How many types of gems?
Precious gems are mined on all continents of our planet. The largest deposits are recorded in Brazil, Colombia, Australia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and other countries. The rate of mineral production is increasing every year, and cases where new mines are opened are rare. We will tell you about the most famous and largest deposits of precious crystals. In the photo: gems.
Brazil
- Minas Gerais is considered a major producer and exporter of gemstones in the country. Mining of imperial topaz, emerald, diamond, aquamarine, morganite, beryl, tourmaline and kunzite is concentrated here. It is this state that is considered the world’s treasury of the most valuable crystals on the planet;
- Bahia is the second largest producer of precious stones in the country. Emeralds, amethysts, quartz, corundums, alexandrites, apatites, chrysoberyls, tourmalines and aquamarines are found here;
- Rio Grande do Sul is another famous state where colored gemstones are mined. This state is considered the largest producer of amethyst in the world. Also found in these deposits are agate, citrine, chalcedony, garnet, topaz, zircon, diopside, quartz, tourmaline;
- Mato Grosso – quartz, emerald, diamond and tourmaline are mined here;
- Goias – mainly emeralds, diamonds, garnets, topazes, quartz, amethysts, citrines, tourmalines are found here.
In the photo: a gemstone mining site in the state of Minas Gerais.
In 1988, in the Brazilian state of Paraiba, a stone of extraordinary beauty was found – Paraiba tourmaline. We talked more about this gem in the article “The Many Faces of Tourmaline.”
Reserves of gems quickly depleted, and today Brazil supplies the market with a very small amount of jewelry samples suitable for cutting. Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil is mainly a collectible gemstone, which even weighing 1-2 carats can be highly valued.
In the photo: ring with Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline “Delicate inflorescence” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Africa
Africa is a continent that is fraught with valuable mineral resources. Precious stones mined in these places are valued on the global jewelry market. For many years, Africa has been a leader in diamond deposits, as they are found throughout almost the entire continent. But besides diamond copies, this continent is also rich in colored minerals: rubies, emeralds, citrines, aquamarines and other gems.
In the photo: diamond mining in Africa.
- Tanzania supplies the world jewelry market with rubies, emeralds, alexandrites, sapphires, spinels, garnets and the rarest gems with an amazing hue – tanzanites. The history of this stone began in 1967, when unusual stones were found near Kilimanjaro. We talked more about this gem in the article “Tanzanite – a precious stone”. Beautiful minerals are still mined in the only deposit on the planet – the Arusha province at the Merelani mine, Tanzania.
In the photo: a set with tanzanites “Blue Aura” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
- Ethiopia is famous for its beautiful opals – white gems with fiery bright flashes of green, blue, red and orange. Opals were first discovered in this country in the early 1990s in the province of Shoa. Another significant deposit was discovered in 2008 in the province of Wollo. A significant amount of white and transparent opal is still mined here.
In the photo: ring with Ethiopian opal “Espectaulo” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
- Mozambique. In 2003, a neon-colored gem, Paraiba tourmaline, was found at the Muyane mine, in the Alto Ligonya region. Mozambique is also famous for its high-quality rubies, tourmalines, spessartines, aquamarines, and morganites. These precious gems are mined in the provinces of Zambezia, Tete, and Niassa.
In the photo: ring with a Mozambican ruby “In the rays of sunset” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
- Kenya. Rubies and pink sapphires are mined in the southern part of the country. Kenya is also considered the birthplace of the “African emerald”. An unusual variety of green garnet was found in 1967 in Tsavo National Park. The stone was named tsavorite in honor of this deposit. More information about this crystal can be found in the article “Tsavorite – African Emerald”.
In the photo: a set with Buttes-Chaumont tsavorite from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Madagascar
There is a real precious island on our planet, which is located 400 km away. from the Indian Ocean near southeast Africa. Most of Madagascar’s gemstones are exported to all regions of the world due to high demand.
The standard quality sapphires, rubies, garnets, tourmalines, morganites, danburites, topazes, kunzites, amethysts, demantoids, ametrines, amethysts, emeralds, aquamarines, citrines, quartz, spinel, etc. are mined here.
In the photo: Madagascar. View from space.
Almost every resident of the island is engaged in the extraction of precious stones along with mining companies.
In the photo: local residents mine precious stones.
The most popular Madagascar stones are sapphire, ruby and emerald.
- The center of the island is rich in rubies. They are mined in the vicinity of Andylamena near Lake Alautra. In purity, shade and quality, these gems can compete with the famous Burmese stones.
- Large emerald mines were found in Kanjuwatu, a tropical forest in eastern Madagascar. Light green emeralds are found in a small city in the west of Madagascar – Morondava.
- Madagascar sapphires amaze with a variety of shades. The largest mining center is Ilacaka. Sapphires of all shades are found here, including the rarest cornflower blue and the most valuable orange padparadscha. Sometimes you come across completely unique finds – star sapphires, which have an alexandrite effect and change their hue depending on the lighting.
