Here you’ll find basic information on the gemstones that appear on this site. Simply click on your area of interest:
Amethyst – Aquamarine – Citrine – Morganite – Rhodolite
Amethyst. Amethyst is a semiprecious gemstone that rates a 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Amethyst is the most valuable member of the quartz family and serves as the official birthstone for the month of February. Designated a Type 1 clarity gemstone by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) with good clarity and easily found in larger sizes, deep purple amethyst is considered most valuable, although in recent years pink amethyst and light purple/lavender amethyst, known as Rose de France, have become a quite popular choice for those shopping for pastel color gemstones. Much of the purple amethyst used in jewelry manufacturing has been heat treated to enhance color. (Top of Page)
Aquamarine. Aquamarine is a semiprecious gemstone that rates a 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It’s a form of the mineral beryl and serves as the official birthstone for the month of March. Considered a Type 1 clarity gemstone by GIA (Gemological Institute of America), aquamarine has excellent natural clarity. Sometimes heat treated to purify its light blue color, aquamarine jewelry is typically higher priced than blue topaz jewelry (blue topaz is plentiful and routinely irradiated to both deepen and purify its color). The color spectrum for both of these gemstones is very close. Therefore, if you’re shopping for light blue gemstone jewelry and don’t necessarily have your heart set on aquamarine, you may find blue topaz jewelry designs are both easier located and more affordable. (Top of Page)
Citrine. Citrine is a semiprecious gemstone that rates a 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It’s a member of the quartz family and also considered a Type I clarity gemstone by the Gemological Institute of America. Type I gemstones are usually free of inclusions, with excellent natural clarity.
Natural, untreated citrine of the golden honey color we’ve come to expect is rare; citrine tends toward more of a pale yellow color. Consequently, a great portion of the citrine jewelry manufactured today is actually heat-treated pale amethyst (also a member of the quartz family and itself a semiprecious stone). Therefore, you may find that locating jewelry using natural, untreated citrine is a bit more challenging and a bit pricier as well. The heat-treatment of pale amethyst to create a citrine color stone is a common and acknowledged practice in the jewelry industry. If you’re shopping for natural, untreated citrine be sure such a designation applies to the jewelry you’re considering; it can usually be found on the product pages under such headings as “gemstone detail” or “product information.” (Top of Page)
Morganite. Morganite is a form of beryl (as is emerald and aquamarine). It’s considered a semiprecious stone and rates a 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Morganite is also classified as a Type I clarity gemstone by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), meaning it has excellent natural clarity with few inclusions. Morganite can vary in color from a very pale pink to peach to a deep rose, almost violet, color. The most prevalent color in jewelry manufacturing is pale pink. Interestingly, this gemstone, discovered in the early 1900s, was formerly known as ‘pink beryl’ and didn’t receive its present name until the year 1911, when gemologist G. F. Kunz proposed the stone should be considered a ‘gemstone’ along with other precious and semiprecious stones. Pink beryl was thereafter christened ‘Morganite’ after banker (and mineral collector) J.P. Morgan, who also happened to be one of Kunz’s most important clients. (Top of Page)
Rhodolite.. Rhodolite, also known as ‘Rhodolite Garnet’ is a form of the mineral pyrope that has a beautiful purplish-red color. Technically, ‘garnet’ is not the name of a gemstone itself but rather names a group of minerals that includes pyrope (both rhodolite as well as the deep red gemstone we refer to as ‘garnet’), tsavorite and others. Rhodolite rates a 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness and has excellent natural clarity and is oftentimes inclusion free. (Top of Page)