Guest Author - Debbie Witenski

Gemstone or gems are also called precious or semi-precious stone, and is a mineral usualy crystalline, that derives value from its color, rarity, and hardness. When cut and polished, they are used to make jewelry and other adornments.

Gemsotne color

Color is the most attractive feature of gemstones. The color of any material is because of natural light itself. Daylight is what they call white light. It is actually a mixture of different colors of light. A ruby appears red because it absorbs all the other colors of white light- blue, yellow, green ect...- except for red.

Ruby and sapphire have the same chemical composition,but are different colors. Both are corundum, which are both rare and valuable forms of corundum. Corundum comes in many colors, but is colorless when pure. It is also very hard.

Rubies are believed to help to prevent illness. The finest examples come from Myanmar, but Afghanstan and Pakistan are other sources. They are commonly found in river gravels.

The blue variety of corundum is known as sapphire, a gemstone gets its color from traces of iron and titanium. Some of the finest sapphires occur in river gravels in Kashmir. Sapphires show different shades of blue and pink and "fancy sapphires" exhibit a whole range of other colors from yellow to orange-pink. Impurities are what causes different colors.

For an example; pure beryl is colorless but emerald and aquamarine are the best known varieties. The impurity chromium or vanadium are what makes an emerald-green. Manganese gives morganite (pink beryl) its color. Add iron to beryl and it becomes aquamarine.

An optical phenomena like asteria, (star effects) in gemstones, were greatly valued by the Greeks. They considered this a powerful love charm and Helen of 'troy was known to have worn star-corundum. In fact impurity brings virtue to the largest star ruby on warth. Unseen slivers of rutile- a common mineral-reflect light in a vibrant six-point design. The Smithsonian Institute exhibits the inch-wide, 138-carat Rosser Reeves Rubym, thought to be from Ceylon.

The word "jade" is used to describe two different minerals, jadite and nephrite, which are similar in appearance. Nephrite is a calcium magnesium iron silicate. Jadeite is a sodium sluminum silicate. It is now the more valued variety of jade, especially in its fine emerald-green translucent form. The world's only source of this Imperial jade lies in Burma, near Mongaung.

Opal, one of the showiest of all gems, is a form of silica, silicon dioxide, which makes up much of the earths crust.

Gemstone Attributes:

* Aventurine: Leadership qualities, Tranquility, creativitie, opportunity, and balance.
* Bronzite: Decision making, thinking ahead, principled behavior, and courtesy.
* Jasper: Protection. Yellow is especially good for protection during travel.
* Obsidian: (Volcanic Glass) Healing. Black obsidian stimulated creativity.
* Picasso Stone: (marble) Strength, artistic enterprise,a dn transforming intuition to intellect.
* Pietersite: Dispells illusion and promotes loyalty to self.
* Rose Quartz: Love, Peace, and Emotional support.