Gemstone Color Chart at AJS Gems

The standard way to organize gemstones is by gem species (corundum, beryl, quartz, etc.) and variety (ruby, sapphire, topaz, spinel, etc.).

But for gemstone and jewelry collectors it is sometimes useful to organize gems by color. It provides a different overview of the gemstone world, and can be a timely reminder of the rarity of certain colors, such as red and blue.

Since there is enormous variation in color across the many gem varieties, we have organized this chart around color families. We have also included sections for multicolor, color change and star/cat's eye gems.

Red Gems

Red is one of the rarest colors in the gems world, and a pure red, such as the famed pigeon's blood ruby, is exceptionally rare. Most red gems are orangey-red (spinel), pink-red (spinel, garnet) or purplish-red (rubellite tourmaline).


Burma Ruby	Red Spinel	Rhodolite Garnet


Rubellite Tourmaline	Rhodonite	Red Zircon


	Cuprite

Blue Gems

Though blue is a more common gem color than red, very few gems occur in a pure saturated blue. Sapphire is really the only example, though tanzanite sometimes comes close. Other blue gems tend to be a grayish-blue (spinel, benitoite), greenish-blue (blue zircon, apatite, tourmaline, gem silica) or a pastel blue (aquamarine, topaz).


Blue Sapphire	Tanzanite	Blue Spinel


Aquamarine	Blue Zircon	Blue Apatite


Color Change Fluorite	Benitoite	Blue Topaz


Paraiba Tourmaline	Gem Silica	Blue Tourmaline

Iolite

Green Gems

Green presents the most choices in the gems world, but many of the finest green gems, such as emerald, jadeite, tsavorite garnet and demantoid garnet, are quite rare. Green hues are mainly due to traces of chromium and vanadium or iron.


Emerald	Tsavorite Garnet	Chrome Tourmaline


Demantoid Garnet	Chrome Diopside	Peridot


Sphene	Idocrase	Prehnite


Green Tourmaline	Jadeite Jade	Green Sapphire


Mali Garnet	Chrysoberyl	Actinolite Cat's Eye


Chyrsoprase	Chrome Chalcedony	Amblygonite


Green Quartz	Green Fluorite	Oligoclase


Apatite	Williamsite

Pink Gems

The finest pink gems are sapphire, spinel and tourmaline, with tourmaline exhibiting the widest range of pink hues. Kunzite and morganite are popular because they are relatively inexpensive and can be found in large sizes.


Pink Sapphire	Pink Spinel	Pink Tourmaline


Kunzite	Morganite	Pezzottaite


Padparadscha Sapphire	Rhodochrosite

Yellow/Gold/Bronze Gems

The most valuable yellow or gold gems are sapphire and imperial topaz. Citrine and yellow beryl are quite attractive, but relatively common. Yellow tourmaline is rare.


Yellow Sapphire	Yellow Beryl	Yellow Tourmaline


Honey Zircon	Citrine	Yellow Fluorite


Scapolite	Sphene	Imperial Topaz

Kornerupine

Orange Gems

Spessartite garnet is considered the finest of the vivid orange gems, but a number of other gems can be found in shades of orange, including sapphire, spinel, tourmaline and mexican fire opal.


Orange Sapphire	Spessartite Garnet	Orange Tourmaline


Imperial Topaz	Citrine	Orange Spinel


Mexican Opal	Sphalerite	Padparadscha Sapphire

Rhodochrosite

Violet/Purple Gems

There are relatively few violet or purple gems. Amethyst is the most famous and by far the most popular for jewelry. Sapphire and spinel can sometimes be found in violet, while chalcedony typically occurs in a greyish-lilac color.


Amethyst	Purple Fluorite	Chalcedony


Scapolite	Violet Sapphire	Purple Spinel


Jeremejevite	Iolite

White/Colorless Gems

Diamond is the hardest and most valuable of the colorless gems, but a number of other gems have been popular over the years as alternatives, particularly white sapphire, white zircon, goshenite (white beryl), petalite and danburite.


Diamond	White Sapphire	White Zircon


Danburite	White Tourmaline	Moonstone


Goshenite Beryl	Petalite

Multicolor Gems

Some unusual gems displays regions of different color, notably the bi-color and tri-color tourmalines and the purple/gold quartz known as ametrine. Opal is famous for its play of color.


Bi-Color Tourmaline	Ametrine	Precious Opal

Multicolor
Fluorite

Color Change Gems

Some rare gems change color under varying lighting conditions. Alexandrite is the most famous example of a color change gem, displaying green or brown under daylight and a purplish-red under incandescent light.


Color-Change Alexandrite	Color-Change Sapphire	Color-Change Garnet


Color-Change Diaspore	Color-Change Fluorite

Star and Cat's Eye Gems

The phenomena of asterism (the star effect) and chatoyancy(the cat's eye effect) have been known for centures, and these rare gems are coveted by collectors. Star sapphires and star rubies are the best known gems that can display a star, while cat's eye chrysoberyl is the most famous cat's eye gem.