- How is this course structured?
- How can you get the most benefit from this course?
The Colored Stones course is made up of three main sections. Following this assignment’s introduction to the world of colored stones, Assignments 2 through 6 show how a gem’s formation affects its rarity and value and how a gem’s properties affect its value and the way it’s used in jewelry. You’ll also read about synthetics and imitations and learn how the marketability of many gems can be transformed by treatment.
Assignments 7 through 11 introduce you to the factors used to judge gems—color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. You’ll discover how gems reach the marketplace and how the gem business works.
Assignments 12 through 27 cover the major commercial gems in order of their importance. The assignments cover them all, from the Big 3—ruby, sapphire, and emerald—and other market basics, like cultured pearls, jadeite, opal, quartz, tanzanite, topaz, tourmaline, and garnet, to lesser-known gems like spodumene and diopside. You’ll also learn which gem colors the trade prefers and why.
