Here are some interesting facts about jewelry that you may not know!
1. Sapphire is actually blue ruby. Ruby and Sapphire are both made from the same mineral: Corundum. When Corundum is red it is called Ruby. When it is any other color, it is called Sapphire. Sapphire can be any color but red. Blue is the most common color, but Sapphire can be green, pink, yellow, orange, purple, violet, brown, black, grey and colorless (sometime referred to as white).
2. Emerald and Aquamarine are the same mineral as well. Both are Beryl. When Beryl is green it is called Emerald. When it is blue it is called Aquamarine. And when Beryl is pink it is called Morganite!
3. Color in gemstones, including diamond, is caused by chemical impurities in the crystal structure of the mineral. In diamond, it is Nitrogen that causes the yellow color seen in many stones. In Sapphire, it is Iron that causes the blue color. Both Iron and Nitrogen are very common which makes yellow and blue the most common colors of Diamond and Sapphire respectively.
4. There is no such thing as white gold. White gold is yellow gold that has been alloyed with white metals such as nickel and zinc. This makes it appear less yellow. Then it is electroplated with a very white metal called rhodium, which make it appear completely white.
5. Diamonds can be broken or chipped much easier than you think. A diamond is the hardest gemstone but that just means it is the hardest to scratch or abrade. Hardness is the term used to describe resistance to scratching. Resistance to breakage is called toughness. Diamond has medium toughness, so it can be broken or chipped easier than most people think. The toughest gemstone? Jade!
6. Diamond are some of the oldest objects on the face of the earth! Most diamond were formed over one billion years ago. Some are even older, as much as 3 billion years old! The oldest mineral on earth? Zircon! Some are over 4 billion years old!
7. If you were to melt all the gold ever mined and form it into a cube, it would be nearly 68 feet long, 68 feet deep and 68 feet wide. All the platinum ever mined would fit into an average sized living room.
Cormier Jewelers
42 Central Street
Southbridge, Ma 01550
1-508-764-7415
www.cormiers.com
CormierJewelers@aol.com
