Mercury Retrograde is one of the most popular (and most dreaded) planetary transits, regularly talked about in both Western and Vedic Astrology. My guess is that people notice it more than other transits because it affects our vehicles, gadgets, travel plans, computers, communication, and mental states – things that are not exactly subtle or easy to ignore.

Traditional wisdom suggests that signing contracts or making significant purchases during Mercury Retrograde should be avoided, recommending that this three week phase be used for reflection and contemplation instead.

Many of our customers are worried about buying or receiving their gems when Mercury goes retrograde. We definitely take extra precautions during this time to ensure our shipping labels and other administrative tasks are done accurately. However, is it really necessary to delay or bypass a purchase altogether if it coincides with a retrograde phase?

Here are some things to take into consideration.

1.) Are you buying a Mercury gemstone?

If Mercury is a prominent planet for you, the ruler of your birth chart (Gemini and Virgo ascendants), or if you’re buying an emerald, Mercury transits are going to affect you (and your purchase) more than it would in other scenarios.

If you’re buying a yellow sapphire, you’re an Aries ascendant (ruled by Mars), and Mercury has never even come up in conversation between you and your Vedic Gemologist before, Mercury Retrograde and its impact on your purchase is going to be much less of a concern. Jupiter has been retrograde for months, it just went direct last week, and Mars went retrograde this week. You’ll probably be feeling the impact of those two transits a lot more right now. (I have a client whose sister lost her yellow sapphire back in August, she found it in her laundry the day that Jupiter went direct again.)

2.) Have you been considering this purchase for a long time?

Mercury Retrograde can affect our decision making abilities, especially when it comes to impulse decisions. Buying a Jyotish gemstone is rarely an impulse buy though. Many of our customers have been thinking about getting their gemstone for months, even years. I sold an 11ct yellow sapphire to a lady earlier this month who had been wanting to buy one for decades. If this isn’t a spur of the moment decision for you, it’s probably fine to move forward, especially if you’re confident in your gemstone recommendation. You might consider getting a second opinion on the recommendation if needed before making the purchase official; this is a good idea regardless of Mercury’s placement in transit.

3.) Have you already picked out a gemstone that you’re in love with?

Many of our customers can testify that when they put their attention on a gem that’s for sale on our website, waited and thought about the purchase for a few days, then eventually called us to buy it, they found out that it had literally just sold to someone else. This is a phenomenon we see on a regular basis: the amount of attention a gemstone receives from someone makes it stand out to other people too. I don’t tell you this to put any undue pressure on you, only to say that if you feel a very strong heart connection to a stone for sale on our website, I don’t recommend waiting a full Mercury transit to buy it unless you’re not attached to it potentially going to someone else in the meantime.

4.) Are you having your gemstone set into jewelry?

While we do find that there’s a karmic connection activated when a gemstone is first purchased by somebody, its effects really kick in when the gemstone is first worn. Many times, custom jewelry can take several weeks to complete. If you’re confident in your gemstone recommendation, in love with the gemstone you’re buying, placing the order during Mercury Retrograde and having custom jewelry made, you’ll probably be putting your jewelry on for the first time once Mercury goes direct.

If you’re still feeling confused about buying one of our gemstones during Mercury Retrograde, give us a call at 800-559-5090 to see if we can work with you. We might be able to hold the gem with a deposit until Mercury goes direct again.

Related reading: The importance of self-referral, listening to your inner guidance when you’ve received conflicting opinions about what you should do.

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.