The ColorCard is very simple to use, the results are instantaneous, and the benefits are tremendous!

Gemologists, gem merchants, jewelers, appraisers, and laypersons can purchase a simple, inexpensive, easy to use, hand-held product to simplify the process of buying and selling coloured gemstones.  The product, called the Hofer Gemstone COLORCARD, features a single unique colour chip, with three stripes (A, B and C), which actually change colour when viewed under different light sources, enabling anyone to quickly identify the relative “blueness” or “yellowness” of any unknown light source. ColorCard users think it’s amazing!

Very often gem merchants and consumers have noticed that the colour of a stone purchased on a trip appears a different colour when they return to their office or home.  The reason for this is that different light sources can cause a coloured gem to appear different colours.  Raw tuna under incandescent light looks great at a sushi bar, but under fluorescent lighting it will appear dull and unappetizing.  Our own skin colour or even articles of clothing will look different when viewed under sunlight, incandescent, or fluorescent lighting.  The same phenomena (known as colour rendition), occurs when viewing all gemstones.  The colour of the gem will either “improve” or “worsen” when viewed under the sun, an incandescent light, a fluorescent light, or some other light source.

All coloured objects appear slightly different when viewed under different lights.  The question becomes — How can we distinguish which lights are better or worse for viewing coloured gemstones?  And, how can we use this knowledge to buy and sell coloured gems more effectively?

1.  When buying gems under unfamiliar lighting conditions, the ColorCard will enable buyers to purchase coloured gems more effectively and avoid making costly mistakes.

On a buying trip, you can use the card to compare the light under which you are buying a gemstone to the lights under which you will eventually sell the gemstone. The ColorCard will assure anyone that the stone they bought (under unfamiliar lighting), will look as fine at home or in the office (under familiar lighting), as it did under the lights where you bought it.  The ColorCard takes the mystery out of lighting.

2.   Sellers can evaluate the lighting used in their store or office to be sure the right gems are being displayed under the right types of light.

In this way, you can insure that gemstones look their best!  With each ColorCard there is a lighting reference guide, i.e., a small card that explains why blue sapphires, green emeralds, and red rubies won’t look their “best” when displayed side by side in the same showcase.

3.  Appraisers can be absolutely sure that when they are evaluating the color of a particular gem (outside their office), that they are judging the exact hue and maximum saturation, for that particular color.

Since the ColorCard is the size of a standard fold-over business card, it is portable for the appraiser who might be evaluating a diamond or coloured gemstone outside his/her office, under “unfamiliar” lighting conditions such as a bank, lawyers office, or a  private home.  You will have confidence in your visual judgement of any stone’s colour, with the aid of the ColorCard.

4.  International diamond and gem buyers are often mislead by strong sunlight, or unfamiliar lighting in overseas offices, yet the ColorCard removes any doubt and quickly identifies the ideal light for buying and selling any coloured gem, including diamonds.

The card is user friendly, with instructions printed right on the card.  The ColorCard comes in a small plastic case as used for business cards, so it can be carried easily and used at a moment’s notice in any buying or selling situation that involves critical colour evaluation.

Click below to order your ColorCard. $25.00 plus shipping.