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A Gemstone Encyclopedia

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Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Gems

Our Gemstone encyclopedia has nearly everything you always wanted to know about gemstones. The Internet is about information, and we want to provide you with all the information you will need on gemstones. Our gemstone encyclopedia is one of the most extensive information sources on the internet, Here is a Gemstone Encyclopedia that contains nearly everything you always wanted to know about gemstones. This page contains a large amount of information, in fact, our gemstone encyclopedia is one of the most extensive information sources on the internet. We have both gem specific info and general informative pages of information on gemstone and jewelry in general - these pages answer a number of common questions about gems.

Contents at a Glance

What really is a Gemstone?
Gemstone Encyclopedia
General Gemstone and Jewelry Industry FA...
General Gemstone FAQ - Your Questions ab...
Some Recommended Books on Gemstones
New Guestbook

So what actually determines that something is considered to be a gemstone? Well, a gemstone is a naturally occurring form of a mineral that is desirable for its beauty, valuable in its rarity, and durable enough to be enjoyed by its owner. Attractive crystals and minerals have caught man's eye since the beginning of history. As he saved and collected these rare beauties, they were valued and became what we now call gemstones. There are more than 30 popular varieties of gemstone minerals, and many more rare collector types of gemstones. While we normally think of certain colors with certain gems, most gemstones occur in a variety and range of colors. Gemstones are oddities in the geological world. The special conditions that allow a mineral crystal to grow slowly and undisturbed, and thus remain transparent and evenly colored, are extremely rare in natural environments. Moreover, such conditions tend to be very restricted in volume on the rare occasions when they do form. The result is that only a small amount of the mineral material present in any specific geologic deposit is suitable for use as gemstones, and the usable portions of the crystals that are recovered tend to be very small.

In the link list below, dozens of gems, both well known and rare, are described and discussed, and many have photos.

Gemstone Encyclopedia

Take a look at this stone by stone description of all the popular gemstones and many rare ones. To learn even more about these gems, click on the link of the gem name to learn all that you wanted to know....

