Gemstones of the World

Ruby is distinguished for its bright red colour, being the most famed and fabled red gemstone. Beside for its bright colour, it is a most desirable gem due to its hardness, durability, luster and rarity. Transparent rubies of large sizes are even rarer than diamonds.

Sapphire is the most precious and valuable blue gemstone. It is a very desirable gemstone due to its excellent colour, hardness, durability and luster. Sapphires come in a multitude of colours, white, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink, purple and of course blue.

Emerald, the green variety of Beryl, is the most famous and valuable green gemstone. Its beautiful green colour, combined with durability and rarity, make it one of the most expensive gemstones. Deep green is the most desired colour in emeralds.

Pearls have been highly regarded as gemstones since antiquity, and their allure and beauty has always been magnified by their difficulty of obtaining them in early times. Unlike most other gemstones which are minerals, pearls are organic and are formed by living organisms. They are generally formed within the soft tissue layer of mollusks such as oysters and mussels.

Opal is the most colourful of gemstones. Its splendid play of colour is unsurpassed, and fine examples can even be more valuable than diamond. The play of colour consists of irridescent colour flashes that change with the angle at which the stone is viewed.

Adventurine is an opaque form of compact quartz. Adventurine is most oftern green but may also be other colours such as gray, orange and brown. Although technically adventurine is classified as rock, due to its composition of several minerals, it is most often regarded as a variety of quartz.