Gemstones Information

Ask any jeweler to list the gemstones with which they prefer to work, and sapphires and rubies would undoubtedly rank...

Ironically, chrysoberyl varieties include two of the world's most exotic and expensive gems, alexandrite and cat's-eye chrysoberyl, while yellow or...

At the time of Moses twelve gemstones comprised the Jewish High-Priest's Breastplate of Aaron; each stone represented one of the...

Orange and red stones of every kind stood out at this years sensory-overloaded Tucson gem and mineral shows, but one...

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to improve upon nature. Pearls are no exception. The majority of today's...

The valuation of a gemstone is derived from the "Four Cs": carat, color, clarity, and cut. Understanding all four of...

Garnets are a group of related minerals which have slight variations in chemistry but a common cubic crystal structure. Many...

The feldspars are a group of related minerals which, as a group are the most abundant minerals in the earth's...

Gem smuggling, The term evokes pictures of swashbuckling pirates and trench-coated international spies. The reality is far more gritty and...

To simplify your pursuit of gemstone knowledge, the varieties discussed in this book will be described in the mineral species....

Jade is a confusing term since it is used to refer to two different gem materials. The two jades, jadeite...

"My birthstone is emerald," a potential customer recently told me. "But I don't like green," she continued, "so I never...

The prime requisite for coloration of gemstone is that it be porous . That is to say there must be...

The beauty, color, and brilliance of each different gemstone variety is a result of its unique set of physical and...

The most widely-used gemstone exploration techniques today are ground-penetrating radar, known as GPR; trace-element analysis, which involves seeking signature elements...

Lapis lazuli differs from other gem materials because it is a "rock" composed of several minerals rather than being a...

Although gemstones are hard substances, they aren't indestructible. Some can be ruined by contact with certain chemicals, while others break...

The primary issue with topaz that must be remembered at the bench is its one perfect cleavage direction. Hammering or...

Afghanistan's ruby/spinel mines are one of the great mysteries of gemology. Historically, rubies and red spinels have been produced from...

The gemstone industry tends, for marketing reasons, to limit the definition of chalcedony somewhat more than mieralolgists. Among gemstone and...

Until fairly recently, gem cutting was one of the few areas of the world economy to remain uncontaminated by the...

Aquamarine was the talisman of the sailor for centuries, its colors resemble those of the sea and it has a...

Many gemstone owners enjoy wearing their treasures. Few things can ruin that enjoyment faster than the discovery of damage such...

Ginseng, green tea, and herb and oil extracts are just a few of the main ingredients in millions of cosmetics...

Beryllium diffusion typically brightens the color of ruby or sapphire, making a stone more yellow, orange, or red, depending on...

Birth stones are stones associated with each person's month of birth. Each month has a different stone associated with it,...

With the exception of orthorhombic zoisite (tanzanite and thulite), discussed in the first article on the sorosilicate class of minerals,...

Fluorescence is the emission of visible light from a substance under the stimulation of radiation of a shorter wavelength. It...

Do you know what diamonds, rubies, and emeralds are? "Jewels" is the answer most people offer. It's an accurate answer,...

If each sapphire deposit has its own unique chemical mix, in theory it should only be a matter of careful...

Even in the wide and varied world of gemstones, cacholong is pretty obscure. The stone has certainly generated its share...

When the Babylonians observed the passage of the heavenly bodies across the firmament many thousands of years ago and believed...

Although it is rubies for which Burma (Myanmar) is famous, some of the world's finest blue sapphires are also mined...

Every opal is unique in appearance. Opals contain fireworks of every possible color dancing inside them. The flashes of color...

Turquoise has a long history as a gemstone. It was one of the favorites of the ancient Egyptians. Its name...

Vietnam produces rubies as good as anything from Burma. But the machinations and intrigue surrounding the gem business in that...

PMC is not a traditional material, and so a few pioneers went about tentatively setting cubic zirconia's, and lab grown...

Andalusite is an unusual stone. It shows flashes of several different earth tones in the same stone. Because of its...

Rubies and sapphires are the same mineral: corundum, with different trace minerals creating a wide variety of color. Rubies and...

Topaz is a gem that is very often eye clean, so stones with good clarity are available. The red color...

The gem's first known owner was Abu Said, a Moorish prince of Granada in Spain in the mid-1300s. Abu Said...

Warming waters, changes in weather patterns, and increases in storm activity may all affect the future success of pearl farms,...

This article discusses the decline of Thailand’s ruby mining industry. The author warns that Thailand faces future problems is the...

There are only a few inorganic processes, in my experience at least, that will impart pinks or reds to gemstone....

Imagine, if you will, two colored stones. Both exhibit good color. Both are relatively inclusion free. Both tip the scale...

