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General Stone Information
Agate is a translucent, cryptocrystalline variety of quartz which has the same chemical
structure as several other stones such as jasper, carnelian, petrified wood, and
bloodstone. Agates are found as ball or almond shaped nodules that can be as small
as a few centimeters or even reaching a circumference of several yards. The stones
can be artificially stained to produce combinations of color more vivid than those
found naturally. There are many varieties of agate including eye agate, layer agate,
dendritic agate, fire agate, scenic agate, tubular agate, sandstone, and moss agate. The
moss agate contains visible impurities in the form of dendritic shapes that resemble
moss. Dendritic agates have fern like patterns on them formed due to the presence of
manganese and iron ions. A beautiful new edition to the varying types of Agates is
Prudent Man Agate. This is a new discovery of Agate located in the Alder Creek
Mining district in central Idaho. It is considered to be on of the most important agate
discoveries in the US in the last 50 years. Some of the types of matter deposited
during agate-building include radial mineral crystals and pieces of trapped substances
like sand, ash, or mud. Occasionally agate fills a void left by decomposed vegetative
material. Its not uncommon for agate to coexists with layers of opal, jasper or
crystaline quartz which result from variations during the formation process. Agate
typically has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.
Amethyst is a violet or purple variety of quartz and is the most highly valued stone
in the quartz group. Although previously it was believed that its color was attributed
to the presence of manganese, it has since been discovered that impurity atoms are
responsible for the amethyst's color. The most prized color is an intense violet with
red flashes. This is referred to as "Siberian.” Two main sources of amethyst are
Brazil and Zambia although it is also found in Madagascar, Uruguay, Burma, India,
Canada, Mexico, Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka and Arizona. One of the largest cut
amethysts in the world is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in
London. On exposure to heat, amethysts generally become yellow. Heat treatment can
also produce red-brown, green and colorless varieties. The stone's original color can,
however, be restored by X-ray radiation. Amethyst has a Mohs' hardness of 7.
Ametrine is a naturally occurring variety of quartz also known as trystine. Ametrine is
a combination of amethyst and citrine with sections of purple and yellow or orange.
These color sections are visible within Ametrine because of the differing oxidation
states of iron within the stone. These varying oxidation states occur because of a
temperature gradient across the crystal during its formation. One may create an
artificial Ametrine by heat treating an amethyst.
Ammolite is a vividly colored iridescent gem that is found in southern Alberta,
Canada. Ammolite is formed from the fossils of ancient sea creatures called
Ammonites. Aside from its rich colors, which appear to swirl as you move the stone,
it also has a varied range of interesting patterns. Ammolite is not particularly thick,
so it is commonly worked into doublets or triplets. Ammolite received its name
relatively recently in 1981 when it was first accepted as a gem. It has a Mohs' hardness
of 4.
Citrine is a form of quartz with ferric iron impurities, and is rarely found naturally.
Most commercial citrine is in fact artificially heated amethyst, or smoky quartz. Brazil
is the leading producer of naturally mined citrine. Desposits are also found in
Madagascar, US, Argentina, Russia, Scotland and Spain. In ancient times, citrine was
carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Citrine has a Mohs'
hardness of 7.
Cubic Zirconia: CZ is zirconium oxide (ZrO2), a mineral that is extremely rare in
nature but is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The synthesized
material is hard, optically flawless and typically colorless, however it is made in a
variety of different colors. CZ is the best and most popular diamond simulant
currently available as its appearance is almost identical to diamonds and its chemical
and physical properties are very similar to diamonds. Cubic zirconia also has similar
sparkle and flashes of diamonds. They are in fact so similar that even trained
gemologists are often unable to distinguish between diamonds and cubic zirconia
using just the naked eye. CZ has an 8.5 to 9.0 on the Mohs' hardness making it a very
durable stone.
Garnets refer to a group of isomorphic minerals crystallizing in the cubic system. The
main representatives are pyrope, almandite, grossularite, andradite, and uvarovite.
