The Precious Stones Of Our World And The Places They Originate
As one of the natural wonders of our planet, valuable stones are prized the world over. There are specific locations around the globe where there has been just the right amount of heat combined with just the right amount of pressure on just the right type of rock, which has created something remarkable.
Diamonds As the hardest stone known to man, Diamonds are a rare and coveted gemstone. For every one million diamonds that are mined, only one will be found that is a one caret diamond. They are used for industrial drill bits as well as adored as jewellery, and comes in shades from clear to yellow to red (the rarest).
Rubies Instantly recognisable for their blood red to purple colour, rubies are often given as a symbol of love and passion. They are one of the most precious stones and the finest rubies are thought to come from the mines of Burma, which have been in operation since the 1400′s. If you own a ruby it is advisable to get adequate jewellery insurance.
Sapphires Sapphires’ don’t just come in shades of blue as you may expect; they come in every shade aside from red (that would be a ruby). Areas that are rich in sapphires’ include Montana, USA, Sri Lanka, Australia and Madagascar.
Emeralds Unlike sapphires, emeralds only come in vivid green and must be made from the mineral beryl to be officially classed as an emerald. The best emeralds are even more valuable than diamonds. They are mined in Colombia, parts of Africa, as well as various states in America.
Tanzanite First discovered in the second half of the20th century, Tanzanite is one of the rarest gemstones on Earth. Found only in a small area in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, the stone gets its name from its country of birth: Tanzania. Tanzanite is stunning to behold as it displays ‘pleochroism’ – the double refraction of light – meaning that it appears to be different colours when displayed from different angles.
Philip Youngwood writes on a number of insurance related topics including jewellery insurance.
