Actinolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Actinolite is a member of a series that contains varying amounts of iron and magnesium. Tremolite is the Mg end, and ferroactinolite the Fe end,…
Articles by
Joel Arem
Adamite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although adamite occurs in many localities, it’s very rarely cut as a gem. This mineral is much too soft and fragile for jewelry. However, collectors…
Agate Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Agate is a variety of chalcedony that exists in many colors and is often commercially dyed. Agate is distinguished by having multiple colors.…
Albite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Albite, usually colorless but sometimes yellow, pink, gray or reddish. Translucent albite is sometime colored green by chrome jadeite. It is…
Alexandrite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
“Emerald by day, ruby by night,” alexandrite is well known for displaying one of the most remarkable color changes in the gem world — green…
Algodonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bright, silvery metallic cabochons of algodonite and domeykite are attractive and unusual. Faceted pieces are rarely seen but very beautiful…
Almandine Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Almandine is perhaps the most common garnet species. Forming series with pyrope and spessartine garnets, these gems occur in the deep brownish…
Amazonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Amazonite is a variety of microcline, which is itself a variety of feldspar.
Amber Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Amber is classed in various types: sea amber (found in the sea), pit amber (dug up, especially from the Baltic area), clear, massive, fancy, cloudy,…
Amblygonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Amblygonite gems are usually pale straw yellow. Although they are too soft and cleavable to make good ring stones, collectors prize them if they…
Amethyst Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Amethyst is crystalline quartz in colors ranging from pale lilac to deep reddish purple. The February birthstone makes a fine, durable gemstone…
Ametrine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Ametrine is a variety of quartz that displays bands of both amethyst purple and citrine yellow. These gems are typically cut to showcase their dramatic…
Ammolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
In 1981, ammolite became recognized by CIBJO, (the Colored Stones Commission.) It is the latest of only three new gemstones introduced in the last…
An Introduction to Gemstone Inclusions
Gemstone inclusions are materials trapped inside gems as they form. Learn how gemologists use inclusions to help identify gemstones and their…
Analcime Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Large colorless crystals of Analcime are a great rarity although small transparent crystals are abundant. Faceted gems are extremely rare and…
Anatase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Anatase occurs in many beautiful colors, such as deep indigo and amber yellow. However, these rare gems are seldom transparent and are usually…
Andalusite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Strongly pleochroic, andalusite can show shades of green, brown, and red when viewed from different directions. Although tough enough for most…
Andesine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
These feldspars are rarely encountered in gem form. Andesine’s occurrence is widespread throughout the world, in a great variety of rock types…
Andradite Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Andradite is one of the most sought after garnet species. Although more sources have been discovered in recent decades, gem-quality andradites…
Anglesite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although anglesites with pale colors can show great dispersion and brightness, they’re difficult to cut and inadvisable to wear. Faceted pieces…
Anhydrite (Angelite) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rare and difficult to cut, anhydrite is seldom faceted. However, this material can be carved into beautiful objects. “Angelite,” a blue-gray…
Anorthite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Anorthite is the most calcic of the plagioclases, and sometimes makes up a distinctive rock known as anorthosite, which has been extensively studied.…
Apatite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although too brittle for most jewelry use, properly cut apatite gems are truly magnificent. A collector could assemble a suite of as many as twenty…
Apophyllite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although not suitable for jewelry, apophyllite is a popular collector’s piece. Perhaps the whitest of all gems, cut, colorless specimens are…
Aquamarine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Named after the color of sea water, aquamarine is the blue to blue-green member of the beryl family. Readily available and moderately priced, the…
Aragonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Aragonite is more commonly found as a constituent of pearl and shell nacre than as a crystal suitable for gem cutting. Too soft for most jewelry use,…
Augelite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Soft and brittle, rare augelites are difficult to cut and unsuitable for wear. Faceted transparent pieces are only found in very complete gem and…
Axinite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
When faceted, the members of the axinite mineral group are usually intensely trichroic, with considerable brilliance and rich brown and purple…
Azurite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Collectors prize deep blue azurite crystals, but faceted gems are extremely rare. However, azurite frequently occurs mixed with green malachite,…
Barite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Massive white barite (also called known as baryte) looks like marble and could be used for decorative purposes. In spite of the abundance of good…
Basics of Gemstone Density and Specific Gravity
Gemologists sometimes measure gemstone density or specific gravity to help with gem identification. Learn the basics of this property and how…
Bayldonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bayldonite is a nondescript greenish material that has been cut into cabochons by enterprising collectors of the unusual. Cut bayldonites are…
Benitoite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
With dispersion higher than diamond and sapphire blue body color, benitoite is one of the most attractive of all rare gems. Gem-quality crystals…
Beryl Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The beryls are among the most popular, and also the most expensive, of all gems. A wide range of color is represented, from colorless to black. Beryls…
Beryllonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Difficult to facet and typically colorless, beryllonite is a rare collector’s gem. Some specimens can show a striking cat’s eye.
Bismutotantalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Extremely rare as a cut gem, even in very complete collections. Many of the minerals in the tantalite group have been faceted; bismutotantalite…
Bloodstone Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Also known as heliotrope, bloodstone is the traditional March birthstone. This dark green, opaque chalcedony with red to orange spots is a variety…
Boleite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cut boleite is strictly for collectors, since it is soft and very rare. Faceted gems of any transparency should be considered among the rarest of…
Boracite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
With light blue and green colors, no cleavage, and high hardness, boracite is an uncommon mineral. Unfortunately for jewelry lovers, faceted…
Bornite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bornite is suitable only for cabochons. The bronzy color rapidly tarnishes in air to a magnificent iridescent color display, mostly purple, but…
Brazilianite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Brazilianite’s lovely green to yellow colors make it a must for gem collectors. Large faceted stones are often flawed, but smaller cut gems can…
Breithauptite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Breithauptite is a curiosity cut for collectors, although it could be worn with care in jewelry. The color is extremely lovely, a delicate reddish…
Brookite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Brookite usually occurs in very dark colors, transparent only in small fragments. Cuttable crystals are exceedingly rare, making attractive…
Brucite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Brucites are extremely difficult to cut. Although too soft for jewelry use, faceted pieces would be great additions to collections of rare gemstones.…
Bustamite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bustamite is very similar in appearance and properties to rhodonite. The Japanese crystals are very rich in Mn. The color, when fresh, is paler…
Bytownite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bytownite is found in basic plutonic rocks, some metamorphic rocks, and meteorites.
Calcite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Calcite is common and abundant throughout the world. The material has little intrinsic value since it is not scarce. However, calcite is one of…
Canasite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The material usually seen on the market as “canasite” is purplish in color. It is frequently confused with another purplish material, a member…
Cancrinite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cancrinite is one of the most attractive of all opaque or translucent gem materials. It is a bit too soft for average wear, but its distinctive color…
Cassiterite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cassiterite is a durable gemstone with tremendous dispersive fire, especially visible in properly cut pale-colored stones. As the principal…
Catapleiite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The only reported cut catapleiite is from Mte. Ste. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada, in the form of tiny colorless gems.
Celestite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Soft, fragile, and hard to cut, celestite or celestine is seldom seen in collections. These gems are usually colorless or pale blue, but rare orange,…
Ceruleite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A little-known gem material of truly exquisite color, sky-blue ceruleite takes a very high polish easily and quickly. However, fine, solid, cuttable…
Cerussite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
As beautiful as a diamond, a faceted cerussite actually has higher dispersion and usually excellent transparency, colorless or light body color,…
Chabazite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although faceting chabazite isn’t too difficult, it’s too soft for jewelry. However, only a handful of cut chabazites may exist because facetable…
Chalcedony Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Technically, chalcedony (kal SED’ uh nee) is any form of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, (meaning any form of quartz whose crystals…
Chambersite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Chambersite is an exceedingly rare mineral. Although it has properties suitable for jewelry use, its crystals occur in very small sizes. Few cut…
Charoite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Named for the only locale in which it is found, the Charo River Valley in the former Soviet Union, Charoite is one of the few gems that is so distinctive…
Childrenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cut childrenite is a great rarity, and all gems are small. Cut eosphorite is more abundantly available, though both materials are very scarce.…
Chiolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Chiolite makes a challenging gem. It’s difficult to cut, extremely rare, and has little appeal. It’s solely a curiosity in the gem world.
Chromite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Chromite is shiny and black, and makes a curious-looking cabochon with no special attraction. Occasionally, a cabochon has a reddish color. The…
Chrysoberyl Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although many gems show a cat’s eye effect, when the term “cat’s eye” is used alone, it always refers to the rare gemstone chrysoberyl.…
Chrysocolla Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pure blue chrysocolla is extremely soft but interesting to gem collectors. On the other hand, chrysocolla that forms as gel mixed with silica and…
Chrysoprase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Chrysoprase is apple-green chalcedony that derives its color from nickel. Its hardness and striking color make it a popular gemstone for jewelry…
Cinnabar Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Magnificent red cinnabar is extremely soft and fragile, so faceted material is rare. It’s cut primarily for collectors and carvings.
