Earlier this year a new gem treatment was introduced. Developed by Sithy Gems and Lapidary, (www.supergreentopaz.slt.lk,) in Sri Lanka, it is a new twist on enhanced gems. They call it center-fused color treatment, which at first sounds confusing. However, a little knowledge and it becomes simple.
Histtory of Gems
The most common garnet used in jewelry is the blood red pyrope garnet. High quality pyrope garnets can be mistaken for rubies. Its name is derived from the Latin word "granatum", meaning pomegranate, referring to its rich red color. The pyrope, sometimes called a Bohemian ruby, is the Aquarius birthstone. This particular garnet can be found in deposits in Bohemia, Saxony, Switzerland, South Africa, Ceylon, Scotland, Western United States and Brazil.... Other colors of garnet are infrequently used in jewelry, but they are nonetheless beautiful.... The hessonite garnet ranges in color from reddish orange to cinnamon yellow when found in Ceylon.... The green garnet known as grossularite is by far the most outstanding of all. It wasn't until the 19th century that another green garnet called the demantoid was discovered in the Urals and the valleys of Aosta and Malenco. Garnets are always found with other industrial minerals near the core of the quartz."* Amethyst "The name amethyst comes from the primitive Greek "a" for "non" and "methustes" meaning "drunkard", or "who is not drunk". In ancient times people believed that water in a purple glass looked like wine. Those who drank from a purple glass thus appeared to be getting drunk on wine, while actually remaining sober. Our ancestors attributed virtue to the amethyst, because of its ability to protect from drunkenness.... Adorning the Inquisition crosses during the Renaissance Period, the amethyst became an Episcopal stone symbolizing humility. The purple amethyst was believed to be a combination of the blue of the sky with the red of blood. The amethyst was the traditional stone for the Bishop's ring. When worn on the third finger of the right hand it was supposed to represent "the jewel of the High Priests, of one who is not confused, distracted or overwhelmed by the intense fascination of external phenomena". The most prized member of the quartz family, the amethyst has never gone out of fashion. Even with the abundant supply on the market, the purple stone has not lost its value. Along with most gemstones, the value of the amethyst increases with the density of the color, as long as the transparency of the stone is not marred. Ranging in color from a reddish violet to a bluish violet to a true purple, the amethyst varies in intensity. Aquamarine "Originating its name from the Latin "aqua marina" meaning "sea water", the aquamarine is a light blue to greenish blue beryl, most valuable when it's a shade of darker blue. The precious stone has always been popular, especially in times of war. In ancient times the aquamarine was believed to instill courage in those who wore them. The ancient Indians used the aquamarine as an amulet, while the Egyptians carved it into talismans. In the Middle Ages, the aquamarine was believed to guarantee a happy marriage and inspire mutual fidelity in newlyweds. Because of its sea water color, the aquamarine also had the power to protect sailors, strengthening its owner and protecting the eyes from harm. A blue beryl, larger and more frequently transparent than the emerald, the aquamarine's main pigment is iron. The color spectrum of the aquamarine varies from very pale blue to a deep blue, the finest specimens being the deepest in color.... The host rock of the gemstone is [a] coarse grained granite, called pegmatite. While other gemstones do not usually mix, aquamarines are frequently accompanied in alluvial deposits by other gemstones such as the tourmaline and topaz. Large aquamarine crystals are relatively common. The largest known aquamarine of cuttable quality was found in Brazil in 1910 weighing 243 pounds before it was cut into many smaller stones. Aquamarine deposits are located in several countries. The main producers are North America, Western Africa, Russia, and India, but the most important one is Brazil."