Gemstones are mostly single mineral crystals, which are transparent and faceted. Translucent to opaque ones are often processed into plain ornaments, and the back part has starlight and cat's eye effects. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and golden-green cat's eyes are recognized as five precious gems, which have the value of preservation and collection, and the rest belong to middle and low grade gems.

1, diamond

Mineral diamond is the hardest substance in nature and is known as the "king of gems". It is best to be colorless and transparent. Colorless and bluish diamonds are called "fire and water diamonds" and have the highest value. Pink, blue, green and gold are rare and precious. Produced in South Africa, Australia, Russian and China, Liaoning, Shandong and other places. Cullinan is the largest gem diamond in the world, which is produced in South Africa and weighs 3 106 carats. China's national treasure "Chang Lin Diamond" is produced in Shandong and weighs 158.786 carats.

2. Ruby

The mineral name corundum is a precious gem second only to diamonds, with a hardness of 9, second only to diamonds. Produced in Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asian countries. Myanmar is the main producing area of high-quality rubies in the world, among which "pigeon blood red" is the best, followed by pomegranate red and rose red. Ruby is the birthday stone in July, symbolizing enthusiasm and noble character, and has been loved by the world for thousands of years.

3.sapphire

The mineral composition is the same as ruby, so it is called "sister gem". Sapphire in a broad sense includes all kinds of gem-grade corundum except red, and Indian-occupied Kashmir cornflower sapphire has the best quality, but it has been mined. In the past, high-quality sapphires were mainly produced in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, and those with brighter sky blue tones were better, followed by indigo and light blue, and were also produced in Shandong, Jiangsu, Hainan and other provinces in China. For the birthday in September.

4. Emerald

As an beryl mineral, it is known as the "king of green gems" because of its special crystal emerald. It is said that its green beauty is beyond the reach of any green gem. Emeralds are the best, and high-quality emeralds are all produced in Colombia.

5, golden green cat's eye

The mineral name is chrysoberyl, and its hardness is 8.5, which is second only to diamonds and rubies. There are many colors such as cyan yellow, honey yellow, yellow brown, etc., with deep honey yellow as the top grade, produced in Sri Lanka. When it has a color-changing effect, it is called metamorphic rock (emerald), which is green in sunlight and red in incandescent lamp. It is also a precious gem.

6.opal

Mineral opals have gorgeous color changes. The five colors with rich colors, bright colors, more reds and even points are the best, with black opal being the best, followed by white opal and fire opal; Produced in Australia.

7.aquamarine

As a kind of beryl mineral, the seawater is blue, especially the color is strong and bright, and its value with cat's eye effect doubles. Produced in Xinjiang, Yunnan and other provinces (regions).

8. Spinel

Alias Dahongbaozi, there are often red, blue and other colors, and the red color close to ruby is more precious. Red hornblende is easily mixed with ruby. 1660 The crown of the king of England was inlaid with a red spinel named "black prince Ruby", which did not appear until the 20th century. High quality spinel is produced in Myanmar.

9. Olivine

Named for its olive green, the one that looks like grandma green is the best, followed by thick green and yellow-green. It is a birthstone in August, produced in Hebei and Jilin.

10, topaz color

Topaz is a mineral with hardness of 8 and many colors, among which wine yellow and red are the most precious and colorless is the worst. The common blue topaz in shops is artificially colored, but it is quite narrow. It is the November birthstone, which is produced in Xinjiang and Yunnan.

1 1, Ziya House

This is a garnet mineral. Because of the chemical composition of this group of minerals, there are many varieties and colors, among which emerald-like garnet and blood-red garnet are the best.

12, moonstone

It is a feldspar mineral. Its pale blue glow is quite like the moonlight on an autumn night, hence the name. High-quality moonstone is produced in Myanmar, and its halo is light blue, golden yellow and silvery white, with light blue and golden yellow halo being the best. If there is cat's eye effect and "pupil", the value will double, and it is a popular gem variety. Some scholars believe that the famous "Heshi wall" is the moonstone.

13, Pearl

Known as the "Queen of Gems". It is the secretion of pearl mussels, and the minerals have become aragonite. There are two kinds of pearls: natural pearls and cultured pearls, and the big and round ones are the top grade. The mariculture pearls in Hepu, Guangxi, China are world-famous.