Natural Crystals and Gemstones

Gemstones and crystals can be prized for their beauty, color, and energy. Geologists also regard them as invaluable resources that reveal insights into Earth’s history.

Each mineral’s atomic structure tells us the story of how it formed, while gemstone trading faces multiple challenges related to sustainability, ethics and transparency that impact all stakeholders involved in its supply chain.

Gemstones

Gemstones have long fascinated humans for their beauty, rarity and symbolic properties. Since ancient times they have been prized as jewelry items.

An appearance can often determine a stone’s value, including factors like its hue (diamonds are among the hardest-colored gemstones), luster or clarity, special effects such as iridescence, chatoyance or asterism; also some gems have the capability of changing color depending on what kind of light is shining upon them, like sapphires and rubies.

Many gemstones contain trace amounts of other minerals known as inclusions that provide insight into their geological environment and point to where the mineral originated from; some inclusions even identify it.

Crystals

Symmetry can be seen everywhere we turn – in butterfly wings, sunflower petals and six-sided forms such as snowflakes; even crystals exhibit this trait!

Each mineral crystal features an intricate internal arrangement of atoms that lock them into position as it grows, mirroring that pattern in its physical form – from cube-shaped (such as salt) to snowflake-shaped crystals.

Crystals possess distinct electrical, optical and mechanical properties not found in glass and polycrystals due to their atomic arrangement. A single crystal features ordered atoms arranged in a highly periodic pattern; polycrystals contain many microscopic crystals known as grains; Ametrine is an uncommon gem combining amethyst purple with citrine yellow in one crystal form; two types of crystallographic defects known as twinning and mosaicism lead to different crystal plane orientations at twin boundaries or within.

Origins

Ancients held gems in high regard, using them for burial practices and decorating deity statues with lapis lazuli and turquoise gems. Crystals were believed to have protective powers and magnify intentions; today there remains an everlasting fascination with these beautiful stones.

Hildegard von Bingen credited crystals such as amethyst and hematite with curative powers during medieval times, along with gemstones needing to be cleansed and programmed before use; an echo of modern practice of using sage-wrapped and crystal programmed gems for crystal healing.

Crystals have long been used as part of spiritual traditions, from Hinduism’s use in worshipping deities and planets to their use in meditation techniques in Buddhism. Crystals’ allure has permeated centuries, inspiring jewelry styles as well as Thought in Motion’s crystal-infused water products.

Treatments

Gemstones may undergo treatments to enhance their appearance or increase durability, often to meet market demands or make rare gems more accessible. Aquamarine, for example, often receives heat treatments to bring out its blue color; the process mimics what occurs naturally before mining thus rarely impacting value.

Other gems such as turquoise and ammolite may also be treated with chemicals to increase their hardness, providing increased scratch and damage resistance while remaining delicate enough to be handled carefully.

Many jadeite and nephrite gemstones are treated to enhance their colors. As these tough stones typically withstand mechanical cleaning but can be sensitive to acid solutions, always consult a gemologist prior to having any piece treated.

Value

Value of crystals and gemstones depend on many factors, including market demand, cultural significance, geological origin and internal structure of material used to create it. Crystals feature highly ordered structures while gemstones may possess either crystalline or amorphous structures within.

Gemstone prices depend heavily on their rarity and can be further increased through treatment or enhancement, for instance an amethyst crystal from one region may command a higher price than less costly varieties from different regions; shape also plays an integral part, along with healing properties and appearance. Crystals can often be utilized in metaphysical practices due to their energetic qualities.