Jewelery connoisseurs are beginning to favor colored stones, especially as Kate Middleton's sapphire ring has revived interest in color. Professionally cut stone from quality raw material is the most important thing in jewelry.Our jewelry workshop offers precious and semi-precious stones as inserts for jewelry made in our jewelry workshop. The stones offered by us: amethyst, topaz, aquamarine, ruby, sapphire, emerald, chrysolite, rauch-topaz, tanzanite and others of your choice will delight the eye with an impeccable and original cut. We will help you to select the rare and best stones in color and clarity in your group with the best characteristics.
It is hardly worth saving up money - inflation will eat it. But you can, for example, buy diamonds weighing 1 ct - 2 ct of average characteristics, you will not only save your investments, but also increase them. The sale of such diamonds occurs much more often than the sale of investment diamonds weighing 3 - 5 - 10 ct. best characteristics... Therefore, if you need to sell a diamond, it won't take you much time. Money depreciates, but gold and diamonds do not. Gold and diamonds yield much higher returns than other assets. It is reliable, and this is the main thing now.
We offer certified gemstones: rubies, sapphires, emeralds and certified diamonds. Taking into account your requirements for price, weight, color, quality and other characteristics.
What stones are considered precious?
Precious stones are natural minerals formed in a complex way in the earth's crust.
The main requirement for a stone to be considered precious is its rare occurrence. It is also necessary that the mineral be sufficiently hard, that is, resist external influences (not scratched, not chipped off).
To precious stones in Russia in accordance with the Federal Law "On precious metals and precious stones ”include natural diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, alexandrites, natural pearls.
Unique amber formations are also equated with precious stones.
What is natural stone?
The terms “genuine” and “natural” are synonymous and refer exclusively to natural substances formed without human intervention.
What is synthetic stone?
Synthetic stones are crystallized minerals, wholly or partially produced by humans using various methods in special laboratories. For example, a grown emerald.
What is a fake stone and how can it be distinguished from natural stone?
There is no such term as “fake stone” in the practice of trading in jewelry stones. There are imitation stones, which are fakes of natural or synthetic stones. These stones mimic the effect, color and appearance of natural stone, without transferring their chemical composition and physical properties. A specialist with the help of instruments can easily distinguish a fake.
It is well known that gemstones have high hardness, but sometimes chipping occurs when the jewelry is worn. Why is this happening?
Cleavage of a gem occurs due to the fact that the stone has cleavage. Cleavage of precious stones - the natural divisibility of precious stones in crystallographic directions. Cleavage has nothing to do with hardness. Cleavage is diamond, topaz, tourmaline, chrysolite. This property must be taken into account when setting and wearing stones - great care is required so that no chipping occurs.
Can a gem change its color?
The color of precious stones comes from the admixtures of metallic oxides (chromium, iron, nickel, cobalt, titanium). For some stones, the color can be changed by heating. So, for example, amethyst as a result of slow heating (in the sand) its purple may change to yellow. The yellowish-brown beryl, as a result of heating, can turn bright blue, close in color to aquamarine. The porosity of gray chalcedony allows them to be easily colored (orange carnelian, apple-green chrysoprase, black onyx are obtained). The gemstone can fade in the sun (amethyst, topaz). Bright blue turquoise can turn green from contact with the skin to which makeup is applied.
How to correctly determine the color of a gemstone?
Color is one of the most distinctive features of most minerals.
The color of the gem is determined against a white sheet of paper in daylight from the north side or under fluorescent lighting. When assessing color, attention should be paid to all deviations from a uniform distribution of color in density, tone and color. It should be borne in mind that color heterogeneity affects a decrease in the quality of a gem. Coloring a stone primarily evokes emotions in the perception and choice of jewelry.
Types of cut and color of precious stones
Diamond
Most diamonds are prized for their lack of color. However, only some of them are truly completely colorless, the rest have a slight yellowish or brown tint. Colorless diamonds are called "white" diamonds. The color (or lack thereof) of diamonds is usually assessed in comparison with a set of sample stones. The most respected organization that conducts such assessments is the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) - tables of correspondence and characteristics, the gradation in alphabetical order, proposed by him, has spread throughout the world; grade "D" is assigned to the best white or colorless stones, then the rest of the letters go up to "Z", after which the stones already have a fairly pronounced yellow tint and are regarded as "colored". Categories "D", "E" and "F" are colorless or "white" diamonds, and the difference between them is almost impossible to notice with the naked eye, even on closer inspection. However, despite the fact that they are visually almost indistinguishable, these stones differ greatly in price.
The absence of defects is established in the process of examining the stone at tenfold magnification (x 10). A stone that does not show any cracks at this magnification is considered “intrinsically complete” (IF). The presence of the smallest crack means a decrease in the category to WS, grade 1 or 2. If the crack is slightly larger, the stone is classified as category VS, grade 1 or 2. The next category is SI, when the crack is visible to the naked eye, although it is extremely small. Further, the stones are recognized as "defective" (I). In this case, the cracks are so pronounced that they affect the luster of the stone. Damage to the surface, however slight, also means that the stone does not fall into the IF category, although the certificate may indicate that it is “potentially intact” if re-sanded, although there will be little weight loss. As with color, the presence of defects greatly affects the value of the stone.
Cut is also an important factor in the pricing of diamonds: a classic 19th century volumetric cut stone can cost 25% less than a well-cut modern stone. The "fire" of a stone is best seen when a brilliant cut achieves "total internal reflection", in which the lower facets of the stone act as mirrors, reflecting the light that penetrates the stone, onto each other and throwing it back, already broken into all the colors of the rainbow. At the beginning of the 20th century, jewelers began to understand that this effect is achieved only with strict adherence to the proportions of a brilliant cut and at certain angles between the facets. Unfortunately, this loses a significant part of the weight of the rough diamond, and since many antique stones have been re-cut, they have lost some of their value. It is more difficult to evaluate stones of fancy cuts, for example, emerald, pear cut (the archaic name is "pandelok") or "marquise". In this case, with the same weight, the proportions of stones can vary greatly, in addition, the quality of processing affects the price. The most expensive stones are those whose cut is recognized as "most suitable" or "exemplary". Fancy cuts are influenced by fashion. For stones weighing more than 20 carats, the emerald, marquise or pear cut is preferable to the classic brilliant cut; if you give a diamond cut to a 40-carat stone, it will be almost impossible to insert it into a ring, but if you choose the "emerald" shape, it will turn out to be simply luxurious. For stones less than 10 carats, brilliant cut is more suitable than fancy cut.
Finally, the weight of the stone must be considered: a 0.99-carat diamond will cost much less than a 1.10-carat diamond; It is much more difficult to sell a stone weighing exactly 1 carat, since even a small grinding of the edges in order to eliminate abrasions that arise during the wear process will lead to the weight of the stone being less than 1 carat. The price per carat for a 2 carat stone will be higher than for a 1 carat stone with the same color and clarity, the same for a 3 carat stone, and so on. Weighing over 10 carats, the rarity of such a stone will significantly raise its price. Therefore, when evaluating diamonds, one has to balance between four main categories: color, clarity, cut and weight.
