FASCINATION FROM THE EARTH'S DEPTHS
The fascination for the sometimes mysterious looking stones has been unbroken for thousands of years. Precious stones have been known to man for at least 7000 years and for a long time were reserved for the upper class as a status symbol.
Most precious stones, like the diamond, belong to the minerals. Some, for example, are formed from molten metals and gases in the earth's interior, new minerals are formed by recrystallization or are formed from siliceous fluid accumulations. They originated three to ten million years ago in the earth's interior.
CORUNDUM
| Mohs-hardness | 9 |
| Color spectrum | Red, Blue, Pink, Purple, Green |
| Occurrence | Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, Australia |
Ruby
Only red to pink corundum may be called rubies. Rubies with a weight of more than 2 ct. are very rare.
Sapphire
All corundum, not only blue, is called sapphire. Not the darkest sapphires, but intensively blue ones are the most precious.
QUARTZ
| Mohs-hardness | 7 |
| Color spectrum | colorless and nearly all colors |
| Occurrence | on all continents |
Amethyst
Especially in Brazil you can find the purple, valuable amethyst. Dark, evenly colored stones are most precious.
Citrine
When an amethyst is burned, the yellow-orange citrine is formed. The darker the amethyst, the darker the citrine.
BERYLL
| Mohs-hardness | 7.5 - 8 |
| Color spectrum | yellow, red, pink, blue, green |
| Occurrence | Brazil, Central Africa, Colombia |
Aquamarine
The darker and more intense the blue, the more precious the aquamarine. The larger and thicker the stone, the more intense its color appears.
Emerald
Cracks are typical for the emerald. As well as the step cut, which is therefore also called emerald cut.
OPAL
| Mohs-hardness | 6 |
| Color spectrum | White, Red, Blue, Green, Black |
| Occurrence | Australia, Mexico |
The special charm of opals lies in their play of colors. The more multicolored and intense the color spectrum, the more precious the opal.
GARNET
| Mohs-hardness | 7 - 7.5 |
| Color spectrum | Red brown, yellow green, black |
| Occurrence | East Africa, Sri Lanka |
Garnet crystals are often almost spherical. To the garnet group belongs a multiplicity of similarly structured varieties.
TOURMALINE
| Mohs-hardness | 7 - 7.5 |
| Color spectrum | colorless, nearly all colors |
| Occurrence | Brazil, USA, Sri Lanka |
Tourmalines sparkle in all colors of the rainbow. Most of them are green or pink. Violet, brown, blue and colorless are rather rare.
