GEMS
Gems are the beauty of geology. They are known for their beauty, their transparency, their sparkle in the sunlight, and their rarity. They are used in jewelry, and some are even used in devices. Take quartz for example. It is used in watches and radios. " Scroll down to quartz for more information." A gem is any rock that when cut and polished, can be used in jewelry. As you scroll down this extensive list of gems and other rare and beautiful rocks, you will learn things you never knew. So what are you waiting for, start reading!
This list has been placed in alphabetical order for your convienience.
Gems are the beauty of geology. They are known for their beauty, their transparency, their sparkle in the sunlight, and their rarity. They are used in jewelry, and some are even used in devices. Take quartz for example. It is used in watches and radios. " Scroll down to quartz for more information." A gem is any rock that when cut and polished, can be used in jewelry. As you scroll down this extensive list of gems and other rare and beautiful rocks, you will learn things you never knew. So what are you waiting for, start reading!
This list has been placed in alphabetical order for your convienience.
Gems are very rare. That is one of the factors that make them so expensive. Some mines can process 98 tons of waste dirt and only strike 25 carats of diamond! That weighs about 0.2 ounces (5 grams), equivalent to a sugar cube.
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THESE ARE ASSORTED GEMS
Copper
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The Timna people of Israel were the world's first coppersmiths. Like gold and silver, copper occurs in pure form, and is easily extracted from other rocks/minerals. It also, like gold and silver, is very malleable, and can be hammered into thin sheets without breaking. These traits make copper a favorite of blacksmiths.
Diamonds
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This precious gem is probably the most famous. Until the 1700's, most of the worlds diamonds came from India. On the Moh's scale, diamonds are labeled at ten. They are the hardest mineral known to man. Most diamonds form more than 75 miles below Earth's crust. Some geologists believe that diamonds come up to the Earth's surface in magma faster than the speed of sound. Microscopic diamonds can be formed when meteorites collide with Earth. In the 1600's, some windows were made out of diamonds. Couples would often scratch their initials or write love notes on these, the way we scratch our initials on trees. (Please do not do this since it is harmful to the environment) Just as there was a gold rush, there was also a diamond rush. In 1925, very rich deposits of diamonds were discovered in South Africa. The South African government decided to allocate claims on the outcome of... a race? As a result, on August 20, 1926, 10,000 miners lined up to race 216 yards to the finish line. There used to be a law in France that only kings and nobles could wear diamonds. Agnes Sorel, the mistress of the French King Charles VII, was the first to break this law. Diamonds are the most commonly imitated gem in jewelry, as many cannot afford the real thing. They are usually cut into a brilliant formation.
This is the location of the "diamond race"
Emerald
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The most famous and valuable green gemstone forms deep in the Earth's crust when hot molten granite reacts with chronium rocks. Emeralds are actually a form of beryl. The chemical makeup of a emerald is (Be3Al2Sl6O8.) Emeralds have a hardness of 7-8. It is a precious gem. The largest emeralds are found in mines in Columbia in black limestone.
GARNETS
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Garnets are semi-precious rocks that form on metamorphic rocks. They are created when heat and pressure alter rocks. Garnets are very hard, and can be used as abrasives for grinding and polishing. Very fine specimen can be used as gemstones. They are often confused with rubies and red spinels. Garnets come in multiple colors, but are usually red or black. Garnets form on other rocks, and the rocks that they can grow on depends on the specimen of the garnet. The world record for the largest garnet is three feet across.
Geodes
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Geodes, or potato rocks, look just like any other rock, until you crack them open. They get their nickname from England. They are often found lying in the fields, and farmers sometimes mistook them for potatoes. This is how they form. When igneous or sedimentary rock layers form, cavities can be created by gas bubbles. Water containing dissolved minerals may seep into these. The mineral rich water then hardens into crystal. If there is not enough water to fill the cavity, a space may remain at the center. Quartz crystals may form here.
GOLD
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Gold is one of the most valuable rocks in the world. However, platinum is much more rare. It was first mined around 5,000 years ago, and that same gold is still being used today. It often forms in lava veins under volcanoes. It also grows commonly in mineral veins with quartz when hot watery liquid mineral cools. To seperate gold from quartz, geologists burn it off. Its hardness is from 2.5-3 on the moh's scale. Have you ever heard of ghost towns? Many of these were gold mining towns that got their income from the precious rocks mined there. When the mines were exhausted, the economy would drop, and the citizens would leave, taking only what was necessary. The result would be homes with books wide open and half-finished, or stores with products on the shelves.
