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How To Choose High-Quality Gemstone Jewelry
One of the many reasons people have worn gemstones throughout the ages was related to the mystical powers inherent in the gems. Just take an As a favorite Gemstone For Women, pearls are perhaps second only to diamonds. In case anybody ever asks you about pearls, you now know that they are not gemstones at all because gems do not come from something living. There are two animals that make pearls, the oyster as we all know and the mollusk. What is interesting about pearls is many that are sold are cultured. So instead of going after wild grown oysters and mollusks, they are raised so to speak in an environment that is controlled.
There is a reason why rubies are so valued, but the truth is there are many gorgeous gems that come in that color, too. Next to diamonds, rubies are the hardest type of gemstone, which is one reason they’re so valuable. Have you ever seen a ruby that is a peculiar shade of orange or even purple? Well, they do exist and are impressive.
Gemstone Guide: Everything to Know About Gemstones
We all love gemstones because of their brilliant colors and they are completely natural. While most people think of precious stones like diamonds or rubies when it comes to gemstones, there are really a large number of varieties. Our aim with this article is to point you in the right direction so you make the best gemstone purchase possible. In Google, and you will discover many sites where this is discussed. One common encounter will be to discover that people assign conflicting powers to the same gem, so you need to dig deep to find a consensus. There is also a large body of work and writing that concerns crystals, and this is very similar. While not scientifically proven, it’s possible that each gemstone has a certain energy that has an effect on the humans who wear it. You could speak to an energy healer who specializes in gems and crystals for more information.
You can absolutely buy safely and get the real gemstone thing on the net, but you should get a little educated about the matter, first. Do not forget to read online reviews, and that is something that you can do for any website or niche. Read everything on the site including terms of use and make back guarantees. You have to use some common sense, here, and that means not buying if you cannot return the merchandise. Lots of people get into trouble when they pay with something like a money order, or even worse they do a wire transfer.
The history of gemstones is full of adventure and romance. It is fun to express your own personality by the gems you select to wear. In order to prevent mistakes when purchasing, try to find out all you can about something you want to buy. Just avoid the very small-time looking sites that seem to be offering really unheard of deals.
When I see the blue color, I feel so strangely calm and peaceful and when I look at my blue engagement rings the feeling gets more and more subtle. I love my Blue Gemstone due to its calming properties and beautiful look.
Types of Gemstone
Aquamarine
Blue, white, pink, and yellow stones are mined in the states of Colorado and California in the U.S.A., and aquamarines come from southern Siberia, where they occur in cavities of a quartz-topaz rock. Minas Crystals of varying sizes occur in geodes and granite rocks. The U.S.S.R. (Siberia and the Ural Mountains), Brazil (Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janiero), the U.S.A., and Madagascar supply most of the gem material. From Madagascar come the finest pink beryls and aquamarines. They are found in the valley of the Sahatony, a tributary of the Mandora River, which flows along the west slope of Mount Bity. Other beryls are also found in this locality, and they occur in veins of pegmatite which penetrate the alternating layers of mica schist and quartzite.
Chrysoberyl
As a gemstone, chrysoberyl is comparatively uncommon. Rough material is scarce, and good specimens reach a fairly high price. Yet it is not a stone that attracts everyone, despite its many qualities which make it quite suitable to be used in jewelry. There are two varieties of chrysoberyl so used, the green and brownish-green transparent stones called alexandrites; and the cloudy, grayish-yellow, cabochon cut stones which show a chatoyant effect, and which are named oriental cat's-eyes, or cymophanes. Both varieties have striking characteristics which easily distinguish them from all other gemstones.