Diamonds of the most different colors... Most often, these are shades of yellow and brown. The classification includes both "colorless" and "nearly colorless" stones. Depending on the severity of the color, the stones can be "with a barely noticeable color", "with a very light color", "with a light color" or "colored", according to the gradation of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The least valuable are brown colored diamonds, which are also called "cognac" or "cinnamon", although fashion makes adjustments to their cost - after all, they look very attractive. They are followed by colored yellow diamonds, the color of the "canary", the most popular stones are the color of "yellow daffodils". Blue and pink diamonds are extremely rare, therefore, even with a weak color, they are very expensive. Ideally, blue diamonds should be completely grayed out, while pink diamonds should be completely brown. Until recently, small quantities of fine stones of deep pink and sometimes even purple color were mined in Australia from the Argyle diamond vein; Despite the fact that their weight rarely exceeded 1 carat, they offered a huge price for them. The rarest are green and red diamonds. The lucky owner of such a stone can ask for almost any price for it: their appearance on the market makes a real sensation. Recently, the highest auction price was paid for a 0.95 carat red diamond - $ 880,000 ($ 926,315 per carat), which is 100 times the price of a colorless diamond of the same size.
Some collectors collect exclusively colored diamonds and have sufficient financial resources to acquire these rare specimens of the Earth's treasures.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a discovery was made: diamonds, burned for a certain time with radium salts, acquire a green tint. Unfortunately, after such a procedure, the stones remained radioactive for a long time; there were terrible rumors about how their unlucky owners were dying of skin cancer. Over time, this process has been improved, and now diamonds are processed in nuclear reactors, giving them different shadesbut no residual radiation. Establishing whether a diamond has been artificially colored requires a complex study that can only be done in a laboratory. Therefore, no colored diamond is put up for sale without a certificate from an authoritative gemological laboratory confirming the natural character of the color.
Stones that are commonly used to imitate diamonds
Natural: White Sapphire
White topaz
Rock crystal (quartz)
White beryl
White zircon
Artificial: KSC (cubic stabilized zircon)
Strontium titanite
GGG (gadolinium gallium garnet)
Lithium niobate
Moissanite
Ruby
Among the colored gemstones, ruby \u200b\u200bis the most valued, and only the rarest pink, blue and green diamonds surpass it at a price per carat. The most expensive rubies are found in only one small region.
The city of Mogok in Upper Burma is a remote, almost inaccessible place, and has been that way for hundreds of years; not so long ago, the government of the republic restricted the entry of foreigners there, and now they are issued visas only for the shortest possible time. For centuries, the finest rubies in the world came from this tiny region of several square miles, but it was only after the annexation of this area by the British Empire that rubies began to be mined efficiently, under the patronage of Edwin Streeter, a Bond Street jeweler. However, during the British possession of stones weighing over 5 carats, relatively little was mined, and with the withdrawal of the British from this territory immediately before World War II, development was carried out sporadically and unorganized.
To understand why Burmese rubies have been valued so highly for centuries, you need to know a little more about this stone. Ruby is a combination of minerals, otherwise called corundum. In its pure form, corundum is colorless (white sapphire). Ruby owes its red color to a small amount of chromium oxide (in some cases, iron). Burmese rubies are mainly chromium-colored, which gives them the characteristic hue of red blood (also called pigeon blood) that distinguishes the best examples of this mineral. The presence of chromium as a coloring agent in gemstones is often the reason for its strong fluorescence. In the case of Burmese rubies, fluorescence is noticeable under artificial light, which, being especially strong in the red part of the spectrum, makes the stone "sing", making its color more intense; often the stone seems to be illuminated from within, shimmering like hot coal.
These days, jewelers most often use rubies from Thailand. The appearance of these stones can be very disappointing for the buyer, but such disappointments almost always occur in daylight. Thai rubies owe their color to the presence of iron, therefore they have a brownish tint slightly reminiscent of garnet, often their color is so intense that it can be compared with the blood-red color of Burmese stones. Iron absorbs fluorescence, and as a result, Thai rubies generally do not boast the "fire" characteristic of Burmese and the best Sri Lankan examples. In daylight, the difference is not so obvious, but the price differs by orders of magnitude: a Burmese ruby \u200b\u200bweighing 5 carats can cost ten times more than a ruby \u200b\u200bof the same quality from Thailand.
But Burmese rubies are also valued differently. Ruby is not a rare stone. Some Burmese rubies can cost as little as $ 20 per carat, while the best examples run up to $ 200,000 per carat or more. As with other gemstones, the price is determined based on the richness and beauty of the color (or lack thereof in the case of a colorless diamond), the degree of purity and the absence of defects. A skeptic would also mention here that the rarity of the mineral is also very important. There is no doubt that when choosing between an excellent Burmese ruby \u200b\u200band a stone from Thailand, the buyer will prefer the former, if only for its beauty. However, how often is an amateur given the opportunity to make such a comparison? Other places where rubies are mined include East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and Pakistan. All three fields have been discovered relatively recently and are being actively developed. In the past few years, quality rubies from a new mine in Vietnam have appeared on the market. They are similar in properties to Burmese, have high fluorescence and are rich in chromium. For stones with good color, high purity and sufficient size, the mining site is an important factor in the assessment. For smaller rubies of inferior quality, it is no longer important whether they were mined in Burma or elsewhere;
Both rubies and sapphires undergo a variety of procedures that improve the quality of the stone, enhance its color and transparency, and create asterism.
For this use; irradiation (mainly yellow sapphires are exposed to it); surface diffusion; high temperature processing, both with additives and without; filling cracks and cavities with colorless substances and dyes. High temperature treatment is usually used to improve the color of sapphires and rubies, and to remove invisible "silk". On stones subjected to this procedure, especially rubies, one can find glassy particles filling the surface cavities; they stay there even after re-grinding. Often, high-temperature processing ends with the expansion of some inclusions inside the stone, which leads to the formation of characteristic disc-shaped splits.
Other red stones confused with ruby
Natural red spinel is a very attractive and effective stone, but it is rarely used in jewelry. The color of red spinel is rather strawberry, as opposed to raspberry in ruby. Like many Burmese and Sri Lankan rubies, spinels are highly fluorescent. The phenomenon known as “silk” is common to most Burmese, Vietnamese and Sri Lankan rubies. To the naked eye, it appears as a whitish glow inside the stone, catching light if the stone is tilted. This effect is produced by the mineral rutile, which forms the finest threads.
"Silk" is a common attribute of natural rubies and sapphires. This is the inclusion that any aspiring gemologist will learn about first; having found it in a red stone, it is safe to say that it is a ruby, however, sometimes it is also introduced into synthetic minerals. Spinel, on the other hand, is characterized by inclusions of crystals that look like bubbles, because of which amateurs often mistake spinel for a red rhinestone.
Red tourmaline is often referred to as a mineral that can be confused with ruby. High-quality red tourmalines are also called rubellites, but they rarely approach ruby \u200b\u200bred in color. Unlike ruby, it does not fluoresce.
Sapphire
Many people consider sapphire to be the most beautiful of all gemstones, although it is not the most expensive.
As with the ruby, the origin of the sapphire greatly affects its value. If the best rubies are mined in Burma, then the birthplace of the best sapphires is Kashmir, and in the same way they are mined very little there. The color of a quality Kashmiri sapphire is simply gorgeous, it is a perfect velvety mid-blue, often accompanied by the characteristic aquamarine dichroism visible when light passes through the stone. This color is often described as "sleepy", covered with a milky haze that appears due to the presence of cavities in sapphire filled with liquid, or crystals so tiny that they are difficult to see even under a powerful microscope.
