Gemstone Guide - Types of Gemstone
credits: http://www.swissgemlab.com/EducationPages/EducationDetailPage.aspx?pcid=331&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 / http://www.makermends.com/gemstones.html From the very dawn of civilization, man has been fascinated by brilliant, shiny, colorful shells, stones and crystals. Their possession made him more important than others. Gems have always been regarded as bringers of peace, prosperity and happiness. A couple of centuries ago, the terms 'Precious' and 'Semi-Precious' stones came into common use. Although there are many exceptions to this classification, but these terms are still in use. For example, diamonds have always been considered as precious stones, yet there are diamonds that sell for $100 a carat. On the other hand, there are garnets that sell in excess of $1,000 a carat and garnets have traditionally been considered semiprecious stones. For this reason, now-a-days jewelers often refer to gemstones, other than diamond, as 'Colored Stones...
