What is a Gem? Have you ever seen a diamond in a wedding ring? Is an opal in a necklace or a pearl an earring? Diamonds, opals, and pearls are types of gemstones. A gemstone is a mineral, a hard rock, or organic material that is used for jewelry (see wedding jewelry), ornamentation, or art. A gem or jewel, like diamonds, is a type of gemstone that must be cut and polished for its beauty to be visible. On the other hand, Opals and pearls may be fashioned into jewelry or art without any cuts or polishing (See more Jewelry Display). They are gemstones, but not gems.
Wonder how do jewel or gemstones are formed? Here are some of the common thus precious gemstones and how they were formed by nature and became your jewelry.
Garnets
Garnets often form in hot metamorphic under great pressure. Garnets take place in every color. Their color is defined by the chemical composition of the melted mineral mix as it solidifies. Red garnets, or pyrope, get their color from magnesium silicate, the melted chemical mixture in which they form.
Pearls are cultured
For the past hundred years, along the east coast of the United States, Native Americans gathered pearls to use in jewelry (Wedding Jewelry). Both men and women wore pearl jewelry, including ear pendants with pearls. Pocahontas’ father, Powhattan, reportedly had a collection of pearls given to him as a tribute.
Jade
Jade is a jewel that can be cut and refined from two minerals: jadeite and nephrite. Both natural resources form in metamorphic rocks at high temperature and under high pressure deep within the earth.
























