What do real emeralds look like and will a real emerald scratch glass like a diamond???
912103
Emeralds are Beryl, which has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 and can certainly scratch glass. Glass is silica, with a hardness of 6 to 7.\nDiamond, the hardest of all substances, gets the big 10. \nBeryl has been found in about every color of the rainbow, but green is most common.
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.
242828
Is this for an engagement ring? If so, maybe you can consider another stone, rather than an imitation. Lots of women I know have citrine, sapphire, or other stones for their engagement rings. (It was good enough for Princess Diana, though her sapphire was surrounded by diamonds.)
642151
hard to say. i found lots of things in the desert. my husband is a geologist. if you mail me a picture, i will have him look at it.\nthere is lot of crystal stuff in egyptian deserts, most are worthless unless you enjoy it as decoration in your house. does it has a greenish tone in the bottom of the crystals? i have lots of them. it depends also where you found it. if it was near a roman settlement, it could be ancient glass, but if it scratch glass now, i doubt it. i found lots of this, but not this big of a piece, that would be uncommon. tell me more about it, maybe i can help you.\n\nsend me a picture...susuegypt@hotmail.com
93914
I'm not sure what they're made of, but has anybody else noticed that they look like tinted CDs?
312782
actualy it's very easy. most real alexanderite on the market is a brite green (like a good emerald) or a bluegreen which turns either a light red or light redish purple. Most of the time the color change isn't complete. The exceptiion would be the extreamly high end stuff. The color change is always subtle in natural stones.\n\nI've seen lab created stuff, it looks more like mystic topaz than actual alexanderite. i don't have any of the sites memorized but do a search on the stone to get an idea of what i'm talking about.
662599
Question 1:\n\nPegmatites are rocks containing valuable mineral deposits such as quartz, feldspar, & mica. Gemstones are often associated w/ pegmatite deposits.\n\nQuartz is an important mineral in making glass & semiconductors/microchips as well as gemstones.\n\nFeldspar is used industrially in the glass-making process, in ceramics, & as gemstones (moonstone, etc.).\n\nMica is used in everything from paints to makeup. Anything w/ a sparkle. In the old days before glass became affordable, people used sheets of mica as windows on homes & in the doors of furnaces.\n\nThe link below gives a little insight into pegmatites & some history of mining in the United States.\n\nQuestion 2:\n\nHigher water content lowers the viscosity of magma (makes it less thick). This is b/c it disrupts the bonds between silicon & oxygen in the magma.
982678
100% but they are such a low quality diamond that they are used in industry... they're typically very very small, discolored, and fragmented, not the type of stone you'd want to wear.\n\ncheers,\nkc
418451
Peridot is not normally treated. There is also no commercial synthetic for Peridot.  It is a lovely stone but it is a little soft (hardness about 6.5) and brittle.  It is susceptible to certain chemicals (acids) & thermal shock so it needs a bit of care, especially if it is set as a ring.\n\nI need to see your stone to be sure, but here are some questions that might lead you to solve this mystery:\n\nFirst off, are you certain this stone is a Peridot? Most jewellers are not gemologists and may not be able to correctly identify a stone.  If proper gemological tests have not been conducted on this stone, it could turn out to be anything! \n\nIf you are certain it is a Peridot: \nDo you wear your ring often? Do you use creams or sprays? Do you cook or clean with it on? Observe the surface of your stone.  Is the polish dull? Are the facets abraded? These cut factors can affect the quality of color of your stone and may cause a stone to look "cloudy".\n\nHope this helps!
499285
It depends on what you mean by "simulated" diamonds.  If you mean something like cubic zirconium then the answer is no, they are not real diamonds.  However, if you mean man made diamonds, then the answer is yes, they are real diamonds.  Man made diamonds are made of the same material, have the same crystalline structure and have all of the same characteristics as a natural diamond.  Its simply a matter of them having been formed in a laboratory and "real" or natural diamonds having formed in nature.  Both methods require extreme heat and pressure but yield the same material.  Man made diamonds have fewer inclusions and flaws than natural diamonds.  A man made diamond,even though it is the exact same thing as a natural diamond, can only be sold as a man made diamond and can never be represented as a natural diamond.
567188
Wow it is scary reading some of these answers... Take it to a reputable jeweler in your town and they will test it using  a touchstone and several different types of nitric acid to test. If this is done wrong you could ruin your piece of jewelry.... fire is certainly not your answer... gold meltsssssssssssss..most jewelers and I mean jewelers can tell just by looking, though sometimes even they need to test a piece...
