Painting Gemstones

By Anthony Karl Erdelji

Painting Gemstones is extremely simple:

Step 1: Paint the stone a metallic color such as copper, silver, bronze or gold. I prefer gold.

Step 2: Paint the stone with Tamiya Clear paint. I usually use red, blue, or green. Tamiya Clear paints are transparent paints part of the Tamiya paint line. 

Step 3: When your done with the entire model and its sealed, paint some gloss coat onto the stone.

Step 4: Rejoice

The stones on this necromancers staff and sword were painted with the above method. It looks better and takes less time than Games Workshop method of painting gems.

Here are some alternative gem painting techniques using the above method donated by Doc Brandi Weed:

A bright silver, like Citadel's Mithril Silver, works really well with 'cool' colors like blue, green, and purple. Sometimes blue over gold makes a rather greenish stone.

Also, red ink over copper paint (I used Ral Partha Copper) gives a deep, bloody scarlet stone.

Star sapphires and rubies can be done by using white, silver, or even a mix, and painting a small, off-centered asterisk (3 lines) on the gem. If it looks too light, a thinned mix of the gem's ink coloring will tone it down.

Thanks Brandi!