Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they needn’t be one’s only friend. That lump of colorless carbon is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nature’s jewel box. Semiprecious stones come in all colors and varieties and are often cheaper than the better-known options.
“A gem doesn’t have to be rare to be beautiful,” says graduate gemologist, gem enthusiast and native Las Vegan Heidi Sarno Straus. Her love affair with gemstones began at age 5, when she received a ring with a piece of glass set like a diamond. She’d wear it everywhere. Straus says that you can make a similar high-impact statement with a big cocktail ring featuring a semiprecious stone. “It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg,” Straus says. “You can be glamorous without getting crazy.”
Glossary
■ Carat. The weight of a stone. One carat (0.2 grams) weighs the same as a paper clip, according to the GIA.
■ Clarity. A way to describe the quality of the stone and how many blemishes it contains.
■ Cut. A natural stone can be cut into many different shapes, such as beads, tablets, inlays and cabochons.
■ Matrix. The rock that surrounds the gem. Can appear to be the “veins” in a gem, as in turquoise.
■ Mohs hardness. The hardness or durability of a mineral is rated from 1-10 on this scale, with the hardest stone (diamonds) rating a 10 and the softest (talc) a 1. It’s named for geologist Friedrich Mohs.
What makes gemstones so interesting?
Legend has it that certain gemstones carry special powers, granting strength, passion or health to those who possess them. Whether or not that’s actually true we can’t say, but we’d like to believe. “I always feel physically better when I’m wearing gemstones than when I’m not,” Straus says. “Who knows?”
There are also scientific reasons why gemstones are awesome. Each type of stone looks the way it does—reflective, colorful, iridescent, for example—because of complicated geology, chemistry and precise conditions that allowed them to form, often over thousands or even billions of years. For example, some samples of the bright-green August birthstone peridot are up to 4.5 billion years old and arrived on Earth as part of meteorites, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
For the fullest appreciation of a pendant necklace, take the time to research its stone’s formation. If nothing else, you’ll have a unique response to future compliments.
Why are gemstones cut in a certain way?
Cut turquoise is generally flat and rounded, like a vanilla wafer. On the other hand, a garnet is cut into facets. Why do jewelers shape the stones so differently? Science!
Gemstones are minerals that grow in the earth with a specific crystalline structure according to their chemical composition. A stone must be cut according to its own structure. The goal when cutting gemstones is enhancing the color. “It’s all about the light that goes into and out of the stone,” Straus says. “Stones are cut to maximize crystalline structure to give you that pop of color.”
Meet these semiprecious gemstones
1. Alexandrite: Found in Russia, this gemstone changes between red and blue, depending on the light source.
Budget-friendly beauty
You don’t have to break the bank to own a piece of nature’s majesty. “There are so many reasonably priced colored gemstones,” Straus says. She advises folks to look to the color wheel for inspiration. For example, if you like yellow and blue together, a piece of jewelry with citrine and aquamarine would be stunning. Straus says that the rich purple-blue of tanzanite (found only in Tanzania) takes her into an emotional state.
2. Aquamarine: A brilliant, watery blue stone composed of the mineral beryl. (Emeralds are, too.)
3. Citrine: This popular yellow quartz gets its color from trace amounts of iron.
4. Garnet: A family of minerals that come in many different colors. Red is the most common.
5. Howlite: Sometimes billed as “white turquoise,” this chalk-colored mineral is porous enough to be dyed other colors.
6. Jade: Ancient philosopher Confucius said this green gem represents heaven.
7. Labradorite: Like the moonstone, a labradorite is a feldspar. The stone is known for its luminous blues, greens, oranges and yellows.
8. Lapis Lazuli: Royal blue rock used in Renaissance-era paintings.
9. Moonstone: One of the most common minerals on earth, this stone is composed of feldspar and gets its magical sheen from microscopic layers that scatter light.
Mood rings
Mood rings became super trendy in the 1970s. These clever rings include a heat-sensitive ingredient, such as liquid crystal or color-changing paper, and are finished with a glass or stone. The result is fun, kind of like a wearable thermometer.
10. Morganite: A salmon-colored stone from the emerald and aquamarine family of beryl stones. It’s named after financier J.P. Morgan.
11. Opal: Thanks to silica inside the stone, these unique gems can flash with every color imaginable.
12. Rose Quartz: A translucent pink gem, often carved into small sculptures or objects.
13. Tanzanite: This intense blue stone was discovered in 1967 and named by Tiffany & Co. jewelers.
Birthstones
January: garnet
February: amethyst
March: aquamarine, bloodstone
April: diamond
May: emerald
June: pearl, alexandrite, moonstone
July: ruby
August: peridot, spinel, sardonyx
September: sapphire
October: opal, tourmaline
November: topaz, citrine
December: turquoise, tanzanite, zircon
14. Tourmaline: This mineral crystallizes into three-sided prisms and is available in all colors. Check out watermelon tourmalines (pink and green) for summer fun.
15. Turquoise: Ever wondered why turquoise is associated with the Southwest? Large deposits of this blue-green stone ribbon through Arizona, California, New Mexico and, yes, Nevada.
16. Zircon: This billions-years-old mineral—not to be mistaken for the synthetic gemstone cubic zirconia—is mainly used to make otherwise clear things opaque.
Think global, mine local
Locally produced doesn’t just apply to farmers markets. In addition to boring stuff like gypsum and limestone, the Nevada mining industry also produces a variety of fascinating gemstones. “Some of the finest black opal in the world is mined in the Virgin Valley area in the northwest corner of the state,” Ph.D. gemologist Hobart M. King wrote in the Geology.com article “Nevada Gemstone Mining.”
The opal formed after a volcano erupted millions of years ago. In fact, it’s the official state gemstone! And you can’t find natural deposits of it anywhere else in the U.S. Additionally, our state has the most turquoise mines in the U.S., according to travelnevada.com.
Rockhounding in Nevada
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can hunt down your own gemstones and minerals right here in Nevada. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which controls much of the land in rural Nevada, “Rockhounding is the collection of reasonable amounts of mineral specimens, rocks, semiprecious gems, petrified wood and invertebrate fossils.” The activity is generally allowed on public lands, but check with blm.gov/basic/rockhounding for more info.
If you’d rather a more guided activity, tour the Otteson Brothers Turquoise Mine (ottesonbrothersturquoise.com/mine-tours, $150-$300). The tour even includes a turquoise dig. Or, if you prefer, stay home and watch the Amazon Prime show about the family-owned business, Turquoise Fever.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.