Gems and Stones

Illusion Necklace

Gems , by definition, are “natural or artificially produced minerals or other materials that have sufficient beauty and durability for use as a personal adornment”; “precious or semiprecious stones cut and polished for ornament” and “something prized especially for great beauty or perfection”. but a lot more can be said about them. The word gem comes from the Latin word "gemma". Most of the information presented here is a compilation from a great variety of books about gems, rocks, lapidary articles and from information gathered on the internet.

The majority of us are attracted to gemstones and are very familiar with the most popular and well known varieties such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires but there are many minerals possessing qualities that make them very desirable as semiprecious stones. Some of the lesser known stones are strikingly beautiful. Certain rocks, such as lapis-lazuli and organic materials, such as Pearls ,Amber or Corals are not minerals, but are products of once living plants or animals and they are also used for jewelry, and are therefore considered to be gemstones as well.