In the very select club of the 4 precious stones, the gleaming diamond is obviously at the top of the list, but also the limpid sapphirethe flamboyant ruby and finally the refreshing emerald. These stones are said to be precious because their beauty, rarity and extraordinary resistance have made them the most prized stones of jewellers for centuries.

 

DIAMOND

King of kings, the diamond is the ambassador of precious stones, and derives its origin from the Greek adamao which means "I master". It originally refers to the hardest materials.

 

Art Deco octagonal diamond ring

 

Each diamond is evaluated according to the 4C rule (colour, clarity, carat, cut), don't panic, we explain them below:

COLOR_color: except for fancy diamonds, a diamond is expected to be as white as possible. Although many diamonds appear colourless at first glance, most stones have a slight yellow or brown tinge. 

CLARITY_purity: a diamond is rated as perfectly pure if no inclusions (formerly known as toads) are detectable under a 10X magnification loupe. 

CUT_taille: A well-cut diamond will reveal its full splendour and brilliance. To achieve perfection, the diamond cutter must be agile enough to create all the facets that will make up the stone. 

CARAT_WEIGHT: the carat is the unit of weight of the diamond, 1.00 carat is equivalent to 0.20 grams, the weight of a paper clip ;)! The heavier your diamond is (and therefore the more voluminous it is), the higher its value will be...  

 

SAPHIR

Considered a sacred stone in Buddhism, Sapphire takes its name from the Hebrew sappir (the most beautiful thing). The most beautiful, deep royal blue sapphires come from the Kashmir region.

 

Marquise ring in pink gold, sapphire and diamonds

 

Known for its beautiful blue colour, sapphire comes in many different colours: it can be pink, green, yellow, orange, black or even colourless, depending on the type and concentration of chemical elements (such as iron and chromium) that are external to its composition. 

Did you know that there is no such thing as a red sapphire? Sapphire is a member of the corundum family of minerals, and the red variety of this family is simply ruby!

 

 

RUBIS

Ruby is always red, but there are many shades: pigeon's blood red, raspberry red, burgundy red, orange red ... It is the chemical element chromium that gives it its most beautiful red.

 

Art Deco Ruby and Diamond Ring

 

Indeed, rubies always show a pleochroism (different tones depending on the direction of the light). Each ruby can therefore have orange, reddish-brown or pink tones, up to a marked violet. However, this secondary colour should not exceed 20% of the final colour.

Itis the ruby known as "pigeon's blood" which is the most sought after for its intense and deep red. The most beautiful and rare ones come from Burma, from the famous valley of Mogok. We recommend the book by Joseph Kessel, "La vallée des rubis".  

Did you know that in the past the word ruby (from the Latinruber meaning "red") referred to all red gemstones? It is only recently that a distinction has been made between red spinel and ruby.

 

EMERALD

Emerald comes from the Greek smaragdosmeaning "green gemstone", and, as with ruby, used to refer to all green gemstones before the scientific advances of the 18th century.

 

 Belle Epoque marquise ring, emerald and diamonds

 

A precious stone of striking beauty, emerald is prized for its incredible green colour. Made up of aluminium silicate and beryllium, it is the chromium, vanadium and iron that give it its special colour.

The more intense and crystalline the emerald, the more exceptional it is considered to be. The most sought-after emeralds have historically come from Colombia.

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