Gems

Samotsvety (from rus. Sam and Color ) - precious, semi-precious and ornamental stones ( minerals and rocks ), which are used as jewelry and ornamental raw materials. As a rule, transparent or translucent. The term gems has a historical and everyday character, it does not belong to scientific terminology and is not strict. At different times, in everyday speech and the speech of various specialists, it could also refer to translucent or opaque stones, or be used to categorize colored-colorless, cutting-decorative-decorative, precious-semi-precious stones.

The term has been used in the Urals since the 18th century , it was mentioned by M. I. Pylyaev , but it was widely introduced into practice thanks to the works of A. E. Fersman . According to Fersman's classification , transparent stones are gems, regardless of their classification as precious or semi-precious; opaque minerals and rocks belong to “colored stones” ^[1] .

Gem Properties

According to the classification of academician A.E. Fersman, gems have specific valuable properties:

beautiful color or pattern
high hardness
transparency,
brilliance
large scattering
the ability to take cutting, grinding and polishing.

Gem Museums

In Moscow, the USSR Ministry of Geology opened the Museum of gems , it shows the best exhibits that were intended for export. Now the museum belongs to the Ministry of Natural Resources .

Gems and Mythology

In recent years, far from science persons describe the fantastic magical and healing properties of all known gems, taken by many people on faith despite the absence of any objective scientifically verifiable evidence of any kind. When reading this kind of information, it should be borne in mind that they are of a charlatan character and have nothing to do with mineralogy or medicine .

Ornamental stones

Druse of rock crystal, 8 cm. Polar Urals , with mindraw.web.ru .

Quartz
- Rhinestone
- Amethyst (light colored)
  - Prasiolite (artificially colored green quartz )
- Citrine
- Ametrine
- Rauchtopaz (smoky quartz)
- Morion
- Volosatik (rutile in quartz, tourmaline in quartz)
- Chalcedony
  - Chrysoprase
  - Cornelian
  - Agate
    - Moss agate
  - Onyx
  - Jasper
  - Aventurine
Opal (fire opal, milky opal, moss opal, green chrysopal)
Nephritis
Jade
Rhodonite ( Orlets )
Lapis lazuli
Malachite
Turquoise
Charoite
Serpentine Serpentine
Simbircit

Stones of organic origin

Amber
Pearls
Nacre
Jet
Coral
Ammolite

Notes

↑ Fersman A.Ye. Stories about gems. L .: Detgiz, 1957. 260 p .; M .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961. 262 p .; 2nd ed. M .: Science, 1974. 254 p. (Scientific-pop. A series).

Literature

Fersman A.Ye. Gems of Russia . T. 1: [Lecture cycle, chit. in KEPS RAS in 1919]. PG: Publishing House of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1921. 214 p.
Fersman A.Ye. Stories about gems . L .: Detgiz, 1957. 260 p .; M .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961. 262 p .; 2nd ed. M .: Science, 1974. 254 p. (Scientific-pop. A series).
Bukanov V.V. Color Stones: Encyclopedia. - SPb., 2008
Edited by M.I. Novgorodova. “Unknown Fersman” - M., “ECOST”. Edition of the Mineralogical Museum. A. E. Fersman RAS. 2003. 248 p.

Links

[1] Fersman A.Ye. Stories about gems. L .: Detgiz, 1957. 260 p .; M .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961. 262 p .; 2nd ed. M .: Science, 1974. 254 p. (Scientific-pop. A series).