Gemstones have always interested human beings from time in memorial. In the past, they were relegated to the rich and the elites in the society. They were featured in their cutlery, household assets and jewelry among other valuables. They have been passed over the years in various family lineages. Today, they still attract the same attention and are pricey. We are all mesmerized by their unique colors and shapes. They feature distinct mineralogy characteristics. They can fall upon various categories depending on color, cut, clarity and rarity upon other determinant factors.
What Characterizes Gems?
The stones can be categorized depending on several factors. However, typically they are grouped based on these factors;
Chemical Composition
A gemstone can comprise of one pure element or it can be a product of a mixture of several mineral compounds. Most gems contain both oxides and silicates which give them a characteristic color.
The structure of the crystal
Precious stones can be either a single crystal, a collection of massive microscopic crystals such as diamond or an amorphous compound. The crystallized stones can take many forms such as hexagonal, cubic and tetragonal among other sophisticated shapes. These kind of stones require careful cutting to ensure that the shape of the crystals is maintained.
Optical features
The optical characteristics of many gemstones are derived from their crystal structure and chemical composition. Color is one of the main feature that define gems. Most of them exude stunning hues when light shines upon them. Some will even portray a mixture of colors making them very adorable. Precious stones are also classified depending on their refractive indices. The refractive capability will vary among various minerals. Clarity is a common term when classifying gems. Some minerals have unique inclusions which can be crystals of other elements, gas or liquid cavities. Such inclusions help in the identification of the stones.
Specific gravity
This is defined as the ratio of a density of a gemstone relative to that of water. Some minerals such as amber floats effortlessly on salty water. Others such as diamond will sink regardless of the weight of the crystal.
Durability (Hardness)
Not every gem is resistance to breakage. Some such as nephrite are a bit soft whereas diamond is the toughest of them all. All these characteristics among others such as the availability of the mineral helps in placing the gemstones either as precious or semi precious. The hardness of a crystal can be measured by Mohs hardness scale from 1- softest to 10-hardest.
Assessment of Quality of Gems
Four factors are considered while determining the quality of gems. Color is a crucial aspect when evaluating a colored mineral. There are three qualities of color namely hue, saturation and tone. Hue is the position of the mineral on the color wheel, it can be red, black, orange, blue and such like. However, there will be variations of a single hue position such a darker and a lighter green and so forth.
Another crucial consideration is clarity. This is gauged by assessing the presence of inclusions in the mineral. Some stones will have inclusions while others do not feature any impurities whatsoever. If the inclusions are strategically placed and are few, they can enhance the beauty of the stone.
Thirdly, cut is another important quality that dictates the value of a particular gemstone. The main factors that are checked include; shape, cutting style, symmetry and finish.
Lastly, it is the carat weight. This is an essential consideration for anybody who is dealing with gems. One gram is equivalent to five carats. The price of the stone increases with the increase in the metric weight in carats.
Horoscopes
Based on the above factors, a gemstone can be precious or semi precious. Precious stones are the hardest and are rare, whereas semi precious stones are typically soft and in abundance. However, there are some variations. For instance, opals and pearls are regarded as precious although they are soft, owing to their rarity. Precious gemstones have high price tag as compared to semi precious stones.
Also they are those gemstones which relate to horoscopes. They are widely used in gemstone horoscope reading. They are nine zodiac signs namely Aries, Gemini, Taurus, Leo, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio,Libra, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Each star indicates the position of sun at the time of birth. Some of the stones that are primary stones of astrology include diamond, sapphire,emerald and ruby. According to experts gemstones can help in counteracting the negative occurrences of ones life in future. Hence, they advise that one should wear a gemstone that represents their star.
For instance, those whose zodiac sign is Leo should sport Ruby or Citrine whereas those in Aries should wear Coral. For Taurus the individuals should wear diamond and those who their star is Gemini are supposed to wear emerald. Also, Cancer should wear pearls, Libra should go for diamond and Scorpio should wear obsidian or coral. Sagittarius should sport topaz and Capricorn individuals should wear blue sapphire. Although, each person is supposed to wear a particular gemstone, one can still combine two or more gemstones to accrue great therapeutic benefits. If a person like a particular crystal but it is not their birthstone, they can still get it nonetheless.
Buying gemstones is not a smooth ride but the above information can get you a real gemstone.