It is much easier to notice the “zoning” phenomenon characteristic of sapphire, in which the color seems to be concentrated in parallel lines. In addition, Kashmir sapphires retain their color under artificial light, which is rare for this stone.
Unlike rubies, large sapphires weighing over 50 carats are not rare, although a Kashmir stone of this size is a real treasure; all sapphires from this region weighing over 10 carats are very expensive.
Burmese sapphires can also be of excellent quality: their color is more intense, tending to ultramarine blue.
Sapphires from Sri Lanka are usually paler, with pronounced dichroism, some of them are practically colorless; but the best stones nevertheless approach the color of Kashmir. In both Burmese and Sri Lankan stones, there are inclusions that look like white needles, like in rubies, which catch light when the stone is rotated, as well as cracks filled with liquid.
The presence of “silk” in a stone is usually sufficient evidence of its natural origin; however, if the "silk" is visible to the naked eye, it can significantly reduce the cost of the stone, unless it forms a "star". True, "silk" in the shape of a star can also be found in artificial sapphires.
Zircon inclusions are a characteristic feature of Sri Lankan sapphires, since in this region they occur in the same places. Zircon has little radioactivity; it gradually destroys the crystal lattice of the minerals immediately adjacent to it in the deposit, creating a "halo" around it.
Thai sapphires are usually quite dark in color, similar to blue spinels. The darkest and therefore the cheapest sapphires come from Australia. Some of the Australian stones are so intensely colored that they appear black (possibly due to an excess of iron, a coloring agent) if not kept in direct light. These stones are rarely used in quality jewelry. Quite good sapphires are mined in Cambodia, especially in Pailin. In the last quarter of the 19th century, deposits were discovered in Montana, USA, the sapphires mined from them are called stones from the "new mine". They are distinguished by their characteristic electric pale blue color and are often found in products created before the First World War.
High temperature processing of sapphires has been widespread for a long time. With its help, it is possible to remove "silk" from the stone and, what is much more important, to significantly lighten the samples with a rich color. Therefore, it is not surprising that this treatment was mainly applied to Australian sapphires; Since the operation was learned to be produced in Thailand, it has become more difficult to determine how much of the stones sold in Bangkok are actually of Thai origin.
It was already mentioned above that only rare sapphires do not change color under artificial light. Sri Lankan sapphires change their color most noticeably, in which it turns dark purple due to the presence of chromium in the stone; if you look at such a stone under a color filter, it will shine like a ruby. Until recently, such color changes in sapphires were considered undesirable, and can negatively affect the value of the stone.
Other blue stones that are confused with sapphire
Blue spinel may resemble sapphire, although it is too dark, inky, and can only be confused with low-quality sapphires. Artificial blue spinel rarely resembles sapphire in color (more like ultramarine) and under the color filter it appears bright red. It also has a noticeable absorption spectrum due to the presence of cobalt as a coloring agent.
Emerald
The last in the line of precious stones - emerald - like sapphire and ruby, is valued depending on the place of its extraction. If for a ruby \u200b\u200bthe “password” is Burma, and for a sapphire - Kashmir, then for an emerald it is Colombia, more precisely, a mine in Muzo, not far from Bogota, where stones of the most beautiful grassy green color are mined.
There is no doubt that most emeralds are treated with transparent organic oil after polishing, this technology is as old as the extraction of emeralds itself. Usually, its effects are reversible (as many who agreed to ultrasonic cleaning of their stones have already seen). Generally speaking, a colorless oil treatment can be considered acceptable, especially given that it is reversible. But other types of processing, for example, using wax or epoxy resins (colored or not) are unacceptable, since their consequences are not eliminated. Fortunately, good gemological laboratories issue certificates confirming the presence or absence of traces of oil treatment or other procedures for filling cracks, and some may even establish the origin of the substance used for this.
Most emeralds have defects that are much more pronounced than sapphires and rubies. Many emeralds are not even transparent, at best they have a green color, but not play. Very large emeralds are not uncommon; when mining, crystals come across, going meters deep into the rock.
For thousands of years, emeralds have been highly prized. It is believed that some excellent samples came from India, but they are unlikely to have been mined there, most likely the result of the trading operations of Spanish merchants who discovered deposits in South America in the 16th century. In jewelry circles, they often speak of "old stones"; usually these are samples of deep green color, which appear on the market quite rarely, and almost never come across in new deposits. It is for them that they give highest price... It should be noted that emeralds of this quality and size are as rare as the finest Burmese rubies and hardly ever make it to the market.
Emerald is a beryl silicate, and its color in most cases owes to traces of chromium, an element that gives an expressive red color to Burmese rubies. When viewed through a color filter, most emeralds appear red or brown due to the presence of chromium. Emerald is a relatively soft mineral, its surface is easily abraded, and scratches remain on the edges. If an emerald has been stored for a long time in the same container with diamonds, sapphires and rubies, it can look almost matte, devoid of luster due to constant damage from harder materials.
Other green stones that are confused with emerald
A fake emerald is harder to distinguish from a real one than a sapphire or ruby. The streets of Bogota, the "emerald capital" of Colombia, are full of gem dealers selling artificial emeralds that even a knowledgeable lover can hardly distinguish from real ones. Coming to Colombia, Brazil or the Far East, people think that since mining is already going on here, then respectable traders and street dodgers trade exclusively in natural stones. In fact, they, firstly, acquire emeralds at a price no less than in Europe or the United States, and secondly, and this is the worst, they may well get a low quality stone, artificial or even rhinestone. The gem market is international and most dealers, whether in Bangkok or New York, are highly aware of the value of their product.
Tanzanite
Tanzanite - gemological name of a variety of mineral zoisite, aluminum and calcium silicate.
Tanzanite was discovered in March 1966 on the Merelani Plateau, near the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
The mineral is mined only in the province of Arusha in northern Tanzania.
He became famous thanks to the American jewelry company "Tiffany", which proposed the name in honor of Tanzania, where there is the only mine in the world. The popularity was promoted by the competent advertising policy, rarity, gorgeous color and the use of jewelry made from it by the movie star Elizabeth Taylor.
It is found in blue, purple and yellow-brown colors, the latter, after heat treatment, also become blue-violet in color and are used in jewelry.
By the stones good quality color ultramarine or sapphire blue. Under electric light, it acquires an amethyst-violet hue. When heated to 400-500 ° C, brownish and yellowish shades disappear and the blue of the stone deepens. Also known tanzanite cat's eye.
The deposit is represented by veins and cracks with overgrown crystals in gneisses.
Glass imitations of tanzanite and glass doublets with a tanzanite top or two colorless synthetic spinels held together with blue glue appear on the jewelry market. Tanzanite can be confused with natural and synthetic sapphire. The newly discovered green variety of zoisite is named chrome (green) tanzanite.
Topaz
Of all the semiprecious stones, topaz is the established favorite. The best examples have the famous orange-red color of "royal jelly" and are extremely rare, although this fact does not affect their value. Until the adoption of the "Inventory of the Jewelry Trade" under the same name (with great profit) sold yellow quartz, the real name of which is citrine. This practice is widespread to this day, to our great regret. Citrine is a commonly found and therefore inexpensive stone, with which only low-quality topaz can be confused.
