Precious Stones

Agate
Agate is a semi-precious gemstone and belongs to the Chalcedony family
and can be distinguished only by its color and stripes. The word
慳gate� is derived from a Greek word which means 慼appy�. Agate is
available in a wide range of colors. This stone is said to havebeen
discovered along the banks of the river Achates, now known as river
Drillo, by the famous Greek naturalist and philosopher- Theophrastus.
Aquamarine
'Aquamarine� gemstones resemble the greenish- blue color of the sea.
In fact the name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word for sea
water. Aquamarine gemstones look like the crystal blue seas and are
normally pastel blue to greenish or the deep blue. The larger the
stone the more the sheen is.
Carnelian
The carnelian is a varietyof microcrystalline quartz and chalcedony
and is said to have been used in jewelry as early as 1800 B.C. It is
consists of silicon oxide and a few impurities that givesit its color.
Carnelian is an attractive stone that is deep red to brownish orange
in color. It has a long past and was considered the stone of the upper
classes in ancient times. The Egyptian people even buried this stone
in the tomb along with the dead pharaohs.
Citrine
Citrine is a crystal whose color varies from lemon yellow to a deep
red brown or amber. The name "Citrine" is derivedfrom the French word
for lemon. It is a popularand affordable substitute to the much more
expensive yellow sapphire or yellow diamond. To create stunning
multi-colored jewelry, it is often combined with other stones such as
amethyst, peridot, and garnet. It is the birthstone for the month of
November.
Emerald
Emerald is a much admired fantastic green stone. It is the green
variety of the mineral beryl and one of the most well prized gems. All
over history emerald has been one of the most preferred and popular
gems. Due to its dazzling beauty, emerald jewelry such as earrings,
finger rings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets are highly cherished.
Garnet
Garnets belong to the semi-precious stone category. The name is
derived from the Latin word 揼ranatus� which was a reference to the
fruit 憄omegranate� which has seeds similar to the shape, size and
color of garnet crystals. Archeologists have discovered garnet jewelry
dating back to 3100 B.C.
Kunzite
Kunzite, the beautiful icypink colored gemstone and was discovered in
the year 1902 by the gemologist George Frederick Kunz in a placecalled
Pala in California. It was named 慿unzite� after the discoverer. It is
available in countries like Brazil, Canada, Afghanistan, USA, Mexico,
Western Australia, Pakistan and Sweden.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious gemstone which appears as though it
might have come straight out of the 慉rabian Nights�: 慉 deep blue
background with golden insertions of pyrites which shimmer like little
stars�. Lapis Lazuli is a semiprecious stone valued for its deepblue
color, and one can often spot golden pyrite inclusions. Lapis Lazuli
has a stretched history and has been consideredprecious by people
around the planet for centuries.
Moissanite
Moissanite, the exact replica of diamond, is a distinctive mineral
discovered by the Noble prize winner Dr. Henri Moissan in the year
1893. He found it as tiny bits of silicon carbide, inside a meteorite
in canyon Diablo, Arizona. The stone was named after him. In the year
1959, moissanite was found with an inclusion of kimberlite in a
diamond mine in Yakutia, Siberia and Wyoming- Western United States.
Moonstone
The moonstone is namedfor its resemblance to the color of the moon. It
owes its name to the softmilky white stone with abluish or yellowish
tint. It is also known as 慡tone of Emotional Balance� and represents
the moon goddess. It is an excellent gemstone usedin meditation to
understand oneself. It is believed that the stone transmits lunar
energy and helps soothe and balance human emotions.
Obsidian
揂pache tears�, the other name given to obsidian is a natural volcanic
glass which is formed by swift cooling of the glutinous lava inside
the earth. This is made of rich silica without a trace of water. The
making process of obsidian is the same as that of granite. However, it
cools down so quickly that there is exactly no time to crystallize.
Opal
The Opal is considered a symbol of clarity, optimism and confidence.
Any jewelry designed with opal gemstone adds beauty to the ornament.
There are numerous myths enveloped with this enchanting gemstone.
According to the ancient dream of the Australian aborigines, the
creator came down to the Earth on a rainbow to convey the message of
peace to all the humans. As soon he stepped on the ground
Pearl
Pearls are exquisite to behold and have been used in jewelry for
hundreds of years. Unlike other gems, the pearl is organic matter
obtained from the living creatures of the sea like the mollusks and
oysters.The pearl is actually formed as the mollusks or the oyster
coats itself with layers of nacre to protect itself from unwanted
materials thatcould damage them. Theprocess is very delicate and it
takes years for a pearl to be formed.
Quartz
The quartz gemstone is probably one of the most popular and versatile
gemstones that are available. Quartz is a rock crystal and has been in
use since ancient times. Despite the most sought varieties of quartz
like citrine, amethyst, rose quartz, agates, ametrine,chrysoprase,
onyx and rutilated quartz, there are many other varieties available
too.
Sapphire
Sapphire is the blue variety of corundum andis made up of aluminum
oxide. Excluding the red and pink color, all the other colors of
corundum are sapphires.The red colored corundum is called a ruby. The
sapphire resembles the ruby in all properties except for thecolor.
Sapphire is a wordderived from the Greek word 憇appheiros� whichmeans
慴lue stone�. Certain other elements like chromium, iron, etc
Tiger抯 Eye
Tiger Eye also called as the 憈iger抯 eye�, 慶rocidolite cat抯 eye� or
慉frican cat抯 eye�, as the name entails, resembles the eyes of a tiger
or a female cat. The surface of the stone glistens as a small ray of
light passes through. Tiger抯 eye is a variety of quartz and contains
fibers of crocidolite which is thenaltered to silica.
Turquoise
Turquoise is one of the oldest known semi precious gemstones known to
man. This popular gemstone is opaque, clear and transparent. This
stone was used to make jewelry for the Pharaohsof Egypt and also used
asjewelry to compliment the ceremonial dress of the early native
Americans.