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Gemstones Information
On this page you have some
gemstones information.
Types
of Gems
The two main types of
gems are mineral (crystalline) gems and organic
gems, which may or may not form crystals.The organic gems are formed by biological processes and they include amber, corals, seashells, pearls, anthracite, copal, and jet.
The mineral gems that are formed by inorganic processes include diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, opal, aquamarine, turquoise, jadeite, peridot, tourmaline, topaz, garnet, moonstone, sunstone, chrysoberyl, lazurite (lapis lazuli) and others.
Gemstones Information: Different types. ©collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com
Gemstone
Names
While there are about
4000 minerals on the Earth, only 130ish are
gemstones, and only 50ish are those more known and often-used gems.
They are so rare because unusual conditions are required for their
formation. They have to be not only beautiful to be named gemstones,
but they also have to be hard enough to be able to be cut to make
jewelry. The names of
gemstones vary very much - some are called according to
their mineral
name, such as tourmaline and chrysoberyl, others have got a different
name from their actual mineral name such as ruby, emerald and sapphire.
Gemstones Information: Names. ©collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com
Collecting Gemstones
Collecting gemstones is at least as popular as is collecting rocks and minerals. In fact, I think it is more popular than rock collecting, even though it's not my cup of tea. There are many people out fossicking gemstones and selling them in local shops and markets, where they excitedly talk about how they found them. Many people who collect gemstones also make jewelry and sell it. A nice hobby I think. Personally I am not into it because I don't get excited about beautiful stones anymore - I like to find and collect interesting stones - the rocks that tell me a story ;-)
Gemstones Information: Identification. ©collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com
Gemstone
Identification
Because gemstones are
also minerals (they are one type of minerals -
the type that forms beautiful crystals), identifying gemstones
typically happens in the same way as mineral
identification.
You have to check the crystal
shape; colour
and streak
(as with minerals, don't trust the colour only); transparency and lustre; cleavage and fracture; and hardness and
specific gravity (density).
Gemstones Information: Meaning. ©collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com
Gemstone
Meanings
People have always
liked different gemstones to mean something, so gemstone
meanings is a popular subject. It is often thought that
ruby means love,
emerald means friendship,
agate means luck,
garnet means self-confidence,
amber means creativity,
opal means enthusiasm,
rose quartz means fertility
and aquamarine means stamina
(in fact, there are more gemstones involved in the big picture, and
they sometimes overlap.
Gemstones Information: Healing. ©collecting-rocks-and-minerals.com
Healing
Gemstones
Gemstones have also
long been known for their healing properties. Crystal
healing has been used for thousands of years by
different peoples to
improve immune system,
heart, lungs, blood, eyes, throat, kidneys, liver, bones, cure
eating disorders,
relieve stress and anxiety,
boost memory
and filter unnecessary information to the brain. And crystal
meditation is becoming more and more popular.
Gemstones Information: Famous. By edgeplot via Flickr.com
Famous
Gemstones
Some famous gemstones
through the history have been St
Edward's Sapphire
(worn by the British Edward the Confessor about 1000 years ago), Black Prince's Ruby
- a Koh-i-Noor diamond that was given to the Black Prince in 1360s; and
the Hope Diamond
which was given to King Louis XIV in 1660s, was stolen during the
French
Revolution, resurfaced in 1800s and was bought by King George IV. After
his death it was bought by Henry Hope and others, and in 1900s it
gained a reputation to bring bad luck when a few of its owners were
killed.
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