Garnet
We generally think of garnet as being a dark red transparent stone, but the term really includes a number of minerals, only some of which are used in jewelry. Although they have the same crystalline habit—all fall within the cubic system—they vary slightly in their physical properties. Some are too dull and not sufficiently transparent to be attractive as gemstones, and although many different types may be seen in mounted jewelry, the most likely to be encountered are pyrope, hessonite, and almandine garnets. As there is no strict line of demarcation between the different species, it is often difficult to assign certain specimens to a particular class
Jade
Although the rough stone is mostly found in Upper Burma, the land the Chinese call Yuthian (the jade country), China is the home of jadeite. It has always been regarded there of great importance for, apart from its use in jewelry and ornament, it had, for many centuries, its uses in ceremonial and religious rites, as well as in ordinary domestic and official life. Definite shapes and colors each had special significance, and very early examples dating back to before the Christian era are still in existence. Axe heads and knives made entirely from jadeite were also used in still earlier days during a period which dates back to at least 3000 B.C.
Opal
The oldest known opal mines are now in Czechoslovakia, although this area was formerly Hungary, and hence we have the old term Hungarian opals, which is now rarely used. These mines were the source of supply for the Romans, and even in those days, opals were highly appreciated. Pliny describes them in glowing terms, and long before his day, the Greek writer Onomacritus remarked that "the delicate colors and tenderness of the opal remind one of the loving and beautiful child."
Peridot
Like spinel, Peridot is One of a Large Group of Minerals, only a few of which are suitable for jewelry. These, known as olivines and chrysolites, are both transparent and of a greenish color. In jewelry, they are often used where a number of smaller green stones are required, for example, in clusters or in collet necklaces. The majority of cut stones that one sees is small, and large specimens are not common.
Spinels
This term really includes a large group of minerals, isomorphic in character, but only a few of them are used in jewelry. Magnetite, the strongly magnetic iron ore, chromite, a chrome ore, and gahnite, a Purplealman-Dine Spinels, and the dark green to black, pleonastes, and ceylonites. Pale blues also occur, and most specimens are remarkable for their freedom from bad flaws. White spinels, however, are often clouded, the bright specimens one sees usually being synthetic.
Spodumene
The General Term Spodumene, or spodumene, comprises various colored transparent stones of a like chemical composition. The chief is kunzite, a very beautiful limpid lilac-red or pink stone at its best, although many stones possess only a delicate, faint tinge of color. Hiddenite is the clear, emerald green variety, and there is a yellow spodumene of a lemon yellow shade.
Topaz
The term "topaz" is often loosely applied, both by the general public and by dealers in gemstones, too many stones that are not topaz. One generally visualizes topaz as being a yellow stone, and this is certainly its characteristic color. Yet the true topaz, or precious topaz as it is sometimes called, is found in a variety of colors. It is not a common stone, and it is not widely used in jewelry. What most people know as Topaz is Really The Commoner Stone, citrine or yellow quartz, and it is unfortunate that the term is not strictly kept to the more beautiful and rarer species.
Tourmaline
In Tourmaline, we have another stone which occurs in a large variety of colors, many of which are bright and attractive. The reds and greens are those which are mostly used in jewelry, and these transparent stones are comparatively cheap. Wider recognition of this species would do much to make it more popular, for Tourmaline has Many Qualities which make it most suitable for those who require color in jewelry of a moderate price.
Turquoise
Hardness is only 6, and Turquoise Thus Falls Below Quartz in Wearing Qualities. A file will scratch it fairly easily; it is comparatively brittle, and its color is almost certainly affected if immersed in any liquid or even in water for any length of time. It will, therefore, be seen that turquoise needs to be handled and treated with much care and that, for a ring stone, it is really most unsuitable. Its comparatively low value, however, would make it easily replaceable, although the matching of stones is more difficult. It is surprising how many different shades of blue can be seen in a parcel of turquoises when one makes comparisons.
Zircon
This gemstone has become much better known during the last few years since the blue and white varieties have been fairly extensively used in jewelry. Actually, Zircon is Found in Nearly Every Shade, green, blue, pale yellow, brown, orange, red, reddish-brown, and white, although violet colors are rare. But not all the colors one sees are original; most of the blues and whites have been artificially treated and they were most likely brown when mined.