Origins: where gemstones come from

Kashmir sapphire (velvety, almost cornflower blue), Burmese / Mogok ruby (pigeon-blood red with strong fluorescence), Colombian emerald (Muzo and Chivor mines), Paraíba tourmaline (neon turquoise-blue, originally Brazilian) — for these four families, origin is part of the identity. A Kashmir sapphire and a Madagascar sapphire of identical appearance trade at multiples because of the perception, scarcity, and history of Kashmir.

Modern lab reports (GIA, SSEF, Gübelin, AGL) can determine origin through trace element chemistry and inclusion patterns with high confidence for these families. Origin determination is a paid laboratory service, not a marketing claim.

For most coloured stones — citrine, amethyst, garnet, topaz, peridot — origin has marginal effect on value. Buying citrine "from Brazil" rather than "from Bolivia" should cost the same per carat at equivalent quality. If a seller is charging an origin premium on a stone family where origin is not certified by labs, treat the price with scepticism.

For Indian-mined stones (jadau-grade polki, panna, Hyderabadi pearl) we work directly with sightholders and cutters in Jaipur and Surat — no intermediaries. For Burmese ruby, Sri Lankan sapphire, and Colombian emerald, we work with sourcing partners in Bangkok and Bogotá who provide chain-of-custody documentation. For Kashmir, supply is effectively closed; we work from old estate inventories and disclose provenance in writing.