Size doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.


Almost every day, I receive a request for a very large Jyotish gemstone, as many astrologers believe that bigger gems automatically translate to an increase in benefits for the wearer. Browsing through my inbox, here are the size requests I’ve gotten in the past week:

  • 3-carat diamond
  • 7-carat emerald
  • 8-carat blue sapphire
  • 10-carat unheated Burmese ruby

While we can certainly obtain gems of these sizes, our customers are usually pretty shocked to discover the price of a top-quality gem in the 5-10ct range. A 3-carat diamond, possessing the flawlessness and colorness required to get good results for Vedic Astrology, will start around $50,000. A 10-carat ruby that is eye-clean, untreated, “pigeon blood” red and Burmese in origin would start around $30,000,000. Nobody needs a 10-carat Jyotish quality ruby anyway. If you got one, it would be so powerful it probably would blow you straight into another dimension.

Here's an example of a 5-carat blue sapphire that is top quality, next to a 20-carat blue sapphire that's...well, not exactly top quality. Which one do you think works the best for Vedic Astrology?
Here’s an example of a 5-carat blue sapphire that is top quality, next to a 20-carat blue sapphire that’s…well, not exactly top quality. Which one do you think works the best for Vedic Astrology?

True astrological quality gemstones do not need to be enormous in order to be effective. In many cases, a 1-2 carat stone will produce good benefit if it possesses a high degree of flawlessness and an ideal saturation of color.  

Assuming that you are shopping for gemstones that are Jyotish quality (read more about Jyotish criteria here), below is a guideline for the minimum carat weights of each of the primary astrological gems.

Ruby: 1 carat is a great starting point. 2 carat rubies, in the quality we require for Jyotish, are extremely powerful.

Tissue-Nucleated Pearls: 6-7 carats. Tissue-nucleated pearls are a substitute for certified natural pearls, which are almost extinct. If found in astrological quality, a 3-4 carat certified natural pearl is very effective. Tissue-nucleated pearls perform the best when they are larger. I advise people to get 7+ carat pearls whenever possible. (Read more about Jyotish pearls here).

Red Coral: 3-4 carats is usually fine. 5 to 8-carat coral cabochons are very powerful. Anything more than that should only be worn if overheating is not a concern, because very large pieces of red coral will increase one’s internal fire considerably.

Emerald: 2 carats. We’ve heard stories of great results from super clean, deep green, sattvic 1-carat emeralds as well.  Larger emeralds that are super clean and a nice light minty green are lovely for Jyotish, and relatively affordable. Larger emeralds that are both super clean and very deep green are super rare and extremely valuable. (Read more about ideal emerald quality here.)

Yellow Sapphire: 1.8-2 carats. This is a good gentle dose for energetic benefit. Yellow sapphires in the 3 to 4-carat range produce more tangible results.  Yellow sapphires larger than 4 carats, when fine quality, are extremely powerful. Jupiter is the planet of expansiveness, and it loves really big stones, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily needed in order to obtain results.

Diamond: 1 carat. 2-carat diamonds are extremely powerful. In all of my years as a Planetary Gem Advisor, we have only sold one 3-carat diamond for Jyotish.

Blue Sapphire: 1.8-2 carats. 3-4 carats is an ideal, substantial dose of Saturn. I don’t personally think anybody should wear a premium quality blue sapphire that exceeds 5-6 carats, unless extreme overheating or pitta imbalance is a major concern that needs to be addressed with the gemstone. (Learn more about the effects of Saturn gemstones here).

Cat’s Eye: 1-2 carats. Caution should be exercised when wearing Ketu stones, so be sure to know the results to anticipate.

Hessonite (Gomed): 1-2 carats. Caution should be exercised when wearing Rahu stones as well.

Uparatnas, or secondary gemstones, have planetary benefit but they should be as large as possible to get good results. They are not as concentrated in energy as the primary astrological gemstones.  A general guideline is 4-5 carats minimum, upwards of 10-12 carats whenever possible.  This is a case where pumping up size is advised, but as always, never compromise on quality.

You can view our complete gemstone collection here.

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blogheadshotTiffany 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. She can be contacted 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.

16 thoughts on “Size doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.”

  2. […] 3.) Don’t get too hung up on a suggested size or carat weight. The most important factor in selecting a powerful astrological gemstone is always quality. Once that’s established, then you can select a gemstone size according to your budget. Bigger gems are only more powerful if stones of equal quality are being compared. (Read more about the best astrological gemstone sizes here.) […]

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  3. This is one of the most sensible advice I have received after consulting with numerous astrologer on gems going back many years. What I have also realized is that while shopping for stones we often forget the ‘obvious’ that we made it without wearing even single ounce of stones dangling off our fingers so far! So adding something pairable to boost the rays now, probably implies just one thing, big transition to your circus of fate, hopefully for good and gradual transformation!

    Most astrologers will recommend stones and size to appease you to superficial gains only which is almost like a honey trap! It is can be challenging to handle sudden transformation overnight and often we are lured towards wealth without the wisdom so we get greedy and impatient!

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  5. […] 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 stones to compensate for this, the size depending on the type of gem being worn. (Yellow topaz should start around 4 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. You can read more about size vs. quality here.) […]

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  6. […] At Astrological Gem, we recommend a minimum of 2 carats to receive tangible benefits from a yellow sapphire. Larger sizes – as long as the stones are Jyotish quality – are much stronger in their power. It is better to start small and adhere to strict quality standards, however, than to buy a larger stone that is of poor quality. (Read more about the importance of size vs. quality here.) […]

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  7. Hei , tiffany very helpful article I just wanted to know is there any difference between the yellow sapphire of 2carat and the white mix blue sapphire of 4/5 carat.

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    1. Hi Anna, thanks for your inquiry. Yellow sapphire is the gemstone for Jupiter, and must be untreated and eye-flawless to possess Jyotish benefit. A white/blue sapphire mix would relate to Venus and Saturn, but it’s better to get either a white sapphire or a blue sapphire, and the stones should also be untreated. Also be sure to strengthen your most auspicious planets, not the malefic ones. Thanks!

      -Tiffany

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      1. Hello Tiffany,

        Instead of buying one stone can i wear 3 separate stones in a band of yellow sapphires will they also add to the affect?

        Kind regards

        SS

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      2. Hi Surabhi, thanks for your inquiry. The stones will still work if they’re proper quality and untreated, but generally it’s better to go with one large stone if possible. Try to get a minimum of 0.8-1ct each for your band if you take this route.

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  8. I have a beautiful white zircon that I bought from you and had made into a pendant. It’s not a huge stone, but it’s very special. I’ve gotten great results from it, too. Thank you for providing great gems, and education about them, too.

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  9. Hi Tiffany, what are your thoughts on a red garnet? How many carats would you say it would need to be to start showing good results?

    Thank you,
    Lil

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  11. Thank you so much for sharing the info Tiffany, such an interesting read. Absolutely, I believe a lower weight gemstone with better quality would be more effective than a lower quality bigger one, quality is what matters most.

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