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Matched Pairs

A matched pair is two gemstones of the same species, shape and nominal size, selected so that their colour, saturation, cut and depth agree closely enough to be set together in earrings or as side stones. Finding the second stone is often harder than finding the first, and the trade distinguishes a true pair from two stones that merely resemble each other. Byrex Gems offers matched pairs to the jewellery trade from Toronto, filmed together unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Among the matched pairs listed today: 3.38 ct Emerald Cut Emerald Pair (1.87 + 1.51 ct), Zambia, 2.40 ct Square Emerald Cut Emerald Pair (1.29 + 1.11 ct), GIA, Brazil, 11.89 ct Square Emerald Cut Emerald Pair (5.77 + 6.12 ct), GRS, Zambia No Oil, 11.37 ct Pear Emerald Pair (5.85 + 5.52 ct), Zambia, 10.56 ct Oval Ruby Pair (5.55 + 5.01 ct), GIA, Mozambique Heated, 10.12 ct Pear Brownish Green Sapphire Pair (4.93 + 5.19 ct), GIA and 116 more.

What makes two stones a pair

A pair is judged on five things at once. Colour comes first: the two stones must share the same hue, the same tone and the same saturation when viewed from the top under one light source, and must shift the same way under a second. Cut comes second: the same shape and outline, the same faceting style, and the same proportions, so that both stones return light alike.

Size is matched by measurement, length by width, within a tolerance of about a tenth of a millimetre for most work and tighter for channel or invisible settings. Depth is matched so that both stones sit at the same height in their mountings and so that the colour, which deepens with depth, agrees.

The fifth element is character. Two stones that pass on paper can still differ in life, in the way inclusions catch the light, or in a subtle zoning that shows only when they are set side by side. The final test of a pair is to lay the stones together under daylight-equivalent light and then incandescent light and ask whether the eye sees two stones or one design.

Pair or close match: how Byrex describes two stones

In the trade, two stones travel as a pair when the parcel paper or the laboratory report says so. A cutter who has cut both stones from matched rough, or a dealer who has assembled the pair and sold it as one, writes "pair" on the parcel, and some laboratories issue a single report covering both stones, describing them as a matching pair with the measurements and weights of each. Byrex uses the word pair only in those cases.

Where two stones have been put together later, because they resemble each other closely, Byrex describes them as a close match. A close match may be an excellent choice for earrings, but it is described honestly, so that the buyer knows the stones were not cut or sold as one. On the website the stones in a pair are shown together on one card with the total weight and each stone's weight.

Laboratory reports for pairs follow the laboratory's practice. GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus and AGL issue reports per stone, and several will issue a combined report for two stones submitted together, in their own wording, stating species, treatment and, where requested, an origin opinion for each. Reports do not grade the quality of the match; that remains the dealer's judgement.

What to check before buying a pair

Look at the two stones together, not one after the other. Set them side by side on a white tray under daylight-equivalent light, viewed from the top, and then under incandescent light, and look for any difference in hue, tone or saturation. Then look at them in profile for depth and crown height, and through the table for any difference in zoning or inclusions.

Read the reports as a pair. Treatment should agree: a heated and an unheated sapphire are not a pair even if they match in colour, because the disclosure and the value differ. Enhancement grades for emerald pairs should be the same or adjacent in the laboratory's own scale. Check the measurements against the tolerance your setting needs, and the depths against each other.

Consider the piece. Earrings are seen from a distance and in motion, so colour and brightness dominate and a small difference in outline is forgiven; side stones in a three-stone ring sit against a centre and each other at close range, so outline, depth and colour must all agree and the pair should also suit the centre stone's colour.

What drives the value of a matched pair

A pair is worth more than two single stones of the same quality, and the premium rises with the rarity of the colour and the size. The reason is simple: the second stone must match the first, and in fine material the search rejects many stones that would sell well on their own. A pair of unheated Ceylon sapphires in a saturated blue, or a pair of Burmese rubies, or a pair of lightly enhanced Colombian emeralds, carries a premium that reflects months or years of matching.

