There are several classifications of precious stones, which are based on characteristics such as hardness or light scattering of the stone, mineral composition, crystallographic features, and prevalence in nature. That is why the division into precious and stones is very arbitrary.

For the first time, the division into types of precious stones was proposed by M. Bauer in 1896. Later, many scientists addressed the improvement of this issue, including A.E. Fersman and V.I. Sobolevsky.

It is customary to divide jewelry stones into three types: precious, semi-precious and ornamental.

Gems

Precious stones are minerals that are distinguished by their particular brilliance, beauty and play of color, or strength and hardness, and which are used as jewelry.

According to a simplified classification, first grade precious stones are: diamond, sapphire, chrysoberyl, ruby, emerald, alexandrite, spinel, lal, euclase.

The second grade of precious stones are: topaz, aquamarine, red, phenacite, demantoid, bloodstone, hyacinth, opal, almandine, zircon.

Diamond and brilliant are the same stone, which is a type of crystalline carbon. The first name refers to the stone in its natural form, and the second - cut.

There are no such terms as semi-precious and ornamental stones, since they differ from precious stones only in their wider distribution and less pronounced properties, which is also reflected in the price of products with them.

Among the semi-precious stones are: garnet, epidote, turquoise, dioptase, green and variegated tourmalines, rock crystal, chalcedony, light amethyst, sun and moonstone, labradorite.

Ornamental (gemstone) stones include: jade, bloodstone, lapis lazuli, amazonite, labradorite of lower quality, varieties of spar and jasper, smoky and rose quartz, Vesuveman, jet, corals, amber, mother-of-pearl.

Modern classification of jewelry stones

Professional jewelers and mineralogists consider the best and most modern classification proposed by Professor E.Ya. Kievlenko.

The first group includes jewelry (other synonymous names are cut, precious) stones:

Diamond, blue sapphire, emerald, ruby, constituting the first class;

Alexandrite, orange, yellow, purple and green sapphire, noble jadeite, noble black opal, which are included in the second class;

Demantoid, noble spinel, aquamarine, topaz, rhodolite, noble white and fire opal, red tourmaline, moonstone (adularia), which represent the third class;

Blue, green, pink and polychrome tourmaline, turquoise, chrysolite, noble spodumene (kunzite, giddenite), zircon, yellow, green, golden and pink beryl, pyrope, almandine, amethyst, citrine, chrysolite, chrysoprase, which the scientist classified as the fourth class .

The second group classifies ornamental, or stone-cutting, stones:

Rauchtopaz, amber-succinite, hematite-bloodstone, jadeite, rock crystal, lapis lazuli, malachite, jade, aventurine, belonging to the first class;

Agate, cacholong, colored chalcedony, amazonite, heliotrope, rhodonite, rose quartz, iridescent obsidian, labradorite, common opal, belomorite and other opaque iridescent spars, which make up the second class.

The third group is represented by decorative facing stones, including: jasper, written granite, marble onyx, petrified wood, larchite, jet, jaspilite, obsidian, selenite, aventurine quartzite, fluorite, agalmatolite, colored marble, patterned flint.

In this article:

There is a wide variety of minerals in the world that differ from each other in characteristics, features, and properties. Depending on this, they are divided into precious and semi-precious stones. Each has its own unique beauty and value. Over the years, humanity has discovered more and more specimens and deposits, found uses for them, and given them names. In order to extract stones, you have to do a lot of work, because they are found in volcanic rocks, seas, islands, and mountains. Hard-to-find stones are even more valuable.

Precious and semi-precious

The division of stones into precious and semi-precious is quite arbitrary. The qualifications of stones differ in different countries. Both are valuable minerals. They differ in strength, mining conditions, rarity, quality, and chemical composition.

Gems: Garnet group

Precious stones have the following characteristics:

• rarely found;
• beauty of color, transparency, play of light;
• light scattering;
• resistance to aggressive environments;
• high hardness and strength, so that jewelry can be worn for many years.

In beauty, semi-precious stones are in no way inferior to precious stones; they are also beautiful.

