Garnet is found in Brazil, Russia, East Africa and India. Garnet
is a very popular jewel. It is used for jewelry such as rings, necklaces
and bracelets. There are nine types of Garnet. They are;
Pyrope, Spessartine, Alamandine, Uarvoite, Hessanite, Pink Grossular, Green
Grossular and Garnet Topped Doublet. The best Garnets are found Sri
Lanka. Garnet can be red (which is the most popular), pink, green,
gray and yellow.
Amethyst is probably the thirteenth most popular stone in the world.
Amethyst is purple colored quartz. When heated amethyst can be yellow
which produces citrine. Amethysts are found in geods of which
most are found in Brazil.
Aquamarine is often blue and sometimes clear. Aquamarine in the
19th century was preferred to be green in color. Aquamarine actually
means seawater. Gem quality aquamarine is found as hexagonal crystals
which may be up to thirty-nine inches long (1 meter) and flawless.
The diamond is probably the most popular jewel in the world. Diamond
is also the hardest mineral known to mankind. It is the most highly
prized gem. Diamond can be yellow, brown, green, blue, pink, red,
gray and black.
Emerald is a very transparent green. Emeralds are very rarely
flawless. The stones are often oiled to fill in the cracks of imperfect
emeralds. When they oil the emeralds they often help enhance color.
The finest emeralds come from Columbia. Other good sources
are Australia, India, Austria, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, U.S.A., Norway,
Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.
Pearl is a very popular gem for adult women wear pearls around there
necks. Pearls are formed in oysters and other shellfish.
Pearls can also be found in mussels. The orient of a pearl occurs
when the light of a pearl reflects off of the iridescent layers of a pearl.
This makes the iridescent layers have character. Pearls use
to be thought of as tears of the gods.
A pure flawless red ruby is valued more than a diamond. Ruby is
one of the best jewelry settings. It may be red, pinkish, purplish
or brownish. The color depends on the iron content of the stone.
If rubys fracture it may be because of constant twining. Crystal
prisms are hexagonal with tapering or flat ends. As rubys grow they
form more layers.
Gem quality of the mineral olivine are called peridot by gemologists.
Peridot has an olive or bottle green color that is due to the presence
of iron and a distinctive oily or greasy luster. It has a high birefraction.
So doubling of the back facets can easily be seen in larger specimens.
When viewed from the front good quality crystal are very rare.
All quality corundum that is hot is sapphire yet this name is popularly
associated with blue. Variation in color that is due to iron and
titanium impurities spans many shades but the most valuable is a clear
deep blue. Some stones called color change sapphire exhibit different
shades of blue in artificial and natural light. Good quality sapphire
is found in Mynmew, Sri Lanka and India.
Opal is hardened silica gel usually containing five to ten percent water.
It is therefore non crystalline unlike most other gem stones. It
may even dry out and crack. There are two varieties of precious opal
which flashes of color iridescence. Depending on the angle
of viewing a common or potch opal, which is often opaque, opal displays
no iridescence.
In a range of different colors topaz varies of deep golden yellow and
pinks are often the most valuable of topazs. A blue topaz is almost
indistinguishable from an aquamarine from the naked eye. Some topazs
have a bubble in the center. When a gas bubble is in a topaz in can
cause damage such as cracks to occur.
Turquoise was one of the very first of gem stones to be mined.
Because of the deep blue to green color turquoise is highly valued.
Turquoises color vary due to how much iron or copper is in the stone.
As turquoise ages it may develop cracks. If you wax Turquoise
after it cracks it can maintain its appearance. Although the best
sky blue turquoise is from Tibet, the turquoise from Iran is more durable.