Loose Gemstones for Sale

A loose stone lets you choose the gem first and design around it, which is how the best colored stone jewelry is made. This collection brings together our loose natural gemstones, graded and disclosed.

11.07 Carat Orange BRAZILLIAN Emerald Tourmaline GWLAB

USD 8,956

97.46 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Oval Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 97,560

95.99 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Oval Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 105,689

37.80 Carat Green TANZANIAN Emerald Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 37,900

1.59 Carat Red MOZAMBIQUE Oval Ruby GRS

USD 9,243

17.03 Carat Orange TANZANIAN Marquise Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 16,960

15.27 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Oval Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 14,912

14.79 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Trilliant Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 14,151

14.66 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Pear Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 13,734

14.08 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Trilliant Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 13,476

14.07 Carat Blue MADAGASCAR Oval Aquamarine GWLAB

USD 7,839

13.66 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Oval Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 11,984

13.31 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Trilliant Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 12,478

11.57 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Pear Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 9,935

11.57 Carat Blue TANZANIAN Pear Tanzanite GWLAB

USD 11,092

20.78 Carat Green ZAMBIAN Octagon Emerald CD

USD 183,380

2.55 Carat Green COLOMBIA Octagon Emerald GUBELIN

USD 109,750

3.26 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 17,052

2.81 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 14,712

4.63 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 24,176

4.69 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 24,488

4.22 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 22,044

4.18 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 21,836

1.96 Carat Blue SRI LANKAN Cushion Sapphire

USD 5,588

3.96 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 20,692

3.18 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 16,636

2.38 Carat Green Round Emerald

USD 12,476

How to judge a loose colored stone

Color decides most of the value in any colored gem, and it has three parts.

Hue is the color itself. A pure hue is worth more than one with brown or gray in it.
Tone is how pale or dark it is. The best stones sit deep but still let light through.
Saturation is intensity. More intense color increases value in every gem.

After color come clarity, cut and size. How much clarity matters depends on the gem: some are expected to be clean, and emerald is expected to have inclusions.

Two cutting faults to check before you buy

Colored stones are often cut to keep weight rather than to return light. Two faults follow.

Windowing is a pale, see-through patch in the center of a stone cut too shallow.
Extinction is dark, dead areas that appear as the stone tilts, from a cut that is too deep or a tone that is too dark.

Both are easiest to judge in ordinary indoor light rather than under bright spotlights.

Treatment, disclosure and the certificate

Treatment is normal in colored stones, and the right question is what was done and whether it is disclosed.

Heating is permanent and widely accepted in many gems. Unheated stones are rarer and carry a premium, and they are our buying focus.
Oiling is standard in emerald, graded from none to significant.
The certificate from GIA, SSEF, Gübelin, GRS or AGL confirms natural origin, treatment and, for stones where it matters, geographic origin.

Planning the setting

Hardness decides where a stone can go. Ruby and sapphire at 9 suit any ring. softer stones are safer in earrings and pendants.
Carat weight does not mean size. Gems differ in density, so a one carat stone of one gem can face up larger or smaller than another.
Shape affects spread. Ovals, pears and marquises face up larger per carat than rounds and cushions.

You choose the stone on its own merits first, then design a setting that suits it. It also lets you see the stone's full certificate before any metal goes around it.

Stones of real value should carry a report from a recognized laboratory confirming natural origin and treatment. Where origin affects price, the report gives an origin opinion as well.

Many colored gemstones are treated, most commonly by heating, which is permanent and accepted. We focus on unheated stones, and treatment is disclosed on every stone we sell.

Compare by millimeter dimensions rather than carat weight. Different gems have different densities, so weight alone does not tell you how large a stone will look.