All About Gems - By Elena
Ruby
The ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, along with the emerald, sapphire, amethyst and the diamond. The word ruby comes from rubber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium. The brightest and most valuable shade of red called blood-red or pigeon blood, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. The world's most valuable ruby to be sold at auction is the Sunrise Ruby.
Citrine
Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown due to ferric impurities. Brazil is the leading producer of citrine, with much of its production coming from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The name is derived from the Latin word citrina which means yellow" and is also the origin of the word citron. Citrine has been referred to as the "merchant's stone" or "money stone", due to a superstition that it would bring prosperity.
Topaz
Topaz in its natural state is a golden brown to yellow – a characteristic which means it is sometimes confused with citrine, a less valuable gemstone.Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the conventional birthstone for November, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone of the U.S. state of Utah.
Emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl.
The word "emerald" is derived (via Old French: esmeraude and Middle English: emeraude), from Vulgar Latin: esmeralda/esmeralda, a variant of Latin smaragdus, which was borrowed via Ancient Greek: σμάραγδος (smaragdos; "green gem") from a Semitic language.[4]
I love the color of the emerald because it’s dark but light at the same time
Sapphire
It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors.Significant sapphire deposits are found in Australia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cameroon, China (Shandong), Colombia, Ethiopia, India (Kashmir), Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States (Montana) and Vietnam.Gemstone color can be described in terms of hue, saturation, and tone. Hue is commonly understood as the "color" of the gemstone.
Amethyst
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος amethystos. The ancient Greeks wore amethyst and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.Amethyst is a semiprecious stone that is often used in jewelry and is the traditional birthstone for February (my birthday!!!!)