Topaz is an excellent jewelry material, with a strong luster, perfectly tolerating grinding. Its color ranges from white to yellow, reddish brown or blue. The pink color of topaz is the result of high-temperature processing to which the red-brown stone has undergone. The most expensive are orange-red samples, blue ones, similar to aquamarine, are sold cheaper, their color is enhanced artificially, and colorless topaz, like other colorless stones, except diamonds, are relatively cheap.
The most common forms of cutting topaz, especially for early period jewelry art, there have been and remain a long oval or elongated plate, which are obtained by processing a crystal along its length. Since topaz crystals easily split along strictly parallel lines to the very base, characteristic flat splits are often found inside the stone, at right angles to the edges. It is necessary to remember about the tendency of topaz to split and handle these stones carefully, trying not to drop them.
Stones confused with topaz
The color of "royal jelly" in topaz, once seen, is impossible to forget. However, it is often imitated by artificial sapphires. Yellow and yellow-brown citrines can be mistaken for topaz.
Aquamarine
Aquamarine refers to emeralds like ruby \u200b\u200bto sapphire. Both are forms of the mineral beryl. The name "aquamarine" exactly matches the ideal blue color of sea water, which is demonstrated by its best examples. Stones with a noticeable green tint are valued much less.
Unlike emerald, aquamarine is less prone to defects, but at the same time its cost remains quite modest. The only noticeable inclusion in it, the so-called "rain", is small needle-like crystals or cavities running parallel to the main axis. The more expressive and intense the blue tint of the stone, the more expensive it is.
Stones confused with aquamarine
The cheapest and most widespread imitation of aquamarine is an artificial blue spinel, which, like other artificial spinels, can be distinguished by spherical bubbles. Blue topaz, which is often large in size, is quite similar to aquamarine, and is much cheaper. Blue topaz exhibits more brilliance and play than aquamarine. Blue zircon has even more fire and brilliance than blue topaz,
Chrysoberyl, Alexandrite and Cat's Eye
Chrysoberyl is a curious mineral, whose derivatives range in color from transparent yellow, greenish yellow and yellow-brown stones to the rare color-changing alexandrites. Among them there is also a precious "cat's eye", translucent, rich honey color, which is usually cut with cabochon. The phenomenon that gave these stones their name is the presence of microscopic rod-shaped crystals or cavities, parallel to which, as the stone rotates, a strip of light runs along its surface. A similar effect can be seen on a line spool.
Chrysoberyl cat's eye can be great, and its best examples, where the eye is well defined, with a rich honey color, are rare and highly prized. Much more often, however, is the quartz "cat's eye", and since it costs much less, it is necessary to be able to distinguish between them. As a rule, the quartz "cat's eye" is much less transparent, and approaches greenish or pale brown in color. In addition, since the "eye" in quartz is formed from relatively large asbestos fibers, it does not look as pronounced as in chrysoberyl.
Alexandrite is the most valuable form of chrysoberyl. The main thing that an amateur needs to know about these stones is that they are extremely rare and, therefore, very expensive. The best examples show a beautiful green color in daylight, which changes to the red of Burgundy wine under artificial light (except fluorescent).
The value of genuine alexandrite depends on the intensity and beauty of the color change. Low-quality specimens that change to a dirty brown color (usually stones from Sri Lanka) cost no more than a few hundred pounds per carat. But the price of a stone that changes color to deep red can reach many thousands of pounds per carat (usually stones from Siberia); in addition, rare forms of "cat's eye" are highly prized.
Spinel
With regard to jewelry, only the red and blue varieties of spinel are worthy of mention. Red spinel is a very beautiful and relatively rare stone, the best examples of which compete with ruby, especially since both are colored with chrome. Experts distinguish spinel by its color, which tends to "strawberry" (also called "sweet red"), as opposed to blood red ("pigeon blood") in quality rubies. Still, a good red spinel is a great stone, famous for its play; however, it rarely exceeds 5 carats in size.
Artificial spinels, which are quite common, are similar to rubies and sapphires. In addition, it should be borne in mind that colorless artificial spinel is often used as an imitation of a diamond, since it has a cubic crystal lattice and a single refraction, like a diamond.
Zircon
In jewelry, the most popular, blue, variety of zircon has only been used since the First World War. Among amateurs there is an opinion that all zircons are blue, but in fact they owe their color to high-temperature processing, which most often undergoes orange-brown stones found in the Mekong Delta - the "Capital" of high-temperature processing of zircons (as well as sapphires) is Bangkok. Unfortunately, the color of processed blue zircons is unstable and can fade over time.
A characteristic property of zircons, in addition to green and brown ones, is a high level of double refraction.
Colorless, or white, zircons, formerly called "jargon", because of their high dispersion, are often used to imitate diamonds, especially in Indian jewelry, since Sri Lanka is the main source of this mineral. True, diamonds with their single refraction can be easily distinguished from zircons using a simple magnifying glass.
The presence of radioactive elements in zircon can lead to the destruction of the crystal lattice of the stone. From a commercial point of view, only blue and, less often, orange-brown samples deserve attention, which, as a rule, have "outstanding" qualities: high dispersion, strong double refraction, unreadable refractive index, and, in addition, strong gloss.
Tourmaline
This mineral is common and comes in a variety of colors, most often green or red. High-quality green tourmaline is a beautiful stone that lends itself well to grinding, with a rich color tending to black-green. All tourmalines have a pronounced dichroism: turning the stone, you can easily notice two shades of green in it, usually bluish and yellowish. If you look at the length of the stone, its color becomes saturated almost to black. Red tourmalines are sometimes used to imitate low quality rubies, also called ru-bellites. They can also be distinguished by their strong dichroism as well as by their raspberry hue. Usually these are stones that have undergone high-temperature treatment.
Most tourmalines have pronounced defects, the most common inclusions here are fluid-filled cavities that appear black under the microscope. Pink tourmalines can be confused with the much more valuable pink topaz.
There are also blue, brown and black varieties of this stone, as well as rare samples of "watermelon color", shimmering with pink and green hues. Recently, good samples have come from Mozambique, among them there are stones of a rare green hue characteristic of peridots, as well as stones of a good blue color.
Peridot
Previously, this stone was called olivine, since it is a valuable variety of this mineral, but then the name "peridot" was assigned to it, ending the confusion when the same word meant demantoid garnets.
The classic site for mining peridots is the island with the romantic name of Saint John in the Red Sea. There are also good samples from Burma and Arizona. Peridot was widely used in jewelry in the 1830s and 1840s, and, like the demantoid garnet, was one of the favorites of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Garnet
The name "garnet" refers not so much to a specific stone as to a group of minerals with the same chemical composition and cubic crystal lattice. Most garnets found in jewelry are red or brownish-red in color and are inexpensive but can be quite beautiful. The best samples, colored with chrome and called "pyropes", are close to rubies in color. Jewelers, as a rule, do not specify whether the garnet is pyrope or almandine, or some other variety, since this has little effect on the value of the stone. In the past, the attractive tangerine-orange spessartine garnets known as "tangerine pomegranates" were popular.
