It is difficult to imagine that there were times when precious stones were practically worthless, had no name, and were often used for absolutely primitive purposes (for example, cracking nuts with them). And all because gems extracted from rocks at the initial stage rarely have a presentable appearance: precious stones are dazzling with their amazingly beautiful colors only after jewelers have worked on them properly (cut, polished, created the appropriate design). Immediately after this, gems become incredibly expensive, and no one dares to use them as a tool.
Precious stones are natural chemical compounds (minerals) that have a crystalline structure and a certain composition that affect the characteristics and appearance of gems.
Since there are more than four thousand names of a wide variety of minerals in nature, experts agree that only a natural crystal that is distinguished by its beauty and durability, and therefore suitable for jewelry processing, can be considered precious. Moreover, these minerals can be either colorless or have a beautiful monochromatic color, shine, create an amazing play of light and shadow, surprise with unusual optical effects, and be characterized by resistance to wear and high hardness.
Considering all these interrelated factors, scientists have still not been able to develop a clear and unambiguous scheme for dividing gems into groups (in each country the same stones are often classified as precious or semi-precious). The main list is still the same in many classifications: no one doubts that natural rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, alexandrites and pearls are precious stones. For example, in Russia they are recognized as such at the legislative level, and therefore all other natural jewelry stones
Among them are garnet, amethyst, topaz, malachite, turquoise, agate, jade, amber: despite the fact that after processing these minerals become transparent and acquire a unique shine, they are not unique and do not have the required hardness. True, this does not prevent jewelers from widely using semi-precious stones in finishing work (malachite boxes, the Amber Room in the Catherine Palace).
The beauty of gems
For precious stones First of all, they are characterized by monotony (they can be either colorless or have a certain color). A gem can have both “its own” and “foreign” color, which it acquires due to impurities of other minerals that somehow ended up in its composition (for example, semi-precious agate can have a yellowish tint due to inclusions of hematite and iron hydroxides ).
Also, an important role in evaluating a gem is played by its brilliance (the level of refraction of rays, the ability of the stone to reflect them) and transparency. In addition, the beauty of gems is given by optical effects, which are obtained by combining shine, color and transparency:
- Asterism – from the middle of the gem to different sides rays of light diverge. This property can be seen when inclusions of other minerals (ruby, sapphire) are observed along the edges and faces of gems;
- Cat's eye - obtained due to the presence of tube-shaped voids or fibers of other crystals in the structure, giving the gem a silky shine (jade, quartz, chrysoberyl);
- Opalescence is formed as a result of the refraction of rays from the three-dimensional structure of the stone. This property is best expressed in opals, whose colors shimmer and sparkle;
- Iridescence - manifests itself in the form of a rainbow-colored glow in bright light, characteristic of spar, quartz, moon and sun stones;
- Dispersion - a property that can be seen in minerals with high refraction of light rays (diamond). In these gems, waves of purple and red tones shimmer beautifully as they pass through the crystal.
Wear resistance of gems
The less strength a stone has, the less valuable it is: when processing a gem for jewelry, it is very important that it can be cut, sawed, polished, etc. without much fear. Thus, according to hardness, gems are divided into the following types:
- Soft (from 1 to 5) – talc, lime spar, marble, onyx;
- Medium (from 5 to 6.5) – apatite, orthoclase;
- Hard (from 6.5 to 7.5) – quartz;
- High hardness (more than 7.5) – topaz, sapphire, diamond.
The quality of precious and semi-precious stones is influenced by such a property as viscosity - the ability to change and restore shape when subjected to deforming forces. Gems with high viscosity (jade) easily retain their shape, and you can wear them without fear that they will begin to crumble, as, for example, fragile semi-precious stones such as opal or obsidian can do.
Jewelers also value such a property of a stone as cleavage - its ability to break into crystallographic plates (a very necessary property for obtaining a flat surface). Meanwhile, if this characteristic is expressed too strongly, jewelers prefer not to mess with the gem: the stone may become covered with cracks and chips.
One of the characteristics of the strength of a gem is its purity or defectiveness - the absence of voids, cracks, and impurities. It is worth considering that an absolutely pure mineral is almost never found and always contains traces early stages of its development.
Cracks rarely decorate a gem and always reduce its strength - this also applies to expensive diamonds.
