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About GemsBirthstones
Garnet comes in many different colors. Most commonly it is known to be a deep red color. Other colors garnet occurs in include purplish red, orange, and green. Garnet can also form as an opaque stone to a completely transparent crystal. With a hardness of 6 ½ to 7 ½ on the Mohs scale, garnet is relatively durable stone, though over years of wear can show significant abrasions. Common inclusion which are found in garnets include needles and small crystals. Sources where garnet is commonly found include India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Australia, U.S.,Canada, Burma, and China. Cause of color: Iron, chromium, titanium, vanadium, manganese  Back to Top
Amethyst is the purple variety of the quartz family. Ranging in color from a very light purple to an almost black very deep purple. Amethyst is usually very clean inside and can be found in very large sizes. Typical sizes of faceted stone range from 1-20 carats, though faceted stones over 1000 carats are known to exist. With a hardness of 7 on the mohs scale amethyst is durable but can show abrasions after years of wear. Major sources of amethyst include Brazil, Uruguay, Namibia Cause of color: Iron impurities and irradiation  Back to Top
Aquamarine is the blue variety of the beryl family of stones, ranging in color from a greenish blue to a blue-green, and almost always very light in tone. Aquamarine is usually void of any inclusions though small inclusion can occur. 1 - 10 carat stones are common but faceted stones of 1,000 carats are known to exist. With a hardness of 7.5-8 on the mohs scale aquamarine is a relatively durably stone, though can form abrasions throughout years of wear. Major sources of aquamarine include Brazil, Afghanistan, Madagascar, and the U.S. Cause of color: Iron Back to Top
Diamond is made of 99.95% carbon. It can occur in many different colors including white, yellow, green, blue, brown, orange, pink, and red. With a hardness of 10 on the mohs scale, diamond is the hardest known natural material found on earth. Only 20% of diamond that is mined is considered to be of “gem” quality. The other 80% is used widely in industrial applications. Diamonds are commonly found with inclusions in them. These inclusions can range from internal fractures to crystal to what are referred to as clouds. Sizes range typically between 0.01 to 5 carats, though faceted stones of hundreds of carats do exist. Major sources of diamond include Canada, South Africa, Botswana, what now is the former USSR, and Australia. Cause of color: Back to Top
Emerald is the green variety of beryl family of stones. Colors range from light to dark green and are usually considered to be a slightly bluish green. Emeralds are referred to as a type 3 stones, which means it is commonly heavily included. Inclusions can vary from partially healed fractures, needles, to crystals which contain salt, liquids, and sometimes air. Due to the number of inclusion usually found in the stone the durability of emerald is very low and is susceptible to chipping and fracturing. Emerald has a hardness of 7.5-8. Gentle wear and cleaning are strongly recommended. Sizes range from 0.05 to 4 carats, though faceted stones of over 100 carats are known to exist. Major sources of emerald include Columbia, Zambia, Brazil, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan. Cause of color: usually chromium, though occasionally vanadium Back to Top
Considered an “organic” gemstone, pearl is the result of a mollusk coating an irritant with nacre. Though natural pearls can occur, The jewelry industry relies on selling cultured pearls. These pearls are made by implanting a “seed” inside the mollusk and letting it be coated with nacre. Pearls instead of being mined are usually farmed just off shore. Depending on the type of mollusk and the location, pearls can come in many different colors, including, whites with various accent hues, and blacks also with accent hues. Due to the nature of pearls they are a very non-durable gem. Pearls have a hardness of 2.5 to 4 on the mohs scale. Light wear and cleaning are usually recommended. Major sources of cultured pearls include Japan, China, Australia, Burma, Phillippines, and Tahiti. Back to Top
Alexandrite is the single crystal color changing variety of chrysoberyl. The color will change from a bluish green or strong green in daylight, to a purplish red in incandescent light. Alexandrites are commonly included and a good color change is rare. Typical sizes will range from .05 to 5 carats, though stones as large as 60 carats are known to exist. Alexandrite has a hardness of 8.5 on the mohs scale, but can over time chip or become abraded. Alexandrite in fine quality can match and even exceed prices of diamond. Major sources include Brazil, Sri Lanka, and what is now the former USSR. Cause of color: Chromium Back to Top
Ruby is the red variety of corundum. It will typically range in color from a pinkish red to a dark purplish red, and can be transparent to opaque. Ruby is usually found with a minimal amount of inclusions, though some lower quality stones can be only semi-translucent due to heavy inclusions. Ruby can also show a phenomena called asterism, which will show a 6 rayed star in domed or cabochon stones. Star rubies are always opaque to semi-translucent. Ruby has a very high hardness of 9 on the mohs scale, and will typically handle years of wear without showing abrasion. Fine rubies are commonly referred to in color as “pigeon blood red”, and a misnomer for “fine” red rubies is “Burmese” ruby. Though Burma is a source of fine quality stones not all high quality rubies are mined in Burma. Ruby is also one of a few stones, which also include diamond and sapphire, that can withstand the heat of a jewelers torch heat during repair work. Major sources of ruby include Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Australia, Burma, Kenya, and Thailand. Cause of color: Chromium Back to Top
