Gemstones

A gemstone or gem is a cut and polished mineral used to make Jewellery. Also called a precious or semi-precious stone, or jewel, most famous gemstones such a Diamond, Ruby, Emarald or Sapphire are a crystalline form of stone.

The value of a stone is mostly determine by its rarety, its shine, its cut and the eventual occlusions visible in the stone.

Some Semi-Precious stones are actually not mineral such as Amber of Jet but are still considered as gemstones for jewellery.

Most gemstones being mineral elements are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their lustre or other physical properties that have aesthetic value.

While Jewellery is the most common use of gemstones these days, Precious stones have been used as an art form on everyday products such as cups and other ornamental objects. The eggs from Carl Fabergé were the last significant works in this tradition. Perhaps "For the Love of God" by Damien Hirst (2007) is the avant-garde of the renaissance of such tradition

Beads On The Loose is proud to boast a reputation for authenticity and quality. All our stones are carefully selected and natural. Most of our stones are supplied by family business in India and Thailand and we are delighted to support those companies