Thus, the most expensive gem “Cullinan” (the diamond received its name in honor of the owner of the mine where it was discovered) was presented to King Edward VII of Great Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century: it had 3106 carats, its weight exceeded half a kilogram, and its dimensions were 100x65x50 mm. Since the donated diamond had cracks, it was impossible to make one large diamond from it, and therefore, before splitting it, the best lapidary of the time, Joseph Ascher, studied it for several months.
It was not possible to break it right away: during the first attempt, the knife broke. But the second approach turned out to be more successful, and Cullinan divided it into two parts (interestingly, after the first accurate blow, the master lost consciousness from overexertion). As a result, nine large diamonds and ninety-six small gems were made from the stone, the largest of which is set in the royal scepter, and the second largest adorns the crown of the British Empire.
Chemical composition of the gem
The appearance of most semi-precious and precious stones largely depends on the chemical composition of the gems. Since they all have different chemical compositions and crystal structures (gem quality gems almost always have an ordered crystal lattice), they are divided into corresponding groups.
The most common element in gems is oxygen, followed in descending order by silicon, aluminum and calcium (the most numerous group being silicates). By chemical composition The list of semi-precious and precious stones is as follows:
- Silicates – chrysolite, garnet, beryl zircon, jade;
- Oxides – corundum, quartz, opals, spinel;
- Sulfides – pyrite, galena, sphalerite;
- Halides – fluorite;
- Native elements – diamond;
- Carbonates – malachite, marble onyx;
- Organic compounds - amber, corals, pearls, jet.
It is interesting that the chemical properties of gems of the same group can change while the crystal structure remains unchanged: stones can become both precious (a ruby transforms into pink sapphire) and semi-precious types.
Even the smallest fluctuation in properties can change the appearance of the jewelry, for example, ruby and sapphire, being varieties of the corundum mineral and having the same characteristics, have different colors - blue sapphire, red ruby.
As for gems of organic origin, before they acquired their current form, they were an element of living nature: pearls grew in an oyster shell, amber is the resin of old trees, coral is the skeleton of marine invertebrate animals, jet is petrified wood.
Origin
If it was previously believed that the most beautiful gemstones could be formed only in the tropics, geologists managed to prove this belief wrong by discovering many gems in temperate latitudes. For example, in Russia such precious stones as aquamarines, diamonds, jades, topaz, lapis lazuli were found, in Japan - coral, pearls, amethyst, in Ukraine - beryl, topaz, in Hungary - opal.
Almost all precious stones (of course, except those of organic origin) were formed in rocks, and therefore they are divided into metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary (among the latter - rhinestone, garnet, Colombian emeralds). Some gemstones are considered primary (located in the place where they were formed), others are considered secondary formations (formed minerals were transported by rivers, seas or winds to a new place).
The extraction of precious stones largely depends on the origin of the gems. Precious and semi-precious stones located close to the earth's surface are often mined by hand (especially in third world countries): stones are separated from the rock with ordinary hammers, chisels, picks, and sometimes explosives are used. Placer deposits located in water are processed by washing sand or using dredges. But in order to extract stones located at great depths (for example, diamonds), equipment is still used - this cannot be done manually.
Synthetic stones
Just a hundred years ago, it was quite easy to distinguish a semi-precious or precious stone from their glass imitation or an ornamental stone: a jewelry stone could be identified “by eye” and it was not easy to deceive anyone. But, in the middle of the last century, science made a huge leap forward - and the emergence of synthetic stones, which were in no way inferior to natural precious stones, made gems accessible to the general public.
It is worth noting that if earlier the creation of such stones was very expensive due to the high cost of equipment, then recently the cost of them has been falling every year.
The main difference between these stones and the original ones is that they were not formed inside a rock, but were created artificially in a factory or laboratory. Therefore, they have another name - “grown jewelry stones”: often there is a complete imitation of the natural process of gem formation (the only thing is that the stone grows much faster).
In building artificial stones there are many positive aspects. First of all, jewelry has become more accessible to the masses, hence sales and profits have increased. Artificial gems are often more perfect than their natural counterparts (they do not have cracks or impurities, they are usually more saturated and deep in color).
