25 Facts About Gemstones
Posted by Lisa Ramos on
When it comes to gemstones there is a lot of history and interesting facts behind each of these beautiful stones. If you are a gemstone enthusiast or want to learn more about gems checkout these 25 intriguing facts below.
25 Facts about Gemstones
- The most popular and expensive gemstone cut style is a round cut.
- Cutting stones takes time. For small gemstones it takes 4-5 hours to cut a stone, medium size gem cutting is 5-8 hours and other stone shapes can take 2 or more days.
- The first gemstone mined in the US was tourmaline.
- A round cut gem delivers the most sparkle.
- The most expensive and rare opal is a black opal.
- The highest diamond grade is colorless.
- The most popular faceted style cuts include round, emerald, princess, baguette, opal, pear, heart marquise, trilliant, cushion and radiant.
- The softest gemstone is amber.
- Eye-clean for grading colored stones means with inclusions to the naked eye.
- The rarest color of a quartz comes in the color blue.
- The most expensive gemstone in the world is a blue diamond.
- A diamond is the hardest gemstone in the world.
- Over the centuries ruby has been associated with wealth and power.
- Pearls are gems, not stones.
- There are about 200 natural gemstones.
- Tourmalines and opals are the most colorful gemstones.
- The rarest birthstone is a red diamond.
- The average cost of a diamond is between $1,800.00-$12,000.00
- Sapphires come in eight colors: colorless, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and purple.
- Australia produces 95% of the worlds most precious opals.
- The rarest gemstone is the musgravite.
- An amethyst is named for the Greek word for “sober,” and believed to remedy drunkenness. This crystal is credited with relieving stress and promoting peace of mind.
- Birthstones started back in the deuterocanonical period, but the modern birthstone list was developed in 1912 by the Jewelers of America.
- An alexandrite appears greenish-blue to dark yellow-green during the day, but in incandescent light it looks pink to red.
- Gem are measured by a scale called the Mohs Hardness Scale
___________________________________
This blog post is written by California designer, Lisa Ramos who has featured her handmade collection - jewelry & handbags at over 180 shows throughout California. The brand's mission is to design beautifully handmade limited edition pieces that add a touch of elegance to any personal style. MONOLISA pieces have been featured at fine art juried shows.