Have you ever wondered where the sparkling gems in your jewelry come from? For that matter, the pain and exertion that it takes to bring those beauties to you?
Hunter College
Gemstones cover a long length before they are assuredly fit for wearing as jewelry. Even after a gem is ready for sale it has to be settled and secured in metal to make jewelry that you ultimately buy from a store.
There are gem mines all over the world (except pearls and corals which comes from the water source) and some countries are known for the type of gems mined there. For example, ruby mines of Burma and brilliant mines of South Africa. Ratnapura or City of Gems in Sri Lanka is preponderant for its sapphire and ruby mining along with some other costly stones. Amethysts are mined all over the world but those with the top saturation are mined in Australia. Emeralds are mostly found in mines of Mexico while Brazil is the largest source of sapphires. Russia is preponderant for alexandrite deposits. In the underdeveloped world, gemstones are still mined by small scale miners using rudimentary tools, fire and homemade explosives.
Gems form in the earth's crust when the molten rock below it rushes straight through the crevices formed in the area where lava meets the lower most layer of earth's crust. Once the super hot lava starts cooling down it starts to crystallize. Sometimes when the process of cooling is fast, instead of crystal a non-crystalline stone is formed after solidification. The type of stone that finally forms depends upon the type and saturation of varied minerals in the cooling lava. Rubies, for example, are formed from corundum or aluminum oxide.
Most gems are mined after a tedious quest process but in rare cases landslides cause a costly rock to be laid bare. One of such reported incidents include the accidental discovery of sapphire in Kashmir in 1880 where foot long rocks of sapphire were discovered by a hunter.
Gemstones that are mined are in a rough form and only experts can sift gemstones from worthless rock. Output of high capability rough gemstones is in short supply and there is a huge question for them. In fact, acquiring rough gemstones is one of the most engaging jobs in the gemstone industry.
Rough stones have to cut and polished and this stage makes all the disagreement in the middle of making a behalf and losing money. Skilled workers and precision cutting machines are used to give them the appearance of sparkling gems. Heat can enhance the color and clarity of a gemstone. For example, citrine is made from heating amethyst. Tanzanite is roughly all the time heated to take off brown undertones and to give it a sparkling blue or purple color.
Some gemstones are used in the natural form: crystal or non-crystal. Most gem stones are any way cut and polished before they are sold to stores or jewelry manufacturers. Here again there are two ways that gems are cut and polished. Opaque stones like opal gemstone and turquoise are cut as cabochons- very polished and cut convexly but without facets. These are fashioned to recap the costly stones' color and face properties. Transparent gems are usually faceted, which is cutting with a faceting motor by polishing small flat windows at regular intervals and exact angles.
The color is the most engaging and engaging highlight of a gemstone. Cut and polish is instrumental in bringing out the best in gemstone. Daylight or white light is assuredly a compound of distinct colors. When it passes straight through a substance, some of the colors are absorbed and others pass through. The unabsorbed color is what we see, which is white light minus the absorbed colors. The same material can reflect distinct colors despite being made from the same constituents. For example, ruby and sapphire are both made from aluminum oxide but exhibit distinct colors.
The story of gemstones does not stop here. These are then settled in metal to make jewelry like pendants, rings etc. The job was initially done by artisans using hand tools. The job has partially been taken over by sophisticated machines for mass production. Some very intricate designs are still made by hand and valued much more than motor made jewellery.
How Are Gemstones Mined?
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