Amethyst, Citrine and Ametrine - The Quartz Family: While the purple Amethyst and the orange - yellows of Citrine are fairly well known, the gem Ametrine combines both the purple of amethyst and the sunny gold of citrine. In this gem, amethyst and citrine colors are found in the same crystal of quartz. When properly cut, the gem will show both both yellow and purple, and you basically have both gem colors for the price of one!
Apatite - The Neon Blue Electric Colored Gem: Apatite is a fairly uncommon gemstone, and you will only rarely see it offered for sale in the typical commercial jewelry stores. However, in recent years some of the TV jewelry and gemstone home shopping networks have offered a variety of this gem known as neon apatite. This is a very attractive form of this gemstone, and as a result, it has gained some level of popularity because of that exposure.
Aquamarine - The Sea Blue Beryl: Aquamarine, the "gem of the sea", derives its name from the ancient term for "sea water". The reference is obvious: aqua sparkles like the sea and its color is pale to medium blue, sometimes trending to a light green color. Aquamarine is the birthstone for March. Aquamarine is always a pastel blue to blue green, but the darker the color, the more valued it is. Many folks prefer a pure blue shade, with no green in it, however the greenish colors are also very beautiful.
Benitoite - The Rare Blue Gem From California: Benitoite is a beautiful sapphire blue gem which is found in only one location in the world, which is San Benito County in central California. This is the Dallas gem mine which was discovered back in 1909, and has been mined off and on by various operators ever since.
Chrysoberyl - Cats Eye and Alexandrite: Chrysoberyl is one of the most underrated and little known gemstones. The two most important forms of chrysoberyl provide some of the most fascinating and most valuable of all colored gemstones: Alexandrite and the cats eye.
Diamond - The King of the Gemstones: Diamond is the most important of all gemstones. It is easily the best known of all gems, having a long and colorful history throughout the civilized world. Because of its great hardness, for many centuries, diamonds were considered nearly impossible to polish. Even its name derives from the Greek word adamas, which means "invincible".
Emerald - The Spectacular Green Beryl: Emerald is one of the most highly prized of all the gems. The name comes from the Greek "smaragdos" which means green stone. Emerald has been treasured for at least 4,000 years by different cultures all around the world.
The Many-Colored Garnet: Many people imagine a dark red colored stone when they think of garnet, but beyond the well-known deep reds, garnet can be purchased in cinnamon to tangerine shades orange, light yellows, deep purple, grass greens and soft bluish-pink. Garnet is available in all these colors and many more.
Iolite - The Sapphire Blue Gem: This stone is a beautiful sapphire blue in one direction, but an unattractive yellow gray in another, a property known as dichrosim. When properly cut, the blue color dominates and the gem is quite beautiful. This gem is also sometimes called water sapphire.
Beautiful violet pink Kunzite: Kunzite is a pink to lavender pastel colored gemstone that is rarely seen in commercial jewelry stores. It was named for the famous gem expert G. F. Kunz. It was first discovered in the US, but the major sources now are Brazil and Afghanistan. Check out the link above for more info.
Morganite - The Pink Beryl: Another underrated and little known gemstone is Morganite. It is rarely seen offered for sale in standard jewelry stores and is normally considered as collector's type of gemstone. Morganite is a pale to pastel pink member of the beryl family. It is not a common gemstone, but it is a gemstone that is much in demand. Check out the link above for more info.
Peridot - The Volcano Gem: This gemstone is born in fiery lava. Peridot forms where certain types of lava cool slowly in the ground before they are erupted on to the surface. The crystals of gem peridot grow in the slowly cooling magma melt before it is erupted onto the surface. The type of volcanic rock that peridot grows in is called basalt. That is why it is known as the volcanic gem. Check out the link above for more info.
RUBY - The Fiery Red Gem: Ruby has been the world's most valued gemstone for thousands of years. In fact, even today, flawless top quality rubies are more valuable and rare than top quality colorless diamonds. Check out the link above for more info.
SAPPHIRE - Every Color but Red: Sapphire, the birthstone for September, has a name that is known and prized throughout the world. Yet when the public thinks of sapphire invariably it is as a blue gemstone; the name itself comes from a Latin word that means "blue". This is unfortunate, because sapphire occurs in a wide range of colors and many of these hues are much rarer than the blue shades. Check out the link above for more info.
Scapolite - The Rare Yellow Gem: An African gem that comes in yellow and purple shades. It is rarely seen in commercial jewelry stores in either of the two common colors. It is a little on the soft side, with the hardness between five and six, it is therefore not suitable as a ring stone. It does sometimes occur in very large sizes, suitable for cutting gems over three carats in size. Check out the link above for more info.
SPINEL - The Bargain of the Gem World: It is unfortunate that most people associate the name "spinel" with cheap synthetic stones and "birthstone imitations" as are typically sold jewelry stores. Literally tons of man-made spinel are produced in factories each year, and this imitation synthetic is all most people know of spinel. This association has become so pervasive that it is not widely realized that spinel is actually a hard, durable, natural gemstone that occurs in a range of colors large enough to rival sapphire! Check out the link above for more info.
Sphene - An Extraordinary Bright Gem: Sphene is a beautiful yellow green to green gemstone which has a very high dispersion. This means that the light which goes into the gem is broken down into a rainbow of colors, similar to diamond. The optical properties of this gem are exceptional, far superior to most other gemstones. Sphene is actually one of the very finest of all gems, and only the low hardness and rarity of rough keep it from gaining real popularity. Check out the link above for more info.

General Gemstone and Jewelry Industry FAQ

Gems and jewelry are beautiful and fun, but most folks know little about the rare stones they are buying. Because of this, there are certain frequently asked questions about gemstones and the jewelry industry. The links listed below offer a special gemstone FAQ that will provide you with all the general information you need to know.

General Gemstone FAQ - Your Questions about Gems

Have some general questions about gemstones and jewelry? Read our gemstone FAQ to learn. To read more and learn the whole story, click on the links to see.

