Gemstone Colors Gemstones come in a breathtaking array of colors, each captivating in its own right. From the fiery red of rubies to the tranquil blue of sapphires, the spectrum of gemstone colors is as diverse as it is enchanting. Let’s embark on a journey through this vivid world of gemstone hues and discover the beauty and significance behind each shade.

Each gemstone is unique with a special color birthplace and story. Gemstone come in every color of the rainbow and are gathered from all corners of the world. With each colored gemstone possessing a unique creation of beautiful color. Some gemstone have been treasured since before history began and others were only discovered recently.

Color has three components that are main Hue, Tone and Saturation.

Hue is referred to as the shade, sensation or tint of a color. The GIA Gem Set® has 31 Hues which are often used to spell it out virtually all gemstone colors. The GIA that is complete Gem Set has 324 sample hue colors with varying Tones and Saturations.

Tone is referred to as the lightness that is relative darkness of a Hue. The GIA Tone Scale is divided in to 11 grades, 0 to 10, with 0 being colorless to 10 being black.

Saturation is referred to as the purity or strength of a Hue. The GIA Saturation Scale is from 1 to 6. The reduced numbers (1, a few) of warm colors such as for example red, orange or tend that is yellow look brownish in addition to cool colors such as for example blue and green have a tendency to look grayish. Level 4 no more shows either brownishness or grayishness, while neither is strong or weak. Level 5 is level and strong 6 being vivid, almost over colored.

Various Gemstone Colors

GIA Hue, Tone & Saturation Scales
How Color is described using the GIA Color Grades for Colored Gemstones.
Hue			Tone
RP/PR	Red-Purple or Purple-Red		0	C – Colorless/white
stpR	strongly purplish Red		1	EXL – Extremely Light
slpR	slightly purplish Red		2	VL – Very Light
R	Red		3	L- Light
oR	orangy Red		4	ML – Medium Light
RO/OR	Red-Orange or Orange-Red		5	M – Medium
rO	reddish Orange		6	MD – Medium Dark
O	Orange		7	D – Dark
yO	yellowish Orange		8	VD – Very Dark
Y	Yellow		9	EXD – Extremely Dark
gY	greenish Yellow
YG/GY	Yellow-Green or Green-Yellow
styG	strongly yellowish Green
yG	yellowish Green
slyG	slightly yellowish Green
G	Green
vslbG	very slightly bluish Green
bG	bluish Green
vstbG	very strongly bluish Green
GB/BG	Green-Blue or Blue-Green
vstgB	very strongly greenish Blue
gB	greenish Blue
vslgB	very slightly greenish Blue
B	Blue
vB	violetish Blue
bV	bluish Violet
V	Violet
bP	bluish Purple
P	Purple
rP	reddish Purple
Saturation
gr(br)	grayish(brownish)
slgr(br)	slightly grayish(brownish)
vslgr(br)	very slightly grayish(brownish)
mst	moderately strong
s	strong
v	vivid
Exceptions (Saturation)
pk	pink
brn	brown
Color by Spectrum Exceptions (Saturation)
w	white
n	none, colorless or clear
b	black