Gemstone Facts

Amethyst & Citrine
Varieties of quartz
Hardness 7
Amethyst, lavender to purplish red, talisman for protection from intoxication
February Birthstone
Citrine, named for the French word "citron" meaning lemon, pale yellow to deepest gold
Sources - Brazil, Bolivia, Africa, Russia

Emerald
Variety of beryl, as is aquamarine
Hardness 71/2 to 8
Green, symbol of verdant springtime, talisman for Gemini
May Birthstone
Main sources today - Colombia, Brazil, Zambia

Garnet
Named for the Latin "granatus", meaning many seeds, because it resembled the pomegranate,
January Birthstone
Hardness 7 to 71/2
Every color of the spectrum except blue. Almandite, Pyrope, Rhodolite - red to purplish red.
Tsavorite - green. Grossularite, Malayan, Spessartite - yellow, pale green to orangish red
Sources - Africa, Sri Lanka, India

Ruby & Sapphire
Varieties of corundum
Hardness 9
Ruby, Star Ruby, velvety red to purplish red
Most prized and praised gem since ancient times
July Birthstone
Sources - Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Africa Sapphire In Latin, "sapphirus" means blue,
talisman for Taurus
Birthstone for September
All other colors, yellow, pink, green, orange, violet, greenish blue are called "fancy" color sapphires
Sources - Myranmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Africa, United States

Tanzanite
Variety of Zoizite
Hardness 61/2 to 7
Blue to violet
Discovered in 1967 in Tanzania, Africa, still the only source

Tourmaline
From ancient Sinhalese word "turmali" meaning "many colors"
Birthstone for October, shared with Opal
Hardness 7 to 71/2
Most complex mineral composition, comes in all colors, most familiar shades are pink to purplish red, green, and bi-colors
Sources - Brazil, United States, Africa, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan

Opal
Traces its name back to Sanskrit "upala" meaning "precious stone"
October Birthstone
Hardness 5 - 61/2 Opal's fiery "play of color" was first thought to have fallen from heaven in flashes of lightning
Black Opal - black, blue, dark gray
Fire Opal - orange to orange-red. Also colorless, white, yellow
Present sources: Australia, Mexico, U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Honduras