Gemologist Guide to Identifying Ruby
Rubies have been mined for centuries because of their bright red color and rarity. Most casual owners of rubies are not aware sapphires and rubies are the same mineral and the color is what differentiates them. Corundum is the mineral class ruby is a part of and all colors, besides blue and red, are known […]
Gemologist Guide to Identifying Spessartite Garnet
Spessartite has a beautiful orange color, but iron impurities are typically present, giving the gemstone a reddish-orange or brownish-orange color instead. While brownish, reddish, and yellowish tints of Spessartite are frequent, pure orange is not. The most desirable color of this stone is a fiery red with slight orange tints. Spessartite garnets can be identified […]
Gemologist Guide to Identifying Almandine Garnet
Almandine garnets can be challenging to distinguish from other garnet types because they’re just red and the gemstone market is flooded with them. These beautiful gemstones usually have darker tones when compared to other red garnets. However, top-quality specimens have red colors that are similar to that of a ruby. How to Identify Almandine […]
List of Metallic Rocks and Minerals
Metallic rocks and minerals are some of my favorite specimens because of their metallic appearance but a few of them display a different color when you shine a light through them. If you’re new to this rock-collecting hobby then you’ll need to understand there are more gems, minerals, crystals, and specimens than you can possibly […]