Gem Notes
Learn the stone before you buy it
Straight answers on identifying, pricing, choosing and caring for natural gemstones — written for buyers in Pakistan, with the Urdu names you already know.
Wearing moti Wearing Moti: Finger, Metal, Day and Everyday Care
For most people in Pakistan, a pearl is the softest stone they will ever wear in a ring. Nearly every piece of advice about wearing one foll…
Read
How to pick a good moonstone Moonstone Buying Guide: Choosing a Chandrakant With a Real Glow
People buy a moonstone for one reason more than any other: that soft light that drifts across the surface as the stone moves. Gemmologists c…
Read
Yashab through the ages Yashab (Jade) Benefits: The Traditions, and What Jade Really Does Well
Hardly any stone has been loved for as long, or by as many cultures, as jade. Here in Pakistan it goes by yashab, and people buy it for stea…
Read
Wearing tiger eye Wearing Tiger Eye: Which Finger, Which Hand, Which Metal
Of all the stones we sell, tiger eye is one of the least fussy to wear. It is quartz, so it is hard enough for daily use, it needs no specia…
Read
How to tell a fair chalcedony price from a poor one What Chalcedony Should Cost in Pakistan: Per Carat, Per Ratti and Why
Chalcedony is one of the cheaper natural stones on the market, and that is exactly what makes its price easy to get wrong. When a stone cost…
Read
Sulemani aqeeq prices Sulemani Aqeeq Prices in Pakistan: What You Are Really Paying For
Sulemani aqeeq is one of the most commonly worn stones in Pakistan. You will find it everywhere, from a tray on a bazaar pavement to a smart…
Read
How to wear yellow sapphire, from someone who sets them every week Wearing Pukhraj: Finger, Hand, Metal and the Right Setting
Ask most jewellers or astrologers in Pakistan how to wear pukhraj and you will get the same quick answer: right hand, index finger, gold, an…
Read
Colour, surface, size, shape and the per-ratti trap Red Coral (Marjan) Prices in Pakistan: What You Are Really Paying For
Red coral, or marjan, is priced first on its colour, then on how smooth its surface is, its size and its shape. After that come origin and w…
Read
Gem Notes Wearing Moonstone: Finger, Hand, Silver Setting and Everyday Care
The traditional way to wear moonstone is in a silver ring, on the little finger or the ring finger, put on for the first time on a Monday, w…
Read
Gem Notes Is Your Jade (Yashab) Real? Home Checks, Lab Tests and Buying Safely
Genuine jade is one of two minerals: nephrite or jadeite. Anything else sold as jade, whether green serpentine, dyed quartz or glass, is an…
Read
Gem Notes Australian Opal Prices in Pakistan: How Black, Boulder and White Opal Compare
An Australian opal is priced first on its type and body tone, then on how bright its play-of-colour is and what pattern it makes, and only a…
Read
Gem Notes What Citrine (Sunehla) Should Cost in Pakistan, and Why
Sunehla, as citrine is often called here, is one of the most affordable natural yellow stones you can buy in Pakistan. Its price comes down…
Read
Gem Notes Tanzanite Prices in Pakistan: What You Are Paying For
With tanzanite, the price follows the depth of the blue-violet colour more than anything else, and size has an unusually strong pull, becaus…
Read
