Gemstone Library

Chalcedony Agate Concentric multicolor banding, highly variable Very Common 6.5–7 Mohs Chrysoberyl Alexandrite Green in daylight to red/purple in incandescent light Legendary 8.5 Mohs Garnet Almandine Deep red, brownish red, purplish red Common 6.5–7.5 Mohs Feldspar Amazonite Green to blue-green feldspar Fairly Common 6–6.5 Mohs Organic Amber Fossilized tree resin Fairly Common 2–2.5 Mohs Quartz Amethyst Purple quartz Common 7 Mohs Quartz Ametrine Purple and yellow bicolor quartz Scarce 7 Mohs Beryl Aquamarine Light blue to blue-green, sea blue Uncommon 7.5–8 Mohs Quartz Aventurine Spangled green (most common), also orange-red and blue-grey varieties Very Common 7 Mohs Rare Mineral Benitoite Blue barium titanium silicate Legendary 6–6.5 Mohs Tourmaline Bicolor Tourmaline Two distinct color zones in one stone; most often pink-green,… Uncommon 7–7.5 Mohs Diamond Black Diamond Opaque black; natural carbonado is polycrystalline, most market material is… Uncommon 10 Mohs Opal Black Opal Dark body tone opal with vivid play-of-color Collector Grade 5–6.5 Mohs Spinel Black Spinel Opaque deep black with vitreous luster Fairly Common 7.5–8 Mohs Chalcedony Bloodstone Dark opaque green with characteristic red to orange-red spots Common 6.5–7 Mohs Corundum Blue Sapphire Cornflower blue, royal blue, deep blue, violetish blue Very Rare 9 Mohs Topaz Blue Topaz Sky, Swiss, or London blue topaz Common 8 Mohs Zircon Blue Zircon Bright blue zircon, usually heat treated Scarce 6–7.5 Mohs Opal Boulder Opal Opal veins in ironstone matrix Very Rare 5–6.5 Mohs Tourmaline Canary Tourmaline Vivid canary yellow to golden yellow; predominantly from African sources Rare 7–7.5 Mohs Chalcedony Carnelian Orange to reddish-orange, colored by iron oxides Very Common 6.5–7 Mohs Chrysoberyl CatÔÇÖs Eye Chrysoberyl Chatoyant chrysoberyl with sharp catÔÇÖs eye Extremely Rare 8.5 Mohs Chalcedony Chalcedony Pale blue to blue-grey, waxy translucent Very Common 6.5–7 Mohs Pyroxene Chrome Diopside Vivid chromium-green diopside Scarce 5.5–6.5 Mohs Tourmaline Chrome Tourmaline Rich chromium/vanadium green tourmaline Very Rare 7–7.5 Mohs Chalcedony Chrysoprase Apple-green to emerald-green, colored by nickel Fairly Common 6.5–7 Mohs Quartz Citrine Yellow to orange quartz Common 7 Mohs Spinel Cobalt Blue Spinel Vivid saturated blue, cobalt to electric blue Collector Grade 7.5–8 Mohs Garnet Color Change Garnet Color shift from greenish/blueish daylight tones to purplish or reddish… Collector Grade 6.5–7.5 Mohs Corundum Color Change Sapphire Color changes between daylight and incandescent light, often blue/purple to… Extremely Rare 9 Mohs Organic Coral Biogenic calcium carbonate coral Rare 3–4 Mohs Opal Crystal Opal Transparent to semi-transparent body with vivid spectral play-of-color Rare 5.5–6.5 Mohs Simulant Cubic Zirconia Usually colorless; can be produced in many colors. Very Common 8–8.5 Mohs Sorosilicate Danburite Colorless to pale yellow, rarely pink; high clarity typical Scarce 7–7.5 Mohs Garnet Demantoid Vivid green to yellowish green Extremely Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Diamond Diamond Carbon gemstone with adamantine luster Rare 10 Mohs Pyroxene Diopside Diopside in green, brown, or black varieties Uncommon 5.5–6.5 Mohs Tourmaline Dravite Honey-brown to dark brownish-green, colored by iron and magnesium Fairly Common 7–7.5 Mohs Beryl Emerald Vivid green to bluish green Extremely Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Opal Ethiopian Opal White to yellow-orange body with strong play-of-color; hydrophane absorbs water Uncommon 5.5–6.5 Mohs Diamond Fancy Yellow Diamond Fancy yellow to vivid canary yellow Very Rare 10 Mohs Opal Fire Opal Transparent to translucent orange to red opal Rare 5–6.5 Mohs Halide Fluorite Occurs in every color; purple, blue, green, yellow, pink, colorless… Common 4 Mohs Garnet Garnet Large gem group covering red, green, orange, pink, purple and… Scarce 6.5–7.5 Mohs Simulant Glass Colorless or artificially colored glass imitation material Very Common 5–6 Mohs Beryl Goshenite Colorless beryl Fairly Common 7.5–8 Mohs Rare Mineral Grandidierite Blue-green magnesium aluminum borosilicate Collector Grade 7–7.5 Mohs Corundum Green Sapphire Green to