Information of Gemstones

A gemstone, gem or also called precious or semi-precious stone is a extremely striking and valuable piece of mineral, which - when cut and polished - is used in jewelry or other decorations. Though certain rocks and organic materials are sternly speaking not minerals, but are still applied in jewelry and decorations, and are thus often considered a gemstone as well. A few minerals that are too soft to be normally applied in jewelry may still be considered a gemstone since of their amazing color, lustre or other physical assets that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another feature that lends value to a gemstone.

Worth of Gemstones, Past and Present:

The diamond is a gemstone which has its value found in a diverse way than most or even all other gemstones. Conventionally the diamond was valued mostly for its physical properties such as rigidity and brilliance, not unlike any other gemstone.

In history gemstones were classified into precious stones and semi-precious stones. As such a definition can change over time, differ per culture and can depend on so many issues; it has always been a hard matter to ascertain what constitutes precious stones.

Cutting and polishing:

The two chief classifications are stones cut as smooth, dome shaped stones called cabochons, and stones which are cut with a faceting machine by polishing small flat windows called facets at ordinary intervals at intended angles.

Stones which are thick such as opal, turquoise, variscite, etc. are normally cut as cabochons. These gems are designed to illustrate the stone's color or surface properties as in opal and star sapphires. Grinding wheels and polishing particulars are used to grind, shape and polish the smooth dome shape of the stones.

Gems which are transparent are usually faceted; a method which shows the optical properties of the stone’s interior to its best benefit by increasing reflected light which is perceived by the viewer as sparkle. The facets must be cut at the proper angles, which differ depending on the optical properties of the gem. If the angles are too sheer or too shallow, the light will pass all the way through and not be reflected back toward the viewer.

Gemstone color:

Color is the most clear and striking feature of gemstones. The color of any material is due to the nature of light itself. The dissimilarity in color is based on the atomic structure of the stone. Though the dissimilar stones formally have the same chemical composition, they are not precisely the same. Every now and then an atom is replaced by a wholly diverse atom. These so called impurities are enough to absorb certain colors and leave the additional colors unaffected.

Synthetic and artificial gemstones:

A few gemstones are manufactured to copy other gemstones. For instance, cubic zirconia is a synthetic diamond simulant composed of zirconium oxide. The reproduction copy the look and color of the real stone but own neither their chemical nor physical uniqueness. On the other hand, true synthetic gemstones are not necessarily imitation. For instance, diamonds, ruby, sapphires and emeralds have been manufactured in labs, which possess very nearly the same chemical and physical distinctiveness to the naturally occurring range. Synthetic corundums, counting ruby and sapphire, are very frequent and they cost only a fraction of the natural stones. Slighter synthetic diamonds have been manufactured in bigger quantities as industrial abrasives for several years. Only lately, larger synthetic diamonds of gemstone quality, particularly of the colored variety, have been manufactured.