What are Gem Stones and Where are they Found?

Gem Stone Facts:

What are gem stones?

The answer is not as simple as you would think. First of all, m what do gem stones look like? Gem stones can be crystalline, such as diamond and emeralds, or amorphous, like turquoise and jade.

What are gem stones made of?

Gem stones are composed of a wide range of materials. Rubies and sapphires, which are composed of aluminum compounds, are metal based while diamonds are pure carbon. Some gem stones

are minerals, like the emerald which is composed of the mineral beryl. Other gem stones, like lapis lazuli are made up of several minerals and are therefore classed as rocks. (Though they are prettier than most of the rocks you would find in your garden.)

The gem stone amber is organic, being composed of tree sap that has hardened over centuries. The opal is composed primarily of silicon oxide, but has a water content of up to 20%.

What are gem stones used for?

Most gem stones are used in jewelry, but the pearl, which is a common gem like component of jewelry, is not a gem stone.

Gem stones and their meaning:

When you see a gem, you may ask: is there any meaning to this stone? To apply meaning and significance to a gem stone is common throughout human cultures. Gem stones and their meanings are a part of our culture and history.

Some are considered birth stones, and are associated with a particular month. To those born in that month, wearing an article with their birthstone may bring prosperity and protection. The emerald gemstone is the Western European birthstone for May, and is also the traditional gift for couples 55 wedding anniversary.

Where gem stones are found?

Answer, nearly everywhere.

Turquoise gem stone, associated with the natives of North America is found in abundance in Iran, the Sinai and many parts of Asia.

The sapphire gemstone is found in many parts of Asia. The star sapphire in particular is abundant in Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, an island nation off of the southern coast of India.

When people think of where gem stones come from, they often think of the diamond mines of Southern Africa.

However, the African diamond industry is barely a century old. In ancient times, when you wanted to know where diamonds come from, the answer would be India. India would continue to be the primary source of this gem stone until the mid 18th century when diamonds were discovered in Brazil.

Jade is a gem stone that most think comes only from China and other Asian provinces, but Australia neighbor New Zealand is a modern source of the beautiful gem stone.

Though one of the first successfully manufactured gem stones, the natural gem stone ruby still comes from many parts of Asia, including Sri Lanka and Thailand.

No matter where you are, no matter what your nation, when you think of the gem stone and where they come from, the answer can be the same place you do.