The closeness of the match sets the premium within that range. A pair that reads as one design under a loupe is worth more than a pair that matches at arm's length, and a close match, assembled later from resembling stones, is priced below a pair that was cut or sold as one. Size multiplies the effect sharply, because large stones of matching colour are the scarcest of all.

Colour, treatment and origin act as they do for single stones: the finer the colour and the rarer the origin opinion, the higher the base; unheated corundum and lightly enhanced emerald add their usual premiums across both stones. Laboratory reports on both stones, agreeing on treatment and origin, are expected at the top of the market.

Pairs in jewellery and at auction

Matched pairs have been the foundation of earrings since antiquity, and the great jewellery houses have always kept matching as a specialist skill. Many of the most celebrated earrings at auction are described first by the match: two Burmese rubies of the same colour, two Kashmir sapphires, two Colombian emeralds, each with its own report, offered together because the pair cannot be repeated.

In the modern trade, pairs are assembled in three ways. Cutters cut both stones from one piece of rough or from matched rough, which gives the closest pairs and is the usual source for small calibrated pairs. Dealers who hold deep stock in one species sort continuously for pairs and set stones aside until a match appears.

The practical consequence for buyers is that a true pair in fine material should be bought when it is found, because the second chance may not come, and that a close match should be judged on its own merits with the description understood. Byrex keeps pairs together in stock, films them together, and sources a second stone to match a client's existing stone through its offices and partners when asked.

Buying matched pairs from Byrex Gems

Since 1988, Byrex Gems has supplied matched pairs to the jewellery trade from Toronto. The confidence of more than seven thousand trade customers has been earned one stone at a time. Many of our matched pairs come with reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories, and each stone is filmed in our office, exactly as it is.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Everyone else is welcome to write: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 brings a reply within hours, and an email to info@byrex.com an answer the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more matched pairs and close matches are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. We receive clients by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Matched Pairs: questions buyers ask

What is the difference between a pair and a close match?

A pair is two stones the parcel paper or laboratory report describes as a pair, usually cut or sold together. A close match is two stones Byrex has put together because they resemble each other closely. Both are shown together on one card with each stone's weight.

How closely must the stones in a pair match in size?

Within about a tenth of a millimetre in length and width for most earrings and side stones, and tighter for channel or invisible settings. Depth should also agree so that both stones sit at the same height and show the same colour.

Do laboratories issue one report for a pair?

Some do. GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus and AGL issue reports per stone, and several will issue a combined report for two stones submitted together, in their own wording. Reports state species, treatment and origin for each stone but do not grade the quality of the match.

Can a heated and an unheated sapphire be sold as a pair?

Not by Byrex. Treatment should agree across a pair because the disclosure and the value differ. Two such stones might be offered as a close match with both reports shown, but they are not described as a pair.

Does Byrex find a second stone to match one I already have?

Yes. Send the stone's measurements, weight, report and a photograph taken under known light, or bring it to Toronto, and Byrex will search its stock and its offices and partners for a close match. A true pair is rarely possible from a single existing stone.

Which species does Byrex hold in pairs?

Blue, pink, teal and other sapphires, ruby, emerald, spinel, tsavorite, tourmaline, aquamarine and tanzanite, together with matched white and fancy colour diamonds. Pairs in fine unheated corundum and Colombian emerald are scarce in every size and are sourced to a brief when not in stock.

Does Byrex sell matched pairs to private clients?

Byrex sells to the jewellery trade and receives private clients by appointment at its Toronto office. Prices are shown to approved trade buyers who sign in. A private client can view pairs and have earrings or a ring made through their jeweller or through Byrex.

Can I compare pairs side by side in Toronto?

Yes, by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Pairs are laid together on a tray under daylight-equivalent and incandescent light, with each stone's report, so you can judge the match exactly as it will be seen.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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