* >Diamonds Okay, so we all know about South African diamond mines and DeBeers. But did you know that substantial, 5 carat gem quality diamonds have been found in Indiana? The Young Diamond was found in Indiana glacial till in 1898, and the Stanley Diamond in 1900. To quote John McPhee, from his book, In Suspect Terrain: "The source of a diamond is a kimberlite pipe - a relatively small hole bored through the earth's crust by an expanding combination of carbon dioxide and water, which rises from within the earth's mantle and moves so fast driving magma to the surface that it breaks into the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. Such events have occurred at random through the history of the earth, and a kimberlite pipe could explode under Moscow next year. Rising so rapidly and from so deep a source, a kimberlite pipe brings up exotic materials the like of which could never appear in the shallow slow explosion of a Mt. St. Helens or the flows of Mauna Loa. Among the materials are diamonds. Evidently, there are no diamond pipes, as they are also called, in or near Indiana. Like the huge red jasper boulders and the tiny flecks of gold, Indiana's diamonds are glacial erratics. They were transported from Canada, and by reading the fabric of the till and taking bearings from striations and grooves in the underlying rock - and by noting the compass orientation of drumlin hills, which look like sculptured whales and face in the direction from which their maker came - anybody can plainly see that the direction from which the ice arrived in this region was 045 degrees northeast. At least one pipe containing gem diamonds must exist somewhere near a line between Indianapolis and the Otish Mountains of Quebec, because the ice that covered Indiana did not come from Kimberley - it formed and grew and, like an opening flower, spread out from the Otish Mountains. With rock it carried and on rock it traversed, it narrated its own journey, but it did not reveal where it got its diamonds. There is a layer in the mantle, averaging about sixty miles below the earth's surface, through which seismic tremors pass slowly. The softer the rock, the slower the tremor - so it is inferred that the low-velocity zone, as it is called, is partly fluid. In the otherwise solid mantle, it is a level of lubricity upon which the plates of the earth can slide, interacting at their borders to produce the effects known as plate tectonics. The so-called lithospheric plates, in other words, consist of crust and uppermost mantle and can be as much as ninety miles thick. Diamond pipes are thought to originate a good deal deeper than that - and in a manner which, as most geologists would put it, "is not well understood". After drawing fuel from the surrounding mantle rock - compressed water from mica, in all likelihood, and carbon dioxide from other minerals - the material is thought to work slowly upward into the overlying plate. Slow it may be at the start, but a hundred and twenty miles later it comes out of the ground at Mach 2. The result is a modest crater, like a bullet hole between the eyes.... The odds against diamonds appearing in any given pipe are about a hundred to one. Carbon will crystallize in its densest form only under conditions of considerable heat and pressure - pressures of the sort that exist deep below the thickest parts of the plates, pressures of at least a hundred thousand pounds per square inch. The thickest parts of the plates are the continental cores, the cratons. All diamond-bearing kimberlites ever found have been in pipes that came up through cratons. Down where diamonds form, they are stable, but as they travel upward, they pass through regions of lower pressure, where they will swiftly turn into graphite. Only by passing through such regions at tremendous speed can diamonds reach the earth's surface as diamonds, where they cool suddenly and enter a state of precarious preservation that somehow betokens to human beings a touching sense of "forever". Diamonds shoot like bullets through the earth's crust. Nonetheless, they are often found within rinds of graphite. Countless quantities turn into graphite altogether or disappear into the air as carbon dioxide. At room temperature and surface pressure, diamonds are in repose on an extremely narrow thermodynamic shelf. They want to be graphite, and with a relatively modest boost of heat, graphite is what they would become, if atmospheric oxygen did not incinerate them first. They are, in this sense, unstable - these finger-flashing symbols of the eternity of vows, yearning to become fresh pencil lead.... A boy playing jacks in South Africa in 1867 picked up an alluvial diamond that led to the discovery of a number of pipes, one of which became the Kimberley Mine. From that pipe alone, fourteen million carats followed.... As the ice walls of the Pleistocene moved across Quebec, resculpting mountains, digging lakes, they apparently dozed through kimberlite pipes, scattering the contents southwest. The ice that plucked up the diamonds not only brought questions with it, but also obscured the answers. How many pipes are there? Where are they? How rich are they? If one ten- millionth of their content is gem diamond, they would be worth mining. They are somewhere northeast of Indiana. They are in all