Since ancient times, people have known a lot about the magical properties of various gems. Stones can make a person happy, rich and healthy, or they can deprive a person of everything - love, health, even life. It is traditional to distinguish between useful and dangerous minerals by the constellation under which a person was born. In our country, in the Urals, there are rich deposits of magnificent minerals. Ural semi-precious stones are highly valued all over the world. These powerful amulets are also incredibly beautiful. Anyone who has visited the Moscow Kremlin museums has had the opportunity to see with their own eyes all the Ural gems - stones, photos of which, of course, are not able to fully convey all their fabulous charm, since it is impossible to see the play of light and reflection, to feel the vibrations and mysterious radiation emanating from stones.
In this article, each zodiac sign has its own Ural gemstones. A description of their properties is also given.
Aries
Heliotrope is very useful for this sign. The mineral will calm the easily excitable Aries and help with decision-making. The most assertive sign of the Zodiac will greatly benefit from endurance, physical strength and the confidence that the gem will give him. He will give Aries wealth and good luck. Heliotrope has a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels.
Taurus
Taurus should wear agate in a copper frame. This stone is able to improve vision, ward off troubles from its owner, and also gives him the ability to express his thoughts eloquently and convincingly. If Taurus wears agate constantly, they will learn to identify deceptions and distinguish enemies from friends.
Twins
Amethyst - it will cure depression and give joy eternal love. It will also protect against intoxication and poisoning. If Gemini begins to wear amethyst constantly, they will develop esoteric talents. Amethyst absorbs negativity very intensively, so it needs to be cleansed regularly.
Cancers
Ural gems will make this infantile and impractical zodiac sign happy, loved and rich. and calcite will help him become the master of his destiny and teach him to think logically. Emerald jewelry is often complemented with diamonds. It's not scary. A diamond only enhances the positive influence of its neighbors.
Lions
It is very good for Leo to have a talisman with a ruby. This stone can lead him to the top of the career ladder, but it must be removed periodically, since a ruby can deprive its owner of a sense of reality and free him from ethical standards. And excessive emancipation is fraught with loss of friends and other similar troubles.
Virgo
For Virgo a good helper there will be a talisman made of jasper. This inexpensive mineral is very beautiful and will help the virgin in her studies, because she always strives for knowledge. It will help restore strength and focus. This stone will also drive away ill-wishers and allow you to stay on the wave of a calm mood and not become despondent.
Scales
Will give Libra good friends. It will also improve the color and quality of its owner’s skin. If you wear malachite beads, your hair will grow faster. Plates of this mineral applied to sore spots will relieve inflammation. If you make a habit of meditating on malachite for several minutes every day, this will sharpen your vision and prevent eye diseases.
Scorpios
Tourmaline will improve the condition endocrine system Scorpio. Red minerals will harmonize personal life and give love, green ones will teach concentration and speed up thought processes, blue ones will calm the nervous system and will be indispensable for meditation and spiritual practices, black ones will open the gift of predicting the future.
Sagittarius
Chalcedony is better suited than all other stones for Sagittarius. And if Sagittarius is also a sailor, then he will be the luckiest of his colleagues. How brighter color stone, the stronger its energy. However, you cannot wear it on yourself all the time, as it can provoke the appearance of unreasonable fears and, as a result, problems with blood circulation. For Sagittarius women, chalcedony will give ideal love.
Capricorns
Will hard-working and melancholic Capricorn wear gems? You don't have to hang stones around your neck or in your ears. You can purchase a bowl, sculpture, or piece of furniture. - onyx, very often used as an ornamental material. This Ural gem will protect you from loneliness, relieve suspiciousness and indecision. It is capable of drawing illnesses out of a person and prolonging life.
Aquarius
Red gems - stones that look like garnet seeds and have the same name - are perfect for the most creative sign - Aquarius. Grenades will teach him rationalism in the distribution of time and money, give him inspiration and provide him with the necessary energy. However, it is not recommended to wear them constantly, otherwise there is a risk of depleting your body. These stones are worn by warriors to protect themselves from bloodshed and injury. Pomegranates help pregnant women during childbirth.
Fish
This sign should have an amulet with an opal. This mineral will help establish and maintain friendships. It will protect its owner during an outbreak of an epidemic, protect against thieves, lightning and fire. A talisman with an opal will help develop Creative skills. Gold doubles the power of the amulet. Depending on the type, it has different properties, but it always brings happiness and harmony. You should only be wary of black - it is the stone of magicians and witchcraft.
