what are similiarities between ores and gems?
115410
An ore has minerals or metals suspended in a base, unwanted material that needs to be refined to make the pure mineral or metal usable.\n\nA gem is a crystaline material that has some intrinsic value.
147739
The two are very different minerals. \n\nGarnet describes a group of minerals, of the general formula of\nA3B2 (SiO4) 3  where A = Ca, Fe, etc, and B=Al, Cr, etc. Garnet comes in a variety of colors including red, black, brown, green, orange, pink, and colorless.  They are sometimes used as gemstones, but probably are more popular as a coating in high quality sandpaper and other abrasives. \n\nHere are some photos of different garnet minerals:\nhttp://www.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/garnets.htm\nTo see more data on the mineral properties go here:\nhttp://www.mindat.org/min-1651.html\n\nAquamarine is a blue gemstone variety of a mineral known as beryl. Beryl is Be3Al2Si6O18. Aquamarine and other varieties of beryl are much more popular as gemstones than garnet. Beryl also comes in green, blue, yellow, white, pink and other colors. Beryl is slightly harder than garnet with a rating 7.5 to 8 compared to 6.5 to 7.5 on Moh's scale of hardness. \n\nHere are pictures of beryls including aquamarine:\nhttp://www.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/beryl/beryl.htm\n\n\nHOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!
246934
A crystal is a type of structure. What makes something diamond, sapphire, quartz, etc, is its chemical composition.
1045333
Gemologist identifies and grades diamonds and gemstones
242438
Fool's gold (pyrite) is a lot more common.  Being rare makes things more expensive. Plus there's not much you can do with pyrite, although it does grow naturally in cool shapes like squares and octahedrons.
791444
I think the answer will depend on what you mean by "popular." If by popular you mean the most carats of gemstones sold commercially, then I think we would be looking at a less expensive gemstone such as amethyst or citrine (normally super-heated amethyst) or topaz in one of its many enhanced-color options.\n\nIf by popular you mean valuable, then emeralds and rubies are the most valuable monetarily. In fact, an emerald or ruby of equal size and quality are normally more valuable than their diamond counterparts.
46390
This is strait from the book, My book "Gemstones of the World " by Walter Schumann.\n  The cutting of the colored stones is called lapidary work; the cutter is known as a lapidary. This can be the cutting of all types of stones and gems, from semi presious stones ( ie: turquoise )to the most pressious stones ( ie:Dimonds ) some times lapidary is refered to as a " gem cutter " or "stone cutter" but these are lossly used turms. \nUse the library for further reserch. A person that sells or deals in gem stons is a " gemalogist "
750126
The best answer is C. Minerals are inorganic, have a definite homogeneous chemical structure, are solid and have a crystalline structure formed by geologic processes.
793265
Gemology (gemmology outside the United States) is the science, art and profession of identifying and evaluating gemstones. It may be considered a branch of mineralogy. Some jewelers are gemologists and are qualified to identify gems.
1174275
1. The process of cutting and polishing gems is called gemcutting or lapidary, while a person who cuts and polishes gems is called a gemcutter  or a lapidary (sometimes lapidarist).\n\n2. Alien.
942896
Do you mean:\nA. Are there minerals other than quartz (or chalcedony, other form of silica) that also can replace remains? Yes, but commonly not as colorful. Pyrite, calcite or aragonite, for example. You may have seen some pyritized shells before--very pretty. \nB. Can body parts made of silica be replaced by minerals other than quartz? Well, radiolarians or some sponges, for example, have shells or spicules made of biologic form of opal (hydrated silica)--which can be replaced by calcite(or other carbonate), pyrite, or phosphatic material, for example, rather than by quartz (or chalcedony).
956412
Ruby is not a mineral in its own right, it is a variety of the mineral CORUNDUM. Ruby is the name given to corundum (aluminum oxide) which is coloured red by having small amounts of chromium as an impurity (blue sapphire is corundum with iron and titanium). Ruby is found in many areas around the world but only in small ammounts. Ruby good enough to cut into gemstones is VERY rare. So rare in fact that the price the prices per carat of fine rubies are the highest of all gemstones including diamonds.
244879
Minerals are made up of combinations of elements & rocks are made up of combinations of minerals.\n\nTechnically a rock & a mineral are not the same thing.\n\nSince minerals make up rocks I guess they have that same thing in common.
527447
Ive been a gem cutter for nearly 35 years...Gunner is right on his points about opal, but your case is a little different with what you have...If you would like to email me at tahoeman_69@sbcglobal.net or IM me at tahoeman_69, I would be happy to discuss everything you would like to know...It is really more involved than I can describe here and I think it would help to uncomplicate the process if we talked via messenger...
605599
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure. A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals. (A rock may also include organic remains.) Some rocks are predominantly composed of just one mineral. For example, limestone is a sedimentary rock composed almost entirely of the mineral calcite. Other rocks contain many minerals, and the specific minerals in a rock can vary widely. Some minerals, like quartz, mica or feldspar are common, while others have been found in only one or two locations worldwide. Over half of the mineral species known are so rare that they have only been found in a handful of samples, and many are known from only one or two small grains.\nthere for its hard to say which is rarest.
695150
This past summer the wife and I took a trip to NC. Spruce Pine to be precise. We went "Rock Hounding" or "Gem Mining" at place called  Gem Mountain.\n\nhttp://www.gemmountain.com/aquamarine.htm\n\nWhile at Gem Mountain we purchased one bucket of minerals and mined at their Aquamarine mine near by.\n\nWe found some nice specimens, but one in particular stuck a nerve, The image of this Aquamarine is posted at my site, Take a look:\n\nhttp://my.opera.com/TheMineralExchange/albums/showpic.dml?album=157930&picture=2347315\n\nOk.. so after viewing the image, Aquamarine's stats are as follows:\nA) : Green-blue\nB) : White\nC) : 2.63-2.91\nD) : 7 1/2-8\nE) : Hexagonal\nF) : Imperfect\nG) : Conchoidal, Uneven, Brittle.\n\nHey Teacher?. did I pass?
244328
no a diamond is a type of rock.\n\na crystal is a type of glass.\n\nsimilar, but not quite the same.