Interesting facts about Aquamarine

 Aquamarine ranges in color from light to deep greenish-Blue through blue-Green. The richer the color, the more costly the gem is per carat.  Aquamarine achieves its Blue to greenish Blue color from Iron in the ferrous state.  Its name is from two Latin words meaning "water" and "sea".  Aquamarine amulets were thought to render sailors fearless and protect them from adversities at sea, especially if the stone was engraved with a Poseidon on a chariot. The stone was symbol of happiness and eternal youth, and according to Christian symbolism, it signified moderation and control of the passions to it's owners.

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl (BARE-ul) mineral family, along with Emerald, Golden Beryl, Goshenite, Bixbite and Morganite.  Brazil is the principal source for Aquamarine. More than 80% of the the Brazilian Aquamarine comes from an area around Teofilo Otoni in the western part of Minas Gerais.  Aquamarine is also found in China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Malagasy Republic, Nigeria, Zambia, U.S. in Maine as well as Idaho and California, and the former Soviet Union in the Ural Mountains, as well as Transbaikalia and Siberia.  Aquamarine is generally not heat sensitive, but chemicals that could attack this gem are hydrofluoric acids.


Aquamarine gemstones with intense colors are becoming very scarce, and their price has increased substantially.


Top colors according to the GIA color grading system have 2-4 tones, with 1-4 saturation.

Typically Aquamarines are greenish when mined and cut, the sky blue shades are produced by heat treating the greenish-yellow, greenish, and even brownish beryl gems, so you should assume that all of the intense colors of Aquamarine may have been heat treated.  The heat treatment process is a permanent process that does not adversely affect the performance and durability of the gemstone, so there's no need to worry when you see this enhancement disclosed. Aquamarine should not be cleaned in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.

Definition: Aquamarine (beryllium aluminum silicate) is a blue semi-precious stone in the beryl family and is closely related to the emerald. It is a transparent, pale green variety of beryl and is often used as a gemstone or birthstone. The color of the aquamarine is due to trace amounts of iron impurities in the beryl structure

•  The origin of the name Aquamarine is derived from the Latin words "aqua marina" which means "sea water" reflecting the color of the crystals.

• The most common color of Aquamarine is natural blue. The Aquamarine is the birthstone of the month of March. 

• Aquamarine are also the Wedding anniversary gemstone and are given as gifts for the 19th year of marriage

• Aquamarine come in a vast range of natural colors and shades from blue to blue-green to sea-green

• The color is mainly determined and caused by the gem's selective absorption of certain wavelengths of light called the body color.

•  The colors of the Aquamarine gem consist of three components, the hue, tone and saturation:

1. The Hue which gives the first impression of the color
2. The Tone which relates to the the lightness or darkness of the color of the Aquamarine ranging from light to medium to dark.
3. The saturation which relates to the intensity of the Aquamarine's color, which is measured from dull to strong to vivid

• The biggest Aquamarine stone was found in Brazil in 1910 and weighed 243 pounds. It was cut into smaller stones which yielded over 200,000 carats

• All gemstones, including Aquamarine, are graded by color, cut, clarity and carat weight

• The tradition of giving gifts of birthstone jewelry containing Aquamarine dates back many hundreds of years
• There are specific birthstones and gemstones, such as Aquamarine, which are traditionally given according to the month that a person is born

• Pure crystals of Aquamarine are used as gemstones. The crystal structure of Aquamarine is Hexagonal

Interesting facts about Amethyst

Interesting facts about Amethyst

Amethyst is the most highly valued member of the Quartz mineral family, and it has Purple hues that vary from very pale to dark.  The medium-dark to dark tones are considered the most desirable and of course are quite a bit more expensive than the lighter tones.  The finest gems usually come from the Elahara mines in Sri Lanka, and the Pau d'Arco mines in Brazil.

These fine gemstones are deep dark and rich in color, with all the fire in sparkle you would want to see.  Most Amethysts on the market are relatively free of inclusions. Amethyst is heat sensitive, excessive heat could turn the stone colorless, or it may produce a Citrine or green color, whereas an abrupt temperature change may fracture the stone. Chemicals that could attack this gem are hydrofluoric acids, ammonium fluoride, and alkalies.

Amethyst is produced in abundance from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil where it occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks. Many of the hollow agates of southwestern Brazil and Uruguay contain a crop of amethyst crystals in the interior. Artigas, Uruguay and neighboring Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul are large world producers exceeding in quantity Minas Gerais, as well as Mato Grosso, Espirito Santo, Bahia, and Ceará states, all amethyst producers of importance in Brazil.

It is also found and mined in South Korea. The largest opencast amethyst vein in the world is in Maissau, Lower Austria. Much fine amethyst comes from Russia, especially from near Mursinka in the Ekaterinburg district, where it occurs in drusy cavities in granitic rocks. Many localities in south India yield amethyst. One of the largest global amethyst producers is Zambia in southern Africa with an annual production of about 1000 tonnes.