Most people associate the red carbuncle stones, pyrope and almandite with the Garnet
group. The ruby-red pyropes are the most popular variety and can be found in
Burma, China, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania and the US. Garnet
occurs in many different kinds of rocks including metamorphosed impure limestones,
basic igneous rocks, granite rocks, schists and other metamorphic rocks as well as in
igneous rocks, and serpentine. There are no known enhancements for garnet, it occurs
in every color of the spectrum, except blue. Any of these colors is permissible to wear
as the January birthstone. The Garnet group has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.5.
Jasper is typically considered as chalcedony although it is also put in a group by itself
within the quartz group due to its grainy structure. It is usually red, yellow, or
brown. Jasper commonly exhibits one or more types of pattern or variations from
formation processes. Variations typically rise from flow patterns inherent in the
precursor sediment. The finely grained dense jasper contains up to 20% foreign
materials. Occasionally jasper can be grown together with agate or opal. There are
many varieties of jasper. Some of these include: Agate jasper, Egyptian jasper, Banded
jasper, Hornstone, Scenic jasper, Plasma, Silex and Blood jasper. Deposits are found in
Egypt, Australia, Brazil, India, Canada, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Russia, Uruguay
and the US. Jasper has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.
Malachite is part of the Feldspar group formed from copper containing solutions near
copper ore deposits. Today Shaba in Zaire is the most important malachite producer.
Other deposits are in Australia, Chile, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Arizona. Its color is
light to black green, banded. Malachite is not very hard so it can be more easily
scratched although its surface can be hardened with artificial resin. Its Mohs'
hardness rating is only 3.5-4..
Opal species is divided into three groups including: the precious opals, the yellow-red
fire opals, and the common opals. Precious opals display a rainbow like hues that
change with teh angle of observation. The water content varies but usually ranges
from 3% to 30%. Common opal is usually colorless or white, but it may be gray,
brown, yellow, or red; the color is due to fine-grained impurities. Opal is formed at
low temperatures from silica-bearing waters and can occur in fissures and cavities of
any rock type. Fire opal is a bright red transparent or translucent opal that may or
may not show a play of color. Boulder opal occurs in the boulder opal belt, an area
between the New South Wales border and northwest Queensland. Boulder opal forms
on a dark ironstone base and occurs as a thin uneven layer adhering to the ironstone.
Black Opal comes from the Lightning Ridge region of Northern New South Wales. It
is the most rare and most valuable opal. Fine quality black opals often cost more per
carat than diamonds. An opal doublet is a thin layer of colorful material, backed by a
black mineral. The darker backing emphasizes the play of color. The triplet cuts back
the colored material with a dark backing, and then has a cap of clear quartz on top,
which takes a high polish, and acts as a protective layer for the comparatively delicate
opal. Opal has a Mohs' hardness of 5.5-6.5
Sugilite is a lesser known pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with a complex chemical
formula. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The
crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive. Sugilite was first described
in 1944 by a Japanese petrologist for an occurrence on Iwagi Islet, Japan where it is
found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It has a resinous luster and a Mohs'
hardness of 6-6.5.
Topaz comes in a variety of colors including yellow, orange, red-brown, light to dark
blue, pink-red, red, violated, light green and many are colorless. The natural red
stones are uncommon. Green and blue topaz are naturally very pale, they are often
irradiated to produce more intense colors. Some natural yellow stones lose their
yellow coloring when heated and become permanently pink (“pinked” topaz).
Colored stones are typically emerald or scissor cut. Colorless ones or weakly colored
topaz are brilliant cut. Those with disordered inclusions are cut as cabochons. The
principal sources for topaz are Brazil, Sri Lanka, Russia, Australia, Africa, Mexico and
Pakistan. The name topaz is commonly but incorrectly used for various other yellow
stones such as citrine quartz. The Mohs' hardness is 8.
Turquoise comes in several shades including sky-blue, blue-green, and apple-green.
Pure blue is rare, most turquoise stones have brown, dark gray or black veins of other
minerals or the host rock. The sky-blue varieties are the most valued as gems.
