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Main sapphire-producing countries. Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (α-Al 2 O 3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon.
Fancy sapphires of various colours are also available. In the United States, blue sapphire tends to be the most popular and most affordable of the three major precious gemstones (emerald, ruby, and sapphire). Turquoise Turquoise is found in only a few places on Earth, and the world's largest turquoise-producing region is the southwest United ...
Found all over the world, the industry of coloured gemstones (i.e. anything other than diamonds) is currently estimated at US$1.55 billion as of 2023 and is projected to steadily increase to a value of US$4.46 billion by 2033. [8] A gem expert is a gemologist, a gem maker is called a lapidarist or gemcutter; a diamond cutter is called a ...
Title page of a printed lapidary by Conrad Gessner of 1565. A lapidary is a text in verse or prose, often a whole book, that describes the physical properties and metaphysical virtues of precious and semi-precious stones, that is to say, a work on gemology. [1]
The five cardinal gems. Clockwise from top: sapphire, ruby, emerald, amethyst, diamond. Cardinal gems are gemstones which have traditionally been considered precious above all others. The classification of the cardinal gems dates back to antiquity, and was largely determined by ceremonial or religious use as well as rarity. [1]
Note: common kaolin earth bearing iron oxide and organic impurities can be used in the earthenware production, but not in the porcelain production. de Boodt, Anselmus; Tollius, Adrianus (1647). Gemmarum et Lapidum Historia (3 ed.). Maire. pp. 576. Note: first definitive work of modern mineralogy. Nicols, Thomas (1652).
Main jade producing countries. Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or ornaments.Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of minerals), or jadeite (a silicate of sodium and aluminum in the pyroxene group of minerals). [1]
By 1910, Verneuil's laboratory had expanded into a 30-furnace production facility, with annual gemstone production by the Verneuil process having reached 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) in 1907. By 1912, production reached 3,200 kg (7,100 lb), and would go on to reach 200,000 kg (440,000 lb) in 1980 and 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) in 2000, led by Hrand ...