Green garnet is a rare and valuable stone. A quality demantoid garnet, a type of andradite, can be quite attractive due to its higher dispersion than diamond, which gives the stone excellent fire and play. The best examples have a radiant herbaceous green color, but they cannot be confused with emerald due to their yellowish tint and strong shine. Green pomegranates, which first appeared on the market in the second half of the 19th century, were mined in the Urals, and most often they can be found in products dating from about 1895 until the First World War. The best specimens can cost several thousand dollars per carat, but their size rarely exceeds 5 carats, these stones are mostly small. Their characteristic inclusions are called "horse tail" - these are brownish asbestos fibers.
Pearl
Pearls are the only jewelry material that forms in the body of mollusks, and they are perhaps one of the oldest stones used as jewelry, since they do not need additional processing. For centuries, high-quality pearls have sold at exorbitant prices, but with the introduction of cultured pearls into the market in the 1920s and 1930s, this price superiority ended.
The formation of a pearl inside an oyster bag is the reaction of a mollusk to the presence of an irritating particle. The mollusk sequentially envelops it in layers of aragonite (calcium carbonate) crystals, holding them together with organic matter, conchialine. The layers grow like an onion and a pearl appears. Aragonite crystals are stacked in the same order as the roof tiles - hence the unique pearl shine.
In a cultured pearl, a bead acts as a core, on which the mollusk lays layers of natural nacre. Good cultured pearls have a thick layer of natural mother-of-pearl, while low-quality pearls are just a thin film on the surface of the bead. The thickness of the mother-of-pearl layer on cultured pearls can be approximately 0.5 mm to 3 mm.
I must say that a person who has once studied pearls begins to understand its varieties, which is most important when working with natural samples. The pearl should be of good color and luster, and the best pearl should be pink in color, and its “skin” should be as smooth and intact as possible. Low-quality cultured pearls are usually waxy in color, with imperfections similar to mold marks on the surface. The better the color and luster, the higher the value of the pearl. Large natural pearls of good color, shiny, smooth and regular shape are still extremely expensive. Such a pearl over 10 mm in diameter is considered rare and highly prized. Even cultured pearl necklaces can cost over a million dollars at auction.
“Baroque” and irregular pearls, cultured or natural, are much cheaper than round or regular specimens. "Blister" pearls are cut from the shell of a clam, so they take the form of a cabochon. Two blister pearls held together can mimic a large round pearl if the seam line is masked with a rim. The jap or mabe pearls are also blister pearls, and their core is a disc; the cost of any blister pearls is low.
Glass beads usually serve as "imitation" of pearls, on which a layer of "oriental essence" extracted from fish scales, or hollow beads coated with the same substance from the inside. To check in this case, you can rub the pearl on the front teeth in the old fashioned way, while the natural or artificial pearl will become slightly rough, and the imitation will remain smooth.
Pink coral-like pearls grow in shells and are distinguished by their characteristic "fire-like" pattern on the surface, visible through a magnifying glass, and a silvery sheen. The best ones can cost up to several thousand pounds.
Nuclear-free cultured pearls are produced on river farms in Japan, and more recently in China, in huge quantities; such pearls weigh less than conventional cultured specimens, they are whiter, but can be specially dyed, their shape is rather oval. Once you see them, it is easy to distinguish them later, their cost is small.
Natural "black" pearls are rare and highly prized. Cultured pearls are sometimes stained with silver nitrate to appear black, but this induced color is darker and more uniform. There are ways to grow cultured black pearls, and if the specimens grow to a significant size, the cost can be high.
Jade
Jadeite is a valuable form of jade, which is also called "New Zealand" stone; however, jade is much more widespread and less attractive according to most buyers. Its existence must be remembered, since quality jade necklaces sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and jade for less than a thousand.
The best jadeites are distinguished by their color - from the color of a bright green apple to grassy green; such translucent and very beautiful stones are called "imperial". The most common and cheapest form, lamb fat, is often used for crafts in China.
Jade never matches the exceptional emerald green color of jadeite. Most green jades are darker in color, similar to willow leaves, and can be sanded to a smooth finish.
Turquoise
Turquoise is traditionally considered to be of high quality, having a bright blue tint of the summer sky. This must be borne in mind, as turquoise is often considered the blue-green color that many specimens possess, especially those found in Arizona.
Quartz family: amethyst, citrine
Quartz - the most common mineral, and due to its hardness and luster, it is ideal for use in jewelry. In crystalline form, it forms two semiprecious variations that we will talk about: amethyst and citrine. The latter is often confused with topaz, a much more valuable mineral. Citrine is obtained in large quantities and is widely used, the most beautiful are its yellow and yellowish brown samples.
Amethyst - a purple or violet form of crystalline quartz. Its best specimens, possessing a rich, saturated color, were popular in the middle of the 19th century and were then mined in Siberia. Nowadays, Brazil is the main source of amethysts. The characteristic amethyst inclusions are fluid-filled cracks called "tiger stripes" or "fingerprints." It should be noted that most citrines are obtained from low-quality amethysts through high-temperature processing.
Cryptocrystalline quartz (which has no crystal structure visible) forms a variety of ornamental materials of little value. This group also includes onyx, a mixture of black and white varieties (not the pale green mineral mistakenly referred to by the same name, which is actually a variety of alabaster); jasper; sardonyx (a mixture of brown and white varieties, often used for cameos); heliotrope, or red iron ore (green with streaks of red) and agate.
Amber
Amber is often the subject of counterfeiting because it is easily imitated by plastic. This is a frozen resin (in it you can find insects that lived on our planet about forty million years ago); the color of amber ranges from yellow, the color of acacia honey found in the Baltic, to the reddish brown and brown, the color of the Oloroso cherry, characteristic of its Burmese variety.
Coral
Coral is similar to pearls: both are mined from the sea, organic and formed from calcium carbonate. In the 19th century, corals from the Gulf of Naples were carved by Italian jewelers, turning them into cameos, or used in their natural form for brooches and necklaces. Coral is usually orange-red in color; There are also pink varieties known as “peau d“ ange. ”Since sea pollution has killed many coral colonies, this material is becoming increasingly rare and its prices are steadily increasing. porcelain The easiest way to distinguish a fake is with a drop of hydrochloric acid: the coral, which is a carbonate, will fizzle.
Jet
Like amber, jet is a fossil derived from wood, and this origin makes it related to coal. It is not surprising, therefore, that England was the main supplier of jet. In the 19th century, most of it was mined in Whitby, on the coast of Yorkshire. The Victorian adherence to mourning decorations made the jet popular; most often it was used in cameos and necklaces. Nowadays, it is valuable only for collectors.
Opal
Many people have seen colorful spots flickering like lightning inside the opal. The richer and brighter these colors are, the more expensive the stone is, especially if the background color is dark gray or black, like “black” opal. In black opals, blue and green areas dominate, but if there are no other shades, the cost of the stone will be low. Red and gold shades are highly prized, ideally the color “zones” or “areas” should be evenly spaced across the entire surface of the stone. Black opals have been mined in Australia since the late 19th century. Opals, the background color of which tends to white or light green, are cheaper, obviously because the play of colors on them is not so impressive. The transparent variety of this mineral is called “water” opal. A small number of amazing transparent orange gems known as "fire" opals are mined in Mexico.