Amethyst occurs at many localities in the United States.[11] Among these may be mentioned: the Mazatzal Mountain region in Gila and Maricopa Counties, Arizona; Red Feather Lakes, near Ft Collins, Colorado; Amethyst Mountain, Texas; Yellowstone National Park; Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Haywood County, North Carolina; Deer Hill and Stow, Maine and in the Lake Superior region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario in Canada. Amethyst is relatively common in Ontario, and in various locations throughout Nova Scotia. The largest amethyst mine in North America is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Amethyst mines can be found in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Russia, India, Zambia and other African countries. The largest of these mines are in Brazil. Unfortunately, care must be taken when buying Amethyst stones as it is possible to come across some fake stones. Luckily, these fakes can be spotted as the stone will look flawless and too perfect. Natural occurring amethysts will have some flaws inside of the gem indicated that it must have originated in a mine as opposed to being grown.

Up until the 18th century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald). However, since the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil, it has lost most of its value.

Collectors look for depth of color, possibly with red flashes if cut conventionally. As amethyst is readily available in large structures the value of the gem is not primarily defined by carat weight, this is different to most gemstones where the carat weight exponentially increases the value of the stone. The biggest factor in the value of amethyst is the colour displayed.

The highest grade amethyst (called "Deep Russian") is exceptionally rare and therefore, when one is found, its value is dependent on the demand of collectors. It is, however, still orders of magnitude lower than the highest grade sapphires or rubies (padparadscha sapphire or "pigeon's blood" ruby).

Interesting facts about Alexandrite

Interesting facts about Alexandrite

                                                                                           
Alexandrite changes color from green in daylight to red in incandescent light. The first time you see it, it is hard to believe your eyes!  Alexandrite was first discovered in Czarist Russia, in the Ural mountains, on April 3 1834, when several crystals were found in Tokovanya deposits.  The name “Alexandrite” was coined by mineralogist Dr. Nordenskjöld (Finnish by birth but he worked for the Russian Czar). Since the old Russian imperial colors were red and green it was named after Czar Alexandr II on the occasion of his coming of age in 1842.  Genuine Alexandrite is one of the world's rarest and most coveted Gemstones, it's so rare that most people have never even seen a genuine Top Quality Alexandrite.

Alexandrite is in the Chrysoberyl mineral family and is one of the most fascinating gemstones throughout history. Alexandrite is the variety of Chrysoberyl that displays a change-of-color from green to red. A distinct color change is the primary qualification for a Chrysoberyl to be considered alexandrite. Although alexandrite is strongly trichroic, its color change has nothing to do with pleochroism. Instead, like all other color-change gems, it results in a near-equal transmission of the blue-green and red portions of the spectrum, coupled with strong absorption in the yellow. Thus its color is dependant on the spectral strength of the light source. Incandescent light is strongly tilted to the red end, thus causing alexandrite to appear reddish. Daylight, is more equally balanced. Since our eyes are most sensitive to green light, the balance is tipped to the green side. The strength of the color change is related to the difference in the areas of transmission, relative to the absorption in the yellow. The greater the difference, the stronger the color change.  The color is actually caused by Chromium.

A color change occurs in very few gemstones. For alexandrite, the quality of the color change is paramount. While the holy grail is a gem whose color changes like a traffic light from green to red, such a stone has yet to be found. In fine examples, the change is typically one from a slightly bluish green to a purplish red. The quality of color change is often referred to by dealers in a percentage basis, with 100% change being the ideal. Stones that display a change of 30% or less are of marginal interest and are arguably not even alexandrite. Significant brown or gray components in either of the twin colors will lower value dramatically.

The natural color change in Alexandrite ranges from various shades of Green (blue-greens, kelly-greens, olive-greens, teal-greens, etc.) when the gem is under "fluorescent" lighting, or in natural outdoor light "in the shade" (not direct sunlight)... then the color changes to various shades of Red (burgundy-reds, purplish-reds, reddish-purples, violetish-purples, amethyst, etc.) when exposed to light in a room with only incandescent light, tungsten light, or candlelight (a flashlight will bring out the color change too).

To get the maximum color change effect the gem is best viewed in a dark room with no outdoor light at all, then turn on a fluorescent light to see the green shade, then turn on a standard incandescent light bulb with the fluorescent light off to see the reddish shade.  You can cycle the lights back and forth to see the distinct color change.  Alexandrite will normally darken when taken out into direct sunlight, since it is subjected all the colors in the spectrum,  also if subjected to several types of lighting sources at the same time the colors may twinkle with both the red and the green color bouncing around different facets in the stone.  When the primary color has a bit of brownish in with the green, this is due to the bleeding of the two colors.  Typically this is referred to as the percentage of color change.  The higher the color change percentage, the more expensive the gem.