Citrine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Citrine is the yellow to red-orange variety of crystalline quartz. Clever marketing and the rise of “earth tone” fashions have made this durable…
Cobaltite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cabochons are interesting because of the lovely reddish metallic appearance of this mineral. Cut stones are infrequently seen and are cut only…
Colemanite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Colemanite is an abundant mineral, and transparent material isn’t rare. However, gem cutters rarely facet these typically pale stones. Difficult…
Coral Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Coral is the axial skeleton of an animal called the coral polyp, a tiny (1 mm), almost plantlike animal that lives in warm oceans (13-16°C). The…
Cordierite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The crystal structure of cordierite has many similarities to that of beryl; indialite, the dimorph, in fact has the same structure as beryl. Iolite…
Corundum Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Next to diamond, corundum is the hardest mineral known and is very compact and dense, with no cleavage. As a result, corundum is one of the best of…
Covellite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although covellite has attractive blue colors and shows iridescence, this rare mineral is difficult to cut. You can scratch it with a fingernail!…
Creedite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Probably fewer than a dozen creedite gems have ever been faceted. This rare mineral is rarer still as a cuttable crystal. Too soft to wear, this strictly…
Crocoite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Lovely saffron-colored crocoite is quite a rare mineral. Although too soft and brittle for jewelry wear, a few crystals have been faceted for collectors.…
Cryolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cut cryolite is somewhat translucent, and has a “sleepy” look. The cuttable material has a very low birefringence, is colorless, and very soft—not…
Cuprite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
One of the rarest of all facetable gems, cut cuprites can show magnificent deep red color. However, these beautiful stones are too fragile for jewelry…
Danburite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A very durable gemstone, danburite is an excellent choice for jewelry use. Although the mineral isn’t rare, large facetable pieces are scarce.…
Datolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Datolite is a popular collector’s mineral. Polished sliced nodules can show off very attractive colors. Too soft for regular jewelry use, faceted…
Demantoid Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
One of the rarest garnet varieties, demantoid can have a green color that rivals emerald and a fire that exceeds diamond. Demantoids are highly…
Descriptive Crystallography for Gemologists
Crystallography is the study of crystalline solids. Learn the most common terms gemologists use to describe the structure of crystal gems.
Diamond Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Diamond is the most romanticized and heavily marketed of all gemstones. Nearly every jewelry establishment handles diamonds, even if it has no…
Diaspore Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Diaspore is hard enough to make a durable jewelry stone, but the typical light brownish color is not easy to sell. Despite the large Turkish material,…
Dickinsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This mineral is seldom even mentioned in the gem literature because it is so rare and has been so seldom cut. Faceted gems are practically nonexistent,…
Diopside Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Violane has been used for beads and inlay—transparent material is always very tiny. The color of this material is deep violet or blue and is very…
Dioptase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Dioptase is abundant in mineral collections throughout the world and is not considered a great rarity, but faceted gems are extremely rare due…
Dolomite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although transparent dolomite crystals are fairly abundant and popular collector’s items, faceted gems are soft, fragile, and rarely seen…
Dumortierite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Dumortierite is a beautiful and very hard material, eminently suitable for jewelry. The cabochon material is the only generally known form, since…
Ekanite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A relative newcomer to the world of gemstones, ekanite is rare and usually quite radioactive. When cabbed, some ekanites can display a star stone…
Emerald Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Since the time of Cleopatra, emeralds have epitomized the color of green gemstones. It would be easy to question this statement if all one had seen…
Enstatite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Most gem enstatites have indices in the range 1.663-1.673. The brown and green gems from Tanzania are enstatites, as are the brownish-green stones…
Eosphorite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Faceted eosphorites in pale colors are quite attractive and easy to cut. However, these very rare gems are too soft for most jewelry use.
Epidote Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The epidote mineral supergroup contains many related species of interest to collectors. However, epidote itself is the one most likely to be faceted…
Ettringite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Ettringite is not generally facetable; any cut stone would be considered an extreme rarity. South African material has yielded minute stones,…
Euclase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although hard enough to be worn safely in jewelry, euclase in beautiful colors is rare over a few carats. It’s also a difficult gem to facet.
Eudialyte Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although cabochons could be cut from massive eudialite or translucent crystals, transparent material suitable for faceting is elusive and always…
Euxenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Euxenite is seldom seen in collections. Most collectors would not regard the mineral as facetable, but transparent fragments and areas of crystals…
Feldspar Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Feldspars are the most common minerals at the Earth’s surface. In fact, if the entire composition of the Earth’s crust were regarded as a single…
Fergusonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This mineral is not abundant and is known from various localities. Cabochons are cut merely as curiosities, as they have no special features that…
Fluorite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although too fragile for most jewelry use, fluorites are often faceted for collectors. They occur in a wide range of attractive colors and can be…
Freshwater Pearls Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The majority of pearls on the market today are cultured freshwater pearls. Like their marine cousins, many freshwater mussels of the mollusk order…
Friedelite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Friedelite is not abundant, and gem-quality material is rarely seen even in large collections. Faceted gems are true collector’s items.
