My first customer - 0.43 carat diamond proposal ring

What will you say if your boyfriend propose to you with a 0.43 carat diamond ring? I believe it will be a definite Yes....

A friend ordered this proposal ring from me a few months ago and now he is a happy man planning for his wedding next year.

This is a color D to E diamond with a VVS2 in clarity which means that there isn't much flaws and is quite a clear and white diamond.

The sleek setting has received numerous positive feedbacks from customers and friends.

Which explains why this couple is happy with the fine finishing and they are preparing to order more jewelleries from me soon for their Big Day.If you are going to surprise your girlfriend with a ring, why not contact me at glenngems@gmail.com and you can too walk away as a happy man.....

The 4 C's

Carat(weight), cut, clarity & color.

A woman's friend

Diamond is a woman's friend and I couldn't agree more to this sentence made. I personally believe that a gal shoould own a simple set of diamonds for a start. It does not have to huge stones but good enough to bring them to different dinners and socialising events.

Diamond is the hardest mineral on earth and with its exceptional lustre and fire made, it is the most highly prized of all gems. Colorless & pure diamond is the most popular choice among the ladies.

Other color varities include yellow, brown to green, red and grey & black are also found depending on the impurities present.,

Because of the uniform arrangement of their constitute carbon atoms, diamond crystals are well formed - usually octahedral with round edges and slightly convet faces. Diamonds are graded by the 4 C's. Carat (weight), cut, clarity & color.

From the sea...Aquamarine

Aquamarine comes in different tones of blues. At present times, the color that most people valued are deep blue and sky blue. However the aquamarine that people adores is sea-green which the name itself also mean sea water.

This gem can appear blue or colourless if view from different angles. The best shape for Aquamarine to appear is hexagonal which can be up to 1m long and flawless. In order to enhance the colour of aquamarine, it is usually heat treated. However one has to take care that Aquamarine is not over heated as it will cause the gem to lose its colour gradually.

The best aquamarine is found mainly in Brazil where it occurs in pegmatites and alluvial deposites of gravel.

Other countries that follows Brazil in their good formation of this stones are India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and Nigeria.
In Madagascar, one can usually find the darker blue variety.

Thus far, I have posted 3 gemstones rings and it has clearly shown that all 3 rings are of classic cut and design.This 3rd ring has 2 trillion cubic zirconia at the sides. Of course not forgetting that the main attraction is the 3 over carats of aquamarine at the centre of the ring.

Where can Gemstones be found?

Quartz and garnets belongs to the more common type of gemstones and they can be found worldwide.

However as emeralds and diamonds requires more unusual geological conditions for their formation therefore they are rarer and more expensive in price. Though gemstone can be found worldwide however only a small portion of them are of gem quality.

The main gem localities of the world are therefore those where gemstone quality material occurs in sufficient quantity to make production economic.

It might not be of news to many that Japan has the best quality of pearl found in this country.Other countries such as Columbia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Burma, Russia just to name a few have their own type of gemstones found mainly in each of these countries.
E.g. In Burma , one can find more quality gemstones like Ruby and Peridot and Afghanistan have ruby and aquamarine found mainly there.

Yellow Beryl Next...

You have to agree with me that this piece of yellow beryl gem truly reflects light gorgeously. This is one of my favorite pieces from my friend's collection. The clarity of the stone with little to almost no inclusion causes the stone to sparkle and shine to its fullest potential.

Side view of the ring shows the sleekness of the ring and the classic look it possess. The design of the ring enhances the shape of the yellow beryl.

If you look closely at the ring, it has 6 small diamonds at the side of the edge of the band which adds a more special touch to the entire ring. At the holder of the gemstone are also 4 small diamonds which makes the ring stands out of the ordinary.

Though the design of the ring is simple but it has a classic touch and finishing to it. I forgot to mention that the shape of the yellow beryl is oval in shape. Personally I like the shine of yellow beryl better as compared to citrine as the yellow color is lightly than those of a citrine.

