Semi-Precious Stones

Amber is a translucent to opaque yellow, golden or orange material, usually warm to the touch, much lighter than one would expect of a gemstone. It's not a gemstone in the truest sense--rather it's fossilized resin from trees common about 50 million years ago. It's sometimes called "electrum" as Amber produces static electricity when rubbed. Amber gets its name from the Greek "Ambrosia".

Amethyst is a transparent light lavender to deep purple form of crystalline quartz. The light lavender variety, called "Cape Amethyst", is rapidly gaining popularity.

Aquamarine is a translucent to transparent blue to pale green Beryl (Emerald is the deep green variety of Beryl). Most commonly, pale, icy blue.

A form of translucent reddish-orange to red agate, also known as Mecca stone, Pigeon Blood Agate, Sardoine, Cornelian. The name is most commonly believed to be derived from the Latin "carne", meaning flesh. It is sometimes referred to as "Cornelian" rather than "Carnelian" as others attribute the name to the Latin "cor", meaning heart.

Citrine is a yellow, golden or orange-yellow transparent variety of crystalline quartz. It is known by many other names, for instance, it was sometimes referred to as "Madeira" or "Bahia" Topaz, "Cuddle Quartz" and the "Merchant's Stone".

Gemstone coral is an organic (i.e., created from living creatures). It is usually red, orange-red or pink. Genuine, undyed coral is quite rare and expensive.

Fire Opal is the bright red/pink variety of opal, usually found in Mexico and therefore sometimes called "Mexican Fire Opal".

Most commonly burgundy red, Garnet comes in various shades of transparent to translucent red, pink, orange-red, orange, purple and green. Garnets get their name from the Latin "granatum", meaning "seed of the pomegranate", which the burgundy red varieties resemble.

Natural Green Aventurine, a variety of translucent quartz, derives its color from minor inclusions of unoxidized iron minerals. Aventurine also comes in blue and peach or orange.

Jade comes in both Nephrite Jade and Jadeite, with Jadeite being the precious variety.

Labradorite is a shimmery gem, usually khaki green, though sometimes gray, with characteristic flashes of Blue Fire, called "Labradorescence". Discovered in 1770 on the Labrador Peninsula, from whence it gets its name. The Finnish variety is called "Spectrolite".

The most prized Lapis Lazuli is royal blue, though it ranges in color from green to sky blue, with characteristic glittering golden specks. Sometimes called "sapphire" in ancient Egyptian references. The name comes from the Latin "lapis" which means "stone" and Persian "lajuward" also meaning "stone". It is also known as "Lazurite".

Called Moonstone for its resemblance to the silvery moon, it comes in pure white with blue fire (Rainbow), white, gray, peach, pink and yellow. The Greeks believed the stone was ruled by the Goddess Selene calling it Aphroselene.

Onyx comes in a wide range of colors. Some onyx is evenly colored while some is banded. Strongly banded onyx is sometimes referred to as "Sardonyx".

A true opal in that the stone is quartz with trapped water, Peruvian Blue Opal does not have the irridescent color play of an Australian Opal, rather Peruvian Blue Opal is prized for the extremely attractive color. This opal is also frightfully expensive and continues to increase in price at an equally frightful pace.

Poppy Jasper is an opaque semi-precious gemstone, generally brick red, with black, tan and white patterns. Sometimes referred to as "Brecciated Jasper". Rarely referred to as "Silex".

Rose Quartz is light to medium pink, and almost always cloudy variety of Quartz. For some unknown Geologic reason, Rose Quartz rarely forms crystals.

Quartz is quite common, however, very clear quartz is more rare. Rarer still is clear quartz shot through with fine, golden or golden-red needle-like rutile crystals. Sometimes called "Venus Hair Stone", "Maiden Hair Stone", "Cupid's Arrow" and Sagenite.

Smoky Quartz is a clear gray or brown variety of crystalline Quartz. Also known as "Cairngorm" or "Morion" and occasionally referred to as the "Dream Stone".

Long a gemstone of importance, Topaz is generally a translucent yellow, golden, green, light brown, light blue or clear. Topaz gets its name from the Red Sea Island, Topazin (Topasos). Pink topaz is generally heat treated.

Tourmaline gets its name from the Singhalese name, "turamali", which means "colored stone", and indeed Tourmaline comes in dozens of colors. The Dutch called it "aschentrekker", meaning "ash-drawer" as it will draw ashes toward it when warmed (pyroelectric). Tourmaline comes in a variety of beautiful and vivid colors, and is a durable gemstone that has gained tremendous popularity (with skyrocketing costs) over the last 20 years. Highly prized is Watermelon Tourmaline (green outside and pink inside)

Turquoise is an opaque, light robin egg blue to green stone. Real Turquoise is surprisingly light in weight. It derives its name from "Turkish Stone", after the Turks, who considered it lucky. Ancient Arabians called it "Fayruz", meaning "lucky stone"