Stones differ in cost; precious minerals are more expensive on the world market. Jewelers value aesthetics and the ability to process stones, because it is the craftsmen who make real masterpieces from stones.

Today they have learned how to make artificial stones, and they do it so skillfully that it is difficult to distinguish them from natural ones.

Classification of stones

Gems include ornamental stones, mountain, colored, semi-precious and precious.

Precious stones have properties that consist of many advantages. The classification of precious stones is divided into several lists.

1. The first group of gems includes: ruby, alexandrite, emerald, diamond, spinel, sapphire, euclase, chrysoberyl.
2. The second list includes: topaz, beryl, heliodor, sparrowite, tourmaline, aquamarine, zircon, amethyst, opal, phenacite, hyacinth.
3. The third group includes: amber, carnelian, turquoise, jet, rauchtopaz, rock crystal.

There are legends and beliefs about precious stones; they have magical and healing properties that help people find happiness, health, love, wisdom, and strength.

Among the semi-precious stones of red shades, jasper, some varieties of garnet, pyrope, almandine, carnelian, rhodonite, and kunzite are popular.

Semi-precious stones

Among the blue, light blue semiprecious stones one can distinguish tanzanite, lapis lazuli, azurite, sodalite, and turquoise.

Purple shades of semi-precious stones include quartz and charoite. They have amazing color and shine.

Among green stones, luxurious malachite can easily be called first. Heliotrope combines green and red colors. Shades of green are saturated in stones such as olivine, epidote, andradite and many others.

Citrine, amber, and hyacinth have bright yellow shades. Black stones have always possessed magic and mystery, and these include: agate, jasper, amber, onyx, morion, melanite.

Among the precious and semi-precious stones, jewelers most often use rubies, diamonds, topazes, emeralds, sapphires, alexandrites, rock crystal, and opals. They are easy to process and can be cut. You can use them to make luxurious jewelry with an original design.

Ornamental stones are used to create luxurious jewelry, as well as for interior decoration, decorative elements, creating masterpieces of art, artistic carvings, and souvenirs. These include agate, jasper, lapis lazuli, jade, malachite, hematite, onyx, amber and many others. They are distinguished by their rich color, pattern, rarity and complexity of processing. Thanks to their ornaments and designs, they are an excellent material for decoration; they are used to make unique vases, figurines, mosaics, etc.

Why are some precious stones valued more and others less, despite the fact that both semi-precious stones and real precious stones are, in general, the same minerals, processed and mined in the same way, and in their natural form they look exactly the same?

In fact, it will be very easy for a specialist in mineralogy to distinguish a real gem from an ornamental or semi-precious one; it is enough to know about the three key properties of precious stones.

Gem Density

From the physics course we remember that density determined as the ratio of the mass of a substance to the mass of the same volume of water. Therefore, a stone with a density of 2.6 is the same number of times heavier than an equal amount of water. At the same time, precious stones with a density of less than 2 are light stones, with a density of 2-4 - normal weight, and above 5 - heavy.

However, precious stones with a density from 1 to 7 are known, and this is far from the most important indicator of the degree of their value. For example:

• , density 1.1 (light stone)
• , density 2.65 (normal)
• Cassiterite, density 7 (heavy).

Cassiterite has an extremely high density. Even in appearance.

Hardness and durability precious stones

The hardness of gemstones is the resistance that the surface of a mineral exhibits when someone tries to scratch it with another mineral or other object, as well as the hardness when grinding. To determine it they use Mohs scale of relative mineral hardness, by name Friedrich Mohs, a 19th-century German mineralogist.

Minerals with a scratch hardness of 8 to 10 on the hardness scale have “gem hardness.” Hardness is very important when identifying gemstones. For example:

• Plaster (hardness 2) – easily scratched even with a fingernail.
• Glass (hardness 5.5-6) ​​– scratched by quartz
• Quartz (hardness 7) – scratched by topaz
• (hardness 8) – scratched by corundum
• Corundum (hardness 9) – can be scratched by diamond
• (hardness 10) – not scratched by anything

At the same time, the hardness of precious stones in itself is not a defining characteristic - moreover, it is not the same for different faces and directions of grinding (how did you think diamonds are processed differently? :)). Therefore, “according to science” they determine not just hardness, but absolute hardness, where a gemstone is polished in water and the amount of material removed from the surface of the specimen is measured.

