Uparatnas: How to Buy a Gemstone on a Budget
From the shop: learn how to choose and wear a yellow sapphire for Jupiter, and see the stones in stock here.
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).
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?
In Jyotish, secondary gemstones such as yellow topaz, otherwise known as uparatnas, are believed to 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, is traditionally recommended for Vedic Astrology from around the 2 carat size. Read more about size vs. quality here.)
Again: In Jyotish, a flawless yellow topaz is considered 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.
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, it is traditionally worn for health, vitality, motivation, courage, creativity, or other means of support that promote the development of wealth in your life.
When you are ready, a more valuable and powerful primary gemstone can be purchased to build on your uparatna.
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 be suitable for Jyotish.
A complete table of primary gemstones and their uparatnas can be found on our website, AstrologicalGemstones.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 AstrologicalGemstones.com.
Tiffany April Raines is the Certified Vedic Gemologist and Head of Sales at Astrological Gem. She joined the team in 2007 as a webmaster and a scientific skeptic. Doubting that astrological gemstones really worked,… Meet our authors here.
