I follow the GIA clarity grading guide, which categorises coloured gemstones into three types based on how included they typically are, for example. Aquamarine is type 1 because it is usually eye-clean, but emeralds are type 3 because they almost always have eye visible inclusions.

Within each type, there are eight clarity levels, ranging from VVS (top clarity) to DCL (stones so included that they are no longer transparent).

When writing colour descriptors, I compare the gemstone to a colour wheel while holding the stone table up against a white background in natural light. This allows me to be more consistent when describing a gemstones colour.

When a stone falls between two colours, such as yellowy Green, the dominant colour is put second and capitalised to indicate that it is the stones primary colour.

I categorise reclaimed gemstones into five condition levels:

Excellent - I've not found any marks on the gem. It was likely not previously set.

Very Good - Tiny nicks or scuffs that don't affect the stone's appearance.

Good - Small nicks/chips and scuffs that very slightly impact aesthetics or need consideration during setting.

OK: Small nicks/chips and scuffs that affect aesthetics and will need to be taken into consideration when setting.

Poor: Large chips and scratches significantly impacting appearance; requires re-cutting or polishing to restore usability.

I strive to provide accurate measurements, listing each gems size in millimeters and weight in carats. However, since these measurements are taken manually, please allow for a small margin of error.

When a gemstone is more likely than not to have received a treatment, such as heating for smoky quartz and aquamarines to improve colour or oiling for an emerald to improve clarity, I list these treatments as presumed because they are often not visually detectable and, in some cases (particularly with some heat treatments), cannot be detected even in high-end gem labs.

When dealing with pre-owned gemstones, I rarely indicate the country of origin because it would only be an educated guess; however, if the data strongly points towards a specific country, I will list the country as 'likely'. Peridot is a good example of this as it can have different RI readings depending on where it was mined.

When it comes to treatments I err on the side of caution- assuming a gemstone has been treated if that type of stone usually is, unless there is evidence, either visual or an independent lab report, telling me otherwise.