Diamond or corundum tips are the "technical" versions of jewelry gemstones

The hardness of a gemstone can be determined quite accurately by its color, and in the old days, when there was no precise equipment yet, this method was the only one.

For example, red and blue stones are equivalent and very expensive ( and ), and from the point of view of mineralogy they actually have the same hardness of 9 and are varieties of corundum (“yakhont”, as it was commonly called).

Hardness allows us to answer the question:

Why do gemstones become cloudy?

If you contact Mohs mineral hardness scale, and look for quartz in it, then you will find that this modest stone has a fairly high hardness - 7. Quartz is interesting because it can crumble into tiny particles that constantly surround us - like in the form of sand (have you noticed how its quartz particles shine ?) and in the form of dust.

Over time, “soft stones” (and glass), having a hardness below 7, under the influence of dust and careless care, undergo a process of “reverse polishing” - dust, or rather the quartz contained in it, acts on their edges like sandpaper.

Of course, the effect of this insidious mineral does not apply to rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

Cleavage precious stones

Topaz has a hardness of 8 - in fact, there are few minerals on our planet that can compare with it in this indicator - except for corundum (sapphires, rubies) and diamonds that can scratch its edges. However, if you even lightly hit the topaz on a hard surface, you risk splitting this stone - a network of miniature cracks will immediately appear inside it.

This happens because topazes have a very high cleavage rate. Cleavage- This is the ability of minerals to crack or split along smooth, flat surfaces. It depends on the structure of the crystal lattice of the mineral.

In other words, the higher the cleavage of a mineral, the more fragile it is. Moreover, not only impacts, but even an increase in temperature (for example, from soldering damaged jewelry) can lead to splitting or destruction of the stone.

The cleavage of precious stones is:

• Very perfect (example: euclase)
• Perfect (topaz)
• Imperfect (garnet)

However, some stones (like quartz) do not have it at all, due to the special structure of the crystal lattice.

The type of fragments into which a mineral breaks up upon impact is called break. It can be conchoidal, uneven, splintered, fibrous, stepped, smooth, earthy, etc. Fracture specialists can determine the type of mineral.

In jewelry, the cleavage and features of stones are used for accurate sawing, and previously they were also used for splitting or chipping defects.

Jewelry with stones is now at the peak of popularity. Gemstones are rare minerals that have a beautiful appearance. They decorate jewelry, collect them, and use them as talismans. Natural stones are a symbol of hardness, success, strength, beauty and wealth.

What is the difference between precious stones and semi-precious stones?

Everyone knows that there are precious and semi-precious stones, but few know how they differ from each other. The division into precious and semi-precious is very fluid and arbitrary. The very name “precious” sounds something special. And “semi-precious” seems to mean something less.
Minerologists divide all stones according to their chemical composition or physical properties. Jewelers are guided by the aesthetics and value of the stone. In addition, a stone of the same type, but of different quality, will differ significantly in cost.
There were cases when a gem suddenly lost its “preciousness”. Amethyst is close in its play of light, transparency and purity to rubies, emeralds and sapphires, from which it differs almost only in color. Amethyst was considered a precious stone until huge deposits of quality amethyst were discovered in Brazil. This discovery sharply reduced the value of the stone and moved it into the “ranks” of semi-precious stones.

Jewelry with precious stones
Precious stones include: diamond, alexandrite, aquamarine, ruby, sapphire, emerald, garnet, amethyst, peridot.

Jewelry with semi-precious stones
Semi-precious stones include: quartz, carnelian, agate, jasper, aventurine, opal, jade, malachite, turquoise, onyx, topaz.

Jewelry with stones of organic origin.
Such stones include: pearls, coral, amber, mother-of-pearl.

