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Gemstones - treasured objects |
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What is a gem?
 In antiquity, the so-called precious stones were diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearls, and occasionally, opals. A gem is any mineral, cut and polished for ornamental purposes. There are more than three thousand known minerals. Any of them could be used as a gem.
 Whether intended for religious purposes or as personal adornment, jewellery articles of various kinds have been known since the earliest times. The reasons for wearing these small but captivating objects have not changed much over the millennia and remain just as valid today: jewellery (especially gold) worn on the person or as garment accessories has always been a symbol not only of wealth but also of the wearer's social status. In addition to being worn, jewellery objects were often presented as wedding and birthday gifts and were placed in temples as offerings to gods and in tombs to honour the dead.
 From the 3rd millennium BC, silversmiths and goldsmiths developed a number of different techniques for use in jewellery-making. Two techniques - granulation and filigree - were particularly popular in the manufacture of articles from precious metals such as silver, gold, and electrum and examples of their use can be found from the early Bronze Age until Byzantine times. Until the Hellenistic period, only metals were employed in jewellery-making. From then on, probably as a result of the increased contact with the Orient resulting from Alexander's campaigns, we find more and more examples of articles incorporating both precious metals and precious and semiprecious stones such as emeralds, rubies, agates, aquamarines, garnets, carnetians, and sards in Greek
jewellery.
 During the Roman period, these gems were used along with jaspers, pearls, and even glass. At that time the wearing of gold was a privilege granted only to ranking members of the state. This accounts for the large quantities of bronze and glass rings unearthed in excavations of Roman sites, since such articles were especially popular among the lower classes of society. Gemstones are among man's most treasured objects. The histories of certain individual gemstones can be traced over a span of centuries. Gems are associated with wealth, prestige, status and power just as gold and silver. In the earliest periods of civilization, people became curious about natural objects, including minerals.
 Early humans discovered pebbles and fragments of various brightly coloured minerals in fields and streambeds, on mountain slopes, and in barren deserts. Some of these were made into ornaments. Others were ascribed mystical powers or symbolic religious significance. For centuries, gem materials held a position of tremendous influence in human affairs. The primary attribute of any gemstone was colour, yet no reliable way existed for differentiating minerals of the same or similar colours. It is not surprising that confusion reigned in both literature and in the marketplace. There are literally hundreds of references to gemstones in the Bible. Yet in many cases, it is not known today exactly which stones were being described.
Modern gemology is a relatively new science. A large part of the value of a fine gem lies in its scarcity as a rare, natural object. The overall answer as to how gems are valued is complex. Worldwide affluence has created an unprecedented demand for gems of fine quality, greatly increasing their price. Political problems in gem producing areas have created restrictions in the supply of gem materials, further raising prices.
What is important in gems?
 The colour should be true. For example, a red ruby should be red - a clear red, not some milky or dull red. A naturally translucent stone should be translucent. Inclusions should be small. Natural stones do have inclusions, but it is important to make sure that the stone does not lose all of its beauty because of dull clouds. Cracks should be very, very small, or non-existent. A cracked stone can split open under the smallest physical pressure.
 This clearly indicates that "precious" is a marketing term, applying to any expensive item. It is worth noting that a diamond can be purchased for as little as $200 per carat, yet certain colours of garnet are currently selling at prices over $1,000 per carat. Garnet has always been regarded as semiprecious, so it is obvious that these terms, as applied to gems, have little relevance or meaning. Therefore, aside from considerations of historical usage, the terms "precious" and "semi-precious" should be completely abandoned. In order to be considered a gem, a mineral must have beauty, durability, and scarcity, according to most authorities.
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