What's your favorite gem stone?

This ruby is beautiful...

I fell in love with emeralds after watching the movie "Romancing the Stone."

Emeralds, aquamarines and red spinels.

My dad was a jeweler for some time, and I grew up with colored stones around me. Absolute favorite is sapphire. I love lavender sapphires especially.

It all looks like costume jewelry to me. Minerals and geodes are much more unique.

But if opal counts, then opals.

[quote] Minerals and geodes are much more unique.

No. They're just unique.

Gemstones are minerals...

Rubies

The purplish blue beauty of tanzanites, bitches!

R8 Then whatever. Ones that aren't cut to precision and can look like any piece of lab produced glass.

90 bucks on etsy

I am a fan of the garnet.

Emeralds. I think L. Frank Baum must have liked them too, hence the "Emerald City." That always captured my imagination; a city made up of emeralds, all that sparkling green.

Aquamarines. I was going to post a photo, but there are too many beauties and I can’t decide. They’re even beautiful when they’re raw and uncut.

Uncut is always beautiful!

^^ Here’s one of both.

Sapphire, "Push" based on the novel by.

Colored diamonds: pink, canary and blue in that order.

I also love pink and peacock sapphires.

I’ve got to go with Alexandrites - green in natural light; violet in artificial light. Very high up on the Cool Scale!

Diamonds are forever

R4 Do you have one that is 10 times bigger? It would go perfectly with my eyes.

Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous, R16.

How can men wear a gemstone, in a way that doesn't look totally feminine?

[quote] How can men wear a gemstone, in a way that doesn't look totally feminine?

Diamonds are the only good ones. Everything else is lesser and people say they like others to be different, but they are wrong.

VERY wrong..

[quote]Emeralds. I think L. Frank Baum must have liked them too,

He also preferred dull silver to beautiful gold.

Men can wear a single ring -pinkie ring and still look masculine. Small stones in cufflinks are okay, too. That's about it.

R19 Perfect birthstone for Geminis...

But good Alexandrites are very hard to come by these days. :(

[quote] But good Alexandrites are very hard to come by these days. :(

Why?

I like garnets, too.

It always depends on who is wearing them. I usually don't care for aquamarines, but Sophie Wessex, Prince Edward's wife, always wears them since they are the color of her eyes, and she makes them look beautiful on her.

I love the ways jewelers have tried to market gemstones. What were once called pink sapphires then became peach sapphires, and now the move is to call them champagne sapphires.

And brown diamonds used to be considered so ugly as to be unsellable--until some jeweler got the clever idea to call them "chocolate diamonds."

Morganite with a rose gold setting

It's still brown, though, R33.

Brown diamonds are the industrial grade, like the kind used to make saw blades. They are not jewelry. Anyone who sells them as such is a con artist trying to make a piece of brown shit look like something to wear.

Well, they were only considered industrial grade because no one wanted them for anything else, r36. They are exactly like other diamonds except for their color. Somehow the De Beers Corportation put one over on a whole bunch of people into thinking brown diamonds would be fun to wear, and more affordable than clear diamonds or "fancy" colored diamonds, if they were called "chocolate diamonds."

They first tried to market them as "turd diamonds," but for some reason that just didn't go over very well.

Sapphires are just corundum, the second hardest material, which are any color other than red (if corundum stones are red, they are rubies, which can only be varying shades of red). It used to be that people only wanted deep blue sapphires (which are still the most prized of all sapphires), but they've been able in recent decades to see how pretty the other colors of sapphires are as well.

[quote] brown diamonds used to be considered so ugly as to be unsellable

I don't care, i think those brown diamonds are gorgeous in that photo at R33.

It's surely a matter of taste, but I can't see why people think they are ugly. They're quite beautiful.

Btw, I think it was Jared's Jewelers who started calling them "chocolate diamonds."

This thread is a lot of fun.

