-
Peridot:
Peridot is the name given to specimens of yellowish green to bright green olivine that are suitable for producing gems. Peridot serves as the birthstone for the month of August, and that contributes to its customer awareness and popularity. Most gem-quality peridot is found in basalt flows, limestones, and dolomites. Much of the world’s commercial-quality peridot is mined at…
-
Malachite:
Malachite has been used as a gemstone and sculptural material for thousands of years and is still popular today. People enjoy malachite’s range of vivid green colors, its bright polish, and the bands and eyes displayed on polished surfaces. Its green color does not fade over time, and that is why powdered malachite has been used as…
-
Jade:
Jade is a cultural term for a very durable and often beautiful gem material. Although most people immediately associated jade with China, it has been found in other parts of the world and used as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years. Up until the 1860s, mineralogists thought that all jade was the…
-
Tsavorite:
Most people have never heard of tsavorite and would be surprised to learn that it is a green garnet. Tsavorite has a wonderful bright green color, and its clarity is superior to emeralds of much higher price for a similar-size gem Tsavorite was discovered in 1967 near the community of Lemshuko in northeastern Tanzania. The prospectors who found…
-
Emerald:
Emerald is the deep green color variety of the mineral known as beryl. To be an emerald, a beryl must have a rich green color that ranges between bluish green, green, and slightly yellowish green. Pale green specimens and those outside of the required color range should be called “green beryl.” Today, emerald, together with ruby and sapphire, generate…
-
Green Gemstones and Crystals:
-
Black Opal:
The name “black opal” is used for opal that has a dark body color, often black or dark gray. The term is also used for opal that has a dark blue or a dark green body color. This dark background color makes the “fire” of black opal much more obvious. The contrast of iridescent fire on a…
-
Aquamarine:
Aquamarine is a blue variety of the mineralberyl. It receives its name from its seawater-blue color. It ranges from a very light blue to a deep, richly saturated blue. Most people prefer the richer, more saturated blue gems, and they are the most expensive. Light blue beryls with a low saturation are also called aquamarine. They are…
-
Gem Silica:
You have probably not heard of this gem before. Gem silica is a rare variety of greenish blue chalcedony. Small amounts are currently produced in Arizona and a few other locations. It is the rarest and the most expensive variety of chalcedony. Gem silica receives its wonderful color from small amounts of included chrysocolla or copper compounds. It is…
-
Tanzanite:
Tanzanite is a violetish blue gem that is only found in commercial amounts in the African nation of Tanzania. Tiffany and Company selected the name to honour the country where it is produced. Tanzanite is a relatively new gem, first discovered in the 1960s, whereas most other popular gems have been known and used for hundreds, if not…