SEMI PRECIOUS GEMSTONES

 

AVENTURINE - translucent green quartz containing muscovite mica, hematite or goethite. Vitreous luster. Can also be found in other colors.

AGATE – a variety of silica. Translucent in gray to blue, red-orange, and black, with ribbons of the same shade in rhythmic patterns. Waxy luster. Almost 7 on the Mohs Scale. A popular vintage use was for marbles. 

AMETHYST - transparent light lavender to deep purple form of crystalline quartz. The most prized gemstone in the quartz family.  Symbolizes wisdom, spirituality, sobriety, and security. Birthstone for February.

AQUAMARINE - translucent to transparent, blue to pale green member of the Beryl family. Most known and coveted is the pale, icy blue color. Symbolizes beauty, honesty, loyalty and happiness. Birthstone for March.

CARNELIAN – somewhat transparent. glassy looking stone with a hardness of 7. Often looks like honey, to a deep reddish brown color.  Symbolizes luck and safety. Birthstone for July.

CHRYSOPRASE  - opaque to translucent, opalescent apple-green color. One of the most valuable quartz gemstones.

CITRINE – transparent, yellow, golden or orange-yellow variety of crystalline quartz.  Symbolizes hope, cheerfulness, youth, health, and fidelity; also called the ‘healing quartz.’ Birthstone for  November .

GARNET - transparent to translucent, most commonly burgundy red, comes in shades of red, orange, purple and green. Vitreous to resinous luster. Actually a mineral. Symbolizes love and devotion. The official gemstone for New York, and the birthstone for January.

HEMATITE – an iron oxide mineral, colored black to silver-gray with a metallic luster. Symbolizes healing and calmness. Birthstones for March and December.

HOWLITE - white with a distinctive marbleized appearance, and a subdued luster. Looks like a white turquoise, and often used in Southwestern jewelry. Thought to relieve stress, anger, and insomnia.

JADE – green is most common color, and strongly linked to Asian culture. Cool to the touch, warming up from body heat. Under magnification you can see little fibrous or granular intertwining. It’s smooth and hard – a test is that it cannot be even scratched with a knife. There are two varieties - Nephrite Jade and Jadeite (Jadeite the more precious and expensive). Nephrite is not as colorful as jadeite, with a lower translucency and luster. Nephrite has a resinous (fibrous) luster. Jadeite has a vitreous (glass-like) luster.

JASPER – most commonly a cream yellow to a rich yellow-brown, but can be other colors. Often has swirls of colors. Waxy luster.

LAPIS LAZULI  - royal blue (though can be green to sky blue) with glittering golden (pyrite)and white (calcite) specks. Dull luster. Avoid any chemical solvents or ultrasonic cleaners.

Symbolizes sympathy, love, insight, awareness, and harmony. Birthstone for September.

MALACHITE – Kelly to deep green with ribbons of shades colors showing artistic patterns. Silky to vitreous luster. Is a copper carbonate mineral.

MARCASITE - technically a mineral. Marcasite Jewelry is really pyrite (Fool’s Gold) placed in a silver colored setting.

MOONSTONE  - translucent, usually white with a blue tint, can be gray, peach, pink or yellow.  Opalescent luster.

ONYX - comes in a wide range of colors, most often gray, white, or black. It can be evenly colored or banded. Vitreous or silky luster. Symbolizes relaxation and comfort. Birthstone for February.

OPAL – clear to pearly appearance with silica deposits that reflect colors. Color varieties range from white to blue, red and green. A soft gemstone that is very sensitive to heat. Primarily found in Australia. Solid opals are the most expensive, but also set into doublets and triplets using 2 or 3 layers of stone, to increase the reflections. Cheap or synthetic opal stones have a backing, also used to increase the appearance of color reflections. Waxy luster. Birthstone for October.

PERIDOT – translucent green gemstone containing iron and magnesium. Shades from a yellowish to olive to brownish green depending on the amount of iron content. Greasy luster. Symbolizes fame, dignity, protection, and success. Birthstone for August.

PREHNITE - Pale green to yellow silicate mineral, known as 'Grape Jade' in Asia. Rarely faceted, usually cabochon stones or nugget chips.

QUARTZ – actually a family of crystalline gemstones of various colors. A silicate mineral, with a vitreous to waxy luster. The most well-known types/colors are:

ROSE QUARTZ  - light to medium pink, usually cloudy. Symbolizes emotional balance, and  forgiveness. Birthstone for January.

SMOKEY QUARTZ - clear gray or brown

MILKY QUARTZ – cloudy and milky white

Amethyst and Citrine are also part of the quartz family

RHODONITE - pale to bright pink to red, often with black manganese oxide veins. Thought to sooth the nervous system and promote relaxation.

SODALITE – called the poor man’s Lapis. Is a deep royal blue color with white or gray Calcite inclusions (not the golden pyrite found in Lapis). Can be found in different colors. Dull to greasy luster.

TIGERS EYE – a black/brown with striations of shades of golden and yellow. Can look like petrified wood. Silky luster. Though to protect travelers, and to enhance integrity, practicality, and will power.

TOPAZ - translucent yellow, golden, green, light brown, light blue or even clear. Most popular colors are a honey yellow, pale blue and pale brown. It is an aluminum silicate. Considered a "cooling" gem; symbolizing strength, wisdom, and courage. Birthstone for November, and blue topaz is a birthstone for December.

TURQUOISE - opaque, light robin’s egg blue to pale green, and surprisingly lightweight. Waxy luster. In jewelry is has become a symbol of the Southwest, and is the official gemstone of both Arizona and New Mexico. It is a relatively soft stone and should be stored away from other harder jewelry to avoid scratches. It symbolizes new possibilities, and happiness. Birthstone for December.

ZIRCON – transparent blue, yellow orange, brown, or clear. Used to imitate diamonds (but no to be confused with the man-made Cubic Zirconia.)

Symbolizes wisdom, honor, and wealth. Birthstone for December.