Gold Versus Gemstones: Which Truly Is More Valuable?

It is true there are people who will make many times that which they could earn off of Gold, by mining gemstones. I have been in debate after debate that Gemstones are superior to Gold and Silver. I must disagree and dissent on this opinion.

Firstly, gemstones come in so many varieties of grades and colors, which means there can be no uniformity among stones... You can cut dozens of 1 carat sapphires, but none of them will be worth the same amount to the same people. One might see a flaw in one, and no flaw in another, and so the two stones while weighing the same and cut the same, are not going to be worth the same. On the other hand, an ounce of Gold is always an ounce of Gold, an ounce of Silver always an ounce of Silver.

Secondly, you can't take small stones and melt them into bigger stones... I guess TECHNICALLY you can, but it is far too costly to do and very few institutions, let alone people, have the technology to do so. If something shatters one of your stones, you can't take the fragments and get the same amount of value out of them as you can with gold dust... An ounce of gold dust is worth the same as an ounce of gold nuggets. Gold and Silver can be melted, and poured into bars... If the bars get damaged beyond what is desired, they can be melted and poured anew.

Thirdly, if someone handed you some stones, how would you know which is real? Can you identify a real Diamond amidst Cubic Zirconia? On the other hand, it is very easy to tell the difference between real gold and imitations... Silver also is easy to identify... And there are very simple tests that are available to anyone and can be conducted in moments. Gemstones on the otherhand require expertise to validate and assess.

Any values affixed to gemstones therefore are arbitrary and cannot be defined or substantiated in any capacity. 1 carat of sapphires is not always equal to 1 carat of sapphires. An ounce of gold is always equivalent to an ounce of gold, so uniformity can be assured, making it the superior choice where commodity money is concerned.

Gemstones are synonymous to wealth, sure. However, one must consider that Gold has always held the same purchasing power it ever did have. In ancient Rome you could buy a nice toga, sandals, perhaps a sun dial, and a nice dinner and evening of entertainment with an ounce of gold. Now, an ounce of gold will still buy a nice suit, tie, watch, shoes, dinner, and still have some left over for some good entertainment.

I just don't see how Gemstones can be worth the prices affixed to them. I know they are beautiful and rare, but as use for money, they are not practical. They are poor investments because one stone can be worth millions, and later not even worth sanding grit. Not Gold and Silver... Always, do they retain value.