What does the color of the stones symbolize?

Very often, women are guided by the color of the stone when choosing jewelry.

Jewelry with white stones emphasizes the perfection of its owner. Such stones develop hard work and a sense of freedom in a person;
Stones of red shades symbolize energy, passion, movement. Such stones activate people’s energy and love of life;
Orange-colored stones symbolize beauty, grace, and artistry. Jewelry made from these stones develops a sense of beauty in a person;
Green stones symbolize the integrity of the individual. Owners of such stones are reasonable and patient;
Blue stones are symbols of logical thinking. These stones contribute to the development in a person of such qualities as intuition and practicality;
Purple stones are a symbol of mystery, magic, mysticism;
Purple stones are a symbol of will, thought;
Stones of brownish shades symbolize peace, reliability, stability;
Black stones symbolize the beginning and the end.

Symbolism of precious stones

Agate - longevity and health, strength, energy, success, protects against the evil eye and poisons.

Aquamarine - courage, bravery, prosperity, stone of lovers; protects marital happiness and promotes well-being.

Diamond - innocence, hardness, courage, pride, loyalty, love, material success, brings happiness.

Amethyst - sincerity, piety, protects against drunkenness, restrains passions, true love, widow's stone as a symbol of devotion to the deceased spouse.

Turquoise - courage, prosperity, luck, stone of happiness; according to some sources, it symbolizes whim, and a change in color threatens adultery.

Rock crystal - happiness in love, fidelity, protects from bad dreams.

Pomegranate - strength, loyalty, cheers the heart.

Pearls are tears of melancholy, protect against the torment of unrequited love, purity, prosperity, longevity.

Emerald - success, love, brings happiness and joy, wisdom, composure.

Coral - protects from the evil eye, protects from lightning.

Lapis lazuli - luck, success, love, courage, prosperity, healing stone, promotes healing

Moonstone - inspiration, hope, longevity, helps overcome love obstacles, wealth, brings good luck to players.

Malachite - increases spiritual strength, fulfillment of desires.

Opal - friendship, tender love, hope, pure thoughts, friendship.

Onyx is the stone of leaders.

Ruby - ardent love, reciprocity in feelings, invulnerability, devotion, fidelity, longevity, strength, dignity, beauty.

Sapphire - fidelity, chastity and modesty, clarity of thought, divine favor, brings happiness in love, protects a woman from slander, peace, happiness, justice.

Topaz - strength, wisdom, pacifies anger, promotes friendship, devotion, firmness of faith.

Tourmaline - friendship, amorousness, desire, hope, brings recognition, strengthens creative powers, pink tourmaline is a symbol of tender love.

Chrysolite - wins the sympathy of others.

Amber - happiness, health, the bearer of victory, protects against evil spells and the evil eye.

The most important thing in choosing products with stones is harmony. There is no need to chase the fashion and status of the stone. It is important that the stone is liked by its owner, matches the wardrobe and completes the look. It is believed that stones that truly suit a person bring good luck and happiness.

Swede Lena Paalsson once lost her wedding ring while preparing dinner. The loss was found 16 years later, when a woman was harvesting and pulled a ring out of the ground along with a carrot... To find the perfect piece of jewelry, sometimes you really need a miracle... or advice from a professional! Leading jewelry stores in Novosibirsk give recommendations on choosing rings, earrings and necklaces for different occasions.

What is the difference between precious stones and semi-precious stones?

Specialists in various fields classify jewelry stones according to various characteristics: chemical composition, parameters of the crystal lattice structure, size, and others. Therefore, any classification reflects a subjective view, and the very division of stones into precious and semi-precious is very arbitrary.

One of the first scientifically based classifications was proposed by the German scientist K. Kluge in 1860. He divided jewelry into two groups and five classes: truly precious and semi-precious stones.

The first group included:
diamond, corundum, chrysoberyl, spinel;
zircon, beryl, topaz, tourmaline, garnet, precious opal;
cordierite, vesuvian, chrysolite, axinite, kpanite, staurolite, andalusite, chastolite, epidote, turquoise.

