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Color Characteristics of Gemstones Color is the key characteristic of a gemstone. Jewelers considered color to be a crucial element in evaluating a gemstone. To determine the color of a gemstone, examine its hue, tone and saturation. Hue Gemstones that have a pure color and only slight hues of other colors are defined as the most valuable. Sapphires, for example, can be slightly purplish-blue to slightly greenish-blue in hue; pink sapphires consistently range from pink to slightly purplish-pink; and rubies are slightly orangish-red to slightly purplish-red. Tone Tone indicates the depth of color that goes from colorless to black. The range of tones of gemstones is light, medium-light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. Saturation Saturation, or color purity, indicates how much a gem is free from brown or gray hues. Those gemstones with very little gray or brown are the most sought after and are said to have vivid or strong color saturation.
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