Orange Gemstones List – My Top 8

If you are a fan of orange color gemstones and searching for a list of different types, properties, advantage and disadvantages, you are in the right place. The purpose of this article is to come up with a orange gemstones list with all the important information of each stone.

Orange Gemstones List

Following orange gemstones list is not created in any specific order. The list is followed by details of each gemstone and I will cover advantages and disadvantages of each different stone. Depending on those, you can select the best stone for your requirement.

• Orange Diamond
• Orange Sapphire
• Orange Zircon
• Imperial Topaz
• Orange Spinel
• Orange Tourmaline
• Mexican Fire Opal
• Orange Aventurine

Let’s go through the details one by one.

1. Orange Diamond

Diamonds are a rare type of gemstone and also one of the most expensive. Orange diamonds are called “fire diamonds”. Since most orange diamonds contains secondary hues, pure orange diamonds are extremely rare. Some secondary hues of orange diamonds are brown, orange and pink.  It gets it color from the trace element “nitrogen”.

Diamonds are the hardest material on earth with a hardness of 10 in the Moh’s scale and therefore it is the ultimate scratch resistant material. But diamonds are not as tough as sapphire and it can chip or crack if faced with a hard knock.

There are different tones of orange diamonds available and as per GIA classification, the highest ratings goes for the “fancy vivid” color diamonds.

Synthetic orange diamonds are also available in the market and hence, buying from a highly trusted source such as Leibish is recommended.

You can check their orange diamond prices here.

2. Orange Sapphire

When iron is present as a trace element in corundum, it gets a range of colors including orange.  (You can learn about all other colors of sapphires and how those colors are formed in this article). Sapphires has a hardness of 9 in the Moh’s scale and a refractive index of 1.76 – 1.77.

Orange sapphires comes in a range of orange tones, from light orange to bright orange. Orange sapphires are often treated to enhance the color.

Sapphires are also tougher than diamonds and will not easily chip or break when faced with the high force. High hardness, brilliance/luster and toughness makes orange sapphire a perfect choice for a jewelry which you want to last for a long time.

Another major advantage of orange sapphire is that, it is much less expensive than diamonds.

3. Orange Zircon

Zircon is a gemstone with a great brilliance since it has a very high refractive index. It is also used as an alternative for diamonds due its high luster. Orange zircon comes in a range of orange hues.

Zircon has a hardness of 7.5 which is considered as a fairly decent hardness for jewelry.  However, it is a relatively brittle gemstone and can chip or crack.

4. Imperial Topaz

Dark organgish topaz known as imperial topaz is the rarest and the most expensive topaz variation. Orange color can vary from light to dark shades of orange in imperial topaz.

Refractive index of topaz is 1.61 – 1.638 and hence it is definitely not as brilliant as diamonds. But it has a hardness of 8 which is higher than zircon.

Topaz has a cleavage and hence it is prone to chipping and cracking. Topaz can easily loose its luster due to dirt and cleaning the surface from a soft cloth often makes a clear difference.

5. Orange Spinel

Spinel is another very popular and a beautiful gemstone, and red and blue spinels are the most expensive. Orange spinel also can be expensive given its rarity. Due to its rarity, orange spinel is considered as a collector’s stone.

Spinel has a hardness of 8 in the Moh’s scale of hardness and a refractive index of 1.71. Therefore, this stone is a very durable gemstone with good brilliance and it is a great choice for everyday jewelry.

Although not as common as synthetic sapphires, lab grown spinels are available. The GRS (Gem Research Swiss Lab) issued a notice about lab grown spinels in 2015.

Therefore, when you are purchasing expensive spinel gemstones or jewelry, you should buy from a trustworthy seller or request for a gemstone certificate.

6. Orange Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a very popular gemstone which is also known as the “Rainbow Gemstone” as it can be found in almost every color. However, orange tourmalines are one of the rarest in the tourmaline family.

With a hardness of 7 – 7.5, it has a good durability. Heat treatments are common for tourmalines and buying treated stones should not be that much of a concern.

7. Mexican Fire Opal

Fire opal is a variation of opals and it was first found in Mexico, hence the name. Fire opal with an intense saturation and vivid orange to red-orange hues are the most desirable. Fire opals are mostly translucent to transparent.

8. Orange Aventurine

Aventurine belongs to the quartz family of minerals. Although the most common color of aventurine is green, orange aventurine is also an attractive gemstone. Aventurine is known for its shimmering effect known as “aventurescence”. This property ads a unique beauty to this gemstone.

It has a hardness of 6.5 – 7 but its compact structure makes it prone to cracking and chipping. It occurs in translucent to opaque nature.

Final Thoughts

The objective of this article was to make a orange gemstones list which are suitable for different types of jewelry. I have highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of each gemstone which will make selecting one particular type easier.

p.s. Some other articles you might like

Red Gemstones List

Blue Gemstones List

Yellow Gemstones List