Rocks & Minerals

Second in hardness only to diamonds, the ruby is at the top of the gemstone pyramid. Its deep red color invokes love, passion and zest for life. In jewelry, its beauty is unsurpassed, but rubies...

Malachite, a vivid green gemstone with distinctive banding, has been used as a protective amulet as well as a healing stone since the time of the ancient Egyptians.

Schorl is another name for the mineral black tourmaline. Tourmalines come in a wide variety of colors based on their own unique chemical compositions. Black tourmaline, or schorl, is a wonderful...

Rose quartz is a pink to rose-red form of quartz crystal. Contamination by iron or titanium may be responsible for the stone's color. Some stones also contain darker rutile "needles."

Legendary Hercules and the Roman god Mars are two figures who signify strength, courage and virtue. The ancient Romans carved these likenesses into black, white and red-banded gemstones, known as...

The rosy pink, white-banded gemstone known as rhodochrosite is a centuries-old stone that forms in caves as stalagmites and stalactites. It is a powerful stone, especially when used to offset deep...

Although relatively new to the gemstone arena, Kyanite has become a favored stone among healers and other New Age practitioners. An unusual stone in its hardness qualities, kyanite is more...

One of the rarest of gemstones, Alexandrite became popular as a jewel because of its unique color-changing abilities. In daylight, it is a lovely green shade, and under artificial light, it...

Aventurine is a semi-precious gemstone that gets its name from the Italian "a ventura," which means "by chance." Although commonly known for its green color, aventurine can also be found in...

Belief in the mystical properties of gemstones dates back to ancient times. Several cultures such as the Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians believed that gemstones possessed specific...

Beryl is a family of stones all based on the beryllium in the earth's crust. Its gem forms show a variety of vivid colors, and each has a different name when used as a gem. Each color contains...