The base of ruby \u200b\u200band sapphire is corundum mineral. By chemical composition it is alumina (Al2O3), which contains 53.2% aluminum and 46.8%. Its specific gravity is 3.95 - 4.1. Corundum crystals have a high hardness. Pure crystals, without impurities, are usually transparent and colorless. But corundum is mostly colored in different colors due to the presence of chromophores in it. When chromium is present in it, corundum is colored red and is called ruby; when iron and titanium are present, corundum is blue and is called sapphire.
The most prized rubies are blood red and carmine red. For the peoples of India, Indochina and Burma, the ruby \u200b\u200bhas long been a favorite and sacred stone. An ancient Indian legend says that rubies are drops of the blood of the gods; where these drops fell, rubies formed. Rubies were believed to have wonderful properties; whoever carries a ruby \u200b\u200bwith him "will not see terrible and dashing dreams"; whoever wears a ruby \u200b\u200bin a ring, "he will strengthen his heart and be honest in people."
The largest ruby, the size of a hen's egg, weighing 256 carats, belonged to the King of Bohemia Rudolph II, later it was presented as a gift to Empress Catherine II.
Ruby is a very hard substance, and due to this, it has a great application in technology. Bearings of watches, electricity meters and other precision instruments are made of it. Rubies are used in the pencil industry for the manufacture of dies and in the wire drawing industry.
Rubies have acquired an especially important role in radio communication technology for the creation of lasers - optical generators. With the help of ruby \u200b\u200bcrystals, an intense and highly directed beam of rays of monochromatic light is obtained, many times brighter than the rays of the solar spectrum. (By the way, it is interesting to explore the possibility of using rubies for fuel control equipment, which is produced by the Omnicomm company).
Sapphire has a color ranging from pale blue to dark blue. The best sapphires are cornflower blue.
Sapphire has been known since ancient times. In Rome, it was considered a sacred stone. The priests of the temple wore sapphires in their rings. Sapphire is used mainly in jewelry.
The primary deposits of sapphires and rubies are associated with igneous rocks. Rubies are formed on the border between limestones and rocks of granite magma, and sapphires - in pegmatites, consisting of granite with an admixture of feldspar, quartz and mica.
Sapphires and rubies are also produced artificially. For this purpose, alumina is obtained by calcining the alum-alum. Then its continuous stream is passed through the flame of an oxyhydrogen gas. On the way, it melts, and falls on the tip of a refractory candle, and freezes there, forming a crystalline cone-shaped "bulka" consisting of small crystals of corundum. In order to obtain a homogeneous single crystal from the "bulka", it is melted by heating to more high temperature... If chromium oxide is preliminarily added to the aluminum oxide, an artificial ruby \u200b\u200bis obtained, if the iron oxide and titanium oxide are artificial sapphire.
Emerald - the most beautiful of green gems - in terms of chemical composition is aluminum and beryllium silicate. Its basis is the mineral beryl, consisting of 67% silicon oxide, 19% aluminum oxide and 14% beryllium oxide. Beryl crystallizes in the form of hexagonal prisms. The green color of the emerald is due to the presence of chromium oxide.
Deposits of emeralds are quite rare. The most famous mines are in Colombia; famous for the Colombian emerald the size of an ostrich egg. Emeralds are found mainly in mica schists intersected by pegmatite veins. The birth of the emerald is associated with geological catastrophes, when granite magma penetrates into the sedimentary rocks containing chromite minerals.
Christina Tsurtsumia2014-05-08 11:09:00
"And stones, an ecstatic hymn, like a radiance, will rise over the world."
V. Bryusov
There are many legends around precious stones, according to which they can bring both troubles and happiness to their owners. Since ancient times, people have attributed healing and other magical properties, for each individual stone a set of qualities is assigned, with the help of which it has a beneficial effect on a person. Each sign of the zodiac is assigned "his" stones, which serve as talismans for a person of this sign.
What are gems physically? These are natural minerals, which in most cases, after cutting and polishing, acquired the beauty and brilliance that occurs during light refraction. Key properties of gemstones also include rarity and high value, which makes them often used as banking assets by wealthy people. An important criterion for a gemstone is wear resistance, which will allow it to retain its distinctive properties longer. In the West, the quality of gemstones is assessed using the “Rule of Four Cs”: color, clarity, cut, carat weight.
There is no generally accepted classification that separates precious stones from semiprecious, jewelry and ornamental and semi-precious stones. But all classifications recognize diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby \u200b\u200bas the top of the hierarchy of precious stones. We will also add alexandrite to them, especially since these five stones are defined as precious by the federal law of March 26, 1998 N 41 "On precious metals and precious stones." These stones are used in the production of jewelry by SOKOLOV.
"Sounds rushed and screamed,
Like visions, like giants
And rushed about in the echoing hall
And they dropped diamonds "...
K. Balmont
"Maestro"
Natural diamonds
A diamond is a cut diamond. The key indicators of a diamond's quality are purity and defectiveness; they reflect the clarity of the stone and the number of defects. A perfect diamond, without any flaws, is called a pure water diamond. This proverb originated from the method of verifying the authenticity of a stone: it was thrown into simple clean water, and if it was not visible in the water, as if it had dissolved, the diamond was recognized as genuine.
They are also divided by color into traditional - colorless and yellow colors of any shades, and fancy - all other colors, for example, pink, blue, blue, green. The rarest and most valuable diamonds are colorless. Diamonds are generally one of the most expensive gemstones, and this is due, among other things, to their durability: the diamond from which they are made is recognized as the hardest mineral on earth. In addition to quality and color, the cost of a particular stone is influenced by its shape, weight and cutting parameters.
"Sapphire-bright eyes,
As in anger, or flashing in the heat,
The goddess looked at me "...
G.R. Derzhavin
"Vision of Murza"
Sapphires
Is a kind of corundum mineral. Traditionally, the image of a sapphire is bright blue or azure-blue, but in the jewelry industry, corundums of any color except red are called sapphire, they are called fancy.
Separately, it is worth highlighting stellated sapphires, which have the property of asterism (when the crystal is illuminated, the figure of a star appears on it). Star sapphires are called “stones of fate”, and the rays from which the star is built are considered to be the lines of faith, hope and love. Leucosapphire, a colorless stone, is very rare in nature. When assessing the qualities of sapphire, the benchmark is the same as that of diamonds; sapphire takes the second place in hardness among precious stones. The most valuable have long been considered sapphires of cornflower blue color or royal sapphires, a symbol of justice, wisdom and supreme power. If we talk about the origin of the stone, then Kashmir sapphires are recognized as the most beautiful and high quality, they are most highly valued.
“And I believed that the sun had risen for me,
Shining like a ruby \u200b\u200bon the ring with gold "...
N. Gumilev
"Ballad"
Rubies
Ruby, like sapphire, is a kind of corundum, but already exclusively red in various shades. Star rubies are also very rare.
Rubies were very popular in Russia, they were called "yahonts", from this word "yahont" was formed, which meant "beloved". Another ancient name for ruby \u200b\u200bis carbuncle. Ruby is the first gem in history that could be obtained artificially. Natural rubies of the highest quality are considered one of the most expensive stones in the world, even more expensive than diamonds. Burmese rubies are recognized as the highest quality rubies. Ruby is as hard as sapphire.
"The squirrel sings songs,
Yes, it gnaws nuts all,
And the nuts are not simple
The kernels are pure emerald ... "
A.S. Pushkin
"The Tale of Tsar Saltan"
Emeralds
Emerald is a type of beryl mineral, from which it is distinguished by a rich velvety green color. In assessing the value of an emerald, inclusions do not play a leading role, color saturation is much more important, and only in second place is the transparency of the stone.
