Power of Gemmology By Prachur Singhal

Tanzanite Description T anzanite can have an intense and deep violetish blue color. Tanzanite is the blue to violet to purple variety of the mineral zoisite. It is mined commercially only in one area of the world: the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, which is where it gets its name. When blue crystals were first discovered in Tanzania in the 1960s, no one was quite sure what the new crystals were. Careful gemological study determined that they were a transparent variety of zoisite, and the gem came to be known as tanzanite. Tanzanite’s appearance is influenced greatly by its pleochroism, which is the ability of a gemstone to show different colors when viewed in different crystal directions. Tanzanite can be violetish blue—similar to a sapphire color—or much more purplish. Often, both the violetish blue and purplish colors are readily visible in a fashioned stone when it is gently rocked and tilted. This 29.22-carat tanzanite has a deep blue color sometime...

Garnet Description Facebook Most people do not realize garnets come in a wide variety of gem types and colors, with many cutting options. Garnets are a set of closely related minerals that form a group, resulting in gemstones in almost every color. Red garnets have a long history, but modern gem buyers can pick from a rich palette of garnet colors: greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, deeply saturated purplish reds, and even some blues.   Red garnet is one of the most common and widespread of gems, found in metamorphic rocks (which are rocks altered by heat and pressure) on every continent. But not all garnets are as abundant as the red ones. A green garnet, tsavorite, also occurs in metamorphic rocks, but it’s rarer because it needs unusual rock chemistries and special conditions to form.   Demantoid is a rare and famous green garnet, spessartine (also called spessarite) is an orange garnet, and rhodolite is a beautiful purple-red garnet. Garnets can even ...

Different Types of Pearls Pearl  is synonym for beauty & wisdom. That's why we often use them to describe something flawless and strikingly beautiful. But do you know that there are a number of varieties of pearls, and I am not sure which pearl are we referring you when someone says "a pearl of great price" or "a pearl of wisdom". Let's educate ourselves on the types of pearls and give an image to all these idioms/sayings we keep hearing. We have natural pearls and cultured pearls, which can be found in freshwater or saltwater. A number of combination among these create a variety of pearls. 1. Freshwater Pearls Origin :  US and China Freshwater pearls are usually cultured in lakes and ponds of freshwater in the area of US and China. There are very many factors which make freshwater pearls invaluable. a.        They come in a variety of shapes, most popular of them being the baroque shape. Baroque shaped pearls are popular am...

Table Size:  The table is the top horizontal facet of the diamond. The average table size is expressed as a percentage of the diamond’s average girdle diameter. While an ‘Excellent’ grade diamond will have a table size between 52 and 62 percent, other proportions are important too. Remember that GIA doesn’t consider individual proportions in isolation. Total Depth:  The diamond’s overall depth from the surface of the table to the culet, expressed as a percentage of the average girdle diameter. Pavilion Depth:  The pavilion is the lower portion of a diamond from the bottom edge of the girdle to the culet. The pavilion depth is expressed as a percentage of the average girdle diameter. A pavilion depth that’s too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape from the side or bottom of the stone. A well-cut diamond will direct more light upward through the crown. Pavilion Angle:  Pavilion angle is another important dimension of the stone, especially as i...

Divine Navratan Gemstones For A Blessed Navratri “”Ya Devi Sarbabhuteshshu, Shakti Rupena Sanksthita Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namo Namaha”” Puranas tells us that whenever the evil and wrong has spread its wings over the lesser mortals and caused nothing but misery, the supreme power has annihilated such demonic powers with goodness and pious virtues. Legends has it that when the Gods were defeated and were made to leave the heavenly abode, the divine power of Goddess Shakti could only defeat the evil Mahishaasura. It was only after nine days and nine nights of fighting that peace was restored on the tenth day. Today the lesser mortals are still plagued by millions of evil forms which engulf the necessary moral character into oblivion. It is necessary to unbind ourselves from the shackles of contraventions and lead a pious and a veritable life. Since the Vedic period, scholars have emphasized on various elements of our lives which have greater influence o...