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Gem in the Spotlight: Quartz

FJU Category: Gemstones | Tags: Amethyst, Citrine, Gem Spotlight, Gemology, Onyx, Prasiolite, Quartz

… is well known but surprising? What is affordably priced sometimes and sometimes unattainably expensive? If you answered quartz to all these questions you would be right (but naturally you looked at the title and knew). Quartz is one of the … are used) Sard Reddish-brown chalcedony Sardonyx White and brown banded Tiger’s Eye Fibrous gold to red-brown colored quartz, exhibiting chatoyancy Fossilized Wood Multi-colored and typically still has the appearance of wood (also called …

Gem in the Spotlight: Amethyst

FJU Category: Gemstones | Tags: Amethyst, Folklore, Gem Spotlight, Gemology, Jewelry History

Amethyst is known for its beautiful purple color, and it is the most important quartz variety used in jewelry. Purple has long been considered a royal color, so it is not surprising that amethyst has … which means that it can withstand daily wear and tear. Amethyst has the same refractive index as other varieties of quartz at 1.54-1.55 and is doubly refractive. It has a vitreous polish luster and its specific gravity is 2.66. Its …tribute to the goddess Diana. In order to protect Amethyst, Diana turned her into a statue made of pure, crystalline quartz. Dionysus, upon seeing the stunning statue, wept tears of wine in remorse for his actions. These tears stained the …

FJU Category: Gemstones | Tags: Gemology, Moissanite, Synthetic Gemstones

… made silicon carbide. In gemology, any material used to look like a gem is called a simulant. So clear glass, rock quartz, GGG, and Moissanite are all diamond simulants. They look like diamonds, but they are not diamonds. These simulants … millions of dollars worth of equipment and world class personnel. Synthetic diamonds on the high end and synthetic quartz on the low end are both very difficult to positively identify as synthetic. Both, I feel, are impossible to identify …

Gem in the Spotlight: Tanzanite

FJU Category: Gemstones | Tags: Gem Spotlight, Gemology, Tanzanite, Zoisite

… effects while they were still underground. Without heating, most tanzanite would be a brown color, similar to smoky quartz. The very small percentage of tanzanite that isn’t heated and is still pretty enough for jewelry displays trichroism… of tanzanite comes from its color. Tanzanite has a Moh’s hardness of 6-7, making it about the same hardness as quartz, softer than ruby, sapphire and emerald and hard than opal. Tanzanite has a refractive index of 1.69-1.70. History and …

Alternative Metals for Men’s Jewelry

FJU Category: Jewelry Metals | Tags: Alternative Metals, Black Band, Non-Traditional

…. As a frame of reference, cobalt rings come in around 7-8 on the Mohs hardness scale which is about the same as quartz or topaz but softer than tungsten or sapphire. Like most alternative metals, cobalt chrome bands are hypoallergenic and … for low grade pieces with more nickel Cobalt Looks like white gold or platinum, hypoallergenic Cut in 2 places 7-8, quartz or topaz Scratches more easily than others Carbon Fiber Light weight, modern look Cut NA Can feel “too light” …

Gem in the Spotlight: Opal

FJU Category: Gemstones | Tags: Folklore, Gem Spotlight, Gemology, Opal

…. In triplets, that thin piece of opal is sandwiched between a piece of onyx and a clear piece of laboratory grown quartz (the same material that is commonly used for watch crystals). This helps show off the opal’s beauty while keeping it … and blue are the most common. Typically the higher end opals have a darker body color, and a wide range of colors. Red carries more value and is by far the rarest color that opals can display. Stones with larger patches of color are …