Dear vikone,
Traditionally, only diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire are considered
"precious", while all other kinds of gems, such as amethyst, opal, and
bloodstone, are "semiprecious". The precious stones enjoyed higher
appreciation because of their greater rareness and also because of the
special beauty of the most perfect specimens of their kinds. Other
gems were less rare and therefore less valuable.
However, the traditional segmentation in precious and semiprecious
gems is regarded not valid anymore by gem experts. This is so because
many stones classified "semiprecious" according to the historical
pattern sell for higher prices than "precious" gems of low or medium
quality today.
The distinction between "precious" and "semiprecious" gems never had
an objective, rational or scientific basis. Rather, it is a
categorization based upon common subjective appraisal only.
Today, a beautiful and pure garnet, though traditionally belonging to
the "semiprecious" gems, can reach a much higher price than a
low-quality "precious" diamond of comparable size. The terms
"precious" and "semiprecious" are still used occasionally, but they
are not considered staid definitions. The U.S. Federal Trade
Commission, which sets legal definitions, has considered making it
illegal to use them because they can be deceptive.
Sources:
International Gem Society: How Gems are Classified
http://www.gemsociety.org/info/igem8.htm
Mardon Jewelers: Q & A
http://www.mardonjewelers.com/html/q___a.html
Alpha Imports: Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.millenniumgemstones.com/site/frequently_asked_questions.html#Precious%20gemstones%20are
Search terms used:
precious semiprecious difference
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=precious+semiprecious+difference&meta=
Hope this answers your question!
Best regards,
Scriptor |
