Our New Gallery of Gems is online!
February 4th, 2009 by James L. Sweaney, CGA, FGA. GGFine Gems, Full and Complete Grading, Great Photos—Easy Shopping for the Gem Connoisseur
The Mardon Gallery of Gems
After months of hard work and much thought, we’re proud to introduce the Gallery of Gems, our unique catalog of colored gemstones. This initial posting is just a few items from our inventory— more to follow after the Tucson Gem Shows and Valentine’s Day have passed.
Our gems are presented in an exciting on-line format that is packed with special features and valuable information. The Mardon Colored Stone Grading System combines and integrates the basic structure of the GIA Colored Stone Grading System with the Gem Guide International market and price data. Building on these solid foundations, we’ve added high quality photography, gem enhancement and country-of-origin information, and links to our on-line grading system documentation. Our friendly mouse-over photographs show front, back, and side views plus a size comparison of the gem. In addition to the description of color, clarity, weight and measurements, we’ve added cut grading of all our colored gems.
Each of the major grading categories, color, cut, and clarity is fully described and graded in the essential components that comprise that category. For example, we don’t just describe the color; we break it down and grade each component of color in the terms of the GIA Gemstone Color Description System, which are Hue, Tone, and Intensity. Cut is treated similarly, describing and grading each component that makes up the cut grade.
We’ve made the effort to carefully document our techniques and methods because we believe in transparency and the free flow of information—see the Mardon Grading Guarantee at the Colored Stone Grading tab. Even if you’re not in the market for a gemstone, the grading system descriptions alone will give you a good introduction to the methodology of grading fine colored stones. If you are looking for a fine gem, you can buy with confidence from our Gallery of Gems because you have all the facts—we guarantee it!