I'm overwhelmed by the rare, high-quality gems. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies and the best sapphires are like totems, almost too great to be worn. Most people are smaller in wearing great stones in fine settings. I'd probably keep them in a treasure chest if I had them.

But I find lower-end stones more accessible and practical. I love the deeper tones of a good citrine!

I like good garnets, so long as they're called carbuncles.

I love the pictures above. I like emeralds and rubies. I enjoyed seeing the stone collection at the V&A Museum in London.

Here’s a tragedy: my parents had a rug cleaner in. To protect Mom’s piddling valuables, she put them in a bag, and hid the bag in the garbage can. Yep, she forgot, and out with the trash they went. She was so upset, she couldn’t talk about it.

Aquamarine, peridot, and amethyst are my favorites.

Far and away it’s the Australian Opal. The turquoise color and the shimmer on it just speaks to me. Mary, I know.

If I could redo my wedding band with opal I would in a heartbeat. It just isn’t conducive to water and such. Bummer.

I love opals but know their energy is too dangerous for personal use. They must be esteemed from a slight distance. And that doesn't mean a toe ring.

R44, I like the V&A collection very much, too.

Not to mention their amazing collection of imitations and synthetics!

Can anyone be as dull as the "Just Corundums" R39.

Yes, presh. We know we're talking about minerals, chemicals and elements here.

So what?

Bloodstone. It was a March birthstone years ago and then became so rare the powers-that-be changed March to aquamarine which is a pretty stone but why the switch?

Citrine. Beautiful golden / orange color.

Another vote for opals and garnets. I'm also fascinated with pink diamonds, but only if the color is really intense, actually more on the purple side. The Argyle Muse (seen below) is a good example.

Blue Topaz. Only thing that homo ever gave me.

[quote] Men can wear a single ring -pinkie ring and still look masculine.

Well, it does make them look like mafiosi, if that's what you mean.

I adore the milky iridescence and blue-ish hue of 'classic' opals, but was absolutely blown away when I first saw a red opal.

Mafioso or a pimp, R54.

I know it's a corny metaphor, but that's what I imagine the fiery center of the earth to look like

My birthstone is peridot, which I have always hated, reminds me of lime jello. I prefer the ruby but I just don't wear jewelry so it really doesn't matter.

What's the difference between a ruby and a garnet?

From the pictures here, they look so much alike.

[quote] I love opals but know their energy is too dangerous for personal use

What does this mean?

Peridot is almost never chosen for tiaras, which speaks to the fact that almost no one likes it (r45 notwithstanding). Same with topaz, although "topaz" is the coolest name for a gemstone.

I love the Hope Diamond. The beautiful blue of the sapphire with the refraction of a diamond. Big, too.

[quote]The stone was discovered in India sometime before 1668, the year King Louis XIV bought a blue diamond of 110.5 metric carats that was eventually recut several times to become the jewel we know today. The diamond disappeared with the monarchy during the French Revolution, reemerged in London in 1812, and subsequently became the possession of a British king, George IV. It was then purchased by the aforementioned Mr. Hope, whose family held it through the 19th century. In 1912 Pierre Cartier sold it to the American heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, whose estate sold it to the jeweler Harry Winston, who donated it to the Smithsonian in 1958, where it has since been on more or less continuous exhibition — though never looking as good as it does today.

It was part of great French Blue, a diamond worn by the Sun King.

[quote]The French Blue was a blue diamond that belonged to Louis XIV, estimated to weigh 69 carats.

[quote]It was said to have been brought back from India in 1668, then cut by order of the king in 1673, by the crown jeweller, Jean Pitau. It was stolen along with many other jewels (including the Sancy and the Regent) in 1792 during the burglary of the Hôtel du Garde Meuble.

[quote]The French Blue was the origin of the Hope that appeared twenty years later in England. Even today, it is still the largest blue diamond ever discovered.

Another vote for garnet. I love its deep rich color.

