SHORT REVIEW OF MOST POPULAR SEMIPRECIOUS GEMS
Since I'd like to stay on topic, today's article will be just about popular stones, not about differences between precious and semiprecious or definitions or tips how not to buy a piece of crap instead of real stone. Maybe I will write about those things in future and if you have any questions or need help with identifying some stones feel free to note me, I'll be happy to help
Now let's get those stones rollin'
1. QUARTZ
Quartz is one of the most popular minerals. It's a base for many other gems, like chalcedony, agate, jasper and others. The name 'quartz' is reserved for macro-crystals of transparent stone. It comes in variety of colours, from clear to brown, pink, yellow [called citrine], violet [called amethyst] and can have inclusion of other minerals like tourmaline [called tourmalined quartz] or rutile [rutilated quartz].
1. Rough amethyst, 2. Clear quartz spotted with some small inclusions, smoked quartz and tourmalined quartz
2. LABRADORITE
An amazing stone, very popular for handmade jewelry. Its basic colour is grey but the iridescence gives him that kick From different angles stone may look very ordinary to just explode with vivid colours on surface, from icy blues, greens to warm gold and even violet. Every labradorite is unique.
1. An amazing big labradorite, 2. and some less breathtaking but still lovely ones
3. GARNET
Garnet is very popular stone not only in handmade world, but also in highly professional jewelry making. Is has very unique, kind of "oily" or "waxy" shine that makes it easy to recognize. The most popular colour for garnets is wine-red but they also come in green [called grossular] and sunny-orange shades [hessonite]. The red ones sometimes can be so dark, that at the first sight they look almost black.
1. Bigger stones are so dark that it is hard to show their colour on photo - it's very common for garnets. Small ones show well that "oily" shine garnet is known for, 2. Lots of hessonites in various shades of orange [the rose is made of carnelian]
4. AGATE
Probably the most often mistaken with other stones. Agate is a type of chalcedony, which is a type of quartz transformed by high temperature and pressure. So yes, every agate is a quartz but not every quartz is an agate. It's quite simple to tell the difference: agates have layers, always. When there are no layers, there is no agate, simple as that. They can be dyed but the white and grey opaque layers always show through so it's easy to recognize this type of stone
1. Dyed agates, 2. Natural coloured agate - layers are clearly visible on both of them
5. MALACHITE
Malachite is a very lovely but fragile stone. Handle it with care because it is really easy to chip or scratch by accident. It always has rich green colour and most often has curved layers on surface. Sadly there is lot of fake man-made "malachites" made with plastic all around e-stores but if you have any doubts look at photos of genuine one and compare them to what you want to buy. Or ask
1. Cabochons of a great quality malachite, 2. Beads of not-so-wonderful-quality malachite
6. JADE
A very popular and durable stone that can be dyed on many colours. It's never transparent, goes from total opaque to translucent. They don't lose colour even when they are dyed with intense shades and are very resistant to basically everything exept direct high temperature [like silver soldering torch, not like a hot day ]. Great stone to work with.
1. & 2. Range of natural coloured and dyed jades
7. MOONSTONE
It's one of my favourite stones. Like labradorite, moonstone has iridescence, just a bit less flashy. It's white, grey or peach-beige and can have no additional shine at all, only subtle white sparkle or, in its most desired form, it can show blue-violet flashes on the surface. That effect is very hard to catch on photos so I encourage you to see it in real - it's totally worth it
1. White moonstones with white sprkle and blue flash along with peach-beige ones without any iridescence, 2. White moonstones with blue-violet flash
8. FLUORITE
Very interesting, nicely coloured transparent mineral. It comes in variety of shades, most common are violet and teal-green, often mixed in one stone. It's durable and has nice shine when polished. Can be easily mistaken with violet quartz, amethyst. Fluorite is usually more shiny and reflective than amethyst also having lighter colour.
1. Pale, 2. and vividly coloured fluorites
9. PICK YOUR STONE!
I you have question about favourite stone or are not sure what is that you have stashed and forgotten I can try to help you with that in commentsHope you like the article and it's useful
All photos are taken by me, please don't use them without my permission.