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Gemstone types

Birthstones

Birthstones are usually associated with the months of the year. A birthstone often symbolizes the month someone was born in. It is said that these stones have magical powers.

Month

Gemstone

January

Garnet

February

Amethyst

March

Aquamarine

April

Diamond

May

Emerald

June

Pearl

July

Ruby

August

Peridot

September

Sapphire

October

Pink Tourmaline

November

Citrine

December

Blue topaz

Many different types of gemstones can be found. There is a short description of well-known gemstones below. Here you can find all the precious stones which have been traded for a long time and are often used in jewelry.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine means in Latin water of the sea and is a blue variety of beryl. The most valuable are aquamarines with deep, dark blue color. The stone is delicate and sensitive to impact. Aquamarine is mostly mined in Brazil.

Amethyst

The amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The word amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos, which means not drunken. The amethyst has with time become a symbol of chastity and purity and was therefore widely used by Catholic priests. Amethyst can be found in among other places Brazil, Madagascar and Uruguay. The best specimens are cut into facets, others can be tumbled and shaped into artistic decorations.

Citrine

Citrine is a yellow variety of quartz. It is, like other gemstones in the quartz family, relatively impact resistant. The stone can be found for example in Brazil, Madagascar and USA.

Garnet

Garnet is often brown-red and looks similar to ruby but is significantly cheaper. The name means grain, probably because of similarity to the pomegranate’s red flowers, even if the stone can take other colors.

Jade

Jade means loin stone and has received its name because it was considered to be a medicine and protection against kidney pain. Jade is common in China and can have many colors.

Quartz

Quartz means hard and is a group of gemstones including among others agates, amethysts, citrines and smoke quartz. This mineral consists of sulfur dioxide.

Moonstone

Moonstone consists of orthoclase feldspar with a moonlight-like shine. This stone is sensitive to pressure and impact. The moonstone is mined mostly in Sri Lanka, Brazil, India and Madagascar.

Onyx

The Onyx is a black stone, sometimes with a touch of white inside. The name onyx comes from Greek and means fingernail, probably because it is slightly transparent.

Opal

Opal can have different varieties like black, white and fire. The name opal probably comes from the Sanskrit upala, which means a precious stone. Opal is sensitive to both pressure and impact as well as cosmetics, soap and other cleaners. Black and white opals can be found mostly in Australia and Brazil. Fire opal is mined in Mexico.

Peridot

Peridot comes from the Greek uncertain, probably in relation to the many varieties of crystal surface. This is one of the few gemstones which can occur only in one color. Peridot is green with a touch of golden shimmer. The color depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure. Peridot is found mostly in Burma, Pakistan and USA.

Ruby vs. Sapphire

There is no obvious difference between a ruby and a sapphire. Sapphires are the varieties of corundum which are not red (these are called rubies). Light red, pink and violet corundum are generally counted as sapphires, because in comparison to the other colors they have higher value. If they were considered as part of the ruby family, they would be automatically classified as rubies of lower quality.

Ruby

Ruby is one of the most common gemstones in the jewelry industry. It is a red variety of corundum. Raw ruby stones often look very dim and greasy. However, a cut ruby has a luster like that of diamonds. The ruby is a hard gemstone mined in among other places Afghanistan, Tanzania, Vietnam, Thailand and Kenya.

Sapphire

Sapphire is a variety of corundum and can take different colors. The most common is blue and the name Sapphire actually means blue. Together with rubies, sapphires are the hardest minerals after diamonds.

Emerald

Emerald is a variety of beryl and the name means green stone. It is considered to be the most valuable stone in the beryl family. It is also very popular in the jewelry industry. Emeralds can be found first of all in Colombia but they are also mined in Zambia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia and Zimbabwe.

Topaz

Topaz can have different colors but the most common are pink, yellow or blue. The most valuable topazes are pink to reddish orange. This stone can be found, for example, in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.

Turquoise

Turquoise means Turkish stone and has given the name to the blue-green color which is called turquoise. Pure turquoises are very unique, usually the stone is crossed with dark veins of other minerals. Turquoises are sensitive to cleaners and therefore you should take off all turquoise jewelry when you wash your hands. Turquoises used to be mined in Iran. Today, however, most stones come from USA, China, Australia, Chile and Mexico.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a crystal with many different colors, sometimes even the same stone can have many different colors inside. Tourmaline actually means stone with many colors and it can be found mostly in Brazil.

Jewelry