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    Gemstones are minerals or rocks that can be cut, shaped, and polished into beautiful stones that can be used in jewelry and for collecting.  A stone is worth more money if it is perfect. 
    Most gemstones are minerals and have the same characteristics as minerals do.  We visited a jeweler to get many of our pictures.  It was interesting to see that the value of gemstones depends on a lot of things.  These are:

	How hard the gem is.
	How pretty it is.
	How rare it is.
	How big it is.

© Photographer: Lori Martin | Agency: Dreamstime.com

There are minerals that are pretty, rare, and large but are not thought of as gemstones because they are easy to break or scratch.  Most gemstones are hard.  If you check the Mohs' Hardness Scale, you will see that the gems are from 6 - 10 which are the hardest minerals.
     Some gemstones are birthstones.  Each month of the year has a gemstone.  Even though it started out as a gift to the person who has the birthday, it is also supposed to bring good luck if you wear your own birthstone.  We did a survey of all of the fourth and sixth graders at our school.  A really high percentage of kids don't have a clue what their birthstone is.  Do you? 
 

	January - Garnet		July - Ruby
	February - Amethyst		August - Olivine/Peridot
	March - Aquamarine		September - Sapphire
	April - Diamond		October - Opal
	May - Emerald		November - Topaz
	June - Alexandrite		December - Turquoise

Citations:

"Gems."  World Book Encyclopedia.  2000 ed.

"Precious Stone." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com 20 Mar. 2006. <http://www.answers.com/topic/gemstone-1>.

Sr., Bob. madefromquarry.jpg.  Pics4Learning. 2 Mar 2006. <http://pics.tech4learning.com>