Gadolinite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This is not a terribly attractive gemstone, but faceted gems would be a tremendous rarity. The material is quite brittle, but there is no cleavage…
Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Garnet comes from the Latin word, granatus which means grain. That is because many garnet deposits are small grains of red crystals in or on…
Gaylussite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This mineral is very hard to cut because of extreme softness and cleavage. Gaylussite dries out slowly in air and the surfaces may turn white. Stones…
Gemstone Color Measurements and Specifications
Gemstone color measurements are hard to make with conventional color-order systems. Learn how recent colorimetry tech advances have improved…
Gemstone Optics: The Basics
Accurately measuring optical properties is critical for identifying gemstones. This article covers the basic terminology and concepts of gemstone…
Gemstone Thermal Properties
Non-destructive tests are critical for gemologists trying to identify gems. Learn how measuring thermal properties, especially thermal inertia,…
Grandidierite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A rather rare mineral, lovely blue-green grandidierite is seldom seen in gem or jewelry collections. Translucent material is sometimes cut into…
Grossular Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Grossular garnets come in almost every color, even colorless, except blue. However, unlike other garnets, they’re rarely red or dark. Often…
Gypsum Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Gypsum is one of the most abundant minerals, but gem-quality crystals are very rare. This material is extremely difficult to facet but very easy…
Hambergite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although hard enough for jewelry use, rare hambergite is a gem for collectors of the unusual. Its combination of high birefringence and very low…
Haüyne Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
One of the major mineral constituents of lapis lazuli, haüyne is rarely found and faceted as a distinct gemstone. Collectors prize its beautiful,…
Heliodor Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Heliodor Jewelry and Gemstones.Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Heliodor…
Hematite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Hematite has a long history of use as a pigment. As a gemstone, this material is often carved but very rarely faceted. Despite its association with…
Hemimorphite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Massive hemimorphite can have a very delicate, blue color. However, it’s seldom cut because not very much has appeared on the market.
Herderite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Herderite is a rare collector’s gem, especially in larger sizes. It’s too soft for wear but attractive when cut and can show a wide range of colors.…
Hessonite Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Also known as the “cinnamon stone,” hessonite is the yellow-orange to reddish orange variety of grossular garnet. Hessonites can make beautiful,…
Hodgkinsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Hodgkinsonite is one of the rarest of all collector gems. Cut stones are bright and richly colored, but the crystals were never abundant and still…
Holtite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This mineral was first noted in 1937 but was not described in detail until 1971. It has not yet been seen as a gem, but the high hardness would allow…
Howlite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Howlite is always opaque in nodules; it is an abundant material and easy to acquire. Sometimes it contains black, threadlike impurities resembling…
Huebnerite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
It should not be difficult to find numerous small faceted huebnerites among larger gemstone collections. Certainly ample material exists to…
Humite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Faceted chondrodite is almost unknown, a pity since the color is very rich and the material is hard and durable enough for wear. Cutting presents…
Hureaulite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Hureaulite can show rich and lively pink, rose, and orange colors. However, this collector’s gem is rarely cut.
Hurlbutite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Hurlbutite is an extremely rare mineral. Minute, colorless faceted stones have been cut from fragments.
Inderite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Inderite is very soft and difficult to cut, and only a few stones have been cut by hobbyists. There is plenty of cuttable material in existence, and…
Jadeite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
One of two distinct minerals commonly known as jade, jadeite is the rarer and harder variety. Rich emerald-green jadeite, known as “imperial…
Jeremejevite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Jeremejevite would make a durable and attractive jewelry stone, but this rare mineral occurs even more rarely as facetable material. Recently,…
Jet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Historically a popular black gem, jet has declined in popularity in modern times. Although jet jewelry has been long associated with mourning,…
Kämmererite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Kämmererite is a beautiful but rare mineral. It is micaceous; consequently, it is extraordinarily difficult to facet, which has severely limited…
Kornerupine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Star kornerupine also has been found (Mogok, Myanmar) but is very rare. Kornerupine is generally dark brown or green and not very attractive…
Kurnakovite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Kurnakovite is similar to inderite. Both are colorless and very uninteresting as faceted gems, which is why very few have been cut. The material…
Kyanite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Kyanite is very rare as a faceted gem, especially if free from inclusions and flaws. The material is extremely difficult to cut because of its perfect…
Labradorite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Labradorite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics…
Langbeinite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This material is nondescript and is cut solely as a curiosity. The gems are soft, pale colored, or colorless, with no fire. Few cut stones have been…
Lapis Lazuli Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The gem known as lapis lazuli, or simply lapis, is actually a rock, composed of lazurite, hauyne. sodalite, and nosean, all members of the sodalite…
Lawsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Lawsonite is extremely rare as a faceted stone, seldom reported and generally unavailable.
Lazulite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Lazulite makes a magnificent, deep blue gemstone. Although the mineral itself occurs widely, gem-quality rough is limited. Specimens are prized…
Legrandite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Too soft for jewelry use, legrandite is a popular collector’s mineral because of its intense yellow color and aesthetic crystal groupings.…
Lepidolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Reddish granular or massive lepidolite is usually slabbed for ornamental purposes, such as ashtrays paperweights, and bookends. Faceted micas…
Leucite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although abundant in various lava rocks, leucite is extremely rare in gem-quality form and often has a milky or cloudy look. Faceted stones as well…
Linarite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The blue color of linarite is magnificent, and it is a pity that large facetable rough has not been found. Clean areas of crystals are usually very…
Ludlamite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Ludlamite has a lovely green color but is too soft for wear. Large crystals are known from only a few localities, and cut stones are extremely rare.…
Magnesite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Gems of completely transparent magnesite are both rare and beautiful. The huge birefringence is obvious even in small stones, and larger gems…
Malachite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Malachite is one of the most popular and beautiful of decorative stones. lts rich, patterned coloration in shades of green is unique among gems.…
Malaya or Malaia Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Malaia garnet is a variety of garnet that is typically light to dark slightly pinkish orange, reddish orange, or yellowish orange in color.