I've always hated that dull necklace setting for the Hope Diamond at r61. It was Evalyn Walsh Maclean's (the most famous owner of the diamond in its present form), so it's historic, but it does nothing for the diamond itself, which has grey tones among the blue and so needs to be set off more spectacularly.

I loved the new 'Embracing Hope" necklace the Harry Winston Company made for the diamond in 2010, and wish it were still displayed in it. I think it really shows off the diamond to much better advantage.

And here's the "Embracing Hope" necklace setting as worn on a model.

Another "fancy" colored diamond in a hideous (though historic) setting is the Dresden Green Diamond, by fa=r the largest green diamond ever found. It's more than 41 carats, and that's far more than the next largest green diamond, which i think is less than 10.

What makes the same colored gemstones, different from each other?

Blue diamond, blue garnet.

Green emerald, green peridot.

Red ruby, red garnet.

Are we sure that they aren't the same gems, under different names?

It seems to me that gems would be classified by color, rather than by something else.

I love Tutti Frutti. Queen Maxima wears it well. Be sure to scroll through the entire link below to see plenty.

Sometimes a tutti frutti piece can be so beautiful that it causes me to feel overcome, like when you see an incredible beautiful piece of art.

I know. MARY!

R66, your ignorant, simplistic notions are foolish but charming.

For those of us who invest in or collect gemstones and jewelry, WHAT something actually is matters, as it determines rarity, methods of assessing clarity and type, and underlying monetary value, which not only serves for financial considerations but tell us how much to insure our gems for.

Since you like colored glass as much pretty pretty green booger-stones and dazzling vintage Colombian emeralds, you may play with and organize what you find in the alley (i'm partial to 7-Up glass myself) any way you choose.

Adults will follow actual chemical makeup and the informed advice of gemologists, jewelers and appraisers.

Here's something I picked out for you especially. It was made from a Mason jar. Enjoy!

Aquamarines are touchy business, since they easily can get lost or seem babioles pas chères.

But in proper size and arrangement, on the right person, something warm and chilling at the same time.

(Not that I want the Tiara Queens to overtake the thread, as they have so many others we enjoy.)

All gold helps take away from the mafia look of men's pinky rings, don't you think? Like here.

It's the gems that make them cry out from Palermo.

Reference for those wanting to know a little more about categorization, since the differences between "precious" and "semi-precious" may be interesting.

We all can afford better-quality examples of the latter than the former, and there's nothing derogatory about the terminology in this age.

I like to visit the gem display at whatever museum I go to. Everything there is always covered in dust; though, because that wing is always empty, haha. I like to imagine a heist while I admire the gems.

There is a gem & stone store below the Louve that was amazing. I hope it’s still there. It’s worth seeing, even if you're not shopping. It’s like a museum, just by itself. I recall they had these obelisks carved out of white marble. They were about a meter long and beautiful. Priced about 2000€ or so. I really don’t have any place to put them, but they were pretty.

I bought token gifts for my siblings. We all have different colors. My color is red. I bought this “opale”, linked, for me.

......

I love going to this website.

It's like visiting another world.

Can you imagine the incredible wealth of those who shop there?

All of them. I want to be dripping with jewels.

emeralds.

[quote]Btw, I think it was Jared's Jewelers who started calling them "chocolate diamonds."

LeVian is the only company that makes chocolate diamond jewelry. But it's sold in many stores.

Indeed R38. (Too bad they don't show the damn ring!)

Some celebrity had a brown or "chocolate" diamond engagement ring. It was big, 11 carats I think, and pear shaped. It looked like a piece of turd on her hand. By the way, if anyone is inclined to wear a brown gemstone there's something called "smoky quartz" or "smoky topaz." It's brown and it's a lot cheaper than a "chocolate diamond" but doesn't look much different.

It's Scarlet Johansson and it is really ugly. Even the band is brown. Scroll down through the link to see the ring.

These have always brought be luck.

So has that tub of Vaseline on the camera lens, Liz.

I love peridot and diamonds together. Exquisite.

