Gemstones

A gemstone is the naturally occurring crystalline form of a mineral, which is desirable for its beauty, valuable in its rarity and durable enough to be enjoyed for generations.
Different mountain ranges are resplendent with precious, semi-precious Gemstones and many other valuable metals but it is a real hard task to tear open the bosom of almost unbreakable rocks and reveal the hidden treasure of gemstones.

Friday, January 23, 2009

List of gemstones

A number of gemstones have gained fame, either because of their size and beauty or because of the people who owned or wore them. A list of famous gemstones follows


Aquamarines

  • The Giant Aquamarine

Diamonds

Emeralds

The Gachala Emerald is one of the largest emeralds in the world at 858 carats (172 g)
  • The Chalk Emerald
  • The Duke of Devonshire Emerald
  • The Gachala Emerald
  • The Mackay Emerald

Opals
  • The Andamooka Opal, presented to Queen Elizabeth II, also known as the Queen's Opal
  • The Aurora Australis Opal, considered to be the most valuable black opal
  • The Black Prince Opal, originally known as Harlequin Prince
  • The Empress of Australia Opal
  • The Fire Queen Opal
  • The Flame Queen Opal
  • The Flamingo Opal
  • The Halley's Comet Opal, the world's largest uncut black opal
  • The Jupiter Five Opal
  • The Olympic Australis Opal, reported to be the largest and most valuable gem opal ever found
  • The Pride of Australia Opal, also known as the Red Emperor Opal
  • The Red Admiral Opal, also known as the Butterfly Stone

Pearl

  • Arco Valley Pearl
  • The Pearl of Lao Tzu
  • Satlada - A seven-stringed pearl necklace of the Nizams.

Ruby
  • The DeLong Star Ruby
  • The Hixon Ruby Crystal
  • The Midnight Star Ruby
  • The Neelanjali Ruby
  • The Rajaratna Ruby
  • The Rosser Reeves Ruby

Sapphires
  • The Logan sapphire
  • The Queen Marie of Romania Sapphire
  • The Ruspoli Sapphire
  • The Star of Asia Star Sapphire
  • The Star of Bombay, given to Mary Pickford by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr
  • The Star of India, the largest and most famous star sapphire in the world
  • The Stuart Sapphire
  • The Black Star of Queensland, with a weight of 733 carats

Spinels
  • The Black Prince's Ruby, actually a spinel mounted on the Imperial State Crown
  • The Samarian Spinel, the world's largest spinel
  • The Timur Ruby, believed to be a ruby until 1851

Topaz
  • The American Golden Topaz, the largest cut yellow topaz weighing nearly 23000 carats (4.6 kg).

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