Jewelry is most often worn by women, but how would you like it to be stronger sex Gems also served! Stones were divided according to the signs of the Zodiac many centuries, and possibly millennia ago. This was done by astrologers and alchemists. Choose the ones that are suitable for each member of your family and purchase a tree with leaves from the corresponding amulets. And it’s better if these are unprocessed Ural semi-precious stones. A photograph of one of these family mascots is presented below.
This tree will protect both women and men living in the house where it stands.
Jewelry from natural stones from time immemorial, they have been valued for their beauty, rarity and magical properties. Some gems are found in quite large quantities (for example, quartz), so despite their beauty, their price is not high. Others are extremely rare (for example, magical lilac charoite, the deposit of which exists in only one place on the planet), and their price is much higher than other gems.
And naturally, many “smart” entrepreneurs try to pass off fakes as expensive stones. Therefore, so that you do not overpay for a fake and have a better understanding of production technologies, we want to talk about the main options.
Among natural stones, the following “categories” can be distinguished:
- Natural - stones that may have been cut or processed in other ways, but their color and properties remained unchanged. For example, amethyst in nature looks almost the same as in or.
- Tinted – i.e. painted natural stones. Eg, . This stone lends itself very well to painting and tinting with dyes, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of it! Indeed, thanks to this, the properties of the stone remain natural, but the color can be simply unrealistic, even glowing in the dark.
- Pressed - usually these are stone chips of a certain stone, which are pressed with the addition of adhesives and sometimes other impurities. Most often it is offered in pressed form, as well as. Turquoise - due to the fact that it is a very soft stone, which is practically not used in its natural form, but only in pressed form. Coral - quite widely used in in kind, and the coral chips remaining after processing also go into production. Also included in this group are composite stones that are glued together from several parts (doublets, triplets).
- Cultured pearls are those obtained from pearl oysters. But the beginning of the process of pearl formation was started by man, and not by nature. There are several ways, but in any case, the resulting product is natural pearls, not imitation.
- Synthetic - they are obtained in the laboratory in various ways and methods. Large gemstones of jewelry quality (transparent and free of impurities sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc.) are extremely rare in nature, but obtaining them synthetically is relatively simple and, therefore, inexpensive. Some stones, for example, synthetic, turn out to be very beautiful, but the technology for its production is complex and expensive, and therefore the price of synthetic alexandrite is not inferior to natural one. The same as magical properties. At the same time, synthetic stones still belong to the transitional group between natural and artificial stones.
It is also worth saying a separate word about the price-quality ratio of precious and semi-precious stones. In many of the jewelry presented on our website, quite large natural precious stones (rubies, sapphires, emeralds), with dimensions of 1-3 cm, are relatively inexpensive. Therefore, questions often arise - are these gems natural? Yes, natural. It’s just that the price of a stone depends on many factors, and above all, on transparency. Thus, a transparent sapphire a few millimeters in size will cost several times more than an opaque large stone. And an amethyst beads or bracelet will never compare in price with a translucent stone in a ring.
And here it’s a matter of taste: some people love transparent gems, even very small ones, while others prefer opaque, several-centimeter rubies or emeralds, in which inclusions and uneven coloring once again prove the natural origin of the stone.
As for imitation and artificial stones, there are many options. Plastic, wood, and synthetic materials, and cheap stones, and much more. But even here it’s not so simple! Because there are several groups of stones that are worth talking about separately.
Moonstone is the name for a whole group of stones with similar properties. Most often we are talking about adularia, which has a weak bluish “glow” and shining blue tints. But this is extremely rare in jewelry. But 99% of the products are made from, which has a pleasant bluish-milky color and seems to glow on the skin. The magical properties of such a moonstone correspond to its natural counterpart.
Cat's Eye is a group of stones that have a characteristic iridescent streak of light, reminiscent of the pupil of a cat's eye. This is usually called ulexite or chrysoberyl. In jewelry it is usually used, which comes in absolutely any colors and shades and, at the same time, if you believe in magic, has all the magical properties of the cat's eye stone.
