12/25/2023 0 Comments Birth gemsThe crystal system is orthorhombic with a hardness slightly less than quartz. Peridot - Peridot is a gemstone variety of the mineral olivine, a silicate formed with magnesium and iron and commonly found amongst basalts (lava rock). Pearl is the birthstone for June and the Gemini zodiac sign. Other members of this class include coral, amber, and jet. Pearl - Pearl is one of the gems derived from animals and plants and is described as "organic" even though pearls are composed primarily of the salt calcium carbonate. Opal is the birthstone for October and the Libra zodiac sign. Opal is mined in a number of countries with Australia being the top provider of both black and white opals. Opal - Opal is one of the few non-crystalline gems that has a very poorly defined system and a relative hardness far less than quartz. Garnet is the birthstone for January and the Capricorn zodiac sign. Garnets display a wide spectrum of chemical compositions and therefore are found in a variety of colors with the exception of blue. Although they are all classified as gemstones, the almandine and pyrope families are the most precious and most widely used for this purpose. Garnet - Garnet is the name of a large family of gemstones that includes pyrope, grossular, andradite, spessartine, and almandine. Emerald is the birthstone for May and the Taurus zodiac sign. The world's finest emeralds originate in Colombia, a country that is also famous for it's coffee and coca plants. Diamond is the birthstone for April and the Aries zodiac sign.Įmerald - Emerald is another gemstone that is a variety of beryl (along with aquamarine), this time with a beautiful green color. There is evidence that diamonds were formed many millions of years ago deep within the earth at very high pressures. The tertiary carbon structure of diamonds is responsible for the extreme hardness of this mineral, which has a name derived from the Greek work adamas, meaning unconquerable. Aquamarine is the birthstone for March and the Pisces zodiac sign.ĭiamond - Diamonds are perhaps the most cherished of all gemstones. The name means "sea water" and serves as an accurate description of the gemstone's color. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the Aquarius zodiac sign.Īquamarine - Aquamarine is a gemstone that is a member of the beryl family of stones. Most quartz samples are clear, but amethyst has a beautiful purple color due to small amounts of iron impurities in the crystal lattice. Download out our new Birthstones Screen Saver for Windows.Īmethyst - Amethyst is a form of quartz, composed of silicon dioxide which is the primary ingredient of sand. Also included is a short synopsis of the history of minerals containing precious gemstones that are often utilized in connection with birthstones. The Birthstone links provided below lead to progressive JPEG images of the thin sections that range in size from about 45 Kb up to 80 Kb. If you have such samples and would like to see them photographed, please use the link below to e-mail us. Many of the images in this collection were made from crude specimens and we are in search of better specimens to examine and photograph. In some instances (the diamond images) we photographed the surface of impure and uncut stones, while in others crystallites formed from dissolved minerals (the pearl images) were imaged and recorded in the microscope. The Birthstone collection is built around a series of digital images made from photomicrographs (photographs taken with a microscope) of mineral thin sections that contain the selected gems. Molecular Expressions: Birthstone Collection
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