Organic Gems
Pearls, amber, coral and jet: gems born of living things, colored by organic molecules, layers of nacre and pigments.
Each gem in four tones: its main color, its light part, its deepest part and the flash or glow that sets it apart. The colors are our own approximations, not laboratory standards.
Pearl
Natural or cultured
Its most familiar colors are white and cream, a light yellowish brown; black, gray and silver are also fairly common, and the palette reaches every hue.
Pearl color has three parts: the bodycolor; one or more translucent overtones, pink, green, purple or blue; and orient, an iridescent shimmer born of light interfering in alternating layers of aragonite and conchiolin. Here the sparkle is its pink overtone.
Pearl · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Pearl, faceted, hue
RGB(244, 238, 226)
Pearl · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Pearl, faceted, light
RGB(255, 255, 255)
Pearl · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Pearl, faceted, deep
RGB(216, 204, 182)
Pearl · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Pearl, faceted, sparkle
RGB(242, 212, 220)
Dark cultured pearl
French Polynesia · Pinctada margaritifera
The saltwater cultured pearls of French Polynesia, sometimes called black pearls, have a wide range: gray, black or brown, with blue, green, purple or pink overtones.
They are grown in the oyster Pinctada margaritifera (GIA). Here the sparkle is a green overtone.
Dark pearl · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Dark cultured pearl, faceted, hue
RGB(62, 66, 72)
Dark pearl · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Dark cultured pearl, faceted, light
RGB(110, 116, 124)
Dark pearl · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Dark cultured pearl, faceted, deep
RGB(30, 32, 36)
Dark pearl · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Dark cultured pearl, faceted, sparkle
RGB(106, 138, 122)
Amber
Fossilized tree resin
Sap from ancient trees that hardened and fossilized tens of millions of years ago. It can be white, yellow and orange to reddish brown; reddish amber is the most valuable.
Its honey to yellow tones come from delocalized electrons in its organic molecules (Gems & Gemology). It oxidizes and changes color over time, and can be modified by heat and dye: according to CIBJO, it is commonly heated.
Amber · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Amber, faceted, hue
RGB(232, 160, 42)
Amber · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Amber, faceted, light
RGB(242, 192, 96)
Amber · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Amber, faceted, deep
RGB(184, 106, 18)
Amber · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Amber, faceted, sparkle
RGB(248, 216, 144)
Coral
Colored by polyenic pigments
Its pink and red come from polyenic pigments: unmethylated in the genus Corallium, carotenoids in Stylaster (Gems & Gemology, 2009).
Natural-color pink to red coral has become scarce for environmental and legal reasons, and more and more dyed coral reaches the market (GIA, 2007).
Coral · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Coral, faceted, hue
RGB(216, 72, 78)
Coral · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Coral, faceted, light
RGB(232, 122, 124)
Coral · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Coral, faceted, deep
RGB(168, 36, 50)
Coral · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Coral, faceted, sparkle
RGB(244, 174, 174)
Jet
Lignite
A hard type of lignite coal, uniformly black or dark gray, that takes a high polish.
According to CIBJO, it is never treated; it is also called gagat.
Jet · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Jet, faceted, hue
RGB(30, 30, 32)
Jet · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Jet, faceted, light
RGB(74, 74, 78)
Jet · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Jet, faceted, deep
RGB(10, 10, 12)
Jet · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Jet, faceted, sparkle
RGB(138, 138, 144)
Pigmentoria is an independent color atlas. Gem, variety, place and trade names (for example «pigeon's blood» or «Paraíba») are used descriptively only and do not indicate the origin, quality, treatment or certification of any stone. The colors are our own digital approximations, not official standards of any laboratory. GIA, CIBJO, LMHC, SSEF, Gübelin and the other organisations cited belong to their owners; Pigmentoria is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.