Mali Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Mali Garnet, one of the rarer varieties within the garnet group, is a mixture of the species grossular and andradite, (therefore it is sometimes…
Manganotantalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Manganotantalite makes a spectacular red brown gem that is a very rare collector’s item. Transparent material is light enough in color to allow…
Marcasite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Marcasite has a long history of use as a decorative and jewelry material. However, this brassy colored, metallic stone is quite brittle and seldom…
Meliphanite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Meliphanite is an extremely rare gemstone, and perhaps fewer than 5-10 faceted stones have ever been cut.
Mellite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Mellite is a rare and unusual organic gemstone. Although soft and fragile, the “honey stone” is quite beautiful when cut.
Microlite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Ranging in color from pale yellow to brown, reddish, and green, microlite cabochons are prized by collectors. Faceted gems are very beautiful…
Milarite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Very rare milarite crystals can occur in green and yellow colors. Transparent material can yield small but pleasant looking faceted gems for collectors.…
Millerite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Millerite has a rich, attractive yellow color. Massive millerites can sometimes be cut into cabochons but are too soft for jewelry use. However,…
Mimetite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Faceted mimetite is one of the rarest of all gems since only one pocket of transparent crystals has ever been found (at Tsumeb), and few of these crystals…
Monazite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Monazite may be partially metamict, with N=1.79. Stones can be an attractive yellow or brown color but are usually small.
Moonstone Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Moonstone or “Adularia”, an orthoclase feldspar, was originally named for an early mining site at Mt. Adular in Switzerland. From this tradition…
Mordenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Compact, fibrous material is cabbed because the fibers provide a chatoyancy that sometimes yields weak catseyes. Coloration in the material…
Morganite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A member of the beryl family, morganite shows a range of pink colors due to traces of manganese. Recently, this gemstone has seen an increase in popularity…
Nambulite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The color of Namibian nambulite is a striking orange-red, very intense, and not really like any other gem I have seen. Cut stones would be both extremely…
Natrolite, Mesolite, Scolecite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
All three minerals are fibrous or elongated zeolite minerals. Faceted gems are almost always elongated emerald cuts or step-cuts.
Nepheline Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A variety called elaeolite is red, green, brown, or gray, massive or in crystals filled with minute inclusions. These inclusions produce…
Nephrite Jade Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Nephrite is one of the two distinct minerals commonly known as jade. While nephrite doesn’t match the variety or the fine green colors found in jadeite,…
Neptunite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Neptunite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of…
Niccolite (Nickeline) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Niccolite’s delicate peachy red color and metallic luster looks beautiful when polished. Gem cutters typically carve this gem material into…
Obsidian Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Obsidian is an attractive material and displays a wide variety of appearances. Snowflake obsidian, with spherulites of cristobalite, is widely…
Oligoclase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Oligoclase gems are feldspars that are part of a solid state series between albite and anothrite.
Opal Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Opals are in a class by themselves. As a species, opal is so unique it has its own descriptive vocabulary. More than any other gem, each opal is distinctly…
Oregon Sunstone Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
What a nice coincidence that Lapidary Journal’s cover story for January, 1998 is on Oregon Sunstone! The article points out that prior to the finds…
Orthoclase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Orthoclase is best known for moonstone. It is occasionally a transparent, faceted gem. Note that moonstone is occasionally a labradorite.
Painite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Until 2001, only three painite crystals were known to exist. Since then, additional discoveries have produced many more specimens of this deep…
Palygorskite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although marketed as “angel skin opal,” “rock wood,” and “mountain leather,” palygorskite is neither opal, wood, nor leather.…
Papagoite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Cerulean blue papagoite crystals are too small for faceting. However, massive material mixed with quartz can be cabbed, while quartz crystals…
Pargasite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The amphibole group is very large and extremely complex and contains numerous distinct species that vary subtly in chemistry and physical properties.…
Parisite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Parisite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Parisite…
Pearl Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pearls are the only gems found within living creatures, both salt and freshwater mollusks. However, most pearls on the market today are cultivated,…
Pectolite (Larimar) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Fibrous pectolite has long been a curiosity for gem collectors. Compact material can make wonderful cabochons, and transparent crystals are…
Pentlandite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pentlandite resembles other yellowish metallic minerals and is cut by collectors as a curiosity. The cut stones are quite attractive but too soft…
Periclase Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Periclase has been synthesized in large masses in the laboratory, but these have no market significance. A faceted natural periclase would be…
Peridot Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Peridots have been prized as jewelry stones since ancient times. Always green in color but with considerable variations, their particular shades…
Peristerite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Peristerite is primarily oligoclase with a complex mixture of feldspars. It has iridescence that is either blue or white.
Perthite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Perthite is a blend of microcline, albite and oligoclase. It is usually brown and white. May have gold or white iridescence.
Petalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Gem-quality, colorless, facetable petalite is rare and desirable to collectors. More so if the stones are large and free of inclusions.
