{"id":679,"date":"2009-06-30T13:34:03","date_gmt":"2009-06-30T19:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/?p=679"},"modified":"2011-03-11T11:00:58","modified_gmt":"2011-03-11T17:00:58","slug":"gemstone-list-s-to-z","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/gemstone-list-s-to-z\/","title":{"rendered":"Gemstone List S to Z"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>Gemstones S-Z<\/strong><\/font><\/td> <\/tr>
<\/a>SAPPHIRE<\/strong>
Name for the Latin word for blue<\/p>

Al2<\/font>O3      <\/font>hardness 9      specific gravity 4.0-4.1<\/p>

Color: colorless, blue from titanium and iron, pale green, yellow, brown from iron, pink from small traces of chromium, pink orange variety is called padparadscha.
Color and transparency are changed by heating or radiation.<\/p>

Mined in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia, Brazil, Kashmir, Cambodia, Kenya, Colombia, USA<\/p>

Ancient belief:
In ancient Greece and in Europe during the Middle Ages, it cured eye diseases and set prisoners free.
In the East, it was a charm against the Evil Eye.<\/p>

See SAPPHIRE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SARDONYX<\/strong>
a blend of sard and onyx.
The name sard is from the Greek Sardis, capital of ancient Lydia<\/p>

SiO2<\/font>      hardness 7      specific gravity 2.61-2.7<\/p>

Color: bands of white and brownish red
Translucent to opaque<\/p>

Mined world wide.<\/p>

Ancient lore for sard:
Made the wearer fearless, victorious, and happy.
The red color was supposed to drive away the bad influence of onyx which caused bad dreams and melancholy.
In the 11th century it was a protection against sorcery.
In the 4th century it cured wounds.<\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SERPENTINE<\/strong>
Named for the mottled color that resembles snake skin.<\/p>

Mg6<\/font>(OH)8<\/font>Si4<\/font>O10<\/font>      hardness 5      specific gravity 2.60<\/p>

Color: predominately green
Translucent to opaque<\/p>

Varieties:
Bowenite – translucent green or blue green.
Williamsite – translucent oily green with veined or spotted inclusions.
New Jade – apple green.<\/p>

Mined in England, USA, Germany, Canada, China, Afghanistan, South Africa, Italy, and many other countries.<\/p>

From 3000 BC to 1100 BC carved into vases, bowls, and other objects by the Minoans on Crete.<\/p>

Ancient healing: Protects from snake bite, and when put on the wound, draws out the poison.<\/p>

See SERPENTINE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SODALITE<\/strong>
Named in 1811 for its high sodium content<\/p>

3NaAlSiO4<\/font>NaCl      hardness 5 1\/2 -6      specific gravity 2.27<\/p>

Color: all shades of blue with streaks of white calcite
Transparent (rare) to translucent<\/p>

Mined in Canada, Brazil, India, Namibia, Russia, Germany, Maine, New Hampshire, Arkansas<\/p>

Look at SODALITE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SUGILITE<\/strong>
Named for Ken-ici Sugi who discovered it in 1944.
It was recognized as a mineral in 1976<\/p>

KNa2<\/font>(Fe,Mn,Al)2<\/font>Li3<\/font>Si12<\/font>O30<\/font>.H2<\/font>O      hardness 5 1\/2- 6 1\/2      specific gravity 2.7-2.8<\/p>

Color: pink to purple from manganese, purple from iron, pale to deep pink from aluminum, brownish yellow
Translucent to opaque<\/p>

Mined in Canada, Japan, South Africa, Italy<\/p>

See SUGILITE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SUNSTONE<\/strong>
common name for aventurine feldspar<\/p>

KAlSi3<\/font>O8<\/font>      hardness 6-6 1\/2      specific gravity 2.6<\/p>

Color: orange, reddish brown, metallic glitter caused by hemitite or goethite
Translucent to opaque<\/p>

Mined in India, Canada, Madagascar, Norway, Russia, USA<\/p>

Ancient belief: associated like the sun with health, physical energy, passion, and courage<\/p>

See SUNSTONE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

SMITHSONITE<\/strong>
Named for James Smithson, English founder of the Smithsonian Institute<\/p>

ZnCO3<\/font>      hardness 5      specific gravity 4.35<\/p>

Color: usually bluish green or green, colorless, pink from cobalt, yellow from cadmium, white, brown
Translucent to opaque<\/p>

Mined in Namibia, Zambia, USA<\/a>, Spain, Greece, Sardinia, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Australia<\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

TANZANITE<\/strong>
Named for Tanzania where it is mined
variety of zoisite<\/p>

Ca2<\/font>Al3<\/font>(SiO4<\/font>)3<\/font>(OH)      hardness 6-7      specific gravity 3.2-3.4<\/p>

Color: sapphire blue from vanadium, looks more violet in incandescent light. Heat treating enhances the color.
Transparent to translucent<\/p>

