A number of techniques are used to improve the color and appearance of natural and synthetic gemstones. The purpose is to increase their beauty, desirability, and saleability. Probably the oldest method is...
Tiffany Co had a brilliant gemologist working for them called George Frederick Kunz and it was in his honour that the gemstone Kunzite was named. He was the discoverer of this lovely gemstone. Kunzite,...
Tourmaline can come in an amazing array of colours. The reason being, according to myth is that it passed a rainbow on its way up from the centre of the Earth. It is no wonder then that it is referred to as...
Ruby is also the most commonly named precious stone in the Bible; an example being Proverbs 31: “A virtuous wife is worth more than rubies”. Did you know that ruby is the birthstone for July. Ruby is actually...
Quartz is the most common mineral on the face of the Earth. Chemically, quartz is a compound called silicon dioxide, SiO2. As a crystal, quartz is used as a semiprecious gemstone. Quartz is a relatively hard...
Most people think of the color blue when they hear the word Sapphire, when in fact Sapphires do come in many different colors. The only color that should be associated with the use of the word Sapphire without...
Spessartine is an uncommon garnet. Spessartite or spessartine is manganese aluminum garnet, Mn3Al2(SiO4)3. Madagascar’s spessartine garnet is a recently discovered variety with a beautiful raspberry body...
1.Remember, even the hardest gemstone variety can be vulnerable to breakage if it has inclusions that weaken the crystal structure. Exercise common sense: if you have a ring set with a softer gem variety or an...
Beryl is a mineral and in certain varieties a valuable gem material. Beryl is often unknown to the general public, even the gemstone-buying public. It is a mineral made up of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate....
A skilled lapidary can turn a rough pebble into a sparkling and valuable gemstone. The knowledge needed for this transformation has been built up over many centuries and today a style of cutting can be...