Phenakite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rare phenakite is a very hard gem material suitable for jewelry. Usually colorless, cut stones have little fire but can be very bright.
Phosgenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rare phosgenite typically shows pale colors. This material is difficult to cut and too soft for jewelry wear. However, its strong yellowish fluorescence…
Phosphophyllite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Renowned for its delicate blue-green shades, phosphophyllite’s beauty is enhanced by expert cutting. Unfortunately, this gem is quite fragile…
Pollucite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Colorless pollucites lack fire when cut and are usually small. However, this very rare cesium mineral is a coveted collector’s gem.
Powellite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Powellite Jewelry and Gems. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Powellite…
Prehnite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Prehnite is popular as a cabochon material among hobbyists because of its lovely green and blue-green to yellow colors. Completely transparent…
Prosopite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Prosopite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of…
Proustite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Proustite crystals have magnificent red colors and good brilliance. Although facetable, they’re too soft for jewelry use but highly desired…
Pumpellyite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The gem variety of pumpellyite, chlorastrolite, is best known from the Lake Superior district of the United States. It typically forms aggregates…
Purpurite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This material is never transparent and is too soft for wear. However, cabochons are a magnificent purplish rose hues that have essentially no counterpart…
Pyrargyrite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pyrargyrite is found in a number of localities in well-formed crystals, but these are usually small. However, larger, transparent crystals from…
Pyrite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pyrite is more commonly known as fool’s gold and is familiar to nearly every mineral collector. It has been used for centuries both in jewelry…
Pyrophyllite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pyrophyllite resembles talc in many ways and is indistinguishable by eye from soapstone. Chemical tests are needed to distinguish them. North…
Pyroxmangite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pyroxmangite grains are rare, seldom clean enough to facet, and difficult to cut. However, when cut, they are extremely beautiful and rich in color.…
Pyrrohotite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Pyrrhotite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of…
Quartz Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Quartz Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of a Quartz…
Realgar Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although this common arsenic sulfide mineral occurs worldwide, cut gem-quality realgar is extremely rare. This fine, red stone is very fragile,…
Red Beryl Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Originally known as bixbite, red beryl is one of the rarest, most desirable, and most expensive gemstones. Most fine crystal specimens are zealously…
Rhodizite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rhodizite is tough enough to make an excellent jewelry stone. However, it’s quite a rare mineral. Faceted specimens are extremely rare and usually…
Rhodochrosite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Beautiful rose red to pink rhodochrosite crystals are popular with mineral collectors. Although very soft, opaque material has been fashioned…
Rhodonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Ranging in color from pink to a fine rose red, rhodonite is a popular material for jewelry and decorative objects. Faceted rhodonite has an intense,…
Rose Quartz Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A popular variety of colored quartz, rose quartz makes a durable jewelry stone. Although commonly cabbed and carved, more transparent material…
Rubellite Tourmaline Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rubellites are tourmalines with reasonably saturated dark pink to red colors and medium to dark tones. They make excellent jewelry stones, and…
Ruby and Sapphire – Identifying Origin
This article covers in great detail the various geographic regions where Ruby and Sapphire are found, and considers rarity based on country of…
Rutile Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Though perhaps best known as inclusions within other gems, rutile crystals themselves can be faceted or cabbed as curiosities for collectors.…
Saltwater Pearls Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Pearls are one of our most ancient gems with records of commercial harvesting going back 2500 years. Their natural occurrence is very rare, with…
Samarskite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Samarskite is a very heavy material from which lustrous black to brownish cabochons are sometimes cut as curiosities. The material is rather brittle…
Sanidine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sanidine is a mineral of volcanic rocks, rarely considered a gem. While occasionally brown or yellow, most examples are colorless.
Sapphire Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Few gems have held our attention over millennia as well as sapphire. The pure blue colors and excellent durability of this gem-quality member of…
Sapphirine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sapphirines are durable but very rare gemstones. Although named after their typically sapphire-blue color, these gems can occur in different…
Sarcolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sarcolite is an extremely rare mineral. Tiny, colorless to “fleshy pink” gems have been cut only from material from one locality: Mount Vesuvius.…
Scapolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although not well known, scapolite would make an attractive gem material for both jewelry enthusiasts and mineral collectors. It comes in a wide…
Scheelite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Large, faceted scheelites are among the most beautiful of all collector’s gemstones. They occur in many colors and fluoresce very brightly.…
Scorodite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
With lovely colors and intense pleochroism, faceted scorodite is a prize for collectors of the rare and unusual. However, it’s too soft for jewelry…
Sellaite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Sellaite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Sellaite…
Senarmontite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Senarmontite is a rare mineral, restricted in occurrence to the presence of antimony sulfide ores. It is much too soft to wear, and the colors are…
Serandite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This essentially is another one locality mineral, where very small gems have been cut from an occasional crystal fragment that is not always even…
Serpentine Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Bowenite is usually blue-green, yellow-green, or dark green and translucent; it is used for carving, knife handles, and so forth, and in jewelry. …
Shattuckite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Shattuckite is often mixed with quartz, and data often reported for properties may be erroneous. The cabochons are rich blue in color and very popular,…
Shortite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Shortite is an exceedingly rare, not overly attractive mineral. Cut gems are among the rarest of all faceted stones. The material is a carbonate…
Siderite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Siderite is difficult to cut, but this light brown collector’s gem has yielded faceted pieces of great beauty.
