|
|
|
FEATURE: Gem stones
All through history people have valued stones of great beauty. They thought the stones had special powers and used such stones to decorate themselves. Through the centuries, more and different gem stones have been discovered. Owning gems has brought wealth and importance. Great rulers have had gem stones set onto their weapons and crowns.
In order to certify as gems, stones are cut or polished to improve their colour, clarity or luster. Gems owe their beauty to the skill of a lapidarist (a gem cutter). They are shaped by rubbing or grinding to give smooth, shiny surface.
Most gems are unusual forms of quite common minerals. They are prized for their beauty and rarity. For example, quartz is a common mineral, and makes up most sands and also form a part of many other rocks. Pure quartz is clear and colourless. Sometimes though, quartz contains traces of iron, and it then becomes the semi-precious gemstone, amethyst. Similarly another common mineral is corundum, traces of impurities can transform it into precious gems like sapphire and rubies. Emeralds and aquamarines are simply different coloured forms of the mineral beryl, made precious by the presence of impurities.
Garnet: Garnet is a well known mineral, but garnets of gem quality are rare. Garnets are found in many colours. Pyrope, used as a gem, is a beautiful deep pure red. Almandite is perhaps the best known of the garnets. It is usually dark brownish or violet red. Rhodolite, a combination of pyrope and almandite, looks like a pale almandite.
Amethyst: One of the most beautiful forms of quartz is the lovely purple or violet amethyst. The name comes from the Greek word meaning ‘not drunk’. The Greeks believed that anyone who drank dark wine from an amethyst cup would not get drunk.
Aquamarine: The word ‘aquamarine’ means ‘seawater’ and describes perfectly the colour of most of the stones like emeralds, golden beryl and morganite, some aquamarine are pale blue. This stone typically is free from visible faults and makes very attractive jewellery.
Diamond: The diamond is called the king of gems. The beauty of this gemstone comes from its fire and brilliancy, as most diamonds are colourless. The few diamonds that do have colour, like the blue hope diamond and the apple-green Dresden diamond, are especially valuable.
Many of the famous diamonds have come from India, once the chief place to get diamonds. In the 1720s, after the supply in India had been mined out, diamonds were discovered in Brazil. The South African deposits came to light in 1867 and since then Africa has been the chief source of diamonds.
Emerald: The bright grass-green emerald, traditionally a symbol of eternal life, is one of the most valuable gemstones. A very good emerald is more expensive than a diamond of the same size. Old stones came from the ancient mines of Cleo-patra in upper Egypt. When Spaniards conquered Peru, they found great quantities of emeralds there. In the 1550s the mines were found in Colombia that are now the main source of emeralds.
Pearl: Pearl is known as the queen of gems. A pearl is formed inside the bodies of certain kinds of shellfish, such as oysters, which line their shells with mother-of-pearl. Mother-of-pearl is a special type of chalk called calcium carbonate. If a piece of grit or other foreign object gets stuck inside the shell, the shellfish coats it with layers of mother-of-pearl too, forming a pearl.
A cultured pearl is created by deliberately inserting a bead inside the shell to make them produce pearl.
This gem has a lovely soft glow in its natural state. Pearls range in colour from black to white, rose, pale blue, yellow, lavender, green and mauve. A perfect pearl only needs to be drilled for stringing to be shown off beautifully.
Ruby and Sapphire: The red ruby and the blue sapphire are transparent varieties of the mineral corundum. These gemstones have little fire and depend on colour for their beauty. All transparent corundum that is not red is called sapphire. The sapphire is usually blue, but there are also white, pink and yellow, or golden, sapphires.
Peridot (Olivine): The Roman naturalist, Pliny, in AD70 mentioned a deposit of olivine on St. John’s Island in the Red Sea. It is likely that even before this, big green crystals of olivine were being mined in Myanmar (Burma). The word “olivine” comes from the olive-green colour of many stones. Jewellers call this stone peridot.
Opal: A famous English art critic once wrote that “Opal shows the most glorious colours to be seen in the world, save only those of the clouds.” The opal sometimes holds all these colours in one stone. But there are many varieties of opal. The finest come from Australia. These have a black background with vivid colours. Next in value and beauty are white opals that also come from Australia. Fire opals from Mexico are usually yellow, red, and brown. A valuable black opal is sometimes found in Nevada.
Topaz: Topaz is known for its warm golden glow. But not all yellow stones are topaz. A yellow quartz, called otrine, is sometimes mistakenly called topaz. Nor are all topaz yellow, some are perfectly colourless, faintly tinted, pink or blue.
Turquoise: The bright, gay colour of turquoise is very popular in American jewellery of Navajo design. The colour of turquoise varies, but sky blue is the most prized colour. The stone is usually opaque and waxy. In a fine-quality the colour is permanent, but waxed turquoise often get discoloured.
Birth stones
January — Garnet February — Amethyst March — Aquamarine April — Diamond
May — Emerald
June — Pearl
July — Star ruby
August — Peridot September — Sapphire
October — Opal November — Topaz
December — turquoise
Language of gems
Marvellous properties were attributed to many precious stones and gems by the ancients, and it is customary among lovers and friends to notice the significance attached to various stones in making birthday, engagement and wedding presents.
Agate — insures health, long life and prosperity.
Amethyst — preventive against violent passions.
Beryl — everlasting youth and happiness.
Bloodstone — steadfast affection courage and wisdom.
Carnelian — preventive of misfortune
Catseye — warns against danger and trouble
Chalcedony — drives away sadness
Chrysolite — frees from evil passions and melancholy
Diamond — signifies purity; maintains peace and disperses storms
Emerald — discovers false friends and ensures true love
Garnet — constancy and fidelity
Jasper — wisdom and courage
Moonstone — good luck
Onyx — insures congenial felicity
Opal — an “unlucky” stone portending injury and mental or physical trouble
Pearl — signifies purity and innocence
Ruby — discovers poison, corrects evils resulting from mistaken friendship
Sapphire — frees from enchantment; denotes repentance
Topaz — fidelity and friendship; prevents bad dreams
Turquoise — prosperity in love.
|
|
|
|