likelihood less than a quarter mile wide. They may be under lakes.... Many people have searched. No one has found them." Emerald A symbol of love and rebirth, the emerald has been treasured for over 4,000 years. Emeralds are said to improve the intelligence as well as the heart, they give those who wear them the gift of eloquence, they are believed to protect marriages, enhance fertility, ease childbirth, cure epilepsy and nervous breakdowns. The name for the emerald is derived from the Greek word "smaragdos", meaning green stone. An "Emerald" originally referred to any green stone, so all of the symbolism, superstitions and beliefs that are associated with the emerald hold true for all green stones. There are numerous mythical references to emeralds in religion, philosophy and literature. The green stone has fascinated people throughout the ages. The color green is one of the reasons for the mysticism attached to this gem. Just as the green of a garden complements its splashy flowers, so does the color green enhance other colors. Scientists also explain that the human eye is more sensitive to green than to any other color.... Emeralds are cut in all shapes, but the most popular cut is the octagonal step-cut, now known as the emerald cut. Since emeralds are extremely sensitive to knocks, gem cutters invented this cut to protect the stone from blemishes. Emeralds with a clear transparent quality are sometimes cut with the brilliant cut. Another well known cut for stones with a lot of inclusions is the smooth-domed cabochon which reflects the deep color in the emerald.... Emeralds have recently become more available due to discoveries in Zambia. The Zambian emeralds are a rich color, a slightly darker shade of green than emeralds found in Columbia. Some of the finest emeralds in the world come from Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria and Russia."* PEARLS* "Often associated with love and tears, pearls were dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and symbolized the tears of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. In antiquity, pearls were said to prevent newlywed women from shedding any tears. Muslims cherished the pearls because they were believed to represent Adam and Eve's tears, repenting their sins and resembling the tears cried by those in pain. Said to make women pure and young girls candid, pearls were a symbol of purity, faith and religious fervor in France. The French presented small pearl necklaces to young girls on their communion day to instill these legendary beliefs. Pearls have also been worn as engagement rings because they symbolize love and tenderness. The popular Indian custom of women wearing pearls at their wedding began with the Hindu god Vishnu who was guardian of the world. Vishnu fished for pearls in the ocean to adorn his daughter, Pandai Twenty five hundred years before Christ, the Chinese used pearls to pay taxes. Discovering pearls when exiled to Egypt in the 17th century B.C., the Hebrews believed that pearls symbolized material wealth. Wealth was supposed to be rejected in favor of wisdom, as recommended by Solomon in the 10th century B.C: "Wisdom is better than pearls, and no gem can match it" (Proverb 8:11).The most famous pearls are the ones in Cleopatra's earrings. After a bet with Mark Anthony that she could spend more than 10 million sesterces for a single meal, she dissolved one of her pearl earrings in vinegar and then drank it. Lucius Plaucus, who was refereeing in the bet, convinced Cleopatra not to do the same with the second earring, which was later split in halves to make two ear pendants for the Venus on the Parthenon. As concluded by Pliny: "Half a dinner became the partner of a goddess."One of the largest pearls in existence is the Hope Pearl. Weighing 450 carats, the Hope Pearl was named after its owner, Henry Philip Hope, who also owned the Hope Diamond. The Hope Pearl is now capped by a kind of crown forming a pendant.Another famous pearl is a pear shaped pearl purchased by Philip II of Spain. Known as the Peregrina and the Incomparable, it eventually became the property of Napoleon III. Weighing 203.84 grains, the pearl was later acquired by the American movie star Elizabeth Taylor, whose dog damaged it when he bit it. The oldest piece of pearl jewelry was found in the grave of an Achaemenian queen in Susa. Dated back to 520 B.C., the pearls are now in the Louvre in Paris."