Sillimanite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The fibrolite from Burma and Sri Lanka is well known to gem collectors, and highly prized because of its great scarcity. Blue and greenish gems are…
Simpsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Simpsonite is an extremely rare gemstone. The material from Western Australia is bright yellow-orange and very beautiful. The mineral is hard…
Sinhalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Long thought to be brown peridot, sinhalite was investigated in 1952 and found to be a new mineral. When cut, it is richly colored, bright, and attractive,…
Smaltite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Smaltite is a collectors oddity, cut only as cabochons. It is seldom seen in collections since it is not especially distinctive, with a color resembling…
Smithsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Smithsonite occurs across the globe, but facetable crystals are extremely rare. These gems can show a wide range range of rich colors but are too…
Sodalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tough, easy to cut or carve, and rich in color, typically blue, sodalite is highly desired by hobbyists. Even stones that lack transparency make…
Sogdianite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sogdianite is an extremely rare mineral, suitable for cabochons. The color is striking and the material is hard enough to take a good polish. It…
Spessartite Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Usually orange to reddish brown, gem-quality spessartite or spessartine garnets are somewhat rare. However, as blends with other garnet species,…
Sphalerite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sphalerite occurs in many colors. With a dispersion over three times that of diamond and an adamantine luster, faceted specimens make beautiful…
Sphene (Titanite) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sphene, also known as titanite, has rich body colors, strong trichroism, and a fire that exceeds diamond. Although softer than many more popular…
Spinel Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Spinel is an important gem historically because it has been confused with other gemstones, especially ruby. Large red gems such as the Black Princes…
Spurrite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
This attractive but rather rare mineral has seldom been cut as a gemstone. Polished slabs and rough material appeared in 1986 at a mineral show in…
Staurolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Staurolite crystals in opaque cross shapes are popular gemstones. However, this material is very rarely transparent or facetable. These dark…
Stibiotantalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Rare stibiotantalite possesses an interesting mix of physical and optical properties that help distinguish it from other earth-toned gemstones.…
Stichtite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Stichtite is not facetable, but the pink color is quite striking in cabochons. Cut stones are especially beautiful when there are other minerals…
Stolzite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Stolzite is a rare mineral; much rarer than wulfenite and usually occurs in very minute crystals. However, the Australian crystals may be up to…
Strontianite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Strontianite is a collector’s oddity, with no spectacular properties to recommend it. Colors are usually pale and there is little fire; in addition,…
Sugilite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
What is the color of sugilite? Grape jelly purple is a good description. More popular among consumers in Asia than North America, this is a very rare…
Sulfur Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although sulfur is very abundant, facetable material is not. Sulfur is also enormously difficult to cut and almost impossible to wear, so faceted…
Sunstone Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Sunstones contain hematite or goethite inclusions, which reflect light in parallel orientation and create a sparkling sheen in gold to brown…
Taafeite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Taaffeite reacts to most gemological tests like mauve-colored spinel, but can be distinguished on the basis of its birefringence. Additional…
Talc Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Talc Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Talc gemstones.…
Tantalite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tantalite is too dark to be of use as a faceted gem but is sometimes cut as a collector curiosity, either faceted or in cabochons. These could be of…
Tanzanite (Zoisite) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tanzanite has had a rapid rise to prominence among jewelers and gem enthusiasts. Although naturally reddish brown, this transparent zoisite…
Tektite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tektites were first discovered in 1787 in Czechoslovakia (then Moravia) near the River Moldau, hence the name moldavite. It has been argued…
Tephroite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tephroite is generally reddish brown and barely translucent. However, it takes a good polish and is massive enough to make good cabochons. Only…
Thaumasite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
For a long time, rare thaumasite crystals — pale, fragile, and with little to no fire — were interesting primarily as mineral specimens. With…
The Optical Spectrum and the Spectroscope
The spectroscope is a device that separates white light into an optical spectrum of component colors that can aid in gemstone and mineral identification.…
Thomsonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Thomsonite cabochons take a high polish but are somewhat brittle. These are especially lovely when a pinkish gray eyelike pattern is present,…
Topaz Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Topaz of any type is a good jewelry stone and it is historically one of the most important gemstones. With its relatively high refractive index and…
Tourmaline Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Tourmaline is one of our most popular gems. No other mineral comes in more colors and some of the combinations are in a class by themselves.
Tremolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
It is possible to misidentify tremolite, mistaking it for other amphiboles. Hexagonite is the rarest of the gem varieties of tremolite. If tremolite…
Triphylite (Tryphylite) Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Triphylite is one of the world’s rarest gems. The IGS had the extraordinary privilege of examining a discovery of facetable material from Brazil…
Tsavorite Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An emerald-green variety of grossular garnet, tsavorite is one of the most popular and expensive varieties of garnet. Suitable for any type of…
Tugtupite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Gem collectors prize tugtupite for its rich colors and intense reaction to ultraviolet light. Sporadically used in jewelry, clean, faceted tugtupites…
Turquoise Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
With striking sky blue to blue-green colors, turquoise has been prized by cultures all over the world for over 5,000 years. Today, the traditional…
Ulexite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The fibrous material cuts interesting catseye cabochon gems, but they are curios only since they are much too soft and fragile for wear. The eye…
Understanding Color in Gemology
The color of a mineral or gemstone is one of the primary attributes used for identification,but it is, unfortunately, one of the least diagnostic…
Understanding Gem Synthetics, Treatments, And Imitations, Part 1: An Introduction
Tech advances and market forces make it essential for gem buyers to know the science behind synthetic gemstones and gem formation. Learn the basics…
Understanding Gem Synthetics, Treatments, And Imitations, Part 2: Crystal Growth
Learn about the different crystal growth methods used to artificially create gemstones in laboratories.
Understanding Gem Synthetics, Treatments, And Imitations, Part 3: Synthetic Diamond
Learn about synthetic diamond creation and the challenges buyers face determining whether a diamond is natural or artificial.
Understanding Gem Synthetics, Treatments, And Imitations, Part 4: Synthetic Gemstone Guide
Many varieties of gems besides diamond can be created in the laboratory. Our synthetic gemstone guide covers many examples and explains their…
Understanding Gem Synthetics, Treatments, And Imitations, Part 5: Identifying Gemstone Treatments
Identifying gemstone treatments is difficult even for experienced gemologists. Learn how they detect manufacturing traces and artificial…
Understanding Gemological Formulas
Gemological formulas identify the chemical composition of gems and minerals. Learn what the symbols, numbers, and parentheses mean.
Uvarovite Garnet Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Always a dark, rich green color, uvarovite is one of the rarest members of the garnet family. Usually only seen as druzy on matrix, these crystals…
Vanadinite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
A faceted vanadinite may be considered a tremendous rarity. Fewer than ten such gems may have been cut. This is unfortunate since the color is rich…
Variscite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
With beautiful green to blue-green colors and interesting patterns, variscite is a popular hobbyist material for cabochons.
Väyrynenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
The only reported gems are of Pakistani material, reddish-pink in color, and tiny.
Villiaumite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Villiaumite is seldom discussed among collectors of rare gemstones because until recently no facetable material was known. The material from…
Vivianite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Vivianite is so fragile and soft, any faceted gems would be difficult to handle safely, let alone wear. Nevertheless, its blue and green colors…
Wardite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Wardite is another of the many phosphates that have been cut by collectors. It is pale colored and not terribly attractive and is fairly soft and…
Wavellite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Wavellite is a very attractive mineral, well-known to collectors. Its radial aggregate crystal clusters can be cut into extremely interesting…
Weloganite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Weloganite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of…
What is Gemstone Cleavage?
Gemstone cleavage is a break in a crystal along internal planes. Learn the science behind this and the difference between cleavage, fracture,…
What is Gemstone Luminescence?
Gemstone luminescence is a glow that occurs when certain stones are subjected to energy such as UV light. This effect can help gemologists identify…
What is Gemstone Luster?
Adamantine. Silky. Greasy? Gemologists use these and other evocative terms to describe gemstone luster. This simply means how a gem’s surface…
Whewellite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Seldom seen even in mineral collections, whewellite is very rarely faceted. It’s mostly desired as a curiosity because of its scarcity, chemical…
Wilkeite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Wilkeite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Wilkeite…
Willemite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Willemite is prized for its intense green fluorescence. Too fragile for jewelry use, faceted specimens are extremely rare.
Witherite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Easy to cut but too soft and fragile for jewelry, a faceted witherite would make an unusual addition to a gem collection.
Wollastonite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Interesting cabochons have been cut from wollastonite, especially from the fibrous material (which yields catseye stones) and the reddish material…
Wulfenite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Although aesthetically magnificent wulfenite crystals are often too thin, soft, and sensitive to cut for jewelry, rare faceted pieces are greatly…
Xonotlite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Xonotlite is strong and can take a good polish. However, these gems are extremely rare, both as a species and cut specimens.
Yugawaralite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Yugawaralite is a very rare colorless to pinkish zeolite mineral. Little facetable material exists, so a cut yugawaralite would be a prized addition…
Zektzerite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Small, cuttable crystals of very rare zektzerite are found only in a mountainous location in Washington state. Faceted pieces would make prized…
Zincite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Zincite is a very rare mineral, essentially restricted to one important locality. Well, terminated crystals were found only up to about 3-4 inches,…
Zircon Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
Don’t be confused by the name. Zircon is a natural, magnificent, and underrated gemstone that has been worn and treasured since ancient times.…
Zunyite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
An overview on Zunyite Jewelry and Gemstones. Covers details and essential information on the physical properties and characteristics of Zunyite…
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