A gemstone is a piece of mineral, which is used to make jewelry .
However certain rocks, such as lapis-lazuli,
and organic materials such
as Amber , Ammolite , Bone , Coral , Ivory , Jet , Nacre , Pearl .are
not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore
considered to be gemstones as well.
Gems are classified into different groups, species, and varieties.
There are over 130 species of minerals that have been cut into gemstones
with 50 species in common use. These include:
Agate , Alexandrite , Aquamarine , Chrysocolla , Chrysoprase , Diamond ,
Emerald , Feldspar , Garnet , Hematite , Jade, Jasper , Kunzite , Lapis
lazuli ,
Malachite , Obsidian , Olivine , Opal , Pyrite , Quartz, Agate ,
Amethyst ,
Citrine , Chalcedony , Tiger's-eye , Ruby , Sapphire , Spinel , Sugilite
,
Tanzanite , Topaz , Turquoise , Tourmaline , Variscite , Zircon ,
Andalusite , Axinite , Benitoite , Bixbite , Cassiterite , Clinohumite ,
Iolite ,
Onyx , Kornerupine , Natural moissanite , Zeolite ,
Some gemstones are manufactured to imitate other
gemstones. such as
High-lead glass , Synthetic corundum , Synthetic cubic
zirconia , Synthetic spinel ,
Synthetic moissanite , Created Alexandrite , Created Emerald, Created
Ruby , Created Sapphire , Moissanite , Synthetic corundums, including
ruby and sapphire are very common and they cost only a fraction of the
natural stones.
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