I’ve always been a sucker for sparkling gemstones. Diamonds are lovely, but to me nothing compares to a beautifully cut and polished emerald or ruby. If you want to surprise your significant other this holiday season, consider a dazzling ring or pendant in the colors of the season.

Did you realize that the color in gemstones is caused by impurities? I find that fascinating. Maybe that’s why they’re so appealing to me. I’ve never been one to go for things that are considered “perfect.” To me, an ideal drinking glass is a slightly off-center hand blown one, full of bubbles, thicker on one side than the other. Not to compare the glory of a red ruby or deep green emerald to a drinking glass, but you get the idea.

I encourage you to look at many different rings or pendants, in various settings before making your final decision. Certain settings tend to bring out the “personality” of the stone more than others.

Although transparent diamonds seem to be the most sought after, colored diamonds are also found naturally. The color can be created artificially by exposing them to radiation or by heating them a certain way.

If a diamond was artificially colored, the price should be lower. Naturally occurring colored diamonds are not common, especially the red, blue black and possibly most rare of all, the deep pink.

There are some colored diamonds which are not considered particularly fancy, and these would be the extremely pale yellow and brown ones. These are most often found in the diamond mines. They are actually an off-white version of the transparent gem.