All about birthstones - part 2

Still enjoy reading? We are still talking about the precious stone, part 2 :)

Emerald: The Symbol of Spring
Emerald, May's birthstone, has been prized for thousands of years for its lush green hues and rare beauty. Throughout the ancient world, emerald symbolized eternal hope, rebirth and the arrival of spring - and some cultures believed the gem rewarded its owners with love, intelligence and eloquence as well. emerald is also the traditional gift of choice for couples celebrating their 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries. Emeralds come in a variety of light and dark shades of green - and often with subtle background hues of other colors like yellow, blue, brown or gray. Generally, the purer and richer the green, the more valuable the emerald. Flawless emeralds are exceptionally rare, and therefore command great prices (in some instances, higher than diamonds). olor is extremely important, and is broken down into three considerations: hue (the basic color of the stone, including any tints other than green); tone (the "depth" of color, ranging from "light" to "dark"); and saturation (the purity of the green and the level of other hues, if present). The finest emeralds have traditionally come from Colombia; both the Incas and Aztecs mined rich emerald deposits in the rugged Andes Mountains. But Russia's Ural Mountains also have produced top-quality gems. Brazil is by far the world's largest producer of emerald, with a wide range of quality. Other sources for the stone include Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.


Pearls: The Treasures of the Sea
Pearl, the birthstone for June, is among the most timeless, classic and treasured of all gems. Throughout history, these noble gems have been associated with wisdom, wealth, purity, romance and mystery. The ancient Egyptians were buried with them. In Rome, pearls were considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and status. The Greeks prized them for their beauty and association with love and marriage. A natural pearl starts out as a grain of sand or microscopic worm that works its way into an oyster and cannot be expelled. To protect its soft body from this irritant, the oyster secretes a smooth, hard crystalline substance called nacre. Layer upon layer of nacre coats the foreign object and hardens, ultimately forming a pearl. In general, the thicker the nacre, the richer the "glow" of the pearl - which can greatly enhance its value. Although early pearl gathering depended on divers braving the oceans' depths to retrieve these treasures, the vast majority of pearls today are grown, or cultured, on pearl farms by surgically inserting a small shell bead, or nucleus, into the mantle of an oyster. Pearls - the recommended gift for couples celebrating their third and 30th wedding anniversaries - are cultured in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and kinds.
Akoya pearls are the classic round pearls found in most quality pearl jewelry. They are mainly grown in the waters off Japan. They come in a range of hues, including white, cream, pink and peach.
White South Sea pearls are grown in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other areas of the South Pacific and are prized for their large size.
Tahitian pearls, grown in French Polynesia, can be very large and come in a range of natural colors from gray to black to green to purple. Because of their large size and unique dark colors, they command very high prices.
Mabe pearls, grown in Japan, Indonesia, French Polynesia and Australia, are usually flat-backed because they form against the inside shell of the oyster rather than within the oyster's body. They are often used in earrings and rings.
Freshwater pearls are grown in bays, lakes and rivers primarily in Japan, China and the United States. They are often irregularly shaped, of various colors, and are less lustrous than saltwater cultured pearls, they are substantially cheaper.


Ruby: the King of Gems
As the ultimate red gemstone, rubies have symbolized passion and romance for centuries. Ruby is the birthstone for July and is also the recommended gem for couples celebrating their 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries. Also the color of blood, the stone is symbolic of courage and bravery. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, a sister of sapphire. Like sapphire, ruby rates a "9" on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it the second hardest material known after diamonds.
The most important factor to consider when buying a ruby is its color. It comes in a variety of shades ranging from purplish- and bluish-red to orange-red. Like sapphire, there is also a translucent variety of ruby that can display a six-point star when cut in a smooth domed cabochon cut. The finest rubies are intensely saturated, pure red with no overtones of brown or blue. After color, the factors that influence value are clarity, cut and size. Rubies that are clear with no visible inclusions are more valuable than those with visible internal flaws. The most valuable rubies come from Myanmar (formerly Burma), but they are mined throughout Southeast Asia. Good quality stones come from Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Kenya and Tanzania also are becoming more important as mining sources for ruby. But while the color of the stones from East Africa rivals the world's best rubies, most of these stones are fraught with inclusions that diminish their transparency and value. However, the East African stones are displayed to full advantage in cabochon cuts and have done well in the mass jewelry market. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia have all produced occasional top-quality rubies, but the rough terrain in these areas has made mining difficult.


Peridot: Soothing Green
Peridot, the gem form of the mineral olivine, traces its jewelry roots back more than 3,500 years. It was first mined by the ancient Egyptians on the island of Zebargad in the Red Sea. Zebargad was known as the "serpent isle" because it was infested with snakes that interfered with mining activity until one Pharaoh finally had them all driven into the sea. Found in various shades of green, peridot is most prized in lime hues. The Romans called peridot "evening emerald" because its green color was said to glow at night. he finest stones are eye clean and have a deep, lime green color. Because inclusions are common, clarity is an extremely important factor when buying peridot. Its relative affordability and lively green color has made it a popular substitute for those who cannot afford emeralds. The birthstone for August, peridot is also the recommended gem for couples celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary. Most of today's peridot is mined by Native Americans on the Carlos Reservation in Arizona. It is also mined in Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, Hawaii, Italy, Norway, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. A new deposit was discovered in Pakistan in 1994, yielding some of the finest peridot ever seen. Numerous fine, large crystals were discovered, including one stone of more than 300 carats.

this article is taken form http://www.gems-gallery.com