Gemstone Guides & Astrological Articles
Showing 12 of 36 Educational Buying Guides
Blue Sapphire (Neelam) Buying Guide: Price per Carat, Treatments and the Shani Trial
Blue sapphire (Neelam) is the gem of Saturn in Vedic tradition and the most misunderstood stone in the Indian market. Learn how to judge colour and clarity, what heated and glass-filled mean, the traditional trial, and what Neelam costs.
Yellow Sapphire (Pukhraj) Buying Guide: Price, Beryllium Test & Ratti Sizing
Yellow sapphire (Pukhraj) is the gem of Jupiter in Vedic tradition, and the most confusingly priced. Learn what decides quality, why milky stones are poor value, Bangkok vs Nigerian vs Ceylon, the beryllium question, and real prices.
Emerald (Panna) Buying Guide: Price per Carat, Oiling Explained, Zambian vs Colombian
Emerald (Panna) is green beryl and the gem of Mercury in Vedic tradition. Learn how to judge colour and jardin, what oiling and resin mean, how Colombian, Zambian and Brazilian emeralds compare, how to spot synthetics, and what Panna costs.
Nepal Rudraksha Price Guide 2026: 1-14 Mukhi Rates and How to Spot Fakes
Nepali Rudraksha beads are larger, with deeper Mukhi lines, than Indonesian beads. See real 1 to 14 Mukhi prices, the truth about round 1 Mukhi, why the water test proves nothing, how an X-ray proves a bead, and traditional customs.
Star Ruby (Sitara Manik) Buying Guide: Judging the Star, Fakes and Price
Star ruby (Sitara Manik) is ruby with a six-rayed star, associated with the Sun in Vedic tradition. Learn how to judge the star and colour, why opaque stones can be good buys, how to spot synthetics and glass-filled stones, and what it costs.
Malachite (Dana Firang) Buying Guide: Banding, Fakes, Safety and Price
Malachite (Dana Firang) is soft, banded copper carbonate, mostly from the Congo. Learn how to judge its banding, tell it from reconstituted and plastic fakes, handle it safely, where the "kidney stone" name comes from, and what it costs.
Lapis Lazuli (Lajward) Buying Guide: Price per Carat, Untreated vs Dyed, Shani Upratna
Lapis lazuli (Lajward) is deep blue rock flecked with golden pyrite and a traditional substitute for Neelam. Learn how to judge its colour, spot dyed lapis and fakes such as "Swiss lapis", care for a soft stone, and what it costs.
Red Jasper Buying Guide: Colour, Fakes, Price and Care
Red jasper is opaque brick-red quartz, durable and affordable, and a traditional substitute for Red Coral. Learn how to judge its colour and polish, how to tell it from dyed imitations, why per-carat and per-kilo prices differ, and what it costs.
Jamunia Stone Price & Buying Guide: Real vs Synthetic Amethyst (2026)
Jamunia (amethyst) is purple quartz and the most affordable substitute for Neelam. Learn how colour and clarity set its price, why only a laboratory can separate natural from lab-grown amethyst, how to protect its colour, and what it costs.
Hakik Stone Buying Guide: Varieties, Price and How to Spot Dyed Agate
Hakik (agate) is banded chalcedony, worn in India mostly as Sulemani and Yamini Hakik. Learn the varieties, how to spot dyed agate and glass, the customs for each colour, and what natural Hakik really costs.
Opal (Doodhiya Patthar) Buying Guide: Price by Fire, Hydrophane Care, Doublets
Opal (Doodhiya Patthar) shows a rainbow play-of-colour and is a traditional substitute for Diamond. Learn what causes its colour, Australian vs Ethiopian opal, spotting treated stones, doublets and synthetics, care, and real prices.
Gomed Stone Price 2026: Hessonite Treacle Effect, Rahu Weight and Origins
Gomed (hessonite) is honey-coloured garnet and the gem of Rahu in Vedic tradition. Learn how to judge its colour and treacle effect, how Ceylon and African Gomed compare, which checks separate it from glass, and what it costs.