yellow-green, iron-colored Uncommon 9 Mohs Feldspathoid Ha├╝yne Intense royal to cobalt blue, rarely found in facetable crystals Collector Grade 5.5–6 Mohs Quartz Hawk’s Eye Blue-grey with silky chatoyancy, the unoxidized precursor of tiger's eye Common 7 Mohs Beryl Heliodor Yellow, golden yellow, greenish yellow Scarce 7.5–8 Mohs Oxide Hematite Opaque metallic silver-grey to black with high density Very Common 5.5–6.5 Mohs Garnet Hessonite Honey orange, cinnamon, brownish orange Uncommon 6.5–7.5 Mohs Spodumene Hiddenite Green spodumene Very Rare 6.5–7 Mohs Topaz Imperial Topaz Golden orange to pinkish orange topaz Extremely Rare 8 Mohs Tourmaline Indicolite Blue to blue-green tourmaline Rare 7–7.5 Mohs Cordierite Iolite Violet-blue cordierite Uncommon 7–7.5 Mohs Jade Jade General jade category covering jadeite and nephrite Rare 6–7 Mohs Jade Jadeite Sodium aluminum pyroxene jade Collector Grade 6.5–7 Mohs Rare Mineral Jeremejevite Rare aluminum borate mineral Collector Grade 6.5–7.5 Mohs Organic Jet Fossilized organic material used as black gem Fairly Common 2.5–4 Mohs Rare Mineral Kornerupine Rare borosilicate with strong pleochroism Very Rare 6.5 Mohs Spodumene Kunzite Pink to violet spodumene Scarce 6.5–7 Mohs Kyanite Kyanite Blue to blue-green; strongly variable hardness along crystal axes Fairly Common 4.5–7 Mohs Feldspar Labradorite Gray feldspar with labradorescence Fairly Common 6–6.5 Mohs Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli Blue lazurite-bearing rock with pyrite/calcite Fairly Common 5–6 Mohs Spinel Lavender Spinel Pale lavender to soft mauve Scarce 7.5–8 Mohs Tourmaline Liddicoatite Complex pink, red, and bicolor zoning; famous for triangular cross-section… Very Rare 7–7.5 Mohs Carbonate Malachite Vivid green with concentric banding, opaque Common 3.5–4 Mohs Garnet Malaia Garnet Pinkish orange, peach, reddish orange Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Garnet Mali Garnet Yellow-green to brownish green Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Beryl Maxixe Beryl Deep blue beryl that may fade in light Extremely Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Garnet Mint Garnet Pale mint green to pastel green Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Tourmaline Mint Tourmaline Pastel mint to soft sage green; sometimes with a blue… Scarce 7–7.5 Mohs Simulant Moissanite Usually colorless to near-colorless; also yellow, green, gray, and fancy… Very Common 9.3 Mohs Rare Mineral Moldavite Natural tektite glass Scarce 5.5 Mohs Feldspar Moonstone White, cream, or gray feldspar with adularescence Uncommon 6–6.5 Mohs Beryl Morganite Pink, peach-pink, salmon Uncommon 7.5–8 Mohs Organic Mother of Pearl Nacre shell material Common 3–4 Mohs Rare Mineral Musgravite Rare taaffeite-group mineral Legendary 8–8.5 Mohs Jade Nephrite Amphibole jade with tough fibrous structure Uncommon 6–6.5 Mohs Volcanic Glass Obsidian Opaque black; varieties include rainbow, snowflake, and mahogany obsidian Very Common 5–5.5 Mohs Opal Opal Hydrated silica with possible play-of-color Scarce 5–6.5 Mohs Spinel Orange Spinel Orange to reddish-orange, sometimes called flame spinel Extremely Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Corundum Padparadscha Sapphire Delicate pinkish orange to orangish pink Collector Grade 9 Mohs Rare Mineral Painite Rare borate mineral, brownish red to orange-brown Legendary 8 Mohs Tourmaline Paraiba Tourmaline Neon blue to greenish blue copper-bearing tourmaline Legendary 7–7.5 Mohs Corundum Parti Sapphire Distinct two- or three-color zones of blue, green, and yellow… Rare 9 Mohs Organic Pearl Nacreous organic gem from mollusks Fairly Common 2.5–3 Mohs Olivine Peridot Yellowish green to olive green olivine Uncommon 6.5–7 Mohs Diamond Pink Diamond Fancy pink to vivid purplish-pink; Argyle grading scale from P1… Legendary 10 Mohs Corundum Pink Sapphire Light pink to vivid pink, hot pink Rare 9 Mohs Spinel Pink Spinel Light pink to hot pink; sometimes confused with pink sapphire Very Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Tourmaline Pink Tourmaline Pale to hot pink, colored by manganese; lighter than rubellite Fairly Common 7–7.5 Mohs Rare Mineral Poudretteite Rare pink cyclosilicate Legendary 5 Mohs Quartz Prasiolite Pale to