5R)

RUBY COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) Non-origin specific = 1-6k USD

b) Burma = 2-20k USD

c) Mozambique = 2-12k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) Non-origin specific = 4-25k + USD

b) Burma = 15-100k + USD

c) Mozambique = 9-50k + USD

Emerald

EMERLAD NOTES

The most desirable colour is the purist green possible. Emerlad is typically a bit yellowish or a bit bluish.

This gemstone often has visible inclusions, and rarely eye-clen above one carat.

An emerlad has a satiny brilliance, which gives it a look of softness.

As far as treatments go, industry opinion is that oiling is acceptable. At Solitaire, we avoid emerlad's treated with polymers or dyeing.

COLOURS

Very strongly blusih green, bluish green, very slightly bluish green, green, slightly yellowish green (2.5G, 5G, 7.5G, 10G)

EMERALD COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct:

a) Non-origin specific = 500-5k USD

b) Colombia = 1-7k USD

c) Zambia = 500-5k USD

d) Brazil = 500-5k USD

Fine Grading 1ct:

a) Non-origin specific = 3-25k + USD

b) Colombia = 4-30k + USD

c) Zambia = 3-25k + USD

d) Brazil = 3-22k + USD

Paraiba Tourmaline

PARAIBA NOTES

Cuprian (copper) coloured tourmaline is famously sourced from Brazil. A newer source would be Mozambique, though lighter in tone and generally less saturated.

COLOURS

Very slightly bluish green, bluish green, very strongly bluish green, blue-green, green, greenish blue, very slightly greenish blue, blue (other colours are possible)

PARAIBA COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) 3-20k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) 30-130k + USD

Blue Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire

BLUE SAPPHIRE NOTES

Exceptional blue sapphire is rare in any size. The purer the primary hue the better. In other words, a dark-toned seventy five to eithty percent primary blue hue with no more than ten to fifteen percent secondary purpilish hue.

The two colour standards can be described as "royal blue" and "cornflower".

The very finest blue sapphires exibit a velvet transparency or diaphaneity, imparting a quality that is rich, crisp and velvety.

COLOURS

Violet, violetish blue, blue, very slightly greenish blue, greenish blue, very strongly greenish blue (2.5B, 5B, 7.5B, 10B, 2.5PB, 5PB)

BLUE SAPPHIRE COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct:

a) Non-origin specific = 500-2k USD

b) Burma = 600-5k USD

c) Ceylon = 500-4k USD

Fine Grading 1ct:

a) Non-origin specific = 1-9k + USD

b) Burma = 4-25k + USD

c) Ceylon = 3-16k + USD

 

PADPARADSCHA NOTES

The original source is Sri Lanka, but also includes Tanzania, Vietnam and Madagascar. Generally, the term padparadscha may be applied to delicately coloured light to medium tones of pinkish-orange, orangy pink to orange-pink hues.

COLOURS

Pinkish orange to orange-pink hues (7.5R, 10R)

PADPARADSCHA COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) 2-3k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) 5-16k + USD

Tourmaline, Zircon, Morganite

TOURMALINE NOTES

Brazil is a major world source, but tourmaline deposits are found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, Nigeria, Nambia, Tanzania, and the USA.

Three main hues include green, blue and red. However, tourmaline is found in the broadest range of hues of any gem species except diamond.

COLOURS

Bicolor, blue (indicolite), blue/green, chrome, pink, green, red (rubellite)

 

ZIRCON NOTES

Zircon occurs in an array of colours. It has high refraction and fire, making it a bright and lustrous gem.

Starlight is the trade term for blue zircon variety, and alluvial deposits are mainly from Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil and parts of Africa.

COLOURS

Blue, autumnal yellows, reddish browns, red and green

 

MORGANITE NOTES

The beryl family consists of aquamarine, emerald, morganite and red beryl. For morganite, strong colour is rare, and gems usually have to be large to achieve the finest colour.

Morganite often comes in lighter pastel shades of pink.

COLOURS

Pink to orange-pink

Alexandrite, Tsavorite, Tanzanite

ALEXANDRITE NOTES

With the exception of some varieties of fancy colour diamonds, alexandrite is the rarest gemstone.

