Gemma Geminus’ Post

Benitoite is a rare blue #barium #titanium silicate mineral with the chemical formula BaTiSi₃O₉. It is best known for its striking #sapphire-blue color and is prized as a gemstone. Here are some key points about benitoite: 👉🏻 Discovery: #Benitoite was discovered in 1907 by James M. Couch in the San Benito Mountains in #California, #USA. It was named after the location of its discovery. 🔵 Properties: 👉🏻 Color: Typically blue, but can also be colorless, white, pink, or purple. 👉🏻 Crystal System: Hexagonal. 👉🏻 Hardness: 6.0 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. 👉🏻 Luster: Vitreous. 👉🏻 Specific Gravity: Approximately 3.65. 👉🏻 Uses: While benitoite is primarily a collector's gem due to its rarity, it is also occasionally used in #jewelry. 👉🏻 Occurrence: Benitoite is typically found in hydrothermally altered serpentinite. The primary and most famous source of benitoite is the Benitoite Gem Mine in San Benito County, #California. Small amounts have also been found in #Arkansas, #Japan, and #Australia. 👉🏻 Fluorescence: One of the distinguishing characteristics of benitoite is its strong blue fluorescence under short-wave ultraviolet light. 👉🏻 Rarity: Benitoite is considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Its limited occurrence and distinctive properties make it highly sought after by collectors. 👉🏻 Synthetic Benitoite: Due to its rarity and value, synthetic benitoite has been produced, but it is not commonly available and is primarily of interest to researchers rather than the gem market. In summary, benitoite's unique properties and limited sources make it a fascinating and valuable mineral both for gem enthusiasts and collectors. Diamtrader

🌟Did You Know?🌟 Did you know that diamonds can be created from other forms of carbon, including peanut butter? 🥜 While not practical and definitely not your typical method, scientists have demonstrated that high pressure and temperatures can transform the carbon in peanut butter into diamonds. This quirky experiment sheds light on the versatility and surprising origins that diamonds can have, far beyond the typical mine. It’s a nutty idea, but it shows just how amazing and adaptable this gemstone can be! 💎✨ #DIdYouKnow #DiamondFacts #UNIDiamonds #Diamonds #B2BJewelry #FunFacts

Lab grown diamond and natural diamond both real diamond. Zircon and Moissanite is synthetic gemstone.

If you like mineralogy, this is for you: Beryl is the father of a mineral group of six ring silicates with the formula RX3Y2(T6O18).pH2O, where R, X, Y and T are positions that may be occupied by various elements, including Al, Be, Cs, Na, Fe, Sc, Ce, B, Mg or Li. The family includes pezzottaite (known for its purplish to pink gem varieties) and a few very rare minerals (e.g. bazzite, stoppaniite, indialite and the recently approved mineral species johnkoivulaite). Still with me guys after this science gibberish!?!? Now the juicy gemmy stuff: The beryllium and aluminium-bearing species is also called "beryl" since the 19th century and has many well known gem varieties: emerald (green, caused by Cr and/or V); aquamarine (blue to greenish blue to bluish green); green beryl (green, coloured by Fe); morganite (pink-orangey); heliodor (yellow); golden beryl; goshenite (colourless); red beryl (red). Some occur with optical phenomena (e.g. chatoyancy, very rarely asterism), parti-colour or anomalous optical behaviour (Maxixe and Maxixe-type beryls). Beryl provides many gem varieties to high jewellery, but it also a very popular among mineral collectors specially their well-formed specimens in the typical six-sided prismatic or tabular habits. Photo: a fine set of top quality crystals of heliodor, aquamarine, morganite, emerald and red beryl © Jeff Scovil and a collection of cut gem-quality beryls, photo Mia Dixon © Pala International #minerals #gemstones #jewelry #beryl

It’s a trigon party! Scientists love these unique, triangular etch marks common on natural diamonds for several reasons; trigons are a delicate overprinting feature that help document a diamond’s history inside the earth. Trigons form when fluids or magma etch or eat away at the outermost layers of the crystal. Most trigons are thought to develop within the magma that sweeps diamonds up to earth's surface. Trigon shape can vary, for example, between flat-bottomed and point-bottomed. Laboratory experiments show that point-bottomed trigons are result from magmas with greater amounts of carbon dioxide. Seeing trigons on a gem can be a helpful sign that the gem is a natural diamond, although some other gems, such as spinel, can have similar triangular surface features. However, trigons are often cut and polished away. But here you can see this 1.01 carat natural diamond exhibits numerous trigons on its girdle and two lower facets. What are your thoughts on these unique characteristics of natural diamonds? Read more about trigons and natural diamonds on our website: https://bit.ly/3YArRfe Photo courtesy: Isabelle Corvin