Turquoise is a valuable mineral and is one of the most valuable non-transparent
minerals used in the jewelry trade. It has been mined by early Egyptians since at least
6000 BC. A sacred stone for the North American Indians as well as the Tibetans, it is
often used by shamans in rituals and ceremonies. Exposure to heat or sunlight can
damage the color of turquoise as can perspiration, oils, cosmetics and household
detergents. Variscite, the hydrated phosphate of aluminum, is sometimes used as a
substitute for turquoise. It has a Mohs' hardness of 5-6.
Tourmaline group refers to a number of related species and varieties. The color
ranges include colorless, pink, red, yellow, brown, green, blue, violet, black, and
multicolored. Colorless varieties are called Achroite. Some of the other recognized
varieties include Dravite, Indicolite, Schorl, Siberite, and Verdelite. Instead of using
these variety names more recently instead color names are simply being added in
front of the word tourmaline. So one may be more apt to find "yellow tourmaline",
"pink tourmaline", etc. It has a Mohs' hardness of 7-7.5.
Smoky quartz is named after its smoky color which includes browns to black and
smoky gray. The darker varieties are referred to as morion and caingorm. Its
coloring is caused through the natural (or artificial) irradiation of aluminium-
containing rock crystals. Deposits are found in Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Scotland,
Switzerland and the Ukraine. It has a Mohs' hardness of 7.
Variscite, hydrated aluminium phosphate, is a relatively rare phosphate mineral that is
sometimes confused with turquoise, although it is generally more green in color.
Colors include green, blue green, yellow green and rarely red. Variscite is a
secondary mineral formed by direct deposition from phosphate bearing water that
has reacted with aluminium rich rocks in a near-surface environment. It occurs as fine-
grained masses in nodules, cavity fillings, and crusts. It has a mohs hardness of about
4.5.
Wonderstone (sometimes referred to with geographical adjectives such as Nevada
Wonderstone) - a thinly banded rock, commonly rhyolite. In Nevada for instance,
some wonderstones are rhyolite lava flows, and some are sandstones.The banding
involves one or more of the following colors: off-white, reddish brown, orangish
yellow, yellow-brown, purplish brown, medium brown, and dark gray to nearly black.
structure as several other stones such as jasper, carnelian, petrified wood, and
bloodstone. Agates are found as ball or almond shaped nodules that can be as small
as a few centimeters or even reaching a circumference of several yards. The stones
can be artificially stained to produce combinations of color more vivid than those
found naturally. There are many varieties of agate including eye agate, layer agate,
dendritic agate, fire agate, scenic agate, tubular agate, sandstone, and moss agate. The
moss agate contains visible impurities in the form of dendritic shapes that resemble
moss. Dendritic agates have fern like patterns on them formed due to the presence of
manganese and iron ions. A beautiful new edition to the varying types of Agates is
Prudent Man Agate. This is a new discovery of Agate located in the Alder Creek
Mining district in central Idaho. It is considered to be on of the most important agate
discoveries in the US in the last 50 years. Some of the types of matter deposited
during agate-building include radial mineral crystals and pieces of trapped substances
like sand, ash, or mud. Occasionally agate fills a void left by decomposed vegetative
material. Its not uncommon for agate to coexists with layers of opal, jasper or
crystaline quartz which result from variations during the formation process. Agate
typically has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.
Amethyst is a violet or purple variety of quartz and is the most highly valued stone
in the quartz group. Although previously it was believed that its color was attributed
to the presence of manganese, it has since been discovered that impurity atoms are
responsible for the amethyst's color. The most prized color is an intense violet with
red flashes. This is referred to as "Siberian.” Two main sources of amethyst are
Brazil and Zambia although it is also found in Madagascar, Uruguay, Burma, India,
Canada, Mexico, Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka and Arizona. One of the largest cut
amethysts in the world is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in
London. On exposure to heat, amethysts generally become yellow. Heat treatment can
also produce red-brown, green and colorless varieties. The stone's original color can,
however, be restored by X-ray radiation. Amethyst has a Mohs' hardness of 7.
Ametrine is a naturally occurring variety of quartz also known as trystine. Ametrine is
a combination of amethyst and citrine with sections of purple and yellow or orange.
