Articles about gemstones written by a GIA Graduate Gemologist. Each article includes photos and information about the gem's physical properties and geologic origin.
Among the many rocks and minerals found in Arizona, peridot stands out with its vibrant green sparkle. It's a zesty, brightly colored gem that dazzles in the sunlight. What's cool is that peridot is one of the few gems that only comes in one color. But it can range from a yellowish-green to a deeper olive shade.
Zoisite. Rhodochrosite. Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone. Grape Agate. Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes. Topaz. Topaz is a mineral best known as a durable gemstone and its use in Mohs Hardness Scale. Copper.
Garnet is a very popular gemstone, and is the most well-known dark red gemstone. Red Garnet gemstones ( Almandine and Pyrope) are very affordable and faceted into all types of jewerly, including necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings. Round cabochon s of red Garnet are also popular and used in rings and bracelets.
GIA's Gem Encyclopedia is a virtual journey through the science and lore of gemstones from across the globe. Each precious stone page features additional detailed …
One of the world's rarest minerals, jeremejevite occurs in only a few places. Gem-quality specimens from Namibia exhibit light, aquamarine-blue hues. ... In the Dominican Republic, the fibrous mineral pectolite grows in a dense blue form known as the gemstone larimar. While quite tough, this gem rates at best a 6 on the Mohs hardness scale ...
The Gemstone Peridot. Peridot is a well-known and ancient gemstone, with jewelry pieces dating all the way back to the Pharaohs in Egypt. The gem variety of the mineral Olivine, it makes a lovely light green to olive-green gemstone. The intensity of color depends on the amount of iron present in a Peridot's chemical structure; the more iron it ...
The blue color can vary in intensity from very light to greenish-blue to deep sky blue. Deeper blue colors and less white are more desirable. Although Larimar has a very attractive color, it is a soft gemstone and is easily scratched. Its color may also fade upon prolonged exposure to strong sunlight.
Listing of modern and traditional birthstones. Complete Information Guide to Rocks, Minerals, & Gemstones
A gem or gemstone is a valuable cut and polished solid that finds use in jewelry and other adornments. Usually, gems come from mineral crystals. A mineral, in turn, is a natural solid that has a crystalline structure and well-defined chemical composition in pure form. Rocks consist of one or more minerals. Gem vs Mineral vs Rock
The Gemstone Amber. Amber is an organic gemstone, forming from the hardened resin of ancient pine trees. The hardening process of Amber is known as polymerization, which fossilize s the resin over many centuries and makes it hard and sturdy. Amber is formed from viscous, sticky resin, and therefore commonly contains inclusion s that got stuck ...
Silicates—including quartz, mica, olivine, and precious minerals such as emeralds—are the most common class of minerals, as well as the major components of most rocks. Oxides, …
Emerald gemstone has a very precious color collection but its most famous and commonly used color is bluish green in a dark medium tone with strong saturation. 11. Floater Etched. A Floater Etched Quartz, an absolutely incredible and totally floater etched all around with excellent clarity, transparency, and luster.
Amethyst photo provided by Mineral Masterpiece. Pennsylvania is brimming with a dazzling array of rocks, minerals, gems, and crystals that can satisfy any rockhound! Imagine yourself uncovering a sparkling crystal in the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains or spotting valuable rocks in the Delaware River. From the anthracite coal found in the ...
Minerals was started in 1996 by Hershel Friedman, as an interactive and educational guide to rocks, minerals, and gemstones. It was one of the first of its kind providing detailed information of these topics in an interactive setting. Minerals contains research pages of hundreds of minerals, indexed and categorized, as well as various documents on …
Gemological Institute Of America | All About Gemstones - GIA. Apply Today for a 2024. On Campus Program. Gemology, Jewelry Design & Manufacturing. Texas Topaz, Slovak …
New to gemstones? Curious about the different kinds of gemstones? Check out our gemstones list and discover a world of precious and semi-precious stones.
Pure Beryl is colorless; traces of different impurities are responsible for the color diversity and varieties. The list below describes each color variety, and most have a link for more specific gemstone information for that variety: Emerald, the green variety, is the most popular green gemstone and is one of the most valuable gems.; Aquamarine, the blue …
Two minerals may share the same chemical formula but have different physical properties. For example, diamond and graphite both have the same chemical make up: C. A molecule of either mineral is just a single carbon atom. ... To define a mineral species, and a gemstone species, you must consider both chemistry and crystal structure. Please note ...
The Gemstone Ruby. Ruby is distinguished for its bright red color, being the most famed and fabled red gemstone. Beside for its bright color, it is a most desirable gem due to its hardness, durability, luster, and rarity. …
The Gemstone Lapis Lazuli. Lapis Lazuli is a deep blue opaque gemstone, used in antiquity and continuously used throughout the generations. It still continues to be popular today, and remains one of the most important opaque gemstones. Lapis Lazuli is chiefly composed of the mineral Lazurite, with additional other minerals including white ...
Hematite is one of the most common minerals. The color of most red and brown rock, such as sandstone, is caused by small amounts of Hematite. It is also be responsible for the red color of many minerals. Non-crystalline forms of Hematite may be transformation s of the mineral Limonite that lost water, possibly due to heat. Chemical Formula. Fe2O3.
The gems are sorted by their crystal system: cubic (isometric), tetragonal, hexagonal, trigonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic. These butterscotch-colored wulfenite …
Minerals and gems of the tourmaline group occur in every color of the spectrum. Tourmaline is also widely known for its beautiful zoning, bicolor gems and pleochroic colors. ... The first commercial gemstone mine in the United States followed an 1821 discovery of tourmaline near the town of Paris, Maine. Over the past 200 years, …
Diamond has many unequaled qualities and is very unique among minerals. It is the hardest known substance, it is the greatest conductor of heat, it has the highest melting point of any substance (7362° F or 4090° C), and it has the highest refractive index of any natural mineral. Diamond is number 10 on the Mohs scale, and is approximately 4 times …
gemstone, any of various minerals highly prized for beauty, durability, and rarity. A few noncrystalline materials of organic origin (e.g., pearl, red …
In the United States, a gemstone can only be classified as a mineral if it was created geologically in the Earth. Thus, lab-created stones, even though they have inorganic origins and the same properties as their …
A mineral is a solid that contains minerals. A gemstone is a crystalline form of a specific type of mineral. It is an inorganic substance with no specific atomic structure or chemical composition. Generally, rocks are made up of two or more minerals and are considered rocks. However, there are also non-mineral gemstones formed from living ...
The Gemstone Chalcedony. Chalcedony is the form of Quartz that is compact and microcrystalline. It occurs in many different forms, colors, and patterns, and many varieties have been used as gemstones since antiquity. In the gemstone trade, the term Chalcedony is often used specifically to describe the white, gray, or blue translucent type of ...
When a mineral is regarded as rare and exceptionally beautiful, we refer to it as a gemstone (for instance diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire). All minerals can be gemstones, but not all gemstones can be minerals. …