A popular pastime today is collecting beautiful gemstones. While some people collect them solely because of their beauty, others collect them for their value and rarity. If you are not sure where to start in your gemstone collection, consider these 5 types of gemstones which are beautiful and may give you ideas for your own collection.
Jade
Jade is a beautiful green colored stone that has been used for thousands of years in not only decorative carvings, but also implements like axe heads and weapons. Jade is most often used in early Asian decorations like the popular jade dragon that has been a favorite decoration for thousands of years.
Turquoise
Turquoise is a blue-green colored mineral that is made up of hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum. This beautiful stone has been used for thousands of years in middle-eastern countries like Iran and Egypt and was also very sought after in Turkey. Although it did not naturally occur in Turkey, it was used as a means of trade with the Turks.
In the United States, turquoise can be found naturally in some of the southwestern states such as Nevada, Arizona and California.
Emerald
Emerald is a dark green colored mineral which can have a very high value. Like diamonds, emeralds are graded using the 4 C’s – Color, Clarity, Cut, Crystal. Emeralds occur naturally in Egypt, Brazil, Austria, India, Russia and Pakistan as well as Columbia. Because of its high value and rarity, synthetic versions of emeralds have been created for use in inexpensive jewelry by using a process called hydrothermal synthesis. This synthetic emerald is grown in a controlled environment and the emerald can grow as much as 1/3mm each day.
Ruby
Ruby is a red colored stone which is used in many different pieces of valuable jewelry. Of all the different shades of ruby, the most expensive and sought after are the brightest red colored gemstones. Ruby is mined in a number of countries throughout the world including Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, Kenya and many more. Within the United States, natural deposits of Ruby have been found in Montana as well as North and South Carolina.
Topaz
Topaz is what’s called a silicate mineral and will generally be a light wine color, or sometimes have a slight look of green, blue, pink or red, but is fully transparent, unlike many other gemstones. It is naturally found in many countries throughout the world including: Pakistan, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Norway and a number of other countries. There are many other types of gemstones and collecting them can be a fun hobby, or can become a very lucrative business.