These color sections are visible within Ametrine because of the differing oxidation
states of iron within the stone. These varying oxidation states occur because of a
temperature gradient across the crystal during its formation. One may create an
artificial Ametrine by heat treating an amethyst.
Ammolite is a vividly colored iridescent gem that is found in southern Alberta,
Canada. Ammolite is formed from the fossils of ancient sea creatures called
Ammonites. Aside from its rich colors, which appear to swirl as you move the stone,
it also has a varied range of interesting patterns. Ammolite is not particularly thick,
so it is commonly worked into doublets or triplets. Ammolite received its name
relatively recently in 1981 when it was first accepted as a gem. It has a Mohs' hardness
of 4.
Citrine is a form of quartz with ferric iron impurities, and is rarely found naturally.
Most commercial citrine is in fact artificially heated amethyst, or smoky quartz. Brazil
is the leading producer of naturally mined citrine. Desposits are also found in
Madagascar, US, Argentina, Russia, Scotland and Spain. In ancient times, citrine was
carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Citrine has a Mohs'
hardness of 7.
Cubic Zirconia: CZ is zirconium oxide (ZrO2), a mineral that is extremely rare in
nature but is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The synthesized
material is hard, optically flawless and typically colorless, however it is made in a
variety of different colors. CZ is the best and most popular diamond simulant
currently available as its appearance is almost identical to diamonds and its chemical
and physical properties are very similar to diamonds. Cubic zirconia also has similar
sparkle and flashes of diamonds. They are in fact so similar that even trained
gemologists are often unable to distinguish between diamonds and cubic zirconia
using just the naked eye. CZ has an 8.5 to 9.0 on the Mohs' hardness making it a very
durable stone.
Garnets refer to a group of isomorphic minerals crystallizing in the cubic system. The
main representatives are pyrope, almandite, grossularite, andradite, and uvarovite.
Most people associate the red carbuncle stones, pyrope and almandite with the Garnet
group. The ruby-red pyropes are the most popular variety and can be found in
Burma, China, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania and the US. Garnet
occurs in many different kinds of rocks including metamorphosed impure limestones,
basic igneous rocks, granite rocks, schists and other metamorphic rocks as well as in
igneous rocks, and serpentine. There are no known enhancements for garnet, it occurs
in every color of the spectrum, except blue. Any of these colors is permissible to wear
as the January birthstone. The Garnet group has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.5.
Jasper is typically considered as chalcedony although it is also put in a group by itself
within the quartz group due to its grainy structure. It is usually red, yellow, or
brown. Jasper commonly exhibits one or more types of pattern or variations from
formation processes. Variations typically rise from flow patterns inherent in the
precursor sediment. The finely grained dense jasper contains up to 20% foreign
materials. Occasionally jasper can be grown together with agate or opal. There are
many varieties of jasper. Some of these include: Agate jasper, Egyptian jasper, Banded
jasper, Hornstone, Scenic jasper, Plasma, Silex and Blood jasper. Deposits are found in
Egypt, Australia, Brazil, India, Canada, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Russia, Uruguay
and the US. Jasper has a Mohs' hardness of 6.5-7.
Malachite is part of the Feldspar group formed from copper containing solutions near
copper ore deposits. Today Shaba in Zaire is the most important malachite producer.
Other deposits are in Australia, Chile, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Arizona. Its color is
light to black green, banded. Malachite is not very hard so it can be more easily
scratched although its surface can be hardened with artificial resin. Its Mohs'
hardness rating is only 3.5-4..
Opal species is divided into three groups including: the precious opals, the yellow-red
fire opals, and the common opals. Precious opals display a rainbow like hues that
change with teh angle of observation. The water content varies but usually ranges
from 3% to 30%. Common opal is usually colorless or white, but it may be gray,
brown, yellow, or red; the color is due to fine-grained impurities. Opal is formed at
low temperatures from silica-bearing waters and can occur in fissures and cavities of
any rock type. Fire opal is a bright red transparent or translucent opal that may or
may not show a play of color. Boulder opal occurs in the boulder opal belt, an area
between the New South Wales border and northwest Queensland. Boulder opal forms
on a dark ironstone base and occurs as a thin uneven layer adhering to the ironstone.
