Gem Stone Facts - What a Girl Needs to Know When Choosing Gem Stones

I've spent hours, if not days, hopping between websites, trying to collect all the small and bitty facts about various Gem Stones, and have cursed the fact that no one seems to have out all the girlie facts in one place. So, having collected all the information, I thought I might as well be the person to put all these facts in one place, where everyone that wants them can find them.

So here we are - Gem Stone Fact Sheets.

The below is a list of all the Gem Stones I have done a sheet for so far, with links through to the Squidoo page they exist on, and the Flickr members who have kindly supplied the pics.

Image courtesy of Swamibu

Diamond Gem Stone Facts

Image courtesy of paparutzi

Ruby Gem Stone Facts

Image Courtesy of gemteck1

Sapphire Gem Stone Facts

Image Courtesy of dbking

Emerald Gem Stone Facts

Image Courtesy of Hobo pd

Amethyst Gem Stone Facts

Image Courtesy of Orbital Joe

Topaz Gem Stone Facts

Image Courtesy of
kimmunism

Garnet Gem Stone Facts

Gem Stone Information - The Dictionary

As a girlie girl who likes gem stones and semi-precious stones simply because they are sparkly and pretty, I have found in the past that it’s surprisingly difficult to find girlie girl level info on a certain gem, all in the one place.

So, as no one else seems to have put birth stone, zodiac stone, anniversary stone, symbols and meanings, energies, planets, and other "proper" info like where they come from, hardness, chemical make up and so on altogther, I thought I would do it. I must stress that my Gem Info Pages are definitely not what you need if you are writing a thesis on a gem, or are some kind of gem type boffin. They contain the info that I always want when buying a gem as a gift. It is girlie gem info…with some science stuff thrown in at the end.

But first, for those of us who do not have a degree in Gem terminology, here is a quick dictionary type thing explaining some of the weirder words you might come across in my Gem Info Pages.

CRYSTAL SYSTEM
This is the structural shape of the gem – the way the crystal forms. There are 7 different forms, each with a fancy name:
Isometric
Tetragonal
Hexagonal
Trigonal
Orthorhombic
Monoclinic
Triclinic
The explanations of each name are all to do with maths, angles and "planes" and mean nothing without complicated drawings, so I am not including these. Generally speaking, these are not things you need to know when being girlie about gems.

HARDNESS
This is measured using the Mohs Scale, invented by German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. He placed 10 minerals in a scale so that each could only be scratched by those above it and in turn could scratch all those below it:
1......talc......................... powered by fingernail
2......gypsum................. scratched by fingernail
3......calcite.................... scratched by copper coin
4......fluorspar............... scratched by pen knife
5......apatite................... only just scratched by pen knife
6......orthoclase............. scratched by steel file
7......quartz.................... scratches glass
8......topaz...................... scratches quartz
9......corundum............. scratches topaz
10....diamond............... cannot be scratched

CLEAVAGE
This is the term for whether or not a gem will break smoothly and evenly along one surface or "plane" – some do, some don’t and some are in the middle.

FRACTURE
Some Gems break very distinctively when hit or smashed and these patterns have names:
conchoidal................... shell like
subconchoidal............. indistinct shell like
even............................. flat surface but slightly rough to the touch
uneven........................ rough and irregular
hacky........................... with sharp points
earthy......................... dull and crumbly

LUSTRE
This describes the way light bounces of the surface of the gem. The different ways have different names:
Metallic................................. like polished metal
Adamantine......................... brilliant, like diamond
Vitreous................................ like broken glass
Resinous............................... like resin or wax
Pearly/silky/splendent.......... brilliantly reflective
Shining.................................. reflective but not mirror
Glistening............................. reflects light not images
Glimmering.......................... imperfect reflections from points

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
This is the weight of the gem compared with an equal volume of water. This is used as similar sized but different gems can vary in weight enormously.

Craft Fairs PART 3 - Getting Into Craft Fairs and Shows

If you've read Finding Craft Fairs.... and Choosing Crafts Fairs.....by now you’ve put together a massive great list of events, shows and fairs, and you’ve worked out how you’re going to choose which ones you want to be at. Now, you’ve got to persuade the organisers that they want you there – a job that can sometimes be slightly harder than it needs to be. Most organisers are lovely and are pleased by the compliment your enquiry pays them, after all, you wouldn’t be calling if their event wasn’t good. But there are always one or two who have gone a little bit power crazy. If you can cope with working with those ones, here are some hints and tips on convincing them they need you at their event.

PART 3 - Getting Into Craft Fairs and Shows

1. Apply early. This is hugley important if you are a jeweller.
2. Make your stand and product different from all the rest, so even if you are going to be the third papier mache fish modeller at the fair, there is still room for you because yours is nothing like the rest.
3. If possible, offer to do demonstrations of your craft whilst at the Fair. Organisers find this hugely attractive, as it brings extra punters in, and can be used as a pull in their advertising.
4. If you can’t get in this time round, be nice and ask for your details to be held for next year.
5. Be prepared to provide samples, as some organisers of big events like to see your work before extending an invitation. Sometimes photos will do – having a website can be very handy for this, as you can direct people there and save the postage.
6. Many Shows are only interested in stands that sell only items Hand Made by the person selling them, i.e. no re-sellers. If you can truthfully say that everything you sell is all your own work, you will find yourself able to get into many more events (and often a better class of events too).
7. If you can, be flexible with your stock. Offering not to sell certain lines that might duplicate other traders items can be a useful way of getting into otherwise fully booked shows.
8. Once you are on an organisers mailing list, you will hopefully receive an invite to attend anything relevant. But if the date is getting near and you have had not heard anything, phone them. It shows you are really keen to be there and professional enough to be aware of the forth coming event. More often than not, they haven’t got round to doing the mailing yet, so all is well. But your letter might have been lost in the post….

Make sure you have also read

Part 1, Finding Craft Fairs and Shows,

Part 2, Choosing Craft Fairs and Shows