Naseef AR

What I know about gemstones I learned with one in my hand, every day for the past few years in Ratnapura. I buy rough at the pits and the morning markets, and I grade every stone myself in daylight, turning most of them away. I preform the rough and plan every cut myself, then hand it to cutters I know personally, who cut it by hand. Stones that need heating go to partners I trust, and I read the reports that independent laboratories send back.

I have a passion for sharing what I know with others, and that is why I write the Crestonne Journal. Crestonne is my own business. It sells natural Ceylon sapphires, and many of my articles link to its collection. I am now studying gemmology formally, so I am still learning too.

If you are buying a sapphire, start with my articles on price per carat, laboratory certificates and heated versus unheated stones. If you already own one, I explain whether it is hard enough for daily wear and how to clean a sapphire ring at home. I also write about padparadscha, the pink-orange sapphire, how the star in a star sapphire forms, and how gems are mined here. If an article does not answer your question, write to me.