* RUBY* "Synonymous with passion, the ruby is believed to protect one from being seduced and has the ability to soothe anger. The ruby has always been a symbol of love, charity and victory. The earliest cultures worshipped rubies, calling them "perpetually burning fires" and assigning them magical powers. In ancient times the fiery stone was associated with courage, its red coloring evoking red blood and fire. Worn on the crowns and helmets of kings, rubies were a royal insignia believed to protect the wearer from injury and to keep him safe and healthy. The ruby has long been considered a sacred mineral offering the wearer protection in times of war. Since biblical times, the ruby has been more sought after than even top quality diamonds. The "lord of gems", the ruby was pronounced by God as the most precious of the twelve stones when he created them. The bible states that wisdom is "more precious than rubies". In India the ruby is known as "ratnaraj" or "king of precious stones" in the ancient language of Sanskrit.The name ruby is derived from the Latin word "ruber", meaning red. Like other gemstones, its value is effected by certain crucial factors: color, cut, clarity and carat.... A ruby is a gem quality of the mineral corundum, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide, one of the most durable minerals to exist. All colors of corundum, except for red, are known as sapphires. The red spinel, pyrope, and almandite garnets, red tourmaline or rubellite, and red zircon resemble the ruby in color.Because the yield of rubies is not economically profitable from a primary deposit, alluvial deposits are more commonly worked. Rubies have a high specific gravity that allows them to be concentrated, or panned, with other heavy minerals from river gravel. The lighter gravel washes away, leaving just the fiery rubies. The methods of ruby production are still as primitive as they were hundreds of years ago.Rubies are among the most expensive gems, especially the larger stones. Large gem quality rubies are extremely rare. The largest known ruby of gem quality was put on the Saint Wenceslas crown by direct orders from Charles IV of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia in 1346. Kept in the Saint Guy Cathedral in Prague, the ruby represents the most valuable jewel from the Middle Ages that is still intact. The largest cuttable ruby was found in Burma and weighed 400 carats....Thailand is the most important ruby trading center, with 80% of the world's rubies passing through at some point in the trading transaction. The rubies in Thailand are a dark red, more burgundy than pink, and are extremely popular in the United States. These rubies owe their exceptionally dark red to black reflections called extinctions. These reflections tend to make the color look darker than it really is. Recently a ruby mine containing high quality rubies with fantastic colors was found in Vietnam."* Known
as the celestial gemstone, the sapphire has been
treasured for thousands of years. The ancient Persians
believed that the earth's crust sat on a huge sapphire,
and it's bright color reflected the color of the
sky during sunset. Symbolizing truth, sincerity
and tradition, it has been said that when Moses
received the Ten Commandments they rested on tablets
of sapphires. The sapphire has historically been
the most sacred gemstone of all. Opal* "Of all the gemstones mentioned,
the opal has the most unusual physical properties. The
opal has been described as 'containing the wonders
of the skies sparkling rainbows, fireworks and lightening,
shifting and moving in its depths'. The true
beauty of the opal is the variety of colors within
each stone; it is never just one color. As
Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar, describes them: 'There
is in opals a softer fire than the ruby, there is the
brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green
of the emerald all shining together in an incredible
union'. TOPAZ* "The origin of the name topaz is unclear, but it may have come from the Greek "topos", meaning "land" or "country". Perfectly colorless when pure, the Brazilians nicknamed the topaz "pingo de agua" after water droplets. In ancient times, all brown and yellow stones were referred to as topaz. A classic mineral of alluvial deposits, the topaz is hard, heavy and unalterable.... Several large topazes have been uncovered. The light yellow Bragance, a 1,600 carat stone, is the most famous faceted topaz. The Bragance now belongs to the Portuguese Crown. Discovered by a slave in Brazil, this famous topaz allowed the finder to receive his freedom along with a lifetime annuity for himself and his family. In 1858, an 800 carat topaz was found and named the Pannar. At first, the Pannar was thought to be a diamond, but made headlines nonetheless when it was realized it was, after all, a topaz. In 1965 a 220 pound blue topaz was found in the Ukraine."