Today I wanted to share some interesting gemstone facts that will (hopefully) be of interest to you and also solve some questions you were afraid to ask!.
Here we go:
1- Gemstones are categorized in 3: Precious Gemstones, like diamonds, rubies and sapphires come in this category; Semi-precious Gemstones, like garnet, alexandrite and peridot; and the last is Organic Gemstones, this special category is for non mineral gemstone materials like amber, pearls and ivory.
2- Precious and Semiprecious stones are defined by the scarcity and value of the mineral.
3- The color of mineral stones varies from stone to stone due to the uneven concentrations of the chemical components present inside the crystalline formation, this makes every single gemstone unique.
4- Some gemstones are exposed to different procedures to enhance their color, but some of this procedures lowers the value of the gemstones.
5- Cleopatra's favorite gemstone was the Peridot, the queen favored green gemstones.
6- Garnets were given their name due to their similarity with the pomegranate's red seeds.
7- Gemstone hardness is measured by a number on a system called Mohs Scale, diamonds are perfect 10, they are the hardest gemstone and only another diamond can scratch it; the softest being amber with a rating of 2, pretty easily scratched and it even floats in salt water!
8- Pearls are product of different layers of closed mollusk's saliva on grains of sand and other external agents that make their way inside the clams mouth, they take a lot of time to form.
9- Star sapphires and rubies are rare occurrences, a 6 pointed star appears as a shine on the top of the stone due to the presence of rutiles inside.
10- Gemstones can be made in laboratories under controlled circumstances.
11- Contrary to popular believe, lab gemstones are not fake, they have the same components of the natural occurring ones, and are perfect alternatives for mined gemstones; if you find a gemstone too expensive, go for lab gems!
12- And talking about star sapphires, they can also be made in a laboratory.
13- Opals and Tourmaline are known as the most colorful gemstones, Opals hold an array of colors inside due to light refraction on their components, and Tourmaline can come in every color possible.14- And going back to Opals, its very beneficial to wear them next to your skin, Opals have water inside and the moisture of your skin keeps them from drying and cracking.
15- Amethyst, the beautiful purple stone and one of my favorites, was once considered a precious gemstone, related to royalty, but then huge amounts were discovered in Brazil, lowering it's price and rarity considerably.
I hope you had fun reading some gemstone facts, we will share more in the future!
Mauricio F.
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