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So you want a blue sapphire. Smart move. These stones are tough as nails, pretty as hell, and won’t cost you a kidney like diamonds do. But the sapphire market is full of tricks, heated stones sold as natural wonders, and dealers playing price games. Here’s how to not get played. Why Sapphires Are Better […]

So you want alexandrite. Yeah, good luck with that. This color-changing gem is rarer than hen’s teeth and trickier to buy than a used car from your sketchy cousin. Plus, 9 out of 10 “alexandrite” stones for sale are total fakes. Here’s how to not get screwed. The Magic Trick That Fooled Russian Royalty Real

So you want a padparadscha sapphire. Join the club of confused shoppers. These sunset stones are pretty, rare, and pricey. They’re also the most argued-about gem on the planet. What counts as real padparadscha? Nobody knows for sure. Here’s how to buy one without getting ripped off. The Color Fight That Never Ends Everyone fights

So you want to buy taaffeite. Good luck with that. I’m not trying to be mean. It’s just that buying one of the world’s rarest gems is like finding a needle in a haystack. Except the haystack is full of fakes and the needle costs more than your car. Let’s talk about how to not

You know that feeling when something looks familiar but just doesn’t sit right? Like when you see an old friend from behind, but something’s off about their walk? That’s exactly what happened to Count Edward Charles Richard Taaffe back in 1945. He was sorting through gems in Dublin when one stone made him pause. It

Back in 1952, gem labs in Sri Lanka tested a brown crystal long thought to be spinel. For years, dealers had sold these stones without much thought. They were pretty, sure, but nothing unusual. The test results told a different story. It wasn’t spinel at all. It was something new. That mistake changed gem history.

In 1902, a gem collector in Sri Lanka noticed a dark stone among river pebbles. At first, it looked ordinary. But a closer look showed it was different. Scientists named it Serendibite, after “Serendib,” an old name for Sri Lanka. This small stone became one of the rarest gems known. Few people see it. Fewer

Imagine a gem that never looks the same twice. Hold it in your hand and turn it. Green flashes from one angle, red-brown from another. Sometimes a golden light appears. This is andalusite, one of nature’s most unique stones. It is rare, hard to find in fine quality, and often overlooked. Yet those who know