While a worldwide shortage in gem rough sends prices spiralling upward, gem deposits in Africa are lying unworked, or underworked,...

Yellow-green beryl has achieved 'desired gem' status with consumers just within the last few years. Museums were eager to acquire...

The optical characteristics and properties of gemstones often provide the fastest and best methods of identification. A certain amount of...

High quality ruby is being mined in the province of Rukwa , in the southern highlands of Tanzania , according...

This book is the culmination of some twenty-five years of personally supported research on the use of inorganic chemicals to...

The varieties of beryl found worldwide include one of the most prized and one of the lesser valued of gemstones....

Andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite all contain identical amounts of aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, combined with other trace elements. I find...

Peridot, often called olivine and chrysolite, is a gem variety occurring in the solid solution series between fosterite (Mg2SiO4) and...

One of the most basic designs in stone setting is Bezel Setting. It is rudimentary in its concept, and it...

The most important detail in the preparation of gemstone for chemical coloration is that it be clean. Oil and grease,...

The most common tourmaline colors are greens and pinks. Yellow and violet tourmalines are relatively rare. Tourmaline that falls into...

Zircons were called "jacinth" or "hyacinth" in older writings. Zircons are exceptionally brilliant gemstones; the high zircon has the highest...

Quartz is generally divided into two groups: the transparent crystalline varieties and the translucent to opaque chalcedonies that are microcrystalline...

The treatment and enhancement of gemstones has existed for centuries. Some enhancements improve on nature slightly, are undetectable, and they...

My cats like to participate in most of my activities. Their "assistance" generally involves batting supplies off my desk. When...

Staurolite! Why would one of the most ordinary, patently unattractive minerals, used as a religious talisman and a good luck...

I’m hoping this series of articles will save some of you time, money, and embarrassment by discussing some of the...

The most valuable gems come from crystallized minerals that have formed under heat and pressure deep inside the earth. The...

Due to tanzanite fragile nature, the stone is very easy to abrade, scratch, or chip during the setting process. When...

Silicates comprise about a quarter of the known minerals and almost 40% of the common ones. The basic unit of...

Beryllium is a hard and shiny metallic element. Extremely rare, it's prized in industry for its high melting point and...

Amber begins as resin exuded from trees millions of years ago. All known deposits of amber come from various tree...

Garnet is a common mineral distributed worldwide. It occurs as crystals, in massive and granular forms, and as tumbled pebbles....

This book is written as a guideline for the potential buyer of gemstones that are mined from the earth or...

Previous articles discussed the polymorph gemstones andalusite, sillimanite, and kyanite of the Al2SiO5 group of the nesosilicates. Topaz and staurolite...

Richly colored morganite gems are among the more valuable of the secondary gemstones. The value of morganite has increased with...

The minerals grouped as jasper belong to the quartz family. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth....

The mythical properties and symbolic potency attributed to jade (celestial stone) are stronger than those linked to almost any other...

Historically gem possession has been reserved for wealthy, royalty, or high religious leaders. It has always been human nature to...

The region of pegmatite dikes in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil has been the primary source of gem...

A perfect crystal is bounded by plane faces which meet at angles specific for each kind of material (angle analysis...

There are only two ways that I know of to induce black into gemstone. One of these involves carbon while...

The fragile opal first flashed its fiery colors at mortals millennia ago, igniting a love affair that has survived the...

The use of cobalt compounds to impart blue hues to glass, glazes and enamels has been known for centuries. "Cobalt...

Cleopatra was reported to have a fine collection of emerald jewelry, but rumor has it that it was really peridot....

Various and attractive shades of blue can be induced in gemstone by the use of copper compounds. This is perfectly...

On an excursion in the Alps in 1797, mineralogist, R. J. Hauy discovered some highly vitreous, piezio-electric wedged-shaped crystals that...

Tourmaline is one of the most unusual of all gemstones. Unlike other gems, which we often identify with a single...

It's called moissanite and it's described as a proprietary, nearcolorless, lab created gemstone. It's visually almost identical to diamond, and...

One of the most basic designs in stone setting is "Bezel Setting". It is so rudimentary in its concept. It...

It is morning in Hweka, deep in northern Burma’s Kachin State. Outside the window, the roar of the river below...

This page contains a gemstone guide to common abrasives used near gemstones; their usage, hardness rate and effects compiled by...

For the past 125 years, textbooks and museum displays have relied on the beauty of tiger's eye to add interest...

The history of Burma’s jade mines in the West is a brief one. While hundreds of different reports, articles and...

Tanzanite! Baron Sigismund Zois von Edelstein of Slovenia could never have imagined that a variety of the mineral he discovered...