Trigons are unique triangular-shaped crystal inclusions found in some diamonds. These inclusions provide clues about the diamond's natural origin and growth conditions. Look out for my weekly #DidYouKnow post

Those familiar with crystallography might think that this might just be an octahedral blue diamond crystal. Well, it is not a diamond, let alone a blue type IIb diamond. Type IIb diamonds (with traces of boron and no detectable nitrogen in infrared spectroscopy, that is the formal definition of type IIb) do not occur in euhedral (meaning well-formed) crystals with developed crystal faces. All blue diamond rough crystals that are formed in ultradeep areas of the sub-lithosphere, are anhedral, that is, crystals with no defined crystal habit, with irregular shape lacking obvious crystal faces (if you wish to use expensive mineralogy words, it is the same as allotriomorphic and xenomorphic). In the photo we see another mineral also crystallising in the cubic system: spinel, a gemstone that we usually associate with red, maybe because it was historically known in Burma and also in Badakhshan (today’s Tajikistan) often known in the trade as “ballas ruby”. Spinel, as a mineral, occurs in many other colours including pink, orange, purple, mauve, grey and blue (including the intense cobalt blues), just to name the most relevant. Blue spinels are not that common (except if we talk about the flame fusion “synthetic” spinels from the early 20th century). And this blue specimen from Sri Lanka is a remarkable example of its kind, being a well-crystallised octahedron of a rare blue colour. Fortunately, not all gem minerals are fashioned into faceted or polished gems, remaining as mineral specimens for collectors and educators where crystal habit, paragenesis (other minerals), size, provenance and overall beauty (subjective) play a role in their evaluation. Photo Benjamin Decamp © Bill Larson Collection #spinel #gemology #gemstones #minerals #mineralspecimen #rare #octahedron

Looks like a diamond octahedral crystal, does it not? In blue colour… Well, it is not a diamond, let alone a blue type IIb diamond. Type IIb diamonds (with traces of boron and no nitrogen) do not occur in euhedral (meaning well-formed) crystals with developed crystal faces, for all blue diamond rough crystals are anhedral, that is, crystals with no defined crystal habit, with irregular shape lacking obvious crystal faces (if you wish to use expensive mineralogy words, it is the same as allotriomorphic and xenomorphic). In the photo we see another mineral also crystallising in the cubic system: spinel, a gemstone that we usually associate with red, maybe because it was historically known in Burma as red gemstone by the Portuguese in the 16th century with material from Badakhshan known in the trade as “ballas ruby”. Spinel, as a mineral, occurs in many other colours including pink, orange, purple, mauve, grey and blue (including the intense cobalt blues), just to name the most relevant. Blue spinels are not that common (except if we talk about the flame fusion “synthetic” spinels from the early 20th century). And this blue specimen from Sri Lanka is a remarkable example of its kind, being a well-crystallised octahedron of a rare blue colour. Fortunately, not all gem minerals are fashioned into faceted or polished gems, remaining as mineral specimens for collectors and educators where crystal habit, paragenesis (other minerals), size, provenance and overall beauty (subjective) play a role in their evaluation. Photo Benjamin Decamp © Bill Larson Collection #spinel #gemology #gemstones #minerals #mineralspecimen #rare #octahedron

Type IIa diamonds are the epitome of diamond excellence due to their unique atomic structure. These rare gems are known for their exceptional purity and clarity, often free from nitrogen and other impurities, making them highly prized and often commanding premium prices. In fact, only about 1-2% of all mined diamonds meet the criteria to be classified as Type IIa. Like their earth-mined counterparts, lab-grown diamonds have the same pure carbon composition and physical characteristics. Remarkably, all lab-grown diamonds are Type IIa, ranking them among the purest diamond crystals in existence. Lab-grown diamonds are not just an innovation in gemology but also represent the highest standards of purity and quality, matching the excellence of the rarest mined diamonds. 💎✨ Achal Mehta | Arnav Mehta #Diamonds #LabGrownDiamonds #TypeIIa #Jewelry

Are you embarking on the journey of choosing the perfect diamond? Check out my blog post below to unravel the distinctions between natural, lab-grown diamonds, and diamond simulants before you take that glittering plunge 💎.