| About Gemstones |
| Did you know..... I was looking up a definition, in my "almost antique" Funk and Wagnall's Dictionary the other day, when I stumbled across some information I thought people, who like gemstones and jewelry, might find interesting. Since I have pieces of jewelry made from these gemstones, I decided to post this information. Corundum - An extremely hard and usually dark colored aluminum oxide used as an abrasive. The colored varieties are the gems Sapphire, Ruby and Oriental Emerald ( Green Sapphire) . (I had no idea how many gemstones have aluminum in their chemical composition. I guess I must have been asleep when this was discussed in Chemistry. Who would think about using a Sapphire or Ruby to scrub a pan, but since they are abrasives and extremely hard, I guess it would work in a pinch.) Chrysoberyl - A vitreous (glassy) yellow, brown or green transparent to translucent beryllium aluminate, used as gems. Cat's Eye and Alexandrite are two of the more famous varieties of this gemstone family. (They have found Alexandrites in Brazil, but the deposits have only produced small stones. Many jewelry enthusiasts love Alexandrite gemstones, because of their ability to change colors in different types of lighting.) Beryl - Vitreous green or emerald green, light blue, yellow, pink or white silicate of aluminum and beryllium crystalizing in the hexagonal system. The gems in th Beryl family are Emerald, (green), Aquamarine, (pale blue-green to deep shades of blue-green, yellow and white. The name actually means water sea, or reversed "sea water", because all of the colors found in the sea, are found in this beryl.) Morganite, (pink), named after JP Morgan and Heliodor, yellow. ( Aquamarine is my favorite gemstone. I love the colors in this Beryl and the many ways you can use this stone.) Spinel - A hard isometric mineral of various colors, such as red, blue and black. The Spinel has become popular to use as a gemstone. They polish well and have a nice sparkle. (The Spinel has gained great popularity in recent years. Now you see an array of Spinel gemstones at Gem and Jewelry shows, around the country.) Topaz - Fluosilicate of aluminum often found in yellow prismatic crystals and valued as a gem stone. Some called yellow Ceylon Sapphire, The Oriental Topaz. (Vendors have told me that Topaz is just Quartz, but that's incorrect. There has been a lot of concern this year about irradiated gemstones, especially the Blue Topaz and Mystic Topaz. JCK reported that the American Gem Association and other groups lobbied to have controls placed on the importation of Blue and Mystic Topaz, to protect the American public from irradiated gemstones. Some irradiated Blue and Mystic Topaz tested "hot", when they were checked at Customs centers. {these were not allowed in to the country} The stones that are imported into the US, must come from countries that have approved irradiation facilities.) Quartz - Crystallized silicon dioxide, a hard vitreous, widely distributed mineral occurring in many rocks and also in colorless and transparent or diversely colored forms crystallizing in the hexagonal system. There are many natural colors of Quartz, and with heating, the colors can be deepened or changed. Quartz is used in jewelry, and considered a gemstone. (Many different varieties have been discovered, in the past fifteen years, and have become very popular. Rutilated Quartz has gold colored needles inside the clear or brownish colored crystals. Tourmalited Quartz has Black Tourmaline particles inside the clear or green Quartz, and Red Hair Quartz has red lines inside the clear or reddish Quartz. In Brazil, there is a folk belief that wearing and or carrying a piece of Rutilated Quartz will protect you from danger and evil.) Garnet - A vitreous transparent or translucent mineral, sometimes cut as a gem stone. Its prevailing color is deep red, and is the birthstone for January. Garnet has a large family of gemstones; Almandine, Almandite, Gossularite, Pyrope, Spessartite, Rhodolite and Hessonite. (Garnets are used by many jewelry artists, because these gemstones are very versatile. They work well with Pearls and many varieties of Quartz and other gemstones, are easy to find and relatively inexpensive.) Agate - A variegated waxy Quartz or Chalcedony, in which the colors are usually in bands. Agatized means crystaline Quartz from living organisms like dinosaur bones. (The agatized dinosaur bones bones are very beautiful, some with bright red spots , others have beautiful shades of brown.) Agates are considered gemstones, and are sometimes heated to increase the depth of color or to change the color. (Agates are also known for the druzy formations. Druzy is a coating of small crystals located on the stone, or it could be a small pocket in the stone. In some Agate Druzys, especially slabs, the entire center of the stone may have a hole, where the the geode was sliced. A geode is a round or oval rock, that when sliced/cut open, has a cavity filled with small crystals. Geodes come in all sizes, from very small to extremely large. Druzys have become very popular with artisan jewelry designers, because it allows you to add a new element to your design. Druzys popularity has caused the price to increase, which is good for the miners, and almost created a scarcity for the designers, because everyone wants them. The last time we were in Brazil, we brought back a few pieces of Druzy. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have purchased many more. Hindsight strikes again! Agates are not the only stones to have Druzy areas in the stone, you can also find these delightful crystals in Chalcedony, and Ocean Jasper, to name a few. ) Chrysoprase - Nickel Silicate, light green, mined in Australia and Tasmania, is the most prized of the Chrysoprase. This stone is mined in Brazil and in other parts of Africa. The colors range from a very light apple green to a very dark shade of green. (I love the light colored Chrysoprase mined in Brazil, and have used it in a lot of my jewelry. The blending of creams, light green and varying shades of brown add a nice design element to the piece.) |