garnet

Our Story: Where Nature Meets Beauty At Lumina Earthworks, we believe that the most breathtaking beauty lies in nature and in what the Earth creates…

With practice and some basic tools, anyone can separate natural rubies from ruby simulants. Learn all about the most common lookalikes here.

This year, sellers at the Tucson Gem Shows reported observing a markedly different energy from their clientele. Rather than chasing the next new…

Diamond testing tools have evolved. Learn how the latest devices compare when distinguishing lab-grown from natural diamonds.

Measuring mineral specific gravity and density is one way to distinguish two similar looking minerals. For example, take a garnet and ruby. The…

The optical properties of minerals attract our eyes and can give a specimen a unique character. However, mineral physical properties are also…

Although gemstone magnetism isn’t a commonly tested gemstone property, it may be useful for making quick separations outside the lab. By Richard…

Cleavage is an often overlooked property when identifying minerals. In this article, we’ll address novice mineralogists’ questions…

In this article, we will discuss phyllosilicates and tectosilicates. These silicate subclasses include minerals crucial for technology and…