6 Gemstones That Need Protection From The Summer Sunlight

The bright sunshine is one of the best parts of summertime in Stamford – but that brilliant intense light can be tough on colored gemstone jewelry. While it’s fine to wear your favorite jewelry during the summer, you don’t want to lie out in the sun while you’re wearing gemstones with a propensity to fade in the sun. It also matters where you store your jewelry: prolonged exposure to sunlight can remove the color from certain gemstones in much the same way carpeting and furniture fades.

6 Gemstones That Need Protection from the Summer Sunlight

1) Amethyst is February’s birthstone. Most amethyst are purple, and can range in color from very pale lilac to a rich, royal purple. There are also green amethyst. All amethyst is a form of quartz, and quartz stones will lose color with prolonged exposure to sunlight.

2) Aquamarine is a lovely blue gemstone used to celebrate March birthdays. Aquamarine is a relatively hard stone, but it is quite sensitive to sunlight and extreme temperature. Summer time storage of aquamarine should be in a cool, dry setting, such as a jewelry box in an air conditioned room. 

3) Beryl comes in several different colors. Green beryl is known as emerald; pink beryl is also called morganite; there are also golden and red beryls. The propensity of beryl to fade varies by the intensity of the color saturation: deeply colored stones retain more hue than lighter colored stones due to prolonged sunlight exposure.

4) Citrine is the sunny golden yellow form of quartz. Of all the quartz gemstones, Citrine is among the fastest to lose color due to prolonged sunlight exposure. Citrine tends to be used in larger, more dramatic pieces of jewelry that may not fit comfortably in a small jewelry box: if you’re storing citrine jewelry on top of a vanity or bureau, make sure it’s protected from ambient sunlight.

5) Sapphires of all varieties, including blue sapphires, pink sapphires, and fancy sapphires, will exhibit slight signs of fading with prolonged sun exposure. This is also true for rubies, which are the dark red form of sapphires.

6) Opals occupy a special category in the jewelry world. These gemstones have a high water content and are relatively soft.  Sunlight exposure is problematic for opals because the stones will dry out and crack due to the heat.

What Kind of Jewelry is Safe to Wear to the Beach?

If you know you’re going to be out in the sun all day long, choose gold or silver jewelry without any colored gemstones, or choose very durable stones like diamonds. There are a number of great beach-party-ready pieces in NAGI’s showcases right now: come down and check them out.