Aventurine is a stone that has natural sparkling inclusions. There are actually very few of them and they are not as bright as we are used to seeing in jewelry with aventurine. After all, in jewelry Natural aventurine is practically not used. But 99.9% of the jewelry is made from. It was first obtained in the 18th century in Murano, and has now become widespread because of its beauty! Most often it is reddish-brown in color, but it can also be green and blue. The main feature is the presence large quantity bright sparkling inclusions, mesmerizing with their beauty. Usually talking about magical properties aventurine, people talk specifically about aventurine glass.
Good online stores for jewelry made from natural stones, for example, “World of Beauty,” always indicate in the description of the material if an imitation stone or a pressed version is used. The only exceptions are aventurine, Moonstone and cat's eye - these names imply the synthetic origin of the stones, and if the product uses natural stone, then the word “natural” will appear in the name.
Set of natural mother-of-pearl and coral, less than 100 rubles per set.
Stones that go into processing are often called ornamental, but they also have another name, which is due to the bright or unusual color that appears on the polished surface of the stone. Hence the second name - colored stone. The world of gems has a unique beauty of color effects.
There are many precious, semi-precious and colored stones in nature - more than 160 species. 20-30 types of stones are especially revered and valued by people - the first among them are diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald. Next come alexandrite, opal, tourmaline, topaz, amethyst, agate, carnelian, garnet, rock crystal, turquoise, pearls, lapis lazuli, amber, malachite, etc.
From the total mass of all rocks and minerals, stones that are considered precious have special rare properties for which they are valued, and the most important of them is the beauty of the stone. Without this, beauty, a mineral or rock will not be so highly valued, no matter what amazing qualities they have, unless it becomes reliably known that this stone suddenly cures some diseases, etc. But this has never happened before.
Beads made of natural labradorite - expensive decoration, about 9000 rubles.
Precious stones should please the eye with color, skillful cutting, design and iridescence - play of color, beautiful inclusions or other features that make them incomparable with ordinary stones and clearly distinguish them from the crowd.
The next important property that distinguishes precious stones is wear resistance and durability. True, today they use it for decoration. beautiful stones, which do not have hardness, but of course they are not valued as highly as expensive and very hard stones.
It's unlikely that anyone will want to wear Jewelry, in which it is necessary to constantly replace worn-out gems with new ones. But then people invent new ways - for example, varnishing selenite.
An agate bracelet - the stones here are “thick”, so the bracelet is expensive, more than 1,500 rubles.
Stones that are particularly unsurpassed in strength and hardness - diamond, sapphire, ruby, chrysoberyl - will sparkle and sparkle even when their gold frame wears out.
But durability is, of course, not the most important quality of a gemstone. For example, opal is a soft and fragile stone. In the ring, it becomes dull from contact with hard objects; you need to handle it very carefully. In terms of wear resistance, it cannot be compared with diamond or sapphire, but the beauty of opal is so great that it is used in jewelry, despite this disadvantage. The main advantage of opal is opalescence (opalization), i.e. the ability to emit successively different bright rays under the influence of sunlight.
But opal is an exception; the main precious stones still differ in that they are harder and more durable than many other minerals.
Another important property of precious stones is their rarity. We tend to value rarity and uniqueness: of two objects of equal beauty, preference will be given to the rarer one. Synthetic stones or glass imitations may be as beautiful or even more beautiful than natural stones, and yet most people will choose natural stones, because the rare is often preferred to the more beautiful. But here rarity is not the only reason. Value natural stones Of course, it is higher than synthetic ones, just as the value of a living flower is higher than any paper one, even the most skillful one.
Amorphous stones and crystals
Beads made of natural chrysoprase, also an expensive piece of jewelry (valuable stone) - a little less than 7,000 rubles.
Most gemstones occur in nature in the form of crystals or crystal fragments. People with hypersensitive perception can see how the energy forms of the crystal affect the human energy field, either merging with it or repelling it.
Amorphous (non-crystalline) are those minerals or rocks, which do not have the regular internal arrangement of atoms characteristic of crystals. An example of an amorphous material is glass. Among natural stones, amorphous ones are opal and obsidian
. Opal is silica with some amount of water in its composition.
There are very few amorphous stones in nature. The vast majority have a crystalline structure, although this is not always easy to determine.
What are they made from natural stones?