Peridot (pronounced PEAR-ih-doe) is a green stone that may range from a very light yellowish green to a richly saturated green. Peridot is very typically void of most inclusions and can commonly be found in sizes of 1 - 5 carats, though stones as large as 300 carats are known to exist. Peridot has even been found to have crystalized within some types of meteorites, though the occurrence of these are very rare. Peridot is a relatively durable stone with a hardness of 6.5 to 7 Major sources include the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Burma, China, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, and Sri Lanka. Cause of color: Iron Back to Top
Sapphire is commonly known as the blue variety of corundum, though sapphire occurs in all colors but red. When this stone is referred to simply as “sapphire” it is implied that a blue sapphire is being discussed. When speaking of any other color of sapphire the color of the stone should be said before sapphire (i.e. purple sapphire). Sapphire comes in many different qualities, ranging from very dark and almost opaque to very fine quality stones which are a rich vibrant color and eye clean. Sapphire, like ruby, can show a phenomena called asterism, which will show a 6 rayed star in domed or cabochon stones. Sapphire is a very durable stone with a hardness of 9 on the mohs scale. Some very fine colored sapphires are referred to as “Ceylon” sapphire, though the stone may indeed have been mined elsewhere. Sapphire along with diamond and ruby can withstand high temperatures that may be applied by a jewelers torch without being damaged. Common sizes range from very small stones up to 5 or 6 carats, though stones of hundreds of carats are known to exist. Major sources include Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Kenya, Tanzania, and the U.S. Cause of color: Titanium and Iron Back to Top
Opal is a stone that can have a large range of different looks. It displays a phenomena referred to as play-of-color, which gives opals its distinctive rainbow of colors on the surface. Opals can come in different “body” colors which can have an effect on how intense the colors on the surface may appear. Due to its high level of water in the chemical makeup of the stone (sometimes as high as 20%) opal is a very delicate stone. It is very common for opal to chip, crack, or “craze” which is a crackling over the surface of the stone due to the stone slowly drying. Opals has a hardness of 5 to 6.5 on the mohs hardness scale. Opal also can grow in single crystal (transparent) form in a variety known as Mexican fire opal. This variety is orange in color and is commonly faceted like most transparent stones, though fire opal still retains the low durability of common opal. Common sizes range from very small stones up to stones as large as 50 carats. Major sources include Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, Poland, Tanzania, and the U.S. Back to Top
Tourmaline is a stone which is found to grow in many different colors, including pink, green, red, blue, brown, and white. Pink tourmaline is the designated birthstone for the month of October along with opal. Tourmaline grows in large and usually very clean crystals. Pink tourmalines can range from a very light pastel pink to a deeply saturated color. Durability is average, with a harness of 7 to 7.5 on the mohs hardness scale. Common sizes of tourmaline range from 1 to 5 carats. Major sources include Brazil, Afghanistan, Burma, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and U.S. Cause of color: Back to Top
Topaz is, like tourmaline, a stone that occurs in many different colors. The yellow, or “golden”, variety is the designated birthstone for the month of November. Topaz can be found in yellow, orange, pink, brown, white, and blue. Topaz usually grows in large, clean crystals, and is faceted into many different shapes and sizes. The durability of topaz is good with a hardness of 8 on the mohs hardness scale, though extensive wear may lead to abrasions or chips. Common sizes range from 1 to 25 carats depending on the variety. Major sources include Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico, Namibia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. Cause of color: Back to Top
Zircon is a stone which occurs in many different colors similar to sapphire, topaz, and tourmaline. The designated color of zircon for December is blue, though colors this gemstone comes in include colorless, yellow, green, brown, orange, red and occasionally purple. Common sizes of blue zircon range from 1 to 9 carats. Blue zircon is typically light and somewhat desaturated in color, though some finer stones are a vibrant blue. Zircon is a durable gem with a hardness of between 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. Zircon is the natural gemstone that the man made stone Cubic Zirconia is chemically derived from. Major sources include Kampuchea, Sri Lanka, Burma, Australia, and Thailand. Cause of color: Various color centers Tanzanite is a relative new comer to most birthstone lists. Tanzanite has gained enough familiarity amongst the public that it was recently designated as the new December birthstone. Ranging in color from a blue to violet to bluish-purple, tanzanite is typically an inclusion free stone. Average sizes range from less than a carat up to 5 carats, though faceted stones over 50 carats are known to exist. Tanzanite is a fairly durable gem with a hardness of 6 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. The major source is located in Tanzania, the country which Tanzanite is named after. Cause of color: Back to Top |
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GARNET:
AMETHYST:
AQUAMARINE:
DIAMOND:
EMERALD:
PEARL:
ALEXANDRITE:
RUBY:
PERIDOT:
SAPPHIRE:
OPAL:
TOURMALINE:
TOPAZ:
ZIRCON:
TANZANITE: