Precious Stones and Semi-Precious Stones| Differences Between Semi-Precious Gemstones and Precious Stones

Come here, little one. Let me show you something fantastic. It's in this fancy looking box here. See this array of beautiful colors that reflect light wonderfully? These are my gemstones. Have you ever seen anything more charming?

Why do I love them? Well, it’s why I became a gemologist in the first place! Look at this red one as I place it in the light. Look at the way it reflects light and glistens beautifully. Now, look at this clear one. It's cut the same way but reflects light so much differently. Each of these gemstones is unique in its own way.

Here’s where it gets even more fascinating, kid. These stones can be further classified into semi-precious stones and precious stones. I knew you'd want to know more! Follow old Christopher to my study. I'll tell you everything you will ever need to know about these precious stones.

Precious Stones

Let’s start with the basics. Some of the more common precious stones are diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. I’ll explain each one to you.

Diamond:

The diamond is a precious stone I'm sure you know about. Almost every jewelry commercial chants, "A diamond is a girl's best friend." Well, they're my best friends too! These charming rocks are clear in their purest form but may have different minerals inside them that change their color to an extent.

Ruby:

The bright red rubies are actually the most expensive precious stones out there. Everyone loves them as jewelry, but people also use them for other purposes like making lasers. If you remember, I showed a ruby to you outside earlier.

Sapphire:

The sapphire is a deep blue stone that a lot of elite women loved in the olden days. You will find these cut into various shapes because the beautiful colour makes them look fabulous in all cuts. Their reflection is incomparable.

Emerald:

Do you remember the emerald city from the book you're reading at school? The Wizard of Oz? well, these beauties right here are as green as ever. They're usually cut into rectangles with rounded edges. Just like the others, this precious stone is beautiful in its own way.

Semi-Precious Stones

Now I should tell you something very fascinating before we get into the world of semi-precious stones. Due to historical reasons, precious stones were considered rare and expensive jewels only meant for royalty and the elite. They became rare and valuable objects without any scientific backing. A lot of these precious stones aren’t as rare as they are advertised at all.

 

Today, traditional views are necessary to follow. Here's why. Many other semi-precious stones are much rarer and more valuable than precious ones, but the latter is hyped the most. Take this stone here. It's called red beryl, and it's rarer and more expensive than an emerald.

Now let’s take a look at semi-precious stones in general. These guys are the ones that the public needs to know about. Their beauty and rarity are often overshadowed by precious rocks just because they have "semi" in their name. If you were to delve into this, you'd realize how many more stones exist, and you'd identify what rock you love most. Here are a few of the semi-precious stones that I love most:

Agate:

These rocks are multicolored and are usually found within volcanic and metamorphic rocks.

Amethyst:

Amethyst is a vibrant violet stone, similar to quartz. They look beautiful and are also known to provide healing properties and eliminate negative energy. If you don't want to delve into the world of healing crystals, they are still beautiful and unique stones.

Azurite:

This semi-precious stone is a beautiful deep blue color. It has been around since the 19^th century and was found commonly in France.

Blue topaz:

Although it has blue in its name, these semi-precious stones come in various colors, including blue, yellow, white, green, red and many more. Naturally, a topaz is white, and impurities cause it to change color. However, a blue topaz may occur naturally but is extremely rare.

Howlite:

These gems are pretty unique. They're grey and has marble-like black patterns within them but are also found in white variants. They are known to reduce levels of stress and anger and help reduce insomnia.

Obsidian:

Obsidian is a black rock that lava creates. It originates when volcanic lava cools down rapidly. It is smooth and glassy and has hints of grey in it.

Tiger’s eye:

The tiger's eye is unique. It has a golden to red-brown color with occasional hues of black. Its silky texture makes it extraordinary.

Red beryl:

Red beryl is one of the most expensive and rare semi-precious stones available in the market. They are bright red and quite similar to rubies.

Turquoise:

This stone has a blue-green color. Once it is processed and smoothed out, it is perfect for any kind of jewelry, but you can always keep the original form as I do. It is often considered a symbol of friendship and peace.

Precious Stone and Semi-Precious Stones, How to Classify These Gemstones?

Now that you know about all of the beautiful gemstones available in the market, you probably recognize that the classification into precious stones and semi-precious stones is merely a marketing strategy. Some semi-precious rocks are far rarer than precious ones, and some are more expensive too. The whole point was to bring precious stones into the limelight to be more well known and sold vastly. The natural way to classify gemstones is through their species, varieties, luster, hardness.

It is also vital to note how each gemstone has its standard of classification. So, whether it's a precious stone or a semi-precious stone, each rock will always be categorized in its own way because they are all unique. For example, diamonds are classified according to the 4Cs: color, clarity, cut and carat.

So, child, I've told you everything you needed to know about these fascinating rocks. Next time you and your father think of getting something for your mother, you know the right way to look for gemstones. Now run along, it's past noon, and your parents must be looking for you. You can always come back again to find out more.