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Archimedes is said to have discovered that when a body is placed in water the volume of water displaced is equal to the volume of the body and that when the body is placed in water that it undergoes an apparent loss of weight. This loss of weight is equal to the weight of the water displaced. When a gem is weighed in air and then weighed in water the loss of weight is equal to.... (1994) Complete Story
The beauty, color, and brilliance of each different gemstone variety is a result of its unique set of physical and optical properties. Gemologists study these properties to identify gemstones and to read where they are from and how they were formed. Many people spend their lives studying this subject but a basic summary is not difficult to learn and can make looking at gemstones more interesting. The beauty of a gem, the distinctive way it handles light, its color are all a result of these properties....
(1999) Complete Story
The idea that a given material is, by nature, precious, is a relatively recent one. The idea that one material was precious while another was merely semi-precious simply did not exist in ancient times. The idea of dividing gemstones into the categories of precious and semi-precious is a relatively modern idea. The word semiprecious itself entered the English lexicon only in the nineteenth century..... (2003) Complete Story
My cats like to participate in most of my activities. Their "assistance" generally involves batting supplies off my desk. When they sit and stare at me, it's easy to see how one of my favorite gemstones, cat's-eye chrysoberyl, got its name.... (2001) Complete Story
