Gemstones
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which,
in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.However, certain rocks (such as lapis
lazuli, opal, and obsidian) and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber, jet, and pearl) are
also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft
minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity and
notoriety are other characteristics that lend value to gemstones.
Gemstones are often grouped by their color. A certain gemstone variety can range from light to dark hues but a stone may also contain secondary colors and undertones that provide depth and uniqueness. The most popular colored gemstones used in jewelry are:
Gemstones have no universally accepted grading system. Diamonds are graded using a system developed by the Gemological
Institute of America (GIA) in the early 1950s. Historically, all gemstones were graded using the naked eye. The GIA
system included a major innovation: the introduction of 10x magnification as the standard for grading clarity. Other
gemstones are still graded using the naked eye (assuming 20/20 vision).
Today the gemstone trade no longer makes such a distinction. Many gemstones are used in even the most expensive
jewelry, depending on the brand-name of the designer, fashion trends, market supply, treatments, etc. Nevertheless,
diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds still have a reputation that exceeds those of other gemstones.
Rare or unusual gemstones, generally understood to include those gemstones which occur so infrequently in gem quality
that they are scarcely known except to connoisseurs, include andalusite, axinite, cassiterite, clinohumite and red
beryl.
The Koh-I-Noor is a 106-carat diamond, which for decades held the title for being the âlargest diamond in the worldâ.
Its history spans many centuries, with the first reliable reference in 1526, when it was in the possession of an Indian
conqueror named Babur.
The diamond was formally presented to the monarch in the summer of 1850 and was cut to its present state two years
later. Though Queen Victoria often wore the Koh-i-Noor as a brooch, she expressed her discontent with the way it was
acquired in a letter to her daughter, Victoria: "No one feels more strongly than I do about India or how much I opposed
our taking those countries and I think no more will be taken, for it is very wrong and no advantage to us," she wrote.
"You know also how I dislike wearing the Koh-i-Noor."
When discussing world-famous pieces of jewellery, it would be impossible not to mention the âHeart of the Oceanâ necklace, worn by Rose in the 1997 blockbuster âTitanicâ. Of course, the necklace used in Titanic was merely a prop, but the film inspired real-life versions to be created for that yearâs Oscars. The actress Gloria Stuart, who played the elderly Rose in the film, had a matching necklace created with a 15-carat blue diamond worth over ÂŁ15,000,000, making it instantly one of the most valuable jewels in the world. Thatâs not the only âHeart of the Oceanâ that was made, though. A necklace by jewellers Asprey and Garrard, containing a 170-carat sapphire and 65 round-cut diamonds, was also inspired by the film. It was borrowed by Celine Dion, who wore it to the same Oscars - where she sang the filmâs standout song, âMy Heart Will Go Onâ. It was later auctioned off for a sum of ÂŁ2.2 million.
The next entry makes the list because, when sold at auction to Laurence Graff (a British billionaire jeweller) for ÂŁ29 million in 2010, it became the largest amount of money anyone had ever paid for a jewel. Once Graff owned the 24.78 carat diamond, he immediately named it the Graff Pink. Well, wouldnât you name it after yourself? The diamondâs rare intense pink colour is what makes it so incredibly valuable. The vibrant pink colour is thought to have been caused by the way the stone absorbed light while forming over millions of years inside of the earth.
An 18-carat Ceylon Sapphire ring, surrounded by 17 round brilliant diamonds. It sounds like a stunning ring, but not necessarily world-famous. However, when Princess Diana slipped in on her finger as she became engaged to Prince Charles, it instantly became one of the most famous rings in the world. At the time, Dianaâs choice of sapphire ring caused controversy, mainly because she chose it herself at Garrard of Mayfair - rather than having one custom-made especially for her, as was traditional. However, Princess Diana quickly became a style icon, and soon her initially âcontroversialâ engagement ring followed suit, becoming the worldâs most sought-after style of engagement ring. Decades later, Prince William proposing to Kate Middleton in 2010 with the very same ring cemented the ringâs legacy. Sapphire engagement ring sales sky-rocketed once more, and jewellers worldwide rushed to buy enough bright blue gems to satisfy the mounting public demand.
The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops, which are rumored to have belonged to Empress Eugenie. The tiara was commissioned around 1900 by a German prince for wife, Katharina, and was last sold at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva for $12.7 million.
Made by Kristina Zavalkova