People often like high-grade gems such as diamonds and emeralds in all aspects, and wear diamonds as wedding rings, leaving the reputation of "a diamond lasts forever", but I think those mid-range gems are not as shiny as diamonds, but the colorful mid-range gems are incomparable to diamonds.
Key words: intermediate gem, tourmaline, cat's eye tourmaline, watermelon tourmaline, garnet, olivine, topaz, spinel, zircon.
First, tourmaline: ever-changing beauty
Tourmaline, whose mineral name is tourmaline, has many varieties and rich colors, which are beyond the reach of many other gems, especially watermelon tourmaline, which is a rare gem variety. The most famous tourmaline in the world is produced in Brazil and the United States, among which the bright blue tourmaline found in Brazil is one of the most popular gems in the world. Tourmaline is deeply loved by people of all ethnic groups because of its homophonic "evil spirits". Tourmaline is a mid-range color gem next to diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. Tourmaline is deeply loved by people and is regarded as the birthstone of 10. This is one of my favorite gems. Tourmaline is produced in many countries. Tourmaline produced in Minas Cras, Brazil includes purple tourmaline, blue tourmaline, red tourmaline, green tourmaline and tourmaline cat's eye. Among them, Paraiba has the highest tourmaline value, California is the most famous for its red tourmaline, Maine produces red tourmaline, green tourmaline and watermelon tourmaline, Italy is famous for its five-color tourmaline, Altai in Xinjiang, China and Ailao Mountain in Yunnan also produce tourmaline, and Xinjiang tourmaline has larger particles.
Tourmaline is famous for its rich colors, so the classification is also based on color, which is divided into red tourmaline, green tourmaline, blue tourmaline and multicolor tourmaline. In addition, according to the special optical effect of tourmaline, two varieties of tourmaline cat's eye and color-changing tourmaline can be added.
1. Ruby
Pure bright red tourmaline with no other color is the most valuable of all varieties, because its red color is close to ruby. It used to be called red tourmaline in business, but now it is changed to red tourmaline. Deep pink tourmaline, commonly known as double pink, is very beautiful in the market because of its bright color like peach blossom; People with light colors often have pink tones, commonly known as single peach red, with a slightly lower value; Purple shows purple, which belongs to a more precious variety. Red is the most valuable tourmaline, among which purple and rose are the best. It is called Ruby, which is also called "Baby Face" in China. But in nature, brown, reddish brown, crimson and so on are the main colors, and the color tone changes greatly. Empress Dowager Cixi loves tourmaline very much, especially the variety with pink in big red, which is called pink tourmaline and regarded as the top grade of tourmaline. When others are biased against you, the role of red tourmaline can help improve the relationship between the two; When your relationship with others is cold and distant, the red tourmaline can enhance the popularity of others; At the same time, the function of red tourmaline also helps to eliminate a person's indifference, aloof, withdrawn and all kinds of abnormal psychology, making people easy to get along with.
2. Green tourmaline
Bright green varieties without variegated colors can be called green tourmalines, because green is often not bright enough because of different degrees of gray tones, and its value is often slightly lower than that of red tourmalines. The biggest feature of tourmaline is its large birefringence. When you look at the edges and corners of the faceted gem pavilion with a magnifying glass of ten times, you can clearly see the double shadow. Green tourmaline is very rich, and it should be said that it is the largest family of all colors. Therefore, we should be very careful when appreciating the value, especially the subtle differences of colors, which are often different.
Small differences make big differences. Origin: Brazil, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and China. The color of green tourmaline varies from light green to dark green, among which dark green and shiny colors are the most popular.
3. Blue tourmaline
It is different from the deep blue of sapphire and the bright purple blue of cordierite and zoisite. The blue color of tourmaline includes green-blue, blue-black transition colors, and pure blue is rare. Dark blue is called indigo or indigo.
4. Multicolored tourmaline
Multicolor tourmaline, also known as variegated tourmaline, presents different colors in different parts of a tourmaline crystal, which is a special variety different from other gemstones. The most representative is watermelon tourmaline, also known as watermelon tourmaline, which is a very rare tourmaline. In spar, tourmaline with pink center and green edge or the opposite is called watermelon calcium carbide. Because its color resembles the pulp and peel of watermelon, it is named watermelon tourmaline. That is, the skin is green and the core is red, and the cross section of columnar crystals is bright, which is the best contrast. Watermelon tourmaline has two colors, the outer green, the middle red, just like watermelon, the outer green and the inner red. Watermelon tourmaline in a crystal has the characteristics of blue-green infrared. Tourmaline that looks like watermelon. Because of its name, the quantity is scarce, so it is more expensive.
5. Cat's eye tourmaline
Cat's eye tourmaline is a kind of tourmaline. This tourmaline has a relatively small output and a high collection value. Cat's eye effect generally exists in red tourmaline and green tourmaline. The cat's eye effect of tourmaline is due to the parallel tubular inclusions in tourmaline. When the inclusion reaches a certain density, a bright line (called cat's eye) will appear in the direction perpendicular to the parallel inclusion under the irradiation of point light source. Tourmaline raw materials only have the cat's eye effect after cutting and grinding. Cat's eye tourmaline also has many colors. Although the cat's eye effect is obvious, it is difficult to achieve the fineness of silk due to the sparse arrangement of its tubular contents, so the eyeliner of the cat's eye tourmaline will give people a slightly rough feeling. Some poor quality tourmaline cat's eyes can be seen directly from the front because of their large volume, which greatly affects their value.
