A BIT OF HISTORY!
It's important to understand why it was necessary to devise a new approach to color description. Our needs are quite complex. With diamonds we looks for an absence of color and compare a diamond color against a set of master diamond colors which show only slight nuances of yellow or brown. Why not also have a color set to match gem colors against?
Color gems present us with many different "faces."
Consider the following gemstone color appearances
During the "investment craze" of the late 1970s, various gemstone laboratories were issuing descriptive reports on gems for the investment industry and people trading in gems for investment purposes. These reports used numbers to describe color and tone, which could not be duplicated properly outside the labs. Each lab had their own set of color reference material and one lab designation had no correlation to that of any other lab. No one outside the lab could judge that material without actually seeing it. Jewelers could not help their customers when asked for advice and it is believed that jewelers lost millions in sales to investment companies because of this.
Any system that becomes trade practice should be an affordable tool, not just for labs to use. This would allow descriptions to be verified and challenged if necessary. The GemDialogue color system is the result of years of development and will serve as a master color standard. It was endorsed by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) in 1983 and is today recommended by many appraisal professionals and organizations.
Color gems present us with many different "faces."
Consider the following gemstone color appearances
- Stones may show uniform color in one position and uneven color in another.
- They may show two different types of color in the face up position, such as orange red and purplish red at the same time (dichroism).
- They may have good color, but face up blackish or brownish.
- Two or three completely different colors may be seen next to each other, or even separately, under different lighting conditions.
- Poorly cut material or zoned material will show both stronger and weaker color areas in the same gemstone.
- In addition, we must be prepared to describe these situations for transparent, translucent, and opaque materials in just about every color and combination nature has blessed us with.
During the "investment craze" of the late 1970s, various gemstone laboratories were issuing descriptive reports on gems for the investment industry and people trading in gems for investment purposes. These reports used numbers to describe color and tone, which could not be duplicated properly outside the labs. Each lab had their own set of color reference material and one lab designation had no correlation to that of any other lab. No one outside the lab could judge that material without actually seeing it. Jewelers could not help their customers when asked for advice and it is believed that jewelers lost millions in sales to investment companies because of this.
Any system that becomes trade practice should be an affordable tool, not just for labs to use. This would allow descriptions to be verified and challenged if necessary. The GemDialogue color system is the result of years of development and will serve as a master color standard. It was endorsed by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) in 1983 and is today recommended by many appraisal professionals and organizations.