The color of the emerald is due to the addition of chromium. In terms of hardness, this gemstone is slightly inferior to all previous ones, therefore, emeralds without cracks are very rarely found, and emerald cutting requires special responsibility. The highest quality and highly valued emeralds are mined in Colombia. Emeralds of a deep green color and without flaws are extremely rare and are valued no less than the highest quality rubies and sapphires. The ancient name for emerald is smaragd.
Sergey 07/22/2019
All gems are gorgeous. Each of them is beautiful in its own way. In men's fashion, I do not really represent these stones. And a girl must have jewelry on her way out with just one of such expensive and beautiful stones. To answerOlga 07/22/2019
Amazing information about precious stones. I couldn't even imagine that there are red sapphires. I dream of jewelry with natural sapphires. I have a jewelry with diamonds, but not with a sapphire (((. To answerInna Koval 07/22/2019
All the stones presented in the article are leaders and some of the favorite stones of women. One is more beautiful than the other. I love all the stones in the article. To answerOlga Ilyashenko 07/20/2019
On the one hand, I read that you need to choose stones in accordance with the zodiac sign. On the other hand, you need to buy the jewelry you like. But intuition often fails. And when I want to buy an expensive stone, it scares me, and suddenly it will bring me bad luck. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds have tremendous power. To answerOlga 04.07.2019
All the stones presented in the article are wonderful! it is difficult to make a choice in favor of any one of them, I, probably like any other girl, would like the box to be always full and replenished with new decorations every month. Sometimes I deliberately stop myself in front of the doors of a jewelry store, the temptation to buy another jewelry masterpiece is too great. I have jewelry from all the stones mentioned in the article, except for sapphire. I really want jewelry with this stone, but I can't choose between earrings and a ring, ideally, of course, I would like a set, but alas, finances do not yet allow ((((. To answerEkaterina K 06/30/2019
Yes, this family is definitely the most royal. But we must take into account that there is still a fashion for precious stones. Let's say tanzanite is considered semiprecious stone, but now it is dearer than many precious ones. It is known that all precious stones in the world are mined by hand. And even the appearance of synthetic analogues that are not inferior to precious stones did not reduce their cost To answerMarina 06/29/2019
I bought an emerald, but only hydrothermal. Live without an emerald with green eyes was not possible! But natural seemed too capricious in the maintenance and care. I respect sapphires, there are. I didn't make friends with rubies, it's not mine. Diamonds, of course, yes (every girl should have at least a simple diamond ring, well, at least for show ...). What a boring box would be without items with colored stones! To answer All gems are beautiful. I already have jewelry with diamonds, rubies, sapphires. I only dream of an emerald. I have not yet decided which emerald is better to buy hydrothermal or natural. I didn’t know before that alexandrite also belongs to precious stones. I had jewelry with alexandrite from the Soviet era. I am not planning to buy this stone in a modern design yet. To answerThe most expensive, the most beautiful, the rarest ... Gems were and remain the most coveted adornments and the most enviable gifts. In a rich palette of valuable natural minerals, a special place is occupied by the so-called "magnificent four": diamond, sapphire, ruby \u200b\u200band emerald.
These stones, for centuries, have been invariably and rightfully appreciated for their natural qualities, rarity and beauty. What do we know about them today?
Diamond
The dazzling diamond, the "king of stones", holds a special status in the jewelry world. The unique, mesmerizing beauty draws the closest attention to it. In the sunlight, a cut diamond plays with all the colors of the rainbow. The mineral is so hard that virtually nothing can damage it.
Probably due to its invincibility, the diamond has long been considered a symbol of loyalty, constancy, and also power - over the state, wealth, or someone's heart. That is why it is so relevant in wedding rings: its unique natural properties serve as a symbolic guarantee of a strong, happy marriage.
Fine stones, sapphires, also have a very high hardness and are distinguished by a rich brilliance. They owe their bright shade to the combination of titanium and iron in their composition. And although there are sapphires of rare colors - yellow, green, orange - the most common and known are blue stones.
Sapphires have the fame of a "heavenly" stone, full of spiritual power, it is not for nothing that it has been met among priests and clergy in different centuries. It is given the significance of a talisman, cooling worldly passions, and also possessing protective, healing properties. Therefore, jewelry with it is often presented to those who want to protect.
Believe it or not, red ruby \u200b\u200bis actually the sibling of blue sapphire, because they both belong to the same type of mineral. The hue that ruby \u200b\u200bhas can range from pale pink to dark garnet.
This stone is associated with the heart and, in contrast to its brother sapphire, with passion and ardor. Popular rumor attributed to these red precious stones the property of arousing love feelings, a healthy appetite and a taste for life. To this day, the ruby \u200b\u200bas a gift speaks eloquently of romantic and ardent love, and also serves as a wonderful decoration for people with a passionate and energetic nature.
Pure, defect-free, dark green emeralds are so rare and beautiful that they are prized over diamonds. One of the ancient names of the emerald has come down to us - "esmeralde".
Traditionally, this stone was considered a talisman against the manifestation of evil inclinations in a person - pettiness, greed, anger and envy. For others, he brings success in business, travel and creativity. Therefore, giving a person a piece of jewelry with an emerald is a symbolic wish of good luck and well-being.
Ruby is a transparent red modification of corundum - aluminum oxide Al2O3. The name comes from lat. rubeus is red. The red color of ruby \u200b\u200bis determined by the admixture of chromium oxide; with an increase in its content (up to 1.8%), the color becomes denser (the color of "pigeon blood"). Some rubies have a silky sheen, which is caused by inclusions of the finest rutile needles, located randomly. After heating with slow cooling, the needles are oriented and intersect at an angle of 120 °. In such cases, the mineral is usually cut in the form of a cabochon, revealing "star-like" (asterism) in the form of a 6-pointed star. Corundum is the second hardest (9) after diamond reference mineral of the Mohs scale. Density 4.0. The refractive indices are quite high, 1.76-1.77. The melting point is 2030 ° C, which largely determines its industrial use. The system is trigonal. The crystals are predominantly thick-tabular. Most of the noble corundum is mined from placers, where they get as a result of the weathering of parent rocks (metamorphic shales, gneisses, crystalline limestones). The best rubies come from Mogok (Myanmar), stones of a slightly darker shade were found near Bangkok (Thailand). Less brightly colored samples are supplied by Sri Lanka. Red corundums of somewhat inferior quality are found in Macon County (North Carolina, USA). Rubies are prized for their intense color. High quality rubies, without defects, are very rare and cost more than diamonds of the same weight. The famous De Long star ruby \u200b\u200bfrom Myanmar weighing 100 carats is kept in the American Museum of Natural History (J.P. Morgan collection), and the largest gem-quality Edwards crystal weighing 167 carats, also from Myanmar, is in the British Museum.