In the photo: a ring with a pink Madagascar sapphire “System” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Sri Lanka
Another island that is rich in precious stones is Sri Lanka. Experts count more than 75 varieties of gems that the country supplies to the international market: rubies, sapphires, emeralds, aquamarines, alexandrites, spinels, garnets, tourmalines, topazes, zircons, amethysts, quartz, moonstones, citrines and others. Sri Lanka has the highest density of gem deposits in the world. Up to 80% of the island’s territory is considered a “potential gem deposit.”
The most famous “city of gems” in Sri Lanka is Ratnapura. The city is located on the banks of the Kalu Ganga River, at the foot of Adam’s Peak. Ratnapura has long been known as the largest gemstone mining and trading site for over 2000 years.
In the photo: mining of precious gems. Ratnapura. Sri Lanka.
The depth of precious gravel varies from 3 to 40 meters. The soil is unstable due to the high water table and local regulations allow only the most basic equipment to be used.
The process of extracting stones has remained unchanged since ancient times – manual labor. Mines are dug with a pick and shovel, the soil is lifted up and washed with water, trying to find the colored mineral.
- Spinel is found in large quantities on the island. Sri Lanka is considered the second largest supplier of spinel to the world market. Red, pink, blue, orange, violet, bluish-green, mauve, reddish-brown, greenish-black and colorless stones are mined here.
- Garnets – almandine, grossular, pyrope and spessartine are mined in Sri Lanka.
- Moonstones are famous for their magical glow caused by the optical effect of adularization. In Sri Lanka, the Metiyagoda mine produces world famous blue moonstones.
- Rubies – Most varieties of Sri Lankan ruby are pinkish-red in color with a purple tint. Ruby deposits in Sri Lanka are not clearly localized and are located in the same mine with other precious stones of the corundum family.
- Sapphires – Sri Lanka is considered the main supplier of the best Ceylon sapphires, padparadscha sapphires, star and other fancy sapphires to the world jewelry market.
In the photo: a ring with a yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka “Filled with grace” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
- Aquamarines – In Sri Lanka, aquamarines are found in green-blue to blue shades. Jewelry specimens are mined in Ratnapura, Rakwan, Morawak, Hatton, Nawalapitiya, Galle, Matara, Tissamaharama and Lunugamvehera.
- Tourmalines – Tourmalines ranging from yellowish-green to bright green are found on the precious island. The best jewelry samples are mined in the areas of Lunugala, Bibile, Passara, Nilgala, Khorana, Matugama, Pelawatte, Morawak, Deniya, and Rakwana.
- Zircons – in Sri Lanka, colorless zircons are mined, which are famous for their brilliance and fiery flashes.
Australia
The beautiful southern continent boasts not only amazing flora and fauna, but also precious stones. In Australia they mine:
- Sapphires and rubies. Mining has been taking place in Queensland since 1870, but these gems are not of very high quality. But since 1918, jewelry samples of sapphires have been found in New South Wales.
- A large deposit of emeralds was recorded in Western Australia in Aga Khon. Mining is carried out in the Pune River area.
- Australian pearls are considered one of the most expensive and beautiful in the world. Divers collect gifts from the southern seas. From the 18th century until the present day, this has been done by hand.
- At the beginning of the 21st century, zircon deposits were found in Western Australia. Experts have established that the age of precious gems is 4 billion years. To date, this is one of the oldest samples of the mineral that has been discovered on our planet.
- Black opal is considered the national stone of Australia. It is here that about 95% of the world’s production of this mineral is concentrated. Opals have been mined in Australia since the late 19th century. The most famous deposits are Coober Pady, New South Wales, Queensland, Lightning Ridge. You can learn more about black opal from our article “Australian Opal”.
In the photo: ring with black Australian opal “Own Universe” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Russia
The most famous Russian treasury is located in the Urals. This is where almost all the crystals that jewelers and collectors are interested in are found. Emeralds, alexandrites, topazes, tourmalines, morganites, aquamarines, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and other gems are mined.
The first mention of searching for precious stones in the Urals dates back to the 18th century. Now mining is taking place in the territory that in world mineralogy is called the “gem strip of the Urals.” The length of the strip is 100 km. east of the Ural Mountains. Deposits of famous Ural gems are located in the following areas:
- Rhodonites and demantoids occur in the Middle Urals.
- Deposits of rubies and topaz were found near the Kamenka River.
- In the Southern Urals, zircon, aquamarine, and jasper are mined.
- Aquamarines and amethysts are found near the village of Murzinka.
- In the village of Malysheva there is the Malyshevsky mine, where work is underway to extract emeralds and alexandrites.
In the photo: mining operations for the extraction of emeralds and alexandrites at the Malyshevsky minee.
Emerald has long been considered the calling card of the Urals. Thanks to iron and chromium, gems have a rich green color. We talked in detail about these spectacular and desirable minerals in the article “Malyshevsky emeralds – legendary stones of the Urals.”
In the photo: ring with a Ural emerald “Halo of Romance” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Transbaikalia is the second region after the Urals where beautiful precious gems are found, which are valued by collectors and jewelers. Here they find: pure blue, golden and honey topazes; gem quality aquamarines; tourmalines, heliodors; Morganites and others.
