Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An amethyst geode that formed when large crystals grew in open spaces inside the rock. The largest amethyst geode found as of 2007 was the Empress of Uruguay, found in Artigas, Uruguay in 2007. It stands at a height of 3.27 meters, lies open along its length, and weighs 2.5 tons. Amethyst is also found and mined in South Korea. [19]
Prasiolite (also known as green quartz, green amethyst or vermarine) is a green variety of quartz. Since 1950, almost all natural prasiolite has come from a small Brazilian mine, [citation needed] but it has also been mined in the Lower Silesia region of Poland. Naturally occurring prasiolite has also been found in the Thunder Bay area of ...
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]
Recognizing the habit can aid in mineral identification and description, as the crystal habit is an external representation of the internal ordered atomic arrangement. [1] Most natural crystals, however, do not display ideal habits and are commonly malformed. Hence, it is also important to describe the quality of the shape of a mineral specimen:
Heat can either improve or spoil gemstone color or clarity. The heating process has been well known to gem miners and cutters for centuries, and in many stone types heating is a common practice. Most citrine is made by heating amethyst, and partial heating with a strong gradient results in "ametrine" – a stone partly amethyst and partly citrine.
Pleochroism is an extremely useful tool in mineralogy and gemology for mineral and gem identification, since the number of colors visible from different angles can identify the possible crystalline structure of a gemstone or mineral and therefore help to classify it. Minerals that are otherwise very similar often have very different pleochroic ...
By the 16th century carved and engraved gems were keenly collected across Europe for dedicated sections of a cabinet of curiosities, and their production revived, in classical styles; 16th-century gem-cutters working with the same types of sardonyx and other hardstones and using virtually the same techniques, produced classicizing works of ...
Topics include geographic sources, imitations and synthetics, treatments, and identification techniques. Established in January 1934, Gems & Gemology is geared toward jewelry professionals and gemologists. Issues contain research articles, updates from the GIA Laboratory and international gemology news.