Probably you have come across the terms semi-precious & precious gemstones, and you may wonder what the difference is. 

An old distinction is used to classify gemstones according to their rareness, thus the ones with the highest value. This distinction sets out four gemstones to be precious, as they appear to be the rarest. They are also known as Cardinal stones. These four gemstones are diamond, ruby, sapphire & emerald. Amethyst was among them till abounded quantities were found, moving it to the semi-precious stone category.

Let us know more about these precious stones that are used in the gold rings, pendants or earrings that we wear.

Diamond

Diamond is the hardest gemstone, with a 10 level on the Mohs scale. Its rareness and unique lustres make it the king of all stones. 

Diamonds are famous for their transparent colour, but there are variations of diamond colours depending on the inclusions or the atoms inside the diamond itself. 

The most popular fancy coloured diamond & the rarest is red diamond, and they are popular in engagement rings.

Diamond is the birthstone of April and the zodiac Aries.

Ruby

Ruby gained its reddish colour due to a variety of chromium in its formation. Its deep colour makes it one of the most preferred stones in jewellery. Its colour ranges from pink to deep red. It gets its name from its colour. It is derived from the Latin word “Ruber”, which means red.

Ruby has a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale, and it is well known for its durability. As a result, it is an excellent option for earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings.

Ruby is the birthstone of July & the zodiac Cancer.

Emerald

The green-coloured gemstone emerald is a 7.5-8 level on the Mohs scale. It has captured the attention of man since ancient times with its amazing green hues, and for a long time, emeralds were referred to as all green stones, while now we have various kinds of stones with different names.

Emerald got its colour from trace amounts of chromium or vanadium. The Persian origin of the name means green.

Emerald is the birthstone of May & Taurus.

Sapphire

The blue coloured of cardinal stone sapphire also comes in fancy colours in nature, such as pink, purple, yellow, green, white, and other different colours. This precious stone may have inclusions that make it unique and prove it is genuine, not a lab-created stone. It has a 9 level on the Mohs scale. Sapphire belongs to the corundum mineral family.

Blue deep sapphire looks great on gold pendants, earrings, or rings.

Sapphire is the birthstone of September and the zodiac Virgo.