Image credit: Gübelin Gemstone Rating
So far, there was no common language to uniformly assess coloured gemstones. Now the Gübelin Gemstone Rating offers orientation, more transparent information and comparability for final customers as well as the entire industry, says a press release from the company.
The system is inspired by wine ratings, which also often express the quality grade of wine as a point value. High-quality coloured gemstones which receive at least 75 out of 100 possible points qualify for the Gemstone Rating. This number conveys the assessment of the gemstone to jewellery customers, collectors, investors as well as dealers, jewellers and auction houses at a glance.
Three factors are examined: quality, rarity and salience. The key factor is quality, in which visual aspects such as colour, clarity/transparency and cut are rated. Rarity includes the type of gemstone, its weight as well as any treatments it might have been subjected to. Salience describes the uniqueness of the coloured gem, its ability to stand out from the crowd.
Raphael Gübelin, President of the House of Gübelin explains: “The more you know about coloured gems, the more you value them. With the Gemstone Rating and Gübelin Points, we offer more transparency, comparability and orientation. This benefits everyone buying or selling coloured gems.The Gübelin Gemstone Rating was developed for high-quality natural coloured gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, emeralds as well as padparadscha sapphires, paraiba tourmalines, spinels and numerous other varieties of precious gemstones.”
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
