Precious Stones - GemMahal

The Big Three Precious Stones

Ruby

The King of Precious Stones

Known for its deep red color, rubies are among the most valuable gemstones. The finest rubies come from Myanmar (Burma) and are known as "Pigeon's Blood" rubies.

Hardness: 9.0 Mohs
Color: Red
Source: Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka

Sapphire

The Celestial Stone

While most famous for their blue color, sapphires actually come in every color except red. The most valuable are the Kashmir sapphires.

Hardness: 9.0 Mohs
Color: Blue, Pink, Yellow, White
Source: Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Madagascar

Emerald

The Stone of Kings

Prized for their lush green color, emeralds are the most famous members of the beryl family. Colombian emeralds are considered the finest.

Hardness: 7.5-8.0 Mohs
Color: Green
Source: Colombia, Zambia, Brazil

Other Precious Gemstones

Alexandrite

Famous for its color-changing properties, appearing green in daylight and red in incandescent light.

Hardness: 8.5 Mohs
Color: Color-changing
Source: Brazil, Sri Lanka, East Africa

Tanzanite

A relatively new discovery, tanzanite is known for its striking blue-violet color.

Hardness: 6.5-7.0 Mohs
Color: Blue-Violet
Source: Tanzania (exclusively)

Paraiba Tourmaline

Known for its electric neon blue color, it's one of the most valuable tourmalines.

Hardness: 7.0-7.5 Mohs
Color: Neon Blue-Green
Source: Brazil, Mozambique

Notable Semi-Precious Stones

Quartz Family

Amethyst

Purple variety of quartz, historically valued as highly as ruby.

Color: Purple to violet
Origin: Brazil, Uruguay
Hardness: 7

Citrine

Natural yellow quartz, rare in nature.

Color: Yellow to orange
Origin: Brazil, Bolivia
Hardness: 7

Rose Quartz

Pink variety, known as the stone of love.

Color: Pink
Origin: Brazil, Madagascar
Hardness: 7

Smoky Quartz

Brown to gray variety with natural irradiation.

Color: Brown to gray
Origin: Switzerland, Scotland
Hardness: 7

Beryl Family

Aquamarine

Sea-blue beryl, symbol of courage and calmness.

Color: Light blue to blue-green
Origin: Brazil, Pakistan
Hardness: 7.5-8

Morganite

Pink beryl, named after J.P. Morgan.

Color: Pink to peach
Origin: Madagascar, Brazil
Hardness: 7.5-8

Heliodor

Golden beryl with exceptional clarity.

Color: Yellow to golden
Origin: Brazil, Ukraine
Hardness: 7.5-8

Goshenite

Colorless beryl, used as a diamond simulant historically.

Color: Colorless
Origin: USA, Brazil
Hardness: 7.5-8

Garnet Family

Pyrope

Deep red garnet with high brilliance.

Color: Deep red
Origin: Czech Republic, South Africa
Hardness: 7-7.5

Tsavorite

Rare green garnet discovered in 1967.

Color: Vibrant green
Origin: Tanzania, Kenya
Hardness: 7-7.5

Spessartine

Orange to red-orange garnet.

Color: Orange
Origin: Nigeria, Brazil
Hardness: 7-7.5

Demantoid

Rare green garnet with exceptional brilliance.

Color: Vivid green
Origin: Russia, Italy
Hardness: 6.5-7

Other Notable Gems

Opal

Known for its play of color.

Color: Multi-color
Origin: Australia, Ethiopia
Hardness: 5.5-6.5

Peridot

Ancient gem from the Earth's mantle.

Color: Olive green
Origin: Pakistan, Egypt
Hardness: 6.5-7

Topaz

Classic gem with perfect cleavage.

Color: Various
Origin: Brazil, Pakistan
Hardness: 8

Spinel

Historical gem often mistaken for ruby.

Color: Red, blue, pink
Origin: Myanmar, Sri Lanka
Hardness: 8

Rare and Exotic Gems

Grandidierite

An extremely rare blue-green gem first discovered in Madagascar.

Musgravite

One of the rarest gems in the world, first found in Australia.

Red Beryl

Extremely rare red variety of beryl, found almost exclusively in Utah.

Understanding Gem Properties

Hardness

Measured on the Mohs scale from 1-10, hardness indicates a gem's resistance to scratching.

Color

Color is determined by chemical composition and crystal structure.

Clarity

The degree of transparency and presence of inclusions affects a gem's value.

Precious Stones Gallery