Types of Gemstones
The Gemstone Agate. Agate is a banded form of finely-grained, microcrystalline Quartz. The lovely color patterns and banding make this translucent gemstone very unique. Agates can have many distinctive styles and patterns, but each Agate is unique in its own habit, with no two Agates being the same.
Alexandrite Gemstone is a rare variety of the mineral Chrysoberyl & is a strongly pleochroic gem. Color-changing alexandrite is nature’s magic trick.
Amazonite is also known as the Amazon Stone. Amazonite is a light green to light bluish-green color gemstone, with a soft and attractive color that can closely resemble that of nephrite and jadeite. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as 'Colorado jade' or 'Pikes Peak jade' because of its close resemblance.
Amber is a gemstone formed through the fossilization of tree resin. Amber resin is not the same as typical tree sap. It is sourced specifically from the Pinus succinifera tree. The fossilization of amber can be traced back to the Tertiary period, meaning that amber stones formed approximately 50 million years ago.
Amethyst is the official state gemstone of South Carolina. Several South Carolina amethysts are on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Value. Up until the 18th century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald).
Ametrine: Beautiful ametrine gemstones. The center stone is a traditional 50/50 split of amethyst and citrine. The stones on the left and right are artistic cuts that allow light entering the stone to pass through purple amethyst and yellow citrine and blend into beautiful shades of orange, magenta, peach, and a range of other colors.
Aquamarine is a decorative gem that complements almost any skin or eye color, which makes it an all-time favorite for women the world over. It is a popular gem, that is easy to wear, readily available, moderately priced, and steadily growing in popularity and demand.
Aventurine is a gemstone variety of quartz characterized by its translucency and sparkly metallic inclusions.
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.
Carnelian, being a Chalcedony gemstone, can sometimes have its classification borderline with other Chalcedony gemstones. Sard, which is the brownish to brownish-red translucent form of Chalcedony, can sometimes be a color that can fall under either category.
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.
Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper phyllosilicate mineral with formula: ... chrysocolla has been popular for use as a gemstone for carvings and ornamental use since ...
Chrysoprase is a distinct gemstone quality variety of chalcedony quartz, a cryptocrystalline form of silicon dioxide. Chrysoprase is highly prized for its opalescent minty, apple-green color, which is especially unique and is owed to its distinctive coloring agent.
Citrine is one of the most popular golden gemstones on the market today and it is very moderately priced even in large sizes. Since citrine is one of November's birthstones, it is highly sought-after for use in birthstone jewelry, especially birthstone rings and pendants.
Gem quality iolite varies in color from sapphire blue to blue violet to yellowish gray to light blue as the light angle changes. Iolite is sometimes used as an inexpensive substitute for sapphire.
Emerald is a precious gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.
Gem grade fluorite typically occurs with excellent transparency, while lower-grade, industrial and commercial-use fluorite is often translucent. Fluorite Cut and Shape Most fluorite gemstones are cut from deeply colored stones, but they can also be cut from the less intensely colored materials.
The mineral aggregate heliotrope (from Greek ἥλιος, hḗlios “Sun”, τρέπειν, trépein “to turn”), also known as bloodstone, is a variety of jasper or chalcedony (which is a cryptocrystalline mixture of quartz). The "classic" bloodstone is green jasper (chalcedony) with red inclusions of hematite.
Dazzling brilliance. Captivating color. These are the planet’s most valued gems.
Jasper is one of the many gemstone varieties of quartz available today. It is an opaque and impure variety of silicon dioxide (SiO2). The name 'jasper' is derived from the Greek word for 'spotted stone', referring to its typical multicolored, striped, spotted or flamed appearance.
Kyanite is a gemstone quality aluminum silicate sometimes referred to as disthene, rhaeticite or cyanite. Its name is derived from the Greek word 'kuanos' or 'kyanos', which means 'deep blue', alluding to its typical blue color.
Labradorite occurs in mafic igneous rocks and is the feldspar variety most ... Some gemstone varieties of labradorite exhibiting a high degree of labradorescence are ...
Lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli (/ˈlæpɪs ˈlæzjuːli/, /-ˈlæzjuːlaɪ/), or lapis for short, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
The Gemstone Larimar Larimar is a blue variety of the mineral Pectolite. Pectolite is not a rare mineral and is found throughout the world, but the exquisite sea-blue color exhibited in the Larimar variety is very unique, and only comes from one place in the world.
Malachite is a green copper mineral used as a gemstone, sculptural material, and pigment for millenia. It is a minor ore of copper but is more valuable today for other uses.
Moonstone (gemstone) Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula (Na,K)AlSi3O8.
Morganite can form large crystals & its color can range from a soft pink to violet pink. Although Morganite is rare large cut stones are readily available.
Nephrite Gemstone Information About Nephrite - History and Introduction Jade is one of the oldest and most important gemstones, with a history dating over 7,000 years.
