Gemstone Grading
Have you noticed gemstone bead grade designations while shopping on the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads website or in the catalog? Curious about what those designations mean? The grading of gemstone beads follows its own set of standards, distinct from those applied to high-end faceted gems. Continue reading to discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' gemstone grading system and the general attributes we consider when determining the grade of a bead.
Identification:
Identification of the stone is always the first aspect of gemstone bead grading. Many gemstones, including amber, have specific characteristics that make them what they are. Although there are A grades of gemstone beads, the largest and best-quality gemstones are usually cut into faceted gems for the high-end jewelry industry. The rougher stones will be made into beads. Bead cutters will use the better materials to cut the A grades for the bead industry, and according to the stone variety, separate the remaining stone into the B and C grades, and so on.
Color:
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads experts look for specific levels of color saturation for each type of gemstone. Bead colors are meticulously assessed, adhering to the highest standards specific to each gemstone. For example, the color of amethyst varies according to the country of origin. The color saturation can be dark, medium or light. The optimum color for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads’ amethyst is a deep vibrant purple, but it must not be overly dark. Untreated stones receive a higher grade because of their natural state.
Clarity:
Clarity refers to the lack of inclusions in a stone. Some types and varieties of gemstones will always have inclusions, whereas others, such as aquamarine, can be inclusion free. Each gemstone variety is graded based on the specific standards applicable to its type. Best-grade smoky quartz (Quartz Specie), for example, can be inclusion free, whereas best-grade amethyst and citrine will nearly always have minor inclusions. Better grade stones will have brilliant, evenly distributed color. They will have fewer inclusions and will be ideal for cutting. Opaque stones, where clarity is not a factor, will be graded higher for traits like rich saturation of color or good contrast of color depending on the type of stone. For example, a better grade bloodstone (Chalcedony Specie) will be semitranslucent to a dark opaque green with spots of russet to ripe-tomato red. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads offers many books as well as our EncycloBEADia® to reference stone types with their physical and purported metaphysical properties.
Cut:
Cut refers to the finish on a bead--smooth or faceted. Faceting adds sparkle to translucent and opaque gems and is generally performed on better grades and harder materials. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads carries two types of faceted gems--machine and hand-faceted. On the best grades of machine-faceted beads, the cutting will be precise, uniform, well-polished and well-drilled. The smaller the facets, the more reflective brilliance a bead will have. Hand- faceted, hand-polished (handwrought) beads will be less uniform in their overall shape and in the shape and size of the facets. This adds a twinkling allure to a handwrought finished product. Because most handwrought beads are originally sold by carat weight, the drill holes are small to keep as much finished weight as possible. The best grades of smooth beads should have a high-luster polish and a smooth surface free of pitting, voids or surface imperfections (unless a characteristic of the natural material). Fire Mountain Gems and Beads offers expert stringing materials for all types of faceted and smooth beads.
Our buyers are experts in the field with years of accumulated training. They maintain ongoing training in industry standards and understand the fluctuating availability of gemstone materials. Because there are few regulatory standards for gemstone beads, Fire Mountain Gems and Beads has developed its own, and employs on-site Graduate Gemologists® certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to ensure accurate standards of grading and authentication of our gemstone materials. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads is a charter member of American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and adheres to their standards for enhancement codes for all gemstones.
With the presentation of this article, Fire Mountain Gems and Beads seeks to foster an understanding of the intricacies of gemstone bead grading as well as an assurance of Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' diligence in grading, identification and enhancements on your behalf.
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