Rose Quartz Revealed

This is a very flawless Rose Quartz ring. Apparently Rose Quartz is not an expensive stone but yet I find this stone very serene and yet gentle in its appearance. You might not be able to see the entire setting on the ring but apparently, the ring is set both in gold and silver with tiny bits of leaves. This ring could easily come up to about S$800-1200 ( This depends on clarity of stones, if it comes with a star reflecting in stones it will be more costly,the complexity of design, the workmanship of each ring (handmade or mold),gold price..... Keep watching out for my blog as I am going to post more rings in the next few days. If you are interested to custom made, remake, redesign your jewellery with semi precious or diamonds. Do feel free to contact me by emailing me at glenngems@gmail.com.

Look out for gemstones settings

It has been a week since I last wrote in this blog.

I have been busy learning and get to know more about gemstones through a friend.
Apparently, she has sent the gemstones that she last bought in Sri Lanka to a jeweler to set those stones into rings and pendant.

My friend has kindly agreed to let me take some nice pictures of her collection once they are ready. So stay tune in my blog to see some of the nice gemstones collections from my friend. I am sure you will love them as they are classically set.

Retail outlet in Sri Lanka

A friend recently just returned from the capital of Sri Lanka - Colombo from her business trip and brought back some stones. These stones appear flawless yet the price are reasonable.

She has gotten for herself, 1 Aquamarine, 3 Amethyst, 2 citrine that costs around USD330, which we both thought it was a fabulous buy.

The address of the retail shop is
ZAM Gems (Pvt) Ltd
81, Galle Road, Colombo 4.

If you happen to be in Sri Lanka, I would strongly recommend that you drop by this boutique and have a look. Apparently, they have retail outlets in Japan, Malaysia and Maldives. If you want the address of the outlets in these respective country, do feel free to drop me a line.

Quality gemstones?

It came as a surprise to me that after doing some research on the best countries for quality gemstones that I find that a country that is close to my home has it all- Myanmar.

I have not personally make a trip to this country looking for gemstones as I am new to this trade. However, a survey to one of the jewellers near to my office also source their gemstones in Myanmar. In the next few write up, I will update you with more website links and also stories of the happenings of gemstones worldwide.

I will share more of my personal experince on the gemstones with you once I have put more time in my studies on them. So keep looking out on my blog.

What makes a gemstone?

Gemstones are minerals that are fashioned to accessorise for personal beauty enhancement. As such, gemstones has to be exquisite, rare, beautiful and durable.

There are about coming to 3000 types of minerals however only 50 can only be used as gemstones due to the durability that are either too soft or easily scratched that makes the gemstones not suitable for wearing.A mineral must be brilliant in colors and beautiful in order to be considered a gemstone.

As mentioned earlier that they must also be hard enough to withstand the constand use or handling which may result being scratch or damaged. Lastly, it must also be a mineral that is rare and scarce and not identical with the rest in order to fetch a high market value.

The mysterious appeal of gemstones, their colours and the light within them make them precious to many, but their rarity, hardness and durability have them even more valuable to many who knew about gemstones.

How to take care of gemstones?

Recently, a friend has introduced to me to gemstones and I began to have a liking for these special breed of nicely crafted stones that will add colorful touch to our lives through beautiful jewelleries.

I would like to share with you methods of cleaning and maintaining your gemstones' color and shine.

As we all know that a clear gemstones reflects light better. It will also looks bigger than one that has become dulled by oils or dirt. Any grease on the surface of a gemstone should be cleaned every now and then to keep their sparkle.


Here are some methods to maintence the quality of your gemstones;

The Quick Fix Method
Buy one of the quality liquid jewellery cleaners and follow its instructions.

The Detergent Bath
Prepare a small bowl of warm suds with any mild detergent. Brush the gemstones gently with a soft brush while they are in suds. Transfer a wire stainer and rinse under warm water running water. Pat dry with a soft lint-free cloth.

The Household Soak
Mix a 50:50 solution of cold water and salt in a cup and soak the gemstone for 30 mins. Lift out and tap gently around the back and front of the mounting with a small brush. Swish in the solution once more and drain on paper. No further rinse is required.