Found in 1965 near Mount Kilimanjaro<\/p>

Mined in Tanzania<\/a>, Pakistan<\/p>

Look at TANZANITE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

TOPAZ<\/strong>
Name from the ancient Sanscrit<\/a> word tapaz<\/em> for fire or from the name of the legendary island of Topazios off the coast of Egypt in the Red Sea.
Ancient name was chrysolite.<\/p>

Al2<\/font>(F,OH)2<\/font>SiO4<\/font>      hardness 8      specific gravity 3.54<\/p>

Color: yellow, pink, colorless, blue, green. Heat treating and irradiation make a large range of blue.
Transparent to translucent<\/p>

Mined in Brazil, USA, Sri Lanka<\/a>, Myanmar, Russia, Australia, Tasmania, Pakistan, Mexico, Japan, Africa<\/p>

Ancient healing beliefs: Cured dimness of vision
15th century – cured the plague
16th century – protected against sudden death<\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

TOURMALINE<\/strong>
Name from the Singalese word turamali<\/em> meaning gem pebbles<\/p>

Na(Li,Al)3<\/font>Al6<\/font>(BO3<\/font>)3<\/font>Si6<\/font>O18<\/font>(OH)4<\/font>      hardness 7 1\/2      specific gravity 3.06<\/p>

Varieties:
Elbaite – yellow, emerald green, greenish yellow
Schorl – opaque black
Indicolite – dark blue
Siberite – lilac to violet blue or reddish blue
Dravite – dark color, usually brown
Achroite – colorless
Watermelon – pink and green
Rubellite – pink or red
Often color zoning.<\/p>

Mined in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Namibia<\/a>, Tanzania, Russia, Madagascar, USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South and East Africa<\/p>

Look at TOURMALINE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

TURQUOISE<\/strong>
Name means Turkish stone because the trade route to Europe was through Turkey.<\/p>

CuAl6<\/font>(PO4<\/font>)4<\/font>OH8<\/font>.5H2<\/font>O      hardness 5-6      specific gravity 2.80<\/p>

Color: sky blue, bluish green, apple green, depends on the amount of iron and copper, usually interspersed with black, dark gray, or brown veins of host rock or minerals
Opaque<\/p>

Natural color can be damaged by light, perspiration, oils, cosmetics, and household detergents. Stabalizing by soaking with artificial resin hardens the surface. Most turquoise being sold has been stabalized.
Chalk turquoise is dyed.
Imitation turquoise is made by dying howlite.<\/p>

Mined in Iran, Tibet, China, Egypt, Chile, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico<\/a>
Turquoise was one of the first gemstones to be mined. Beads dating from 5000 BC were found in Mesopotamia (Iraq).<\/p>

Ancient lore: It was believed to warn the wearer of danger or illness by changing color.
A person who looked at a turquoise after looking at the moon on the first day after a new moon, would get great wealth.
The American Indians in Arizona buried many beads with the dead. The Pueblo Indians thought a piece attached to a bow or gun assured perfect aim.
13th century, it protected the wearer from falling, or getting injured from a fall off a horse. Later from a building or a precipice.
14th century, it protected horses.<\/p>

Click here to see TURQUOISE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

UNAKITE<\/strong>
Named after the place of discovery in South Carolina<\/p>

Aggregate of quartz and pink feldspar with greenish epidote.<\/p>

Color: pink and green
Opaque<\/p>

Mined in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge Unaka Range<\/p>

See UNAKITE JEWELRY<\/a><\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

VARISITE<\/strong>
Named for Variscia, the old name for the German district of Voightland, where it was discovered.<\/p>

AlPO4<\/font>.2H2<\/font>O      hardness 4 1\/2      specific gravity 2.6<\/p>

Color: pale to apple green
Opaque<\/p>

Mined in Austria, Czech Republic, Australia, Venezuela, North Carolina, Utah, Arizona<\/p><\/td> <\/tr>

ZOISITE<\/strong>
Named for Baron von Zois who discovered it in Austria.<\/p>

Ca2<\/font>(Al,OH)Al2<\/font>(SiO4<\/font>)3<\/font>      hardness 6 1\/2      specific gravity 3.35<\/p>

Color: usually green
Transparent to translucent<\/p>

Variety: Ruby in Zoisite – green variety containing ruby inclusions<\/p>

Mined in Spain, Germany, Scotland, Japan,<\/p><\/td> <\/tr> <\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gemstones S-Z SAPPHIRE Name for the Latin word for blue Al2O3      hardness 9      specific gravity 4.0-4.1 Color: colorless, blue from titanium and iron, pale green, yellow, brown from iron, pink from small traces of chromium, pink orange variety is called padparadscha. Color and transparency are changed by heating or radiation. Mined in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gemstone-list-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2158,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions\/2158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handmadebeadedjewelry.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}