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Educational information about gemstones

What are considered gemstones?For centuries gemstones have adorned the necks and bodies of kings and queens, gemstones have always been considered a sign of wealth. For any stone to be considered a gemstone, it must be beautiful, especially its color must stand out. It must be durable especially after it is mined and exposed to the harsh condition of the open atmosphere and of course it should be rare. There are precious gemstones like diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire and the rest of gemstones are considered semiprecious.


Semiprecious gemstones
A pearl is formed when a foreign object is introduced into the shell of shellfish especially oysters and mussels. Layers of nacre is then secreted around the object as a natural defense to form a pearl. Read more...

Coral as a gemstone in jewelry When I started researching coral, it was pretty interesting to find out such facts that people don't really know. You go to the department store or a jewelry store and you see a red perfectly round coral bead gemstone necklace and you must have it because it is absolutely beautiful. Here are some facts about the beautiful coral necklace that you have or you saw in the window of a store. Corals are marine organism(yes indeed they are marine organism). Little road trip back to the science classes that you took in school. Organism in biology is any living system - animal, plant, micro-organism or fungus. Coral is made up of skeletal remains of marine organisms called coral polyps and they secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. These marine organism live in colonies and eventually form reefs that usually look like tree branches. Corals grow in warm waters. Its tree like structure is usually grainy and dull when first harvested but it is then polished to the beautiful luster shine that you love.

Where do Corals occur?
Mediterranean coast
African coast
Japan coastline
West Indies
Australia
Pacific Island


Fun myth about Coral
** Coral was thought to protect against evil
** Coral was thought to be able to calm the sea
** Coral allegedly cured madness


Facts about Coral ** Some Corals grow at right angle to the current of the water
** Corals are carnivore animals
** Coral reefs play a major role in the protection of coastlines from harmful erosion
** There are two types of coral - hard coral and soft coral