Gemstone sales have soared here because rising numbers of superstitious people are buying them to overcome marriage and other personal problems, salespeople say.

There are many unscrupulous people, presenting themselves as practitioners of sorcery and black magic, preying on the vulnerable in society. These charlatans are also promoting the use of the precious stones in the media, they say.

“Such beliefs have seen sales of these gems skyrocket,” said Abdullah Al-Harbi, a salesman at a gemstone shop in Jeddah. “People actually believe that rings or gemstones will help them overcome problems with their education, marriage and infertility,” he said.

He said that certain bogus sheikhs have advised people to buy these stones. “A female customer recently asked for a ring with a gemstone on which she could write the Qur’an because her sheikh had advised her to do so,” he said.

Al-Harbi said there are many superstitious stories surrounding gemstones propagated by these sheikhs in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some Arab countries. He said they encourage people to wear or carry these gemstones.

Al-Harbi said a man once tried to sell him a gemstone called the "Yamani Emerald," which he said he had bought from an Iraqi traveler for SR3 million. He claimed it had magical qualities to cure infertility, said Al-Harbi.

The Saudi government prohibits the practice of witchcraft and sorcery. Judges are given the discretion in terms of punishment, which could include the death penalty, depending on the severity of the case.

Rubies, emeralds, blue sapphires and diamonds are traditionally the most expensive gemstones.

The quality of a gemstone is evaluated according to the four "Cs" — color, clarity, cut and carat weight. Gemstones are generally sold by carat and not size. Large gemstones are usually rare, so the price per carat is higher.

Some varieties are lower in price either because they are readily available, the material is relatively soft, or the color is not popular. The price of a gemstone can range from $250 (SR937) to $20,000 (SR75,021) per carat or more depending on the quality. Adeeb bin Hassan Ziadi, head of minerals and industrial rocks at the Geological Survey, said that people often believe that gems have extraordinary properties to bring luck and happiness.

He said this belief is contrary to the Islamic faith. “Gems are only natural minerals, formed in the ground by geological conditions at certain pressure and temperature and made up of several chemical elements, such as diamonds, rubies and emeralds."

"In some Western countries gems are used for the treatment of mental illness, as the diversity of colors helps with the treatment of psychological discomfort, but nothing more than that,” he said.