Discovered in 1830 near the Tokovaya River, what makes this gem remarkable is its leap across the colour pallet (other colour change gems shift only to the adjacent hue).

To be considered a fine gem, the colour change must be distinct and dramatic. Given alexandrite's rarity, well-cut stones are the exception rather than the rule.

Russian origin command a premium, while its main origin today includes Brazil, Tanzania, Madagascar and India.

COLOURS

Slightly yellowish green, green to bluish green in daylight and orangy red, red to purpilish red in incandescent light

ALEXANDRITE COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct:

a) 7-22k USD

Fine Grading 1ct:

a) 25-100k + USD

 

TSAVORITE NOTES

The tsavorite's crisp brilliance contrast an emerald's satiny brilliance. Also, tsavorite, like all garnets, is singly refractive. However, its high refractive index and light dispersion ads life to the gem.

Tsavorite is not brittle, and tough enough to stand up well to daily wear.

Demand is typically for a visually pure green with about fifteen percent secondary blue hue.

Eye-visible inclusions would lower the cost significantly.

COLOURS

Medium to dark yellowish green, green, slight bluish green (7.5GY, 10GY, 2.5G)

TSAVORITE COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct:

a) 1,200-2,250 USD

Fine Grading 1ct:

a) 2,100-6,750 USD

 

TANZANITE NOTES

The difference between blue at seventy-five percent tone (preferred) versus blue at eighty-five percent tone is what separates the finest colour from second best.

The finest gems will show a blue primary hue with just a hint of purple secondary hue.

Tanzanite will shift colour when the viewing environment is switched from daylight to incandescent lighting.

COLOURS

Purple, violetish purple, violet, bluish violet, violetish blue, blue (2.5PB, 5PB,7.5PB, 10PB, 2.5P)

TANZANITE COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct:

a) 300-900 USD

Fine Grading 1ct:

a) 750-1,425 USD

Aquamarine, Spinel

AQUAMARINE NOTES

Though Latin for "sea water" denoting a greenish blue hue, aquamarine is valued primarily for the purity of its blue hue. The darker the stone, the more it will be valued. However, darker-toned stones are almost always grayish.

Most of the finest aquamarine comes from Brazil.

Majority of aquamarine is heat-treated, and increases the value of this gem

COLOURS

Blue, very slightly greenish blue, greenish blue, very strongly greenish blue, green-blue

AQUAMARINE COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) 200-800 USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) 800-3k USD

 

SPINEL NOTES

Spinel occurs in all colours, and the most prized is red, pink and blue. This gemstone has exceptional diaphaneity.

A fine red spinel tends to be medium dark in tone. A pink spinel is simply a lighter-toned, paler red. And the finest cobalt blue exhibits a vivid, pure blue hue.

Regardless of hue mix, spinels which exhibit vivid colour and are eye-clean clarity with no visible gray are highly desirable,

SPINEL COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) Blue: 400-2k USD (cobalt commands a premium)

b) Lavender: 300-800 USD

c) Pink: 540-2k USD

d) Red: 660-2k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) Blue: 800-3k USD (cobalt commands a premium)

b) Lavendar: 440-2k USD

c) Pink: 2-7k USD

d) Red: 3-14k USD

Black Opal, Demantoid

BLACK OPAL NOTES

Lightning Ridge is famous for its black opal, and a small amount comes from Queensland as well as from Nevada.

Symmetrical ovals and a cabochon with a high dome are preferred and command a higher price.

Opals contain about six percent water.

COLOURS

Very dark body colour i.e blueish coal-black background, with green-blue or red-blue as the primary play of colours.

Black opals are rarer than white opals.

BLACK OPAL COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) 1-6k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) 4-20k + USD

 

DEMANTOID NOTES

One of the rarest gems on earth, demantoid is a green variety of garnet, the other being tsavorite.

Fine gems exibit a medium dark tone, or a slightly lighter tone (which allows the gem's characteristic dispersion to show through).

Demantoid has the highest dispersion of all precious gems, eclipsing even diamond.

COLOURS

Green, slightly yellowish green, strongly yellowish green, yellow-green (5GY, 7.5GY, 10GY)

DEMANTOID COSTS

Excellent Grading 1ct

a) 1-4k USD

Fine Grading 1ct

a) 3-13k USD