The charm of neutral-colored gemstones

In this issue, I would like to write about my thoughts on the colors of gemstones.　

I still remember the excitement I felt when I opened and looked at the 24 colored pencils I received from school when I entered elementary school. I was fascinated by the beauty of the gradation of the 24 colors and the colors between the primary colors of red, blue, yellow, and white, such as “kumidori”, “yamabuki-iro”, and “dai-dai-iro”.

When I grew up and saw a larger number of colored pencils with 72 or 120 colors, I lost track of time and gazed at the beauty of the overall arrangement of colors. Perhaps many of you have had this kind of experience.

When there are more colors, there are more in-between colors other than the primary colors. Those in-between colors were fun to learn not only their colors but also the names of the colors.　They were “morning glory,” “seijiiro,” “fujiiro,” “moegiiro,” and so on.

Let’s move on to gemstones.

When you are in the jewelry industry, diamonds are by far the most common gemstone you come into contact with. This may come as a surprise, but the majority of companies deal almost exclusively in diamonds. This is because diamonds are the most in-demand gemstone.

Fortunately, my company has been handling and producing a variety of colored stones other than diamonds as jewelry since I joined the company. We handled many rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, which are called the three most precious stones, and gradually I came to know the subtle differences in red for rubies and the differences in blue for sapphires.

I also handled semi-precious gemstones (such as garnet, tourmaline, and opal) in addition to the above three major precious gemstones, and I noticed that some of them had beauty and brilliance that surpassed that of fine precious stones.As OKURADO began to buy more and more gemstones, we began to see more and more of them. Among them, I came to know that there were semi-precious stones with stunningly beautiful brilliance and color.

The name “semi-precious stones” comes from the fact that they were said to be slightly less hard and less valuable than precious stones. This is because the higher the hardness, the easier they are to polish, and thus the more lustrous they are. Nowadays, gem polishing techniques have improved, and gemstones can be polished to a very beautiful luster that is no less than that of the three major precious gemstones.

Besides, semi-precious stones originally surpassed the three major precious stones in the variety of subtle hues and subtle intermediate colors.

rings with neutral-colored gemstones, we use round shape ones and they are unusual

from Candy collection

Attracted by the brilliance of such intermediate colors, I have been buying more and more semi-precious stones such as garnet, tourmaline, and spinel, which shine beautifully in delicate shades, and I suddenly remembered the colored pencils that fascinated me as a child. Beautiful neutral colored pencils with beautiful names that existed between the primary colors.

The dots that interest me will connect somewhere someday.

For Japanese people, neutral colors seem to reflect “the change of time in nature” (such as the hues of leaves at different times of the day, or the sky in the morning and evening), or they feel an image of “harmony” or “profundity” from neutral colors, which is a color with which they have a great affinity.

Lagoon tourmaline Ring 

Padparadscha sapphire Ring

Many “neutral colors” are also used in OKURADO’s products.　

For example, there is a stone commonly known as lagoon tourmaline. This tourmaline is a beautiful shade of green with a hint of blue, like sunlight shining through the depths of a clear ocean.

There is another stone commonly known as mint garnet. This dazzling garnet has a youthful grassy color with a slight yellow tinge and a fresh green luster. The orange-pink padparadscha sapphire has a beautiful, indescribable, neutral glow that is reminiscent of a beautiful sunset on a clear day.　

The subtle hues of these sapphires, which can only be seen in person, change depending on the light source, and we invite you to discover the color that resonates with you.

Hitoshi Okura

OKURADO

▼journals about my selections of gemstones, Japanese scenery with neutral-color

My criteria for selecting gemstones

Happy New Year

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