Gemology

VVS clarity gemstone showing microscopic inclusions

What Does VVS Clarity Mean in Gemstones? A Buye...

You're browsing a gemstone listing. The description says "VVS clarity" and the price reflects it. But what does VVS actually mean  and more importantly, does it matter for the specific...

What Does VVS Clarity Mean in Gemstones? A Buye...

You're browsing a gemstone listing. The description says "VVS clarity" and the price reflects it. But what does VVS actually mean  and more importantly, does it matter for the specific...

LED lighting for mineral specimens

How to Display Mineral Specimens at Home: A Col...

There's a particular kind of frustration that every serious mineral collector eventually encounters. You've spent months — sometimes years — sourcing exceptional pieces. A terminated aquamarine crystal from Shigar Valley....

How to Display Mineral Specimens at Home: A Col...

There's a particular kind of frustration that every serious mineral collector eventually encounters. You've spent months — sometimes years — sourcing exceptional pieces. A terminated aquamarine crystal from Shigar Valley....

Pegmatite rock with giant natural crystals

Pegmatite Explained: Why These Rocks Produce th...

There is a single crystal of spodumene  a lithium mineral  sitting in the Black Hills of South Dakota that measures 40 feet long. A beryl crystal recovered from a pegmatite...

Pegmatite Explained: Why These Rocks Produce th...

There is a single crystal of spodumene  a lithium mineral  sitting in the Black Hills of South Dakota that measures 40 feet long. A beryl crystal recovered from a pegmatite...

Natural red pyrope garnet crystal specimen displaying deep crimson color

Garnet Color Guide: Red, Green, Orange and Rare...

Here's something that surprises almost everyone who hears it for the first time: garnet comes in virtually every color that exists in the natural gemstone world. Red, orange, yellow, green,...

Garnet Color Guide: Red, Green, Orange and Rare...

Here's something that surprises almost everyone who hears it for the first time: garnet comes in virtually every color that exists in the natural gemstone world. Red, orange, yellow, green,...

How to Tell Spinel from Ruby

Spinel vs Ruby: The Gemstone Mix-Up That Fooled...

There's a 170-carat red gemstone sitting in the Imperial State Crown of the British Crown Jewels, right above the Cullinan II diamond, that has been called the "Black Prince's Ruby"...

Spinel vs Ruby: The Gemstone Mix-Up That Fooled...

There's a 170-carat red gemstone sitting in the Imperial State Crown of the British Crown Jewels, right above the Cullinan II diamond, that has been called the "Black Prince's Ruby"...

aquamarine crystal

Aquamarine vs Blue Topaz: How to Tell These Two...

Here's a situation that happens more often than most people realize: someone walks into a gemstone shop, falls in love with a pale blue stone, pays aquamarine prices, and walks...

Aquamarine vs Blue Topaz: How to Tell These Two...

Here's a situation that happens more often than most people realize: someone walks into a gemstone shop, falls in love with a pale blue stone, pays aquamarine prices, and walks...