Gemstones Lore

Our Gemstones Lore section covers gem history and folklore. Learn about famous jewelry pieces, <a href="https://www.ganoksin.com/article/birthstones/">birthstones</a>, past and current perceptions, and more.

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Birthstones and Anniversary Stones

At the time of Moses twelve gemstones comprised the Jewish High-Priest's Breastplate of Aaron; each stone represented one of the...

Ways to Choose a Birthstone

"My birthstone is emerald," a potential customer recently told me. "But I don't like green," she continued, "so I never...

Minerals and Gemstones Formation

Do you know what diamonds, rubies, and emeralds are? "Jewels" is the answer most people offer. It's an accurate answer,...

Power and Magic of Gemstones

When the Babylonians observed the passage of the heavenly bodies across the firmament many thousands of years ago and believed...

The Story of Red Spinel

The gem's first known owner was Abu Said, a Moorish prince of Granada in Spain in the mid-1300s. Abu Said...

Pearls of the Ocean

Pearls don't need polishing or faceting to reveal their natural beauty. That's why pearls were among the first gems worn...

GemBits – Ivory for Jewelry

Every substance on Earth falls into one of three groups: animal, plant or mineral. Minerals are compounds of elements, like...

Tanzanian Burma Ruby

High quality ruby is being mined in the province of Rukwa , in the southern highlands of Tanzania , according...

How Gemstones Get Their Colors

My cats like to participate in most of my activities. Their "assistance" generally involves batting supplies off my desk. When...

From Beryllium to Beryl

Beryllium is a hard and shiny metallic element. Extremely rare, it's prized in industry for its high melting point and...

Jasper Gemstones

The minerals grouped as jasper belong to the quartz family. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth....

Jade: Imperial, Celestial Stone

Jade: Imperial, Celestial Stone

The mythical properties and symbolic potency attributed to jade (celestial stone) are stronger than those linked to almost any other...

Opal – Water Filled with Fire

The fragile opal first flashed its fiery colors at mortals millennia ago, igniting a love affair that has survived the...

Tourmaline Colors – A Gift from Nature

Tourmaline is one of the most unusual of all gemstones. Unlike other gems, which we often identify with a single...

The Lore of Emeralds

Long associated with Spring and birth, gloriously green emeralds have an extensive history of healing and supernatural powers. Green is...

The Ubiquitous Mineral Feldspar

Moonstone and sunstone, seemingly opposites because of their names, are in reality closely related members of the feldspar family. Formed...

Amber – Petrified Sunlight

Amber's warmth and rich glow convinced our earliest ancestors that it was petrified sunlight. Later, others believed it to be...

The Secret Life of Rocks

Think they just lie around? Oh, no! Rocks are constantly meeting, mingling, and occasionally making gemstones. Every so...

Diamond, The Brilliant Ice

Currently identified with love, diamonds are the gemstone of choice in engagement, wedding, and anniversary rings. Contrary to popular belief,...

Blue Sapphire – Celestial Stone

Blue Sapphire – Celestial Stone

Nature lavished her finest blues upon sapphires, the "Gem of the Heavens." Although the word "sapphire" itself means blue, the...

GemBits – Turquoise for Jewelry

Prized for its sky-blue color, turquoise has been used in amulets and jewelry since antiquity. The oldest known piece of...

Selling Natural, Unenhanced Gem Material

The marketing slogan 'All Natural' has been used for years to advertise products from cereal to shampoo. Now some gem...

Ruby, King of Gems

Like many gems, rubies are known by several names. One of its earliest titles was ratnaraj, which is Sanskrit for...

Jadeite and Nephrite Gemstones

Two gemstones bear the name jade: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite, first known as yu, was treasured by the Chinese for...

GemBits – Quartz Diversity

Quartz, the most abundant mineral, is also one of the most diverse minerals known. It's found in a rainbow of...

Chalcedony Gemstones

Silicon dioxide, better known as quartz, is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. Mineralogists divide quartz into two...

Lapis Lazuli Gemstones

Lapis lazuli, as lovely as its exotic name, has decorated humans and enhanced their art for thousands of years. Normally...

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