Art products
Artworks with stone carvings are classified different ways: according to the purpose of the product, material, method of carving and theme.
According to their purpose, stone-cutting products are divided into:
- utilitarian products (toilet items, smoking accessories),
- decorative items
- souvenirs.
According to the material they are distinguished:
- products made from hard stones,
- medium hard
- and soft stones.
By processing and carving method:
- products with volumetric thread
- with engraving.
By topic they are divided into:
- products depicting the work and life of people,
- animal world,
- ancient monuments, etc., there are a lot of options.
In Russia, they also distinguish between regional affiliation: products from the Ural, Altai, Nizhny Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, Krasnodar, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk and other masters.
Every stone in ancient times attributed its own special property(why - it’s difficult to say now): diamond - purity and innocence, sapphire - constancy, red ruby - passion, pink ruby - tender love, emerald - hope, topaz - jealousy, turquoise - whim, amethyst - devotion, opal - inconstancy, sardonyx - marital happiness, agate - health, chrysoprase - success, hyacinth - patronage, aquamarine - failure.
Stones by colors and shades
Colorless and transparent stones: diamond, rock crystal, topaz; opaque: chalcedony, milky opal.
Transparent bluish-green gemstones: aquamarine, topaz, euclase, tourmaline; opaque: amazonite, jasper.
Transparent blue and blue gems: sapphire, aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz; opaque: lapis lazuli, turquoise.
Transparent purple and pinkish: ruby, spinel, tourmaline, almandine.
Transparent dark red and brown: garnet, hyacinth, tourmaline, amber.
Transparent yellow and golden: beryl, topaz, tourmaline, zircon, smoky quartz, amber; opaque: carnelian, aventurine, semi-opal.
Unidentifiable black stones: jet, agate, black tourmaline (sherl), hematite (bloodstone).
Transparent variegated stones: tourmaline; opaque: jasper, heliotrope, agates, onyxes, ocular spars.
Transparent and translucent iridescent stones: moonstone, hairstone, labradorite, noble opal, pearls.
Gems
Gems- precious, semi-precious and ornamental stones(minerals and rocks), which are used as jewelry and ornamental raw materials. Typically transparent or translucent. Term gems It is of a historical and everyday nature, it does not relate to scientific terminology and is not strict. At different times, in everyday speech and the speech of different specialists, it could refer to translucent or opaque stones, or be used to divide into categories of colored-colorless, cutting-decorative, precious-ornamental stones.
see also
Literature
Links
- History of the study of gems and the main features of their mineralogy
- Gems and minerals Descriptions and photographs
Wikimedia Foundation.
See what “Gems” are in other dictionaries:
Transparent colorless and colored precious and semi-precious and semi-precious marbles and etc., having any valuable properties: high hardness, transparency, beautiful color or pattern, shine, high light scattering, ability... ... Geological encyclopedia
Term introduced by A.E. Fersman in the 20s. 20th century to designate precious stones, including colorless ones. Often applied in a broader sense to both precious and semi-precious stones... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Term introduced by A.E. Fersman in the 20s. XX century to designate precious stones, including colorless ones. Often applied in a broader sense to both precious and semi-precious stones. * * * GEMS GEMS, term... encyclopedic Dictionary
Place gems under someone's eyes. Jarg. they say Joking. Beat up someone to bruises. Maksimov, 85 ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings
See Art. Precious and semi-precious stones… Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Term introduced by A.E. Fersman in the 20s. 20th century to designate precious stones, including colorless ones. Often applied in a broader sense to both precious and semi-precious stones... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
Gems- precious, semi-precious and ornamental stones mined and processed in Russia. Unlike Western Europe, Wed. Asia and Middle East, in Russia, stone culture appeared later and developed more slowly. The first mineralogists. information can be found in the Izbornik... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
- “GEMS”, Russian vocal and instrumental ensemble (Moscow). Founded in 1971. Having achieved initial success with a series of melodic numbers in beat (see BEAT MUSIC) traditions, over time the Gems switched to banal and... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Gems are transparent, colorless and colored precious, semi-precious and ornamental minerals and rocks with specific valuable properties. VIA "Gems" Museum "Gems" mineralogical museum in Moscow ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Gems (meanings). VIA "Gems" ... Wikipedia
