Color origins of many gemstones and jades are related to the electronic structure and local environment of color-causing elements. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a strong tool to detect the local structure and chemical environment of the absorbing atom such as valence state, coordination number and bond length. Based on the effective examples of ruby, chrysoberyl, jadeite and ivory, this paper briefly describes the application of synchrotron radiation XAS to gemology and its advantages.