Many of the most attractive pieces of jewellery are made with semi-precious gemstones. Gemstones are classed as minerals, petrified materials or rocks which are cut and polished to make them suited to jewellery making.
Some type of gemstone can be rare, e.g. amazonite. This is a bright green form of feldspar that, in the past, was supplied almost exclusively by Russia. It has now been found in Madagascar and also in Colorado, and as it is very rare it has become highly sought after.
Citrin, also known as citrin quartz, is a gemstone which is amber in colour.
Aventurine is commonly a green gemstone, but can be orange, brown, yellow or grey. The rarest is red and highly prized as a gemstone.
Cordierite is a magnesium, iron and aluminum cyclosilicate, the transparent variety of which is iolite, which is used as a gemstone. The name, iolite, is derived from the Greek word for violet.
Lapis lazuli is a gemstone which is deep blue in colour. It dates back as far as the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