To the second:
quartz, chalcedony, feldspars, obsidian, lapis lazuli, diopside, fluorite, amber;
jadeite, jade, serpentine, agalmatolite, satin spar, marble, selenite, alabaster, malachite, pyrite, rhodochrosite, hematite.

Today, precious stones include: diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, alexandrite, opal, jadeite, spinel, topaz, aquamarine, tourmaline and amethyst.

Gemstones are generally rare and have properties such as transparency, brilliance, color, refraction and dispersion. Their market value depends not only on the merits of the stone itself, but also on fashion trends.

A distinctive feature of ornamental stones is their decorative coloring. These include translucent and opaque minerals, often with colored inclusions. Their value is determined by their rarity and individual properties.

Fashion and stones: what jewelry is in trend today?

It is customary to roughly divide jewelry stones into precious and semi-precious. But any natural stone is an extraordinary creation of nature. It takes millions of years before a crystal is formed that can be used as jewelry. The artist-jeweler can only choose a worthy frame that does not distract attention from the natural beauty of the gem. This decoration is unique because there is not a single identical stone in the world.

Each natural stone has its own history of origin, because minerals can be formed in different ways. For example, colored varieties of quartz - amethysts, citrines, prasiolites, smoky quartz - are formed from hydrothermal solutions. Chrysolite and colorless quartz are born from fire-liquid melts in the bowels of the earth. But most natural stones are metamorphic minerals. They are formed in the deep layers of the earth's crust during the recrystallization of other minerals under the influence of high pressures and high temperatures. In the process of growth, they are subject to pressure and cracking, changes in chemical composition, become saturated with color and grow - a millimeter per century, retaining within themselves all the features of geological life.

Only a few gemstones are completely pure. You can often find pure rock crystal, topaz, and citrine in nature. Much less common are red garnets and amethysts. And pure emeralds and pink tourmalines are almost never found. Inclusions are frozen milestones in the history of the formation of a mineral and identifying features of the stone. According to gemologists, intensive mining of natural stones in the past reduces their number in the world every year, thereby making them more valuable and rare.

The main task of the specialists of the Russian Jeweler company is to create exclusive collections that are different from all others. The choice was made in favor of original, unique jewelry models that are worthy of true connoisseurs of beauty and individuality.

The Russian Jeweler salon, located at 4 Gogol Street, has the most widely available limited collections of jewelry made from natural stones of all colors. Contrary to general opinion, such works of jewelry can be purchased at a fairly affordable price and you can choose the unique stone that is right for you.

Sales consultants at Russian Jeweler salons will provide you with complete information about all jewelry and help you create a harmonious image taking into account your wishes.

Gift for boss, colleague or friend: is jewelry appropriate? Yes!

Not a single celebration, be it a professional holiday or the birthday of a loved one, is complete without the most pleasant part - gifts.

Choosing a gift for your boss or business partner is not an easy task. After all, you want to pleasantly surprise the recipient of the gift, and at the same time it is important to follow the rules of etiquette. On the eve of Boss's Day (October 16) and Accountant's Day (November 21), the Shining jewelry salon presents a collection of desirable and appropriate gifts made by the Altmaster creative workshop.

Worthy gifts from the Empire collection: document covers, wallets, business card holders. Business accessories made of leather and decorated with national symbols in silver will emphasize the status of the owner.

It is appropriate to present a luxury diary to a business partner as a token of gratitude for their cooperation. This is a true work of art, where every nuance is taken into account - from the luxurious paper, gilded along the edges, to the exquisite leather binding, decorated with the silver coat of arms of Russia.

If you are looking for an amazing gift for the person who has everything, choose a gift from an unusual collection of damasks, framed in leather cases with silver plaques. The set includes shot glasses.

From the series of VIP gifts, handmade knives made from Damascus steel by Zlatoust craftsmen deserve special attention. A unique design is manually applied to the product by etching, nickel plating, gilding or blackening. The handles of collectible knives are made of natural wood of valuable species and can be complemented with leather. Each knife has a certificate.