What Really Is A Gemstone?: Well, a gemstone is a naturally occurring form of a mineral which is desirable for its beauty, valuable in its rarity, and durable enough to be enjoyed by its owner. Check out the link above to learn more.
Where do Gemstones Actually Come from?: Gemstones are removed from mines in the earth, sometimes in the hard rock where they were formed, but also sometimes in gravels where they concentrated after eroding out of the original host rock. Gems of one form or another occur worldwide wherever favorable geologic conditions lead to their formation. Check out the link above to learn more.
What Makes Gemstones so Valuable?: Natural gemstones are both beautiful and rare - they exist only where mother nature put them and cannot be mass produced on demand. Their beauty puts them in demand, and their limited numbers together with the demand and high cost of mining makes their prices high. The small size of most gemstone deposits and the primitive nature of gemstone mining make the supply of gems "inelastic". That is, no matter how rapidly demand may develop, the rate at which gems are produced is comparatively limited or fixed. Check out the link above to learn more.
What About Investing in Gemstones?: There is no denying that some folks have made good money investing in gemstones. Gems are rare and nature is not creating them nearly as fast as mankind is mining them. More and more people are coming to appreciate their value which only increases demand and prices. Gemstones are a rare commodity and hard to predict factors can greatly affect their price. They are a great concentration of wealth as only a few ounces of valuable stones, that would fit easily in a person's pocket, could easily be valued at over a million dollars. A similar value in gold or paper money would be difficult to carry from bulk and heavy weight, and nearly impossible to conceal. Check out the link above to learn more.
What About Treated or Altered Gemstones?: For thousands of years, jewelry artists have treated gemstones to enhance their beauty and value. Sometimes this was done in honesty simply to improve the gem, but other times it was done with intent to deceive the buyer. In recent decades, with the scientific advances that have been made, the alteration and enhancement of gemstones has become both commonplace and increasingly sophisticated. Check out the link above to learn more.
Can You DigYour Own Gemstones?: There are folks who wonder, can you really dig up your own gemstones? The short answer is yes you can. Many folks would be surprised to learn that there are locations in the United States where one can dig for their own rubies, sapphires, Topaz, opals, diamonds and a variety of other gems. A few of them are free, but most of these locations are located on private property and do charge a fee, but some of the gems which are produced are very fine and of good quality. It takes some work as well as good luck to find a nice gemstone. Depending on the location, you will need shovels and screens, picks and sometimes other equipment. Many of the facilities which offer the tourist a chance to dig for his own gems also provide the necessary equipment, or least make it available for rent. Check out the link above to learn more.
What About Collecting Gemstones?: More and more people are getting into collecting unusual gems and jewelry, and there are many reasons to do so. A few will view their gem collections with an eye toward investment, some folks also view their gems as having some properties of healing and enhancement, but most just view them as items of concentrated and lasting beauty, fun to own and wear. While some collectors will keep their gems unset as individual stones, a far greater number will choose to have them set into jewelry they can be worn for special occasions. There's a whole world out there of beautiful but little-known gemstones of which few people know, and many collectors will want to own some of these rare gems. Check out the link above to learn more.
What Causes Color In Gemstones?: The white light we see is a combination of colors - using a prism can break those up and allow the viewer to see all of them. So what causes gemstones to have colors? There are a variety of sources of color in gemstones, but there are three main causes - self coloration, impurities, and color centers. Check out the link above to learn more.
Can Gemstones Be Used For Healing and Therapy?: The crystalline properties of gemstones were fascinating to the ancient peoples who possessed them, and sometimes seemed to contain some strange form of energy. Shamans and other mystics of old commonly used them in their rites. Some modern folks are still interested in them for virtually the same reasons. Check out the link above to learn more.
What Are Rare and Unusual Gemstones?: Everyone knows about the popular, well known gems, but there are literally dozens of lesser known gems, most of which will never be seen offered for sale in any standard jewelry store. These rare and unusual stones can be quite special and beautiful. Check out the link above to learn more.
What About Birthstones And Birthday Gemstones?: Designated birth gemstones or "bithstones" have been important since ancient times, when they were believed to possess some magical force that could protect or assist the owner or wearer of the stone. Originally, birthstones were linked to the birth signs of the Zodiac, but in modern times, birthstones are designated to specific months of the year and each calendar month has its own unique birthstone. Check out the link above to learn more.
What About Synthetic And Simulated Gemstones?: Natural gemstones of high quality are rare, valuable and always in high demand. This creates a situation where prices tend to be very high for fine natural gemstones. For many centuries men have been producing what are essentially "fake" gemstones. These materials look like natural gems but are made by men in factories in laboratories - they are the synthetic and simulated gems. Centuries ago the quality of these fakes was low and anyone who's seen the real thing could easily spot the difference between a fake and real gemstone. However, modern technology has made a huge difference and in laboratories we are now able to produce crystals of the exact same chemical make up and form as the real thing. Check out the link above to learn more.
What Books Are Available to Learn About Gemstones?: I have tried to collect together a lot of great information which will answer the most common questions, and really educate the public on gems and minerals. While this webpage represents a great resource, and it is my intent to continue to grow this web based information database, there are some great books out there that present some great opportunities to learn more about gemstones. Check out the link above to learn more.
Can I Make My Own Gemstone Jewelry?: Good quality jewelry is beautiful to own and wear, and jewelry making really is an art form. For centuries, this art was protected and handed down from father to son through various apprentice programs. The necessary knowledge was withheld and kept to a small number of specialists. Things are far different in our time - and various jewelry equipment suppliers and gemstone sellers have done all they can to make things easy for individuals to try for themselves. The necessary knowledge is now easy to acquire. If you have any artistic flair or talent, there is no question that you can make your own, special art pieces to wear. Check out the link above to learn more.