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 & 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.
SOLITAIRE & 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 & 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.
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