Sapphire is a precious variety of corundum Al2O3. The name comes from the Hebrew "saffeiros" - blue gemstones (mainly lapis lazuli and sapphire). The color is blue, purple, green, yellow, orange, pink. There are black and colorless sapphires (leucosapphire) and the most expensive dark blue and cornflower blue (royal sapphire). Often, the color of sapphires is unevenly distributed: in one stone you can observe two or three shades and even different colors. Sapphires are known that have an "alexandrite effect" and change color depending on the light source. The blue color of natural sapphire is due to the presence of iron in bivalent and trivalent forms, yellow is due to an impurity of ferric iron, orange is mainly due to an impurity of chromium, in violet corundum iron, chromium and sometimes titanium are present. If vanadium is added to these chromophores, the "alexandrite effect" appears. Sapphire is transparent (jewelry) or translucent. Glass luster. Cleavage is absent, but transverse separation is often observed. The system is trigonal. The crystals are usually elongated, dipyramidal, fusiform, or barrel-shaped. Sapphire forms in marbles, basalts or pegmatites. It is obtained mainly from placers. The best sapphires come from India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Other suppliers - Australia, Columbia, Kenya, USA. To dear jewelry stones also include opaque star sapphires, in which, after processing in the form of a cabochon, a 6 or 12-pointed star is revealed, sliding along the surface of the stone when it is turned. This property (asterism) is caused by inclusions of thin rutile needles oriented in certain crystallographic directions, intersecting at an angle of 120 °, or by the presence of hollow tubular tubules passing through the crystal in the same directions.
Emerald (smaragd) is the most valuable and best studied variety of beryl; used in jewelry since antiquity. The name comes from lat. smaragdus, Greek. (c) Maragdos - "green". The Russian name is supposedly derived from the Arabic-Persian "zummurud". Color: light to dark green; grassy green; sometimes yellowish green. Luster: glassy. Hardness: 7.5 - 8.0 on the Mohs scale. Density: 2.69 - 2.78 g / cm3 Cleavage: absent; fracture, uneven to concha; fragile; numerous inclusions weaken the cohesion of the material. Optical properties: uniaxial mineral, optically negative. Inclusions: numerous. The type and nature of inclusions is taken into account when classifying an emerald; they determine whether it is a natural stone or synthetic; they can also help identify where the stone is being mined. The most characteristic are the inclusions of bubbles of liquid and gases, as well as minerals, forming clusters, which are called "jade" (from the French jardin - "garden"). Small inclusions can form a veil - multidirectional stripes inside the crystal. Depending on the place where the emerald is mined, the following types of inclusions are distinguished: for example, ingrowths of biotite (numerous), actinolite and calcite, as well as a few three-phase inclusions, are characteristic of Australian emeralds. Open accumulations of acicular tremolite and rounded mica plates, as well as ingrowths of biotite, tourmaline, epidote, apatite, titanite, and rutile are typical of Australian specimens. Deposits: Norway, Austria, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Russia, Egypt, Madagascar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Brazil, Colombia, USA, Australia, Libya, Algeria, Poland. Usage: Emeralds are among the most famous gems. Their unique color has fascinated people for more than one millennium. The emerald was admired by Shulamith, the beloved of Solomon, Cleopatra and Lucretius Borgia. In ancient Egypt, the emerald was considered the precious stone of the mother of the gods Isis. It is known today that there were hundreds of mines on the slopes of Jabal Sukait and Jabal Zubair in Upper Egypt, approximately 100 miles northeast of the ancient city of Sien (Aswan). Numerous mining tools have survived from the time of Sesostris (16th century BC). Apparently, from here emeralds got to the Middle East, as well as to Greece and Rome, where their value increased many times. They were appreciated by the emperors Domitian and Nero, the Great Mogul Babur loved them: the surprise of his contemporaries was caused by his large hairpin for a turban, which was decorated with three beautiful emeralds, the largest of which weighed 490 ct. Many of Babur's jewelry is currently kept in one of the banks in Tehran and are the coronation regalia of the Persian shahs. The emerald became the talisman stone of Muslims. The Arabs brought emerald to Europe. Many obscure circumstances that excite the imagination are associated with the treasures of the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas, for whom the emerald was the most valuable stone (it was called the "Peruvian stone"). Numerous treasures from the Temple of the Sun and the Golden Palace of the Inca ruler - golden statues, dishes, even wall cladding - were almost completely lost after they were sent to Europe. A beautiful emerald the size of an ostrich egg, which the ancient Peruvian Indians revered as a deity, also disappeared; perished (in the sunken ship) excellent, fantastic emeralds, known only from the description of Cortes. The fate of the huge crystals of emerald, which was given to the Spanish church by Francisco Pizarro - the so-called Crown of the Andes, and many other stones are unknown. Since the XIX century. emeralds are increasingly adorning the aristocrats of Europe. An example is the engagement ring for Queen Victoria or a fine jewelry set, which Elizabeth II still uses with pleasure. The most beautiful piece of jewelry art is the famous brooch of Queen Eugenie, made in the form of a hummingbird bird, and skillfully decorated with emeralds and diamonds. Interest in emeralds does not diminish even now, however large specimens are rare nowadays. The world's largest emerald crystal, found in 1974 in Brazil, weighed 28.2 kg. "Kokovin's Emerald" is an aggregate of crystals, kept in the Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, weighing 2.226 kg. The Diamond Fund of Russia stores the "Glorious Uralsky" emerald, found in 1978 in the Urals, weighing 978 g, with gem-quality areas with a total weight of 672 g. In Volyn (Ukraine) in 1979, a crystal of an emerald of an impeccable grassy green color was found, weighing 26 800 ct (5360 g), entirely of gem quality. Faceted copies are kept in museums and collections. In the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum (Kunsthistorisches Museum) there is a vase 10 cm high and weighing 2,681 ct, carved in Milan in the 16th century. from dark green Colombian emerald. The Topkapi Saryi Museum (Istanbul, the palace of the Turkish sultans) contains several large crystals of the color of lush greenery; as well as many faceted stones. In Tehran, in the Markazi jar, there are many cabochons and faceted stones, both set and unset, weighing from 100 to 300 ct. In the American Museum of Natural History - a beautiful emerald "Patricia" weighing 1200 ct. In the British Museum - a dark green crystal weighing 1384 ct; also numerous examples with faceted cut. The Diamond Fund of Russia exhibits the famous "Emerald Table" - a diamond brooch with a square Colombian emerald of dark green color, weighing 136.25 ct; in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg) there is a Spanish pendant of the 16th century. - a cross of five emeralds with a caravel attached to it, the body of which is carved from an emerald weighing about 125 ct. The largest carved emerald is considered to be "Mogul", weighing 217.8 ct, mined in Colombia. Its front side is decorated with carvings in the form of floral ornament; on the reverse side there is a test of Muslim prayer and the year - 1695. In private collections there are beautiful emeralds from the so-called "Crown of the Inca Leader". Such huge specimens are not found in modern jewelry; usually these are small stones weighing 2 - 3 ct, often dirty, light green, yellow-green, or black-green. Pure copies, intensely green (emerald green), weighing more than 5 ct, belong to jewelry rarities. They are most often used in jewelry sets or in exclusive jewelry of artistic value. The cut is varied; stepped cut, wedge cut (cross cut) and emerald cut prevail. For heavily soiled emeralds, cabochon, spherical or other derived forms are used. Large and dirty specimens are usually engraved. Also known are the so-called improved stones, when heated in oil (for example, cedar), they hide their near-surface defects, scratches and cracks. In framed form, synthetic stones and imitations are born. This means that the world of emerald rarities is gradually disappearing.
