Today, there are over 130 different varieties of precious and semi-precious gemstones available. Many of the different gemstone types belong to a larger common family or umbrella group of related gems. Gemstones from GemSelect In many cases, gemstone groups are based on physical properties, such as water content or optical phenomena, for example, cat’s eye gemstones, rutilated […]
Colored Stone Guide: Important Gemstone Groups Read More »
There are different ways of organizing the world’s gemstones. The science of mineralogy sorts the various minerals into ten different mineral classes, based on their chemical composition. The classes include basic elements, sulfides, halides, oxides and hydroxides, carbonates and nitrates, phosphates, silicates, and organic substances. Within these classes are species. Each species has a well-defined chemical
Classifying Gemstones Read More »
Over the centuries, various cultures have contributed to the legend and lore surrounding gemstones. These rare products of nature have inspired philosophers and mystics to attribute unusual powers to these special minerals. Ruby – For Good Luck and Good Health The best compendium of gemstone lore is undoubtedly that found in George Frederick Kunz’s book The Curious Lore of Precious Stones,
In 2016, August joined June and December as one of the three birth months represented by three gems. The original birthstone for August was Sardonyx, and then peridot was added, becoming August’s primary gem. The addition of spinel, which can be found in a variety of colors, gives August babies a plethora of options! Learn
The materials first used as gemstones tended to be ones that were relatively easy to find and easy to work. Thus it is not surprising that gems such as amber, turquoise, coral, lapis lazuliand malachite were among the first human adornments, since they were soft enough to be worked by readily available materials such as sand. Amber is without doubt one of the earliest
History of Gemstones Read More »
