Diamonds are gems.
The etymology of gem takes us to the Latin word gemma . The term is used as a generic name for those stones that, due to their characteristics, are classified as precious .
Typically, the name is applied above all to the so-called oriental gemstones , according to what is detailed by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary. Artistic pieces and jewelry are often created with gems.
Gem characteristics
Gems, in short, are minerals or organic elements that are mainly used in jewelry . It should be noted that minerals are inorganic substances found in the different layers of the Earth or even in the surface area.
Sometimes gems are rocks : materials that form naturally from a mineral or a group of minerals. What distinguishes gems from other types of stones is their high quality, considered based on different parameters.
We cannot fail to mention that there are also gems that are fossils (organic pieces that have been petrified), glass (translucent or transparent elements that are hard but, at the same time, fragile) or biogenic materials (generated by a living being). The origins, therefore, can be very diverse.
There are artificial stones that some try to pass off as gems.
Some examples
There are many ways to classify or distinguish gems. Broadly speaking, it can be said that four precious stones are usually recognized: the emerald , the sapphire , the ruby and the diamond . The rest, according to this view, are semi-precious gems .
Emerald is a variety of beryl , which in turn is a silicate of beryllium and aluminum . The particularity of the emerald is its greenish hue, coming from chromium oxide .
Sapphire , on the other hand, is a bluish corundum. Regarding corundum , it is alumina that has crystallized.
Rubies are minerals that combine magnesia and alumina . Metal oxides give it its reddish and shiny color .
Finally, diamonds are the hardest gems. They originate through the crystallization of carbon in the cubic system.
Gem imitations and fakes
Gems are very valuable objects that are sold at high prices. As it is a big business, counterfeits and imitations are frequent.
There are artificial stones manufactured in laboratories that exhibit gem-like traits. That is the case of cubic zirconia , similar to diamond. Glass or plastic creations are also often offered, which some counterfeiters try to pass off as precious stones.
Another possibility is that, from the dust of a gem, a reconstitution develops. The powder is mixed with a binder and some colorant .
Vegetable yolk and a type of salt
The notion of gem is also used to refer to the button or bud of vegetables . This is the name given to the embryonic type shoot from which the flowers, leaves and branches emerge. The process of gem development, meanwhile, is known as budding .
Rock salt , on the other hand, is common salt that comes from mines or is directly found in them. This salt can be referred to as stone salt or stony salt .