Black Opal comes from the Lightning Ridge region of Northern New South Wales. It
is the most rare and most valuable opal. Fine quality black opals often cost more per
carat than diamonds. An opal doublet is a thin layer of colorful material, backed by a
black mineral. The darker backing emphasizes the play of color. The triplet cuts back
the colored material with a dark backing, and then has a cap of clear quartz on top,
which takes a high polish, and acts as a protective layer for the comparatively delicate
opal. Opal has a Mohs' hardness of 5.5-6.5
Sugilite is a lesser known pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with a complex chemical
formula. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The
crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive. Sugilite was first described
in 1944 by a Japanese petrologist for an occurrence on Iwagi Islet, Japan where it is
found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It has a resinous luster and a Mohs'
hardness of 6-6.5.
Topaz comes in a variety of colors including yellow, orange, red-brown, light to dark
blue, pink-red, red, violated, light green and many are colorless. The natural red
stones are uncommon. Green and blue topaz are naturally very pale, they are often
irradiated to produce more intense colors. Some natural yellow stones lose their
yellow coloring when heated and become permanently pink (“pinked” topaz).
Colored stones are typically emerald or scissor cut. Colorless ones or weakly colored
topaz are brilliant cut. Those with disordered inclusions are cut as cabochons. The
principal sources for topaz are Brazil, Sri Lanka, Russia, Australia, Africa, Mexico and
Pakistan. The name topaz is commonly but incorrectly used for various other yellow
stones such as citrine quartz. The Mohs' hardness is 8.
Turquoise comes in several shades including sky-blue, blue-green, and apple-green.
Pure blue is rare, most turquoise stones have brown, dark gray or black veins of other
minerals or the host rock. The sky-blue varieties are the most valued as gems.
Turquoise is a valuable mineral and is one of the most valuable non-transparent
minerals used in the jewelry trade. It has been mined by early Egyptians since at least
6000 BC. A sacred stone for the North American Indians as well as the Tibetans, it is
often used by shamans in rituals and ceremonies. Exposure to heat or sunlight can
damage the color of turquoise as can perspiration, oils, cosmetics and household
detergents. Variscite, the hydrated phosphate of aluminum, is sometimes used as a
substitute for turquoise. It has a Mohs' hardness of 5-6.
Tourmaline group refers to a number of related species and varieties. The color
ranges include colorless, pink, red, yellow, brown, green, blue, violet, black, and
multicolored. Colorless varieties are called Achroite. Some of the other recognized
varieties include Dravite, Indicolite, Schorl, Siberite, and Verdelite. Instead of using
these variety names more recently instead color names are simply being added in
front of the word tourmaline. So one may be more apt to find "yellow tourmaline",
"pink tourmaline", etc. It has a Mohs' hardness of 7-7.5.
Smoky quartz is named after its smoky color which includes browns to black and
smoky gray. The darker varieties are referred to as morion and caingorm. Its
coloring is caused through the natural (or artificial) irradiation of aluminium-
containing rock crystals. Deposits are found in Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Scotland,
Switzerland and the Ukraine. It has a Mohs' hardness of 7.
Variscite, hydrated aluminium phosphate, is a relatively rare phosphate mineral that is
sometimes confused with turquoise, although it is generally more green in color.
Colors include green, blue green, yellow green and rarely red. Variscite is a
secondary mineral formed by direct deposition from phosphate bearing water that
has reacted with aluminium rich rocks in a near-surface environment. It occurs as fine-
grained masses in nodules, cavity fillings, and crusts. It has a mohs hardness of about
4.5.
Wonderstone (sometimes referred to with geographical adjectives such as Nevada
Wonderstone) - a thinly banded rock, commonly rhyolite. In Nevada for instance,
some wonderstones are rhyolite lava flows, and some are sandstones.The banding
involves one or more of the following colors: off-white, reddish brown, orangish
yellow, yellow-brown, purplish brown, medium brown, and dark gray to nearly black.
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