978391
It looks like an opal to me.  Check the hardness, if you can inscribe it with a steel knife it is softer than 6-7on the Moh's hardness scale, and probably an opal. if the blue mineral scatches glass it is harder than 5.
585350
Woah I just answered this question. Weird. The 15 year gift is Crystal. As in, wine glasses, etc. For gemstones its Ruby.
625721
Here are some questions that will help you:\n\nFirstly, are they natural or synthetic?  \nSome synthetics can look amazingly similar to heat-treated naturals.  \n\nIf they are synthetic, what kind of synthetics are they? Flame-fusion? Flux-grown? Flame-fusion synthetics can be had for a few cents a piece.  Some flux-grown synthetics cost over a $100/ct.\n\nIf they are natural, you'll need to judge their quality:\n\nColor - Is the color saturated? Is the tone balanced? Do they show undesirable brown modifiers? \n\nClarity - Are there inclusions? How distracting are they? Where are they located? Do they improve or adversely effect the aesthetics of the stones?  Do they affect durability? \n \nCut - Are the stones faceted or cabachon-cut? Are they transparent, translucent or opaque?  What shapes are they?\nAre they cut well? ie balanced & symmetrical, good length-width ratio, good polish and finish.  There is a premium for matched pairs and lots.\n\nCarat - 13 rubies totalling 50 carats makes each piece about 3.85cts.  Hmmm...that's considered large for rubies.  \nFine stones above 3 carats are considered rare.  Commercial & utility quality stones can be hundreds of carats in size and still not be very valuable.\n\nOrigin - Where were they mined? There is a premium for Burmese stones, especially from Mogok.\n\n------------------------------------------ \n\nBased on the information you have provided, it is not possible to accurately say what they are worth.  You could have a jeweller look at them, but it's probably better to send them to a professional colored stone appraiser.  \n\nAs a very rough estimate, here are some price ranges for faceted rubies in the 3ct range (in Bangkok): [Commercial/Good/Fine]\nRuby [25-300/300-1000/1000-6000]\nPink Sapphire (low saturation rubies) [50+/100-250/250-1500]\n\nBTW, 99% of all rubies available in the market are heat-treated.  A premium is put on stones that are not heated but only if they are of fine quality material.  All other things equal, washed out stones that have not been heat treated are never worth more than heated material with good color.
693467
That depends on many factors. First of all, you would have to weight the rough stone and determine how many carats each was. Then, and most importantly, you have to judge the quality of the stone: intensity and quality of the color, inclusions, origin of the stone, and how much of that rough could be used into cutting the stone. \nIf all three stones were top quality (from top origins, and without treatments, top color, clarity and so on), it could be something like: Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire. \nStill, take into account that this goes by particular specimen (and this applies to many gemstones) and not so much by species. \nRough, uncut stones are hard to judge, since the inclusions are harder to see, and you don't get a good sense of color. \nYou can probably get a good piece of rough stone for not too much money. If you are looking to have it cut or polished, though you may be disappointed, as very little of it may be useful. \nIf you are looking to buy stones to wear, I recommend that you look into cabochon cuts: this cut makes the color look beautiful, whilst using lesser quality (clarity wise) stones, so it's not as expensive, and you may find big, beautiful pieces that are ready to be set. \nHave you considered buying spinels? They come basically in every color, and they are so shiny that they glitter even in their rough, unpolished forms. \nGood luck!
490023
ANOTHER ADVOCATE 4 EBAY\n\nI had an EBAY wedding! I got my dress, rings, shoes, bridesmaid dress, wedding night lingerie, all on ebay.  My ring is a marquise cut diamond - 1 carat, with two accent diamonds, 1/4 carat each, and small diamonds in the band (8 total), white gold. THe diamond is an I in color an SI in clarity. I paid less than $1400 with shipping. I love it. His ring was made of Tungsten steel, very shiny and different, and scratch resistent, he got his for under $20!\n\nAll depends what you are looking for, jewelry searches are easy on ebay and most sellers are very reputable, just check their ratings! My ring came from a seller in NY, they seemed to have the best deals.
773165
There is an equipment use in jewellries store,..to check wether a diamond is genuine or not.If the jewelry is diamond,..this equipment will make a beeping noise/alarm.\n\nIf u can borrow..one of this equipment,..it will be faster.