Colors: What To Expect

For this article, I am writing a short info blog on colors.

When ordering your gemstone from me (or online in general) there are a couple things one will need to consider:

1) Does the color I want even exist in the material Im looking for?
2) How happy will I be if the color I want is not exactly as my inspo photos?
3) What can I expect for color regarding lighting and designs/cut?
4) Am I color-sensitive?
5) Is getting an online custom-cut gemstone the right choice for me?

Lets discuss each question!

1) Does the color I want even exist in the material Im looking for?

Different materials I carry in the lab-grown realm will have a limited color range. This is very apparent in lab sapphire and due to the fact that the laboratories that create the material are not always able to create specific colors.
As an example - a true, repeatable, and consistent Teal color does NOT exist for lab sapphire as of the writing of this blog.

Any examples of “teal”ish lab sapphire you see online could be from:
- Lab-specific batches/mistakes/small changes in the mixture
- Old stock that is from mistake batches
- Not lab sapphire - but potentially CZ, coated material or Lab Spinel
- Not actually teal, but edited color saturation on a blue material

So when deciding the color you want for your gemstone, one first needs to determine if the material you are wanting has the color that exists for that material.
If you find that the color you’re wanting doesn’t exist for any lab material - then finding a pre cut natural stone on the marketplace might be your best choice.

2) How happy will I be if the color I want is not exactly as my inspo photos?

This is a good question I ask clients to ask themselves before making a purchase.

I often get clients wanting very specific colors - which is absolutely valid. You should get the stone of your dreams that you want for your special piece!

The problem arises not from the wanting of the specific color, but the inability to be willing to have a small range of “shade” or “tone” when ordering a custom cut gemstone. All gemstones I have cut over the years I usually have many and multiple examples of in different lighting as well. But exactly matching specific shades to specific photos is very difficult to do online with photos. The best we can do is get “close”.
Remember, photos can be altered, edited, have gems with rare colors, or have specific lighting to show certain tones and shades.
That being said - I do ask my clients allow for some flexibility when getting a custom cut gemstone from me. While all of my materials are typically consistent, should there be small variables and changes in each piece, I do ask clients keep that in mind as a possibility.

3) What can I expect for color regarding lighting and designs/cut?

Something that makes clients very confused is viewing the same color but cut in different designs, shapes, sizes and lighting. Below are examples of my lab sapphire mide/deep blue.
Every gemstone in these photos are from the same consistent pieces of lab sapphire, yet clients with color sensitivity can tell big differences between shades.

These are all the same color - so….where do we go from here?

Another set of gemstones that are the exact same color but different lighting:

When we approach color, I ask my clients to be aware that warm lighting (Yellow light, sunlight, etc) will slightly change the tone of your gemstone by a small amount.
White LED and other more cool colored lighting (think cloudy sky) will add more cool tones to your gemstone.

The beauty of this is that your stone will have subtle changes in lighting and will unique to your cut!

4) Am I color-sensitive?
I have had experience with clients who are very good at noticing subtle changes in colors with gemstones in photos and in person. They are astute at noticing variations in shadow and how that plays with the color.

A fun way to decide if you are color sensitive is to try this color grading test online, sponsored by Pantone:

https://www.xrite.com/hue-test

A score of “0” is a perfect score.

If you do happen to be color sensitive ask yourself if the subtle changes and differences in stones you see online would bother you. Ask yourself if you’d be happy with a small range of variation with color? Would you enjoy your piece if on a cloudy day its a bit “cool” in terms of tone?

This leads to the next great question:

5) Is getting an online custom-cut gemstone the right choice for me?
In my years of gemcutting - almost every client I have ever had has been incredibly happy and pleased with purchasing a custom cut gemstone.
Since I have had color sensitive clients, I have done my best to let clients know the pros and potential cons to subtle changes in stones.
No two stones will be exactly alike in every way, as this is a handcut item and prone to human flaws - but as I see it, this is the joy of getting a custom made piece.

That being said - buying an online gemstone that is cut to order is not always for everyone, and that is ok!
There are thousands of pre cut stones in the marketplace, not only natural but lab as well that may match and be spot on to your perfect stone.