Approximate location of the gold rush
Lapis Lazuli
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You are in an old abandoned mine in Afghanistan. Guided only by your flashlight, you wander to the end of the tunnel. Smashing your pick-ax into the soft mineral deposit, you come across a strange rock. As you turn it in the light of your flashlight, the specks of pyrite glimmer. The marble is amazing, but most importantly, the lapis radiates its beautiful royal blue hue. It's lapis lazuli! Often used in jewelry as a gem, this rock is easily fashioned into a bead (as in the necklace to the far left.) As mentioned before, it is often found in Afghanistan, but is also common in Russia and Chile. Lapis lazuli has a hardness of 5 to 5.5. It is often found near pegamites (coarse-grained igneous rocks.) It has a blue streak, is nearly opaque, and has a dull or glassy luster. The anchient Persians were the first to crush lapis to make ultramarine. Lapis lazuli was first carved thousands of years ago. In healing powers, lapis lazuli promotes friendship.
Pyrite
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Pyrite, which is an iron sulphide mineral, is famous for tricking people into believing they've struck it rich. This is where it gets its nick-name,"Fools gold." Its chemical formula is (FeS2). It has no cleavage, a metallic luster, a greenish-black streak, and occurs mainly in the USA, Russia, UK, Germany, and Peru. Its specific gravity is 5.1, and its hardness is 6-6.5.
Topaz
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Topaz is a glassy transparent mineral that can be easily mistakened for quartz(see "quartz".) Located at eight on the mohs scale, this rock is tough. Like quartz, topaz comes in many colors. When cut and polished, topaz can be used in jewelry, meaning it is a gem.
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/0/7/17070404/309017763.jpg)
QUARTZ
Quartz is the most common mineral in Earth's crust! It comes in many colors, which include but are not limited to, white, clear, purple, black, green, orange, blue, pink, yellow, and many more! There are over 4,000 different species of quartz crystals. Quartz crystals are enantiomorphic, or rotary polar. This means that they are "right or left-handed," which is caused by the spiral structure of linked silicon-oxygen tetra hedra in the crystal. Even though quartz is located at seven on the moh's scale,not all species are that hard. the hardness of a crystal is determined by the position of small faces adjacent to the large pyramidal and prismatic faces. Quartz crystals are often used in radios and watches because they are piezoelectric. That means that they vibrate when an electric current passes through them.
Quartz is the most common mineral in Earth's crust! It comes in many colors, which include but are not limited to, white, clear, purple, black, green, orange, blue, pink, yellow, and many more! There are over 4,000 different species of quartz crystals. Quartz crystals are enantiomorphic, or rotary polar. This means that they are "right or left-handed," which is caused by the spiral structure of linked silicon-oxygen tetra hedra in the crystal. Even though quartz is located at seven on the moh's scale,not all species are that hard. the hardness of a crystal is determined by the position of small faces adjacent to the large pyramidal and prismatic faces. Quartz crystals are often used in radios and watches because they are piezoelectric. That means that they vibrate when an electric current passes through them.
Ruby
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/0/7/17070404/1365742582.png)
This popular red gem is very rare, and no to mention expensive. Prices of rubies are determined mainly by color. The brightest and most valuable color is "pigeon blood-red" which costs muck more money than other qualities. Believe it or not, rubies are even more expensive than diamonds. This is one of the seven lucky gems labled as "precious." Rubies are often confused with red spinel. Rubies and red spinel are really the same mineral- corrundum. Improving the quality of a ruby cane be completed by a process called "lead glass filling."
Here's how it works...
Here's how it works...
- "The rough stones are pre-polished to eradicate all surface impurities that
may affect the process - The rough is cleaned with hydrogen fluoride
- The first heating process during which no fillers are added. The heating
process eradicates impurities inside the fractures. Although this can be done at
temperatures up to 1400 °C (2500 °F) it most likely occurs at a temperature of
around 900 °C (1600 °F) since the rutile silk is still intact. - The second heating process in an electrical oven with different chemical
additives. Different solutions and mixes have shown to be successful, however
mostly lead-containing glass-powder is used at present. The ruby is dipped into
oils, then covered with powder, embedded on a tile and placed in the oven where
it is heated at around 900 °C (1600 °F) for one hour in an oxidizing atmosphere.
The orange colored powder transforms upon heating into a transparent to
yellow-colored paste, which fills all fractures. After cooling the color of the
paste is fully transparent and dramatically improves the overall transparency of
the ruby.[14]"-Wikipedia