Grading Gemstones

Article submitted by Marie-Ann Coyle

Gemstone Grading by Lexi, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

https://www.firemountaingems.com/resources/encyclobeadia/charts/e893

There are a lot of steps to grade a gemstone. Each step of grading focuses on a different feature and has many details that create the overall grade determination. It can be difficult to understand gemstone grades without training, so with the help of the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads gemologists we’ve created a chart to help clarify the basics. Images of both emerald and lapis lazuli are shown to illustrate transparent and opaque versions of each grade. There are other factors taken into consideration when grading colored gemstones such as the quality and rarity of the material, enhancements, overall size of the stone, uniformity of shape, quality of cutting/faceting and the combination of graded features.