There are many companies on the internet and elsewhere purporting to sell “jyotish quality” or natural gems. These terms can be misleading, as they do not say anything about gemological quality or the possibility of the gemstones having been treated to improve their appearance.

For a gemstone to be of a quality that can have effects on the body, mind and subtle influences of life (as seen through the horoscope) the gems must be:

• Natural (meaning NOT synthetic and coming from the earth naturally)
• Untreated (meaning no heat-treatment, fracture filling, coloration, irradiation, etc.)
• Good clarity (meaning a minimum of inclusions within the gemstone)
• Good color (in colored stones means the color is throughout the gem and of good hue, tone and saturation)
• Cut faceted for all gems except coral, pearl and cats-eye (no cabachons as most are of much lower quality or they would be cut faceted)

If a gem is advertised as being excellent quality in a sapphire for $50 per carat you can safely assume it is garbage! Precious gems are rare, valuable and greatly in demand in the world and always have been. You can buy a
1 carat diamond for $100 or for $15,000, but they are not equal. A low quality gem can actually have the opposite effect you desire and be a cause of increased suffering. Quality is everything.

Therefore you must ask for guarantees of authenticity from your gemstone source that the gems are natural and without treatment. Otherwise although expensive, they are useless for healing and will have no effect whatsoever, other than to lighten your wallet or purse.

Check the credentials of your gem source company and of the proprietors of the company. Are they gemologists, members of jewelry trade or other known gem organizations? What is their reputation?

Getting a bit of gemological knowledge is important. An educated buyer knows what he or she needs and desires in the quality of their gemstone purchase. A gem must have the prerequisite gemological qualifications mentioned above to be worthy of consideration. When comparing photographs of gems, especially on-line, note how magnified they are. Can you see into the clarity of the gem? Ask if it truly represents the gemstone in appearance of color, etc.

Finally do some research as to the range of pricing for gems. Low quality, cheap gems are worthless for any purpose, as are expensive high quality treated gems. 99% of all gemstones used in the jewelry trade are treated in some way to enhance their appearance and make them more saleable. There are rubies and sapphires that would be suitable only as fish tank gravel when taken from the ground, but become clearer and more saturated with color after heat-treatment. All emeralds are put into oil at the mines, which in itself is not harmful for jyotish unless the emerald is very fractured and therefore the oil hides the fact that it is a low quality gem. Some have even been caught in South American emeralds using polymers as fillers to hide imperfections.

Either you must know gems yourself or know that your source is not only expert, but honest, and comes with an untarnished reputation. After all, gem buying is a blind arena for most people and knowing your source is the best in all respects insures you of getting what you seek at a fair price and in a quality commensurate with your financial budget. Once procuring a fine gem as prescribed by your astrologer or ayurvedic doctor its energies, and thus benefits, will continue to give you positive effects and enhanced gains throughout the entire lifetime.