medium green, often called green amethyst Fairly Common 7 Mohs Phyllosilicate Prehnite Pale apple-green to yellow-green, often with fibrous or needle inclusions Fairly Common 6–6.5 Mohs Corundum Purple Sapphire Purple to violet-blue, mixed iron and chromium coloring Scarce 9 Mohs Spinel Purple Spinel Medium to deep purple, sometimes violet-purple Very Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Garnet Pyrope Blood red to purplish red Fairly Common 6.5–7.5 Mohs Beryl Red Beryl Raspberry red to purplish red Legendary 7.5–8 Mohs Spinel Red Spinel Vivid red to orangy-red; sometimes called flame spinel Extremely Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Zircon Red Zircon Red to reddish brown zircon Very Rare 6–7.5 Mohs Carbonate Rhodochrosite Sweet pink to vivid red; stalactitic form shows white concentric… Uncommon 3.5–4 Mohs Garnet Rhodolite Raspberry red, purple-red, pinkish purple Uncommon 6.5–7.5 Mohs Pyroxenoid Rhodonite Pink to red-pink with characteristic black manganese-oxide veining Fairly Common 5.5–6.5 Mohs Quartz Rock Crystal Colorless transparent quartz Very Common 7 Mohs Quartz Rose Quartz Translucent to transparent pink quartz Common 7 Mohs Tourmaline Rubellite Vivid pink to red elbaite tourmaline Rare 7–7.5 Mohs Corundum Ruby Red, pinkish red, purplish red Extremely Rare 9 Mohs Quartz Rutilated Quartz Quartz containing golden, red, or black rutile needles Fairly Common 7 Mohs Corundum Sapphire All corundum colors except ruby red, including blue, pink, yellow,… Very Rare 9 Mohs Silicate Scapolite Yellow, orange, violet, colorless; some show cat's eye Scarce 5.5–6 Mohs Tourmaline Schorl Opaque black with characteristic striated prismatic crystals Very Common 7–7.5 Mohs Rare Mineral Serendibite Rare borosilicate mineral Legendary 6.5–7 Mohs Borate Sinhalite Pale yellow to yellow-brown, transparent, often mistaken for peridot or… Collector Grade 6.5–7 Mohs Quartz Smoky Quartz Brown to smoky gray quartz Common 7 Mohs Feldspathoid Sodalite Royal to medium blue, often with white calcite or feldspathoid… Common 5.5–6 Mohs Feldspar Spectrolite Displays the entire visible spectrum simultaneously ÔÇö from violet and… Rare 6–6.5 Mohs Garnet Spessartite Mandarin orange to reddish orange Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Titanite Sphene Titanite with high dispersion Rare 5–5.5 Mohs Spinel Spinel Red, pink, blue, purple, gray, black Rare 7.5–8 Mohs Corundum Star Ruby Red to purplish-red with six-rayed asterism Very Rare 9 Mohs Corundum Star Sapphire Usually blue, gray, or black with asterism Very Rare 9 Mohs Feldspar Sunstone Orange to red feldspar with aventurescence Scarce 6–6.5 Mohs Simulant Synthetic Gemstone Lab-grown material with the same or similar appearance to natural… Very Common 5–10 Mohs Rare Mineral Taaffeite Rare beryllium magnesium aluminum oxide Legendary 8–8.5 Mohs Zoisite Tanzanite Blue-violet zoisite Very Rare 6–6.5 Mohs Corundum Teal Sapphire Blue-green teal; Fe/Ti combination coloring agents Rare 9 Mohs Quartz Tiger’s Eye Golden to honey-brown with silky chatoyancy Very Common 7 Mohs Topaz Topaz Colorless, blue, yellow, orange, pink topaz Fairly Common 8 Mohs Tourmaline Tourmaline Complex gem group with nearly every color including bicolor and… Scarce 7–7.5 Mohs Garnet Tsavorite Vivid green to bluish green Very Rare 6.5–7.5 Mohs Turquoise Turquoise Blue to green opaque phosphate Uncommon 5–6 Mohs Tourmaline Verdelite Medium to dark green tourmaline; sometimes yellowish-green or olive-green Fairly Common 7–7.5 Mohs Sorosilicate Vesuvianite Green, yellow-green, brown; rarely blue (cyprine) or pink Uncommon 6–7 Mohs Tourmaline Watermelon Tourmaline Pink core with green rim or multicolor zoning Scarce 7–7.5 Mohs Opal White Opal Light body tone opal with play-of-color Uncommon 5–6.5 Mohs Corundum White Sapphire Colorless to near-colorless sapphire Fairly Common 9 Mohs Synthetic YAG Colorless in its undoped form; rare earth dopants produce yellow,… Very Common 8 Mohs Corundum Yellow Sapphire Pale yellow to golden yellow and orange-yellow Scarce 9 Mohs Zircon Zircon High-dispersion zircon in many colors Uncommon 6–7.5 Mohs Zoisite Zoisite Zoisite group gem material Uncommon 6–7 Mohs Diaspore Zultanite Color-change diaspore Extremely Rare 6.5–7 Mohs