Diamond Times

From: http://www.gia.edu/pearl-description   Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—natural and cultured—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar are white and cream, but the palette of colors extends to every hue. Natural pearls form around a microscopic irritant in the bodies of certain mollusks. Cultured pearls are the result of the deliberate insertion of a bead or piece of tissue that the mollusk coats with nacre. Cultured pearls are popular for bead necklaces and bracelets, or mounted in solitaires, pairs, or clusters for use in earrings, rings, and pendants. Larger pearls with unusual shapes are popular...

Some facts about this gorgeous August Birthstone: 4.5 billion Some peridot is ancient: it's found in pallasite meteorites, remnants of our solar system's birth. Stardust In 2005, peridot was found in comet dust brought back from the Stardust robotic space probe. Olivine Gem variety of the mineral olivine: found in peridotite rock from the earth’s upper mantle. Facts Mineral: Olivine Chemistry: (MgFe)2SiO4 Color: Yellowish green Refractive index: 1.65 to 1.69 Birefringence: 0.035 to 0.038 Specific gravity: 3.34 Mohs Hardness: 6.5 to 7 SHOP NOW: http://www.kuhnsjewelers.com/search?q=peridot http://www.gia.edu/peridot  

110 Kilos The largest gem-quality aquamarine crystal mined to date is 19 inches long. Beryl Like emerald, aquamarine is a color variety of the mineral beryl. 15,000 feet Aquamarine is mined at high elevations in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains. Facts  Mineral: beryl Chemistry: Be3Al2Si6O18 Color: greenish blue, light in tone Refractive index: 1.577 to 1.583 Birefringence: 0.005 to 0.009 Specific gravity: 2.72 Mohs Hardness: 7.5 to 8.0 The name “aquamarine” is derived from two Latin words: aqua, meaning “water,” and marina, meaning “of the sea.” It has been said that the mineral beryl gives the wearer protection against foes in battle or...

St. Valentine The patron of romantic love wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid. Leonardo Da Vinci The artist wrote that amethyst quickens intelligence and gets rid of evil thoughts. 164 Pounds Single amethyst crystals can be huge: the GIA Museum displayed a doubly terminated crystal that weighed 164 pounds. Facts Mineral: Quartz Chemistry: SiO2 Color: Purple Refractive Index: 1.544 to 1.553 Birefringence: 0.009 Specific Gravity: 2.66 Mohs Hardness: 7  Because of its wine-like color, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. Other legends reflected beliefs that amethyst kept its wearer clear-headed and...

Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire. Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes ruby one of the most important gems in the colored stone market.   In its purest form, the mineral corundum is colorless. Trace elements that become part of the mineral’s crystal structure cause variations in its color. Chromium is the trace element that causes ruby’s red, which ranges from an orangy red to a purplish red.   The strength of ruby’s red depends on how much chromium is present—the more chromium, the...