Now that good quality emeralds are almost impossible to come by since all the mines are pretty much played out, chrome diopside from Russia is all the rage. The beauty of emeralds but without all the inclusions emeralds are known for.

Turquoise. The color sort of matches my eyes, both men and women can wear it, the stones can be worn during the day, and I like Native American jewelry. And it's the flaws in the stones that make it interesting.

And yes, a man can wear a bit of turquoise, even if he's not a Navajo or an old hippie.

That is absolutely HEINOUS, R80. If Jost picked that out himself, oof.

Bridezillas are the worst, but this is one scenario in which Scarlett should have bitchslapped him and made him sleep in the gazebo. Unless she picked that for herself. Ew.

Addressing several new posts:

Alexandrites traditionally came from Russia. During the period of the Soviet Union, they weren't exported, so new sources were mined -principally in Mexico. The Mexican stones weren't as deeply colored, and the color change wasn't as complete. You grade an Alexandrite by how much it resembles a ruby and an emerald on each end of the color change. Today, most of what you find is very low-grade, though there are some high-end stones out there if you've got a lot of money to spend.

Legend has it that all opals are cursed stones. The only people who can "safely" wear them are those for whom it is their birth stone. Opals are extremely fragile stones, and can be shattered easily -even when mounted in jewelry.

There are hundreds of kinds of colored stones. Each has a different atomic structure and chemical composition. Some of the "semi-precious" stones can be much more beautiful than their famous "precious" cousins. A high-end garnet makes an average ruby look like nothing. I've seen peridots and sphenes that put emeralds to shame. It's a lot like desserts made from real butter and vanilla -They just taste better. I'd much rather have a first-rate stone of lesser name value than a mediocre diamond.

I wear a lavender sapphire that has so much sparkle and fire that people tend to notice it even when it is filthy (which, sadly, is most of the time). They always assume it is a diamond. When I tell them it's a sapphire most say, "I thought sapphires were blue." Corundum comes in many shades of several colors. Call it ruby or sapphire -Just a trade name for a variation on the same stone.

I’ve been told sleeping with a Rose quartz in the furthest Eastern corner of one’s bedroom is supposed to make one dream of a future lover or spouse, but given months of testing it hasn’t happened for me yet. The pink rocky chunk does make me feel more secure somehow but I’m sure that’s just a placebo effect. I don’t even like rose quartz at all, but my sister gave it to me as a birthday gift so I’m guilted into liking it.

I have always wanted an obsidian ring or a string of black pearls from a lover; I don’t know why, suppose I’m just a dramatic bitch that way. I’ll take a fire opal, too, but only one of the red/orange/black ones to suggest it came from Mordor. Other than that I don’t care much for classic pretty gems, especially diamonds & sapphires that bore me to tears aesthetically and I believe are oversold to a gullible nostalgic public.

OT but I also wonder sometimes why ring bands & settings must insistently be cheap malleable metals - wood or stone bands are tough, and lovely when carved well.

Aren't wood or stone bands much more breakable than soft metals? Soft metals bend, wood snaps, stone shatters.

[quote]I wear a lavender sapphire that has so much sparkle and fire that people tend to notice it even when it is filthy (which, sadly, is most of the time). They always assume it is a diamond. When I tell them it's a sapphire most say, "I thought sapphires were blue."

I hope you're a woman wearing that lavender sapphire, because otherwise though they may be saying "I thought sapphires were blue," I can guarantee you what they're actually thinking is "GURRRRLLLL..."

R59 and R66 Two stones can be the same color and be different minerals, such as rubies and garnets. They many look alike but are different substances, with different chemical properties and structures

R59 and R66 Two stones can be the same color and be different minerals, such as rubies and garnets. They many look alike but are different substances, with different chemical properties and structures

The hope diamond gets my vote as well if we're talking singular jewels. I love its history/mystique, and that for some weird reason it flouresces red under ultraviolet light.

As