In the photo: Sherlova Mountain.
The most famous deposit of precious gems in Transbaikalia is Sherlova Mountain. Crystals have been mined here for centuries.
In the photo: ring with Transbaikal aquamarine “Humble Ocean” from the Maxim Demidov jewelry house.
Maxim Demidov jewelry is not only the shine of precious gems and the luxury of precious metals. Each crystal contains a piece of the country where it was mined. To have this rare luxury means to be in harmony with nature. We invite you to enjoy the shine of unique and spectacular stones.
This article will forever change your opinion about precious and semi-precious stones. If you consider them ordinary pieces of glass, then learn to appreciate jewelry. If these stones already impress you, you will understand why they are loved all over the world.
So. Why is one stone sold by the whole carload, while auctions are held for a gram of another? Why are even expensive minerals divided into precious and semi-precious and cost differently? In the material you will find answers to these and other questions.
What is a gemstone
First, we will define the word “stone” itself. Stone refers to rocks and minerals that were formed naturally, that is, without human intervention.
To be called precious, a stone must meet three criteria: to be rare, durable and beautiful. Let’s look at each of these characteristics.
1. Rarity of the stone
The rarity of a stone is determined by the difficulty of its occurrence in nature. This complexity has numerical indicators, which we will illustrate using the example of diamond mining – future diamonds.
Miners dig diamond ore out of the ground, from which other specialists then extract diamond crystals. For mining to be profitable, 1 ton of ore must contain at least 0,5 diamond carats. Now imagine the following.
That’s not all. Only 20% of all diamonds are suitable for jewelry. The rest goes to technical needs. It turns out that out of 1 carat mined, only 0,20 carats will end up in the jewelry. And this is only 0,040 grams.
From 1 ton of ore, 4/100 of a gram of diamond is obtained. This mass is not enough to insert even into one ring.
Imagine how much work needs to be done, how much land needs to be dug, so that every woman is happy on her engagement day!
2. Durability of the stone
No corporation will develop a complex deposit of stones and minerals that quickly become unusable. No person will buy products with fragile inserts. Therefore, durability is a determining factor for a stone that claims to be precious.
The durability of a gemstone is measured in hundreds and thousands of years.
The same gemstone can be hard and brittle at the same time. For example, diamond is so strong that it is used to test the hardness of other minerals. At the same time, if dropped, this crystal can crack and even break.
3. The beauty of stone
Beauty in precious stones is also a quantifiable concept. For example, the cost is affected by color saturation, the degree of refraction of a sun ray, the color absorption spectrum and other characteristics that professional gemologists check with special devices.
It is unlikely that a person will appreciate all these qualities at one glance. However, when you see a piece of jewelry with a precious stone on your interlocutor or in a showroom, just imagine the characteristics of the mineral, be impressed by the product and appreciate it. Think about how the stone was searched for, how it was evaluated according to all possible criteria, and how it was shaped.
Scientists have learned to synthesize rare stones, but their price is not even close to the prices of natural diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones. Only a mineral found in the depths of the earth can be considered a real gemstone.
AQUAMARINE works with precious stones that have documents confirming their authenticity. And each diamond in our products also has an evaluation certificate from a gemological laboratory.
A Brief History of Diamonds
It was the Hindus who first began to impart precious properties to stones. Several thousand years BC, Indian rajahs adorned themselves with diamonds found throughout the country. In those days, people did not yet know how to change the original shape of crystals.
According to popular belief, diamonds were brought to Europe by the soldiers of Alexander the Great from the campaigns. Local residents did not appreciate the beauty of uncut stones, and after several decades, kings across the continent began to decorate weapons and armor with cut diamonds. In the 15th century AD, court women and men began to wear diamonds.
Since then, thanks to deposits around the world, diamonds have become valued in every corner of the Earth.
What is a semi-precious stone
Manufacturers, sellers and buyers give different names to stones that are slightly cheaper than precious stones. Two equivalent terms are popular: semi-precious and jewelry stones.
Some people consider the term “semi-precious stone” to be outdated. Because of the prefix, the half-value of the mineral becomes discredited. The buyer may perceive the stone as inferior and not buy a product with it. Therefore, the term “jewelry stone” came into use. Professionals will understand you if you use any of these terms.
Jewelry (or semi-precious) stones are less beautiful, rare and durable than precious stones. At the same time, they have wonderful properties to decorate your product.
To sum up
- The weight of gemstones is measured in carats.
- 1 carat is equal to 0,2 grams.
- Gemstones have three evaluation criteria: beauty, rarity and durability.
- From 1 ton of diamond ore you can get no more than 4/100 of a gram of diamond.
- Leading jewelry manufacturers only use stones with certificates of authenticity.
- Jewelry and semi-precious stones are equivalent concepts.
Now you have clear knowledge about precious and semi-precious stones, their characteristics, differences and, we hope, appreciate them.
Stay tuned for our next article. In it we will tell you how precious stones are held in jewelry.