I'm hoping this series of articles will save some of you time, money, and embarrassment by discussing some of the...

Goshenite is the transparent, colorless, alkali-bearing pure beryl that was discovered in Goshen, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The Lily Pond mine...

One of the important reasons for the dominance of diamond in the gem market is the existence of a comprehensive...

One of the most beautiful blue gemstones is native to our own country. In 1906, a prospector found what he...

This is a report on the largest occurrence of Tourmaline in the history of Brazil gem mining; the Morro Redound...

Long associated with Spring and birth, gloriously green emeralds have an extensive history of healing and supernatural powers. Green is...

This is an exciting era for gemologists. High-tech analytical techniques now make it possible to identify trace elements, treatments, and...

The most famous ruby in the world is actually a spinel! It is the "Prince Edward Ruby" which is the...

There are several reactions well known to chemists, involving iron compounds and prussiate compounds (ferrocyanides and ferricyanides) that yield characteristic...

Moonstone and sunstone, seemingly opposites because of their names, are in reality closely related members of the feldspar family. Formed...

It seems that everyone likes the greens in chemically colored gemstone. Probably this is because greens are almost universally pleasing...

Think they just lie around? Oh, no! Rocks are constantly meeting, mingling, and occasionally making gemstones. Every so...

All-natural Oregon sunstone and similar-looking treated andesine once sold as natural are locked in apples-and-oranges competition that is both unfair...

Australia's most famous opal mines lie on the periphery of this Great Artesian Basin. Mintabie, Coober Pedy, Andamooka, White Cliffs,...

Gemstones have been treasured by humankind since the beginnings of civilization. Every ancient civilization found practical and decorative purposes for...

What is one of the causes of a "rippling or jagged" effect around an inside cutting edge in a Gypsy...

Well worth a fresh inspection under the loupe is some fine blue spinel currently on the market. An ancient group...

Currently identified with love, diamonds are the gemstone of choice in engagement, wedding, and anniversary rings. Contrary to popular belief,...

Ever since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by rocks and gems. I started cutting cabs more than 40 years ago, and...

The sorosilicate class of minerals is composed of more than seventy minerals. Most are rare, and only a few are...

At first consideration, it might seem poor organization to include browns and yellows in the same chapter. However, I do...

GIA recently released a video that provides an overview of lead glass-filled rubies and explains why it has begun to...

Prized for its sky-blue color, turquoise has been used in amulets and jewelry since antiquity. The oldest known piece of...

“You should know what kind of shape you’re in,” joked Arthur Anton Skuratowicz during an MJSA At the Bench Live...

If you are looking at a tanzanite it is critical to view it under different lighting conditions. In daylight tanzanite...

The marketing slogan 'All Natural' has been used for years to advertise products from cereal to shampoo. Now some gem...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

here are many minerals accepted as gem materials. Some gem materials are organic in origin rather than mineral, such as...

Like many gems, rubies are known by several names. One of its earliest titles was ratnaraj, which is Sanskrit for...

You may never have heard of iolite. It isn't a household word, but it is an attractive indigo colored gemstone....

Titanium was not recognized as a metal and chemical element in its own right until the end of the 19th...

Two gemstones bear the name jade: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite, first known as yu, was treasured by the Chinese for...

Quartz, the most abundant mineral, is also one of the most diverse minerals known. It's found in a rainbow of...

Silicon dioxide, better known as quartz, is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. Mineralogists divide quartz into two...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

Much of my business comes from re-cutting colored gems that have been chipped, scratched and broken (not always by the...

A year ago, there wasnt much new to be said about tanzanite, the oven-blued zoisite found only in its namesake...

Opal is a fascinating gemstone with an ancient history. Pliny the Elder gives an eloquent description of opal, comparing its...

Lapis lazuli, as lovely as its exotic name, has decorated humans and enhanced their art for thousands of years. Normally...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

If we needed more proof that our society is obsessed with celebrity style, we have only to look at the...

Dioptase incorporates the native metal, copper in the Si6O18 ring structure with water to form the only gem material that...

Lets Talk Gemstones - Zircon is the single member of the zircon group of the nesosilicates that is suitable for...

Morgan Beard, the editor-in-chief of Colored Stone magazine examines the current world mining production of Ruby ' Sapphire, Emerald, Tanzanite,...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

This page contains the list of Gemstone Glossary from the book Gem Dealers' Secrets - Handbook for the Gem Buyer,...

Colored gemstones have enchanted mankind since the dawn of time. The variety of colors, their mysterious sparkle and their extreme...

When buying cultured pearls, consumers must consider several quality characteristics that are very different from the four C's of diamonds...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...

Editor's Note: For more than 20 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion...

Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...