#daily gem

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 6: Uvarovite

uvarovite belongs to the garnet group. it was discovered in 1832 by Henri Hess who named it after Count Sergei Uvarov (who was a Russian statesman and amateur mineral collector). uvarovite is the rarest of the garnet group and is the only consistently green garnet species, with an emerald-green color. it also occurs as well-formed fine-sized crystals. it ranks a 6.5-7.5 on the mohs hardness scale.

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 2: Pearl

pearls, unlike other gemstones, are produced in the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. so, most pearls arent really gemstones at all! only the highest quality pearls are regarded as gemstones. pearls come in a variety of shapes and colors, but most commonly sold are round and white or silver. they stand at 2.5–4.5 on the mohs hardness scale

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 3: Garnet

garnets have been used since the bronze age as gemstones and abrasives. they come in a wide range of chemical compositions and colors. they come in essentially all colors, but blue is very rare. although usually associated with metamorphism, they also rarely occur in volcanic rock. they score a 6.5–7.5 on the mohs hardness scale

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 1: Red Beryl; Aka Bixbite

red beryl, previously known as bixbite, and occasionally sold as red emerald, is an extremely rare variety of beryl as well as one of the rarest minerals on earth. its red color comes from manganese ions incorporated within the crystal structure. it ranks a 7.5-8 on the mohs hardness scale

it comes in tint variations too! common variations include strawberry, bright ruby, cherry, and orange

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 5: Ruby

^ the sunrise ruby, the most expensive ruby, and the most expensive non-diamond gemstone

ruby is one of the two varieties of a mineral called corundum that is considered a gem, the other being saphire (corundum containing various other elements). rubies are pinkish-red to blood-red in color. they strike a 9.0 on the mohs hardness scale, making it one of the hardest natural gems.

[gem-a-day]

Daily gemstone 4: Sapphire

^ the star of adam, the current largest star sapphire in the world

sapphire is one of the two varieties of a mineral called corundum that is considered a gem, the other being ruby (corundum in a shade of red). although most sapphires are blue, other colors do occur, these are called "fancy sapphires", they include: yellow, orange, green, brown, purple, violet, gray, black, a pinkish orange (also called padparadscha), and they can also be colorless or multicolor. they score a 9.5 on the mohs hardness scare, being the third hardest mineral.

fun fact! did you know that non-ornamental applications can include high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals & movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as insulating substances in electronics such as blue LEDs?