Second, garnet: Caibao big name
The name of garnet gives people a red imagination, but among its seven important varieties, in addition to the common red, such as almandine and magnesium-aluminum garnet, almandine and calcium-chromium garnet are green, while manganese-aluminum garnet is lemon yellow, so garnet is also a colorful gem family. It is named because the round red garnet crystal produced in nature is similar in shape and color to pomegranate seeds. Garnet in English means "like a seed" or "there are many kinds of seeds". Garnet is one of the earliest used gems. In ancient China, it was called "Ziyawu" because of its crimson and purple color. According to legend, its name comes from the ancient Arabic "Wu Ya", which means ruby. But the name garnet has been used to this day. Different kinds of garnet have many different colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and transparent. Generally speaking, the value of garnet decreases from green, orange yellow, red to dark red according to color. Garnet is produced all over the world, among which the former Czechoslovakia, India, Sri Lanka, the United States, the former Soviet Union, Brazil and Africa are famous producing areas of garnet. Garnet is also produced in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places in China.
Third, olivine: sun gem
Olivine is a typical turquoise gem, crystal clear and light in color. Although the domestic market share is not high, there are many fans in Europe and America. Most of the high-quality large-particle olivine produced in Hebei, China is exported to the United States and other western countries. Olivine is named Peridot in English because of its olive green, and another name is olivine, which is a mineralogical term. Olivine is the birthstone of August. The ancient Romans believed that olivine had magical energy like the sun, which could exorcise evil spirits and bring light and hope to mankind. Olivine was discovered on St. John's Island in ancient Egypt about 3,500 years ago. It is considered as a kind of sun gem. Olivine is mainly divided into strong yellow-green olivine, golden-green olivine, yellow-green olivine, strong green olivine (also known as dusk emerald or western emerald, evening primrose emerald) and sapphire (produced in meteorites, very rare). High-quality olivine is transparent olive green or yellow-green, and its color is clear and beautiful, which is very pleasing to the eye and symbolizes peace, happiness and tranquility. The world's largest gem-grade olivine is produced on Zabajad Island in the Red Sea, weighing 3 19 carats. It is now in the Smithsonian Institution Museum in Washington, USA. The olivine found in Damaping, Wanquan County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, weighing 236.5 carats, was named "Star of North China" and is the largest olivine in China.
Fourth, topaz: Di Chin
Topaz, English name, mineralogical name is topaz, and some people call it topaz, but it doesn't mean yellow sapphire. The lucky stone in November symbolizes friendship and love. Topaz has many colors, such as colorless, orange yellow, purple, red, blue, light green, tan to tan, light blue to blue, pink to reddish brown and so on. When there are parallel tubular inclusions filled with gas and liquid in topaz, proper grinding can produce cat's eye effect. Topaz is widely distributed, and its color varies greatly from place to place. More than 95% of topaz in the world is produced in pegmatite in minas gerais, Brazil. Topaz produced here is the highest in the world, and now it is collected in new york Museum of Natural History. Topaz varieties are also classified by color and can be divided into four categories: Shirley topaz, yellow topaz, pink topaz and colorless topaz. Its color and clarity are two major factors to evaluate its value. Shirley and pink are of high value.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) Spinel: Hongbao Sisters
Spinel is a precious gem, as gorgeous as ruby, but its purity is incomparable with ruby, and it is famous internationally because of its associated relationship with ruby. Its texture is clear and its color is bright. It stands out in the jewelry market and tends to dominate colored gems. Spinel is called spinel in English, which means "red or orange-red natural body" The main producing areas are Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, Vietnam, the United States and Afghanistan. Common varieties are: red orange spinel, blue spinel, green spinel, colorless color-changing spinel and starlight spinel.
Zircon: A Natural Substitute for Diamonds
The English name is zircon. In India, zircon is called "eclipse stone" because it is usually red, gold and colorless. According to legend, among the twelve kinds of precious stones worn by Jewish bishops in front of vestments, zircon is called "hyacinthus orientalis", so zircon is called hyacinthus orientalis in mineralogy. Zircon is a big family, which can be divided into three categories: high type, medium type and low type. High-type zircon has many extraordinary beauty, no less than diamond. Famous producing areas are southern Norway (famous for orange zircon) and southern Raoul Mountains in Russia. Another famous producing area is Cambodia, which produces all kinds of zircon, and Thailand, which produces big red, blue and brown zircon. Zircon is widely distributed in China, and gem-grade zircon is mainly distributed in Fujian, Hainan, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and other places. Zircon is usually used to inlay high-grade ornaments and is the best choice to replace diamonds. It has many colors, such as colorless, purple, tan, light yellow, reddish, green and so on. And it has a diamond luster and is very dazzling. The world's most famous blue zircon, weighing 208 carats, is now in the new york Museum of Natural History. Different gems also have their own symbolic meanings. White, gorgeous and durable, symbolizes pure faith and eternal love. For decades, people have used diamond rings inlaid with metal as a symbol of engagement and marriage. Pearls are elegant, noble and beautiful, symbolizing health, wealth and longevity. It is the best choice for women and elders.