* TURQUOISE* The following is quoted from the book The Turquoise Trail, text by Carol Karasik, photography by Jeffrey Jay Foxx (ISBN # 0-8109-3869-3): "No one remembers who found the first turquoise stone. Some say it fell to earth. Others say the stone was lying on the sand with its eye open. Coyote came along, picked it up, and threw it in the air. And so the sky was made. The sky is an immense blue stone that breaks in summer and pours forth rain. Black matrix is the net that holds the sky together and the deep blue is the bird within it. The stone is the egg, a room without a roof, the trace of the first sea, the map of the journey.Scattered groups of Anasazi farmers happened to be living on a dry sea in the shadow of a mountain of turquoise, near present-day Santa Fe. The stone served as offerings to the Gods and as adornments for the priests. It served as a charm and a symbol of life. In exchange for blue and green feathers, the Anasazi offered blue stones to the southern merchants, and it was considered a fair trade. By A.D. 1000, men were laboring in the turquoise mines, and artisans at Chaco Canyon were polishing stones for nobles of lands they would never see. On the accumulated wealth of ritual goods, Chaco Canyon became the preeminent culture of the Southwest. The fortunes of the Anasazi rested in the sacred dance, and the sway of civilizations that rose and fell in the giant swells across the desert ocean.... Veins of blue and green turquoise run under the Cerrillos hills near Santa Fe. Stones from Turquoise Mountain went west to Chaco Canyon and south to the civilizations of Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, the Indians risked body and soul to supply gemstones for Spain's nobility.The macaw is brighter than the pheonix. His feathers travel farther than the macaw can fly. Throughout Mesoamerica, his plumage is an essential part of ceremonial regalia. In Pre-Columbian times, the people of the Southwest traded turquoise for macaw feathers. The mythic bird is identified with the sun, fire, and turquoise.Turquoise talismans, the Navahos believe, bring good foretune and insure the favor of the gods. They are potent in affairs of the heart. Turquoise protects the wearer against contagious diseases. Turquoise is an emblem of the medicine man's powers. The Hopis believe turquoise brings good luck in the hunt. Among the Apaches, a small turquoise bead attached to gun or bow makes the weapon shoot accurately. Thrown into a river with a prayer to the rain god, turquoise is supposed to induce rain. Turquoise may be found at the end of the rainbow by searching in the damp earth. Turquoise is said to have stolen its color from the sky." TOURMALINE* "Originally mined in Sri Lanka, local jewelers named the tourmaline "turmali", meaning "local". Although tourmalines come in a variety of colors, the green is particularly noteworthy due to the richness of color. These green gems are called "Brazilian emeralds", referring to the 18th century Brazilian pioneers who discovered tourmaline when searching for emeralds. Named the "rainbow mineral", the tourmaline displays all colors of the spectrum. Because each new crystal has its own unique characteristic, there can be several tourmalines sitting next to each other in the same pigmatic body that are totally different.The indicolite tourmaline is mostly a collector's item, since it is not found in large quantities. This particular tourmaline is of such a rich blue that it makes a wonderful alternative to the sapphire. The indicolite tourmaline ranges from greenish blue to light blue and is found in deposits in Brazil, South Africa, The Urals, Colorado, Massachusetts , California, Kashmir, Madagascar and Bengal....Until the discovery of the Paraiba tourmaline [in Brazil], the most valuable tourmaline was the rubellite.... The most famous rubellite is presently in The Diamond Fund of the former Soviet Union. King Gustav III of Sweden gave this 250 carat stone to Empress Catherine II of Russia in 1777. The rubellite or siberite tourmaline is found in Russia, the United States, Ceylon, Burma, Madagascar, Brazil and China.... Tourmalines, known as "aschentrekker" by Dutch sailors, were used to clean meerschaum pipes, for their prismatic crystals are charged with static electricity. The hemimorphic crystals that form inside the tourmaline can be loaded with static electricity by heating or rubbing the mineral, which then attracts dust."* |
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Garnet
"The
name garnet derives from the Latin word for grain,
referring to the garnet's rounded crystals. The
garnet varies in name and color depending on the
locations around the world in which it is found. The
garnet is the given name to a family of silicate
minerals. While not all of these are of
gem quality, most of them have the same physical
structure.