Uparatnas: How to Buy a Gemstone on a Budget

When shopping for Jyotish gems, always remember the golden rule of Vedic Gemology: The quality of an astrological gemstone is the most critical factor in determining whether or not any planetary effects will be acquired from wearing it. It is always better to buy a top quality secondary gemstone, or uparatna, than to buy a cheap, poor quality, heavily included (flawed), or heat-treated primary stone (which will produce no results at all for astrology).

A top quality yellow sapphire next to a poor quality “budget” yellow sapphire. The difference in power and energy between these two stones can almost be felt through the photograph alone.

Say you are in the market for a Jupiter gemstone, but only have a $1,000 budget. What should you buy: A large, cracked, poor-quality yellow sapphire for Jupiter, or a top-quality, internally flawless, fine yellow topaz?

A top quality 3ct yellow sapphire ($3,500+) next to a fine quality 6ct yellow topaz ($1,000+)

Secondary gemstones such as yellow topaz, otherwise known as uparatnas, can transmit a planetary frequency similar to that found within the primary Jyotish gemstones even though they are technically different minerals.

The color of a good quality uparatna is similar to a primary gemstone, however, it is not identical. This means that the planetary energy within an uparatna is not quite as concentrated as it is in the primary gemstone.

We recommend wearing larger uparatnas to compensate for their slightly weaker planetary energy, the size depending on the type of gem being worn. (Yellow topaz should start around 3 carats, for example, whereas a citrine should start around 8 carats because it is even less concentrated. A yellow sapphire, Jupiter’s primary gemstone, begins to display effectiveness for Vedic Astrology around the 2 carat size. Read more about size vs. quality here.)

Again: A flawless yellow topaz will be many times more powerful than a yellow sapphire that is heat-treated or included. (Read more about our experience with yellow topaz here.)

You can always start with an uparatna and upgrade to a primary gemstone later.

A 20ct internally flawless amethyst next to a 20ct, heavily included, poor quality blue sapphire. Guess which one will work better for Jyotish?

We believe that investing in a properly prescribed, top-quality uparatna, if that is all one can afford, will increase cosmic support for the wearer, which may lead to an increase in abundance over time. Even if your secondary gemstone does not directly bring more money your way (though it often does), it may bring about an increase in health, vitality, motivation, courage, creativity, or other means of support that promote the development of wealth in your life.

Once your uparatna has effectively paid for itself, a more valuable and powerful primary gemstone can be purchased to augment the planetary benefits that you have already been receiving.

In summary, regarding secondary gemstones, it is always better to wear something than nothing at all, given that quality is taken into consideration first and foremost. All of the gems we select for our inventory are pure enough to transmit planetary influence, providing noticeable changes and desired results for Jyotish.

A complete table of primary gemstones and their uparatnas can be found on our website, AstrologicalGem.com.

—-

Tiffany April Raines is the Head of Sales at Astrological Gem International. Trained at the American College of Vedic Astrology and certified as a gemstone advisor through the Planetary Gemologists Association, she has been serving the Vedic Astrology community with research-based gemstone insight and advice for over 10 years. Tiffany can be contacted by email at tiffany@astrologicalgem.com.

Please note: In order to provide the most time and best service possible for our paying customers, we are no longer able to respond to all of the requests we receive for gemstone recommendations. We welcome you instead to try our Free Gem Report if you are still in the learning and research phase of your Jyotish gemstone journey. This can be found at AstrologicalGem.com.