The sheer range associated with beauty in colourful gemstones can strike just about anyone spell bound. Gemstones are precious or semiprecious mineral stones which, when cut and faceted, can be used because jewels in multitudes of different settings.
Classification and Characteristics associated with Gemstones
There is a tri-level category of gemstones: groups, species and varieties. For example, rubies, which are red in color, belong to the “conundrum” species which belongs to the “hematite” group. Others gemstones, like emerald, aquamarine, goshenite, heliodor and morganite, belong to a variety referred to as beryl. There are over 150 different species available, and you don’t need to understand their classifications in order to appreciate their innate beauty and value.
Gemstones display all the characteristics of crystals – dispersion, refractive indices, hardness, specific gravity etc. They also possess characters like inclusions, fractures and cleavage that play upon their quality and values. Hardness is one of the very important characteristic of gems. Simply put, hardness means resistance in order to scratch. This is measured within “Mohs”, a system developed by an Austrian mineralogist F. Mohs. The scale of solidity reads from 1-10 along with higher number indicating the actual hardest. Talc is at the bottom of the scale with just 1Moh, and a diamond may top the scale from 10Mohs
Birth Stones
Gemstones are often regarded as lucky when worn specific for an individual’s birth month.
Many diverse societies with the ages have held this this sort of belief with regards in order to gemstones, albeit with differences here and there. Each calendar month includes a related gemstone; you can find a helpful infographic that will help you identify your own birthstone right here: Birthstone Jewellery Beliefs
Buying Gemstones
Sadly, there are unscrupulous sellers who’ll try to show you synthetic gemstones as though they were genuine pieces. Of course, if you visit a reliable Jewellery store with a good on-site gemologist (such as Francis Jewellers in Victoria BC), you will know that you are in reliable hands.
Here are some guidelines to help you become a more educated buyer:
Gemstones are measured through size and carats. (1 carat=1/5th of a gram.)
Heating alters the colour sometimes improving clarity
Irradiation darkens colors
Impregnation with wax, resins etc. fills cracks, flaws
Fractures filled by injecting plastic
Differential colors in center and surface indicates diffusion remedy.
