I still remember the first time I walked into a proper jewelry workshop - the scent of metal polish, the gentle hum of polishing wheels, and the way sunlight caught the facets of gemstones scattered across the workbench. That moment sparked my lifelong fascination with these natural wonders, and over the years I've developed some strong opinions about which gems truly deserve the spotlight. Today I want to share my personal top 10 list of super gems that can transform ordinary jewelry into extraordinary pieces, though I should warn you - my preferences definitely skew toward stones with character rather than just carat weight.

Let's start with something familiar yet extraordinary - diamonds. Now I know what you're thinking, "how predictable," but hear me out. The magic of diamonds isn't just in their sparkle; it's in how they interact with light in ways no other stone can replicate. I once designed a necklace with precisely cut diamonds that caught light from every angle, creating this incredible prism effect that literally made people stop and stare. What most people don't realize is that the cutting quality matters far more than the size - a perfectly cut half-carat diamond can outshine a poorly cut two-carat stone any day. And while we're talking about light, let's discuss sapphires. Most people picture blue sapphires, but my personal favorites are the padparadscha sapphires with their stunning salmon-pink hue. I've seen maybe three truly exceptional ones in my career, each costing around $15,000 per carat, but my goodness, they're worth every penny.

Now here's where things get really interesting. Emeralds have this velvety green depth that no other green stone can match, though they're notoriously included with natural imperfections. Some jewelers see these inclusions as flaws, but I've always thought they give each emerald its unique fingerprint. Rubies though - that's where my true passion lies. A fine Burmese ruby with that distinctive pigeon blood red can command over $1 million per carat at auction, which is absolutely insane when you think about it, but the color is so vibrant it almost seems to glow from within. I remember holding one at a Geneva auction years ago that literally made my hands tremble - not from nerves, but from pure aesthetic overwhelm.

What fascinates me about working with these materials is how much it reminds me of strategic games I play in my downtime - there's this beautiful complexity in managing relationships between different elements, much like managing diplomatic relations between city-states. When I'm designing a piece with multiple gemstones, I have to consider how they'll interact, which combinations will enhance each other, and which might create visual conflict. It's not unlike how in strategic games you might incite city-states to raid opponents' lands while simultaneously stealing their technologies - every element has to work in concert. In jewelry creation, if I pair a diamond with an emerald, I need to ensure the diamond's brilliance doesn't overwhelm the emerald's subtle glow, much like balancing different gameplay mechanics to create those exhilarating moments where everything clicks into place.

Let me tell you about alexandrite - now this is a stone that truly plays with perception. It changes color from green in daylight to red under incandescent light, and finding a good quality piece is like winning the lottery. The first time I saw the color change phenomenon, I literally spent two hours moving between different light sources just watching the stone transform. Then there's tanzanite, discovered only in the 1960s in Tanzania and already becoming rarer each year. The deep violet-blue of quality tanzanite is something you have to see in person to believe - photographs simply can't capture its depth. I particularly love pairing tanzanite with yellow diamonds in what I call "sunset combinations" that mimic those magical moments when day turns to night.

Opals are another personal favorite, though many jewelers find them frustratingly delicate. The play-of-color in a fine black opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia can display every color of the rainbow simultaneously, shifting and changing as you move the stone. I've calculated that a top-quality black opal might show around 7 distinct color patterns in a single stone, creating this living kaleidoscope effect that never gets old. Tourmaline deserves mention too - available in every color imaginable, including the incredible "watermelon" tourmaline that shows pink in the center and green around the edges. The first time I cut one open to reveal that natural gradient, I felt like I'd uncovered some secret of nature.

What ties all these gems together for me is how they each tell a story - about the earth's geology, about human discovery, about cultural significance across centuries. When I set a fine gemstone into a jewelry design, I'm not just creating decoration; I'm creating a wearable piece of history and natural wonder. The best jewelry pieces, like the best strategic games, require you to use all available tools and knowledge to succeed - understanding how different elements interact, anticipating how choices made early affect outcomes later, and appreciating that sometimes the most brilliant results come from unexpected combinations. Whether I'm working with the classic elegance of pearls or the cosmic mystery of moldavite (a gemstone literally born from meteorite impacts), each material offers unique possibilities that challenge me to think differently about beauty and design. And honestly, that's what keeps me excited about jewelry after all these years - there's always another stunning combination to discover, another hidden gem waiting to reveal its secrets.