Onyx has traditionally been one of the most important engraving and cameo gemstones, where its most common form was a black base with a white upper layer. Although still used a minor gemstone today, the significance and value of Onyx has been diminished as compared to ancient times.
Opal is considered to be the national gemstone for Australia, owing to the fact that Australia produces roughly 97% of the world's entire supply of opal gemstones. Opals can be divided into three main subgroups: precious opal, fire opal and common opal (potch).
Buying Pearl and Determining Pearl Gemstone Value Back to Top Pearl Color Pearls are available in a variety of colors. Colors of pearls include the following: White, pink, silver, cream, golden, green, blue and black. Some pearls exhibit iridescence, which is known as orient.
Peridots can be differentiated by size and composition. A peridot formed as a result of volcanic activity tends to contain higher concentrations of lithium, nickel and zinc than those found in meteorites. . Olivine in general is a very abundant mineral, but gem quality peridot is rather rare.
An iron sulfide mineral, Pyrite is commonly found around the world in a variety of geological formations, from sedimentary deposits to hydrothermal veins, and as a constituent of metamorphic rocks. It forms in masses, stalactites, grains, globes, striated cubes or twelve-sided pentagonal dodecahedral crystals.
Italian red coral is considered the finest quality coral and is believed to give the wearer courage and strength. Coral is not a mined stone or mineral, but an organic gemstone. It is the hardened, skeleton-shaped result of secretions continuously deposited by marine polyps.
Rhodochrosite is a manganese mineral that makes an interesting gemstone due to its distinctive raspberry red and pink stripes. Due to its composition, rhodochrosite is also referred to as manganesespar or as raspberryspar with reference to its color.
Rhodonite is an inexpensive pink gemstone. It often has impurities of black manganese oxide dendrite veins running through it, creating interesting formations and providing a nice contrast. The name Rhodonite is derived from the term rhodos, which is Greek for "Rose colored".
Rose Quartz Heart: A favorite lapidary project is making puffed hearts from rose quartz. They are made by starting with a thick slab of rose quartz and cutting it in the outline of a heart. It is then domed, like a cabochon, on both sides. This gives it a three dimensional shape known as a "puffed heart". They are an easy project for lapidarists with minimal experience and popular as pendants, palm stones and tokens. Image by Ra'ike, used here under a GNU Free Document License.
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral Corundum. Sapphire, the other gem variety of Corundum, encompasses all colors of Corundum aside from red. In essence, Ruby is a red Sapphire, since Ruby and Sapphire are identical in all properties except for color.
Sapphire is a gem quality variety of the mineral corundum. It is the second hardest substance on earth after diamond, rating 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Corundum itself is not a very rare mineral, but gem quality corundum is extremely rare.
The serpentine subgroup (part of the kaolinite-serpentine group) are greenish, brownish, or spotted minerals commonly found in serpentinite rocks. They are used as a source of magnesium and asbestos, and as a decorative stone.
Smoky quartz is an inexpensive gem material because it is abundant, found in many locations, and its brown color is not currently in high demand. It is often found in large crystals of excellent transparency with few inclusions.
Sodalite is a blue gemstone almost invariably veined with white streaks or markings. Its ideal color is an intense blue, and it comes in all shades of blue from light blue to deep royal-blue, and from grayish-blue to violet. Different shades of blue will often be present in a single gemstone.
Spinel has been mined for centuries and one of the most famous historical spinel gemstones is known as "the Black Prince's Ruby". As the name suggests, this is a red gemstone, which was thought to be a ruby.
Quality sunstone is a wonderful gem, but getting people to notice its aventurescence is a marketing challenge. Jewelers who display it in ways that feature its aventurescence or demonstrate it with enthusiasm are often rewarded with sales. It's all about educating the buyer about the gem's greatest asset.
Tanzanite is an extraordinary gemstone, its appearance is influenced greatly by its ability to show colors when viewed from different directions. U.S. Holiday Closure The Carlsbad and New York laboratories and schools will be closed on Monday, May 28 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
Tiger’s Eye, or Tiger Eye, ... Throughout the ancient world of the Orient, no gems were considered of more interest than phenomenal gems, ...
Topaz is a precious stone, typically colorless, yellow & is Allochromatic, which means that its color is caused by defects in its crystal structure. U.S. Holiday Closure The Carlsbad and New York laboratories and schools will be closed on Monday, May 28 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
Found in lava, meteorites, and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem.
Turquoise is believed to promote good fortune, happiness, and a long life. Turquoise is a birthstone for those born in December. Turquoise is indeed one of the most classic gemstone types frequently used in gemstone rings, though it is rather soft.
Zircon is a colorful gem with high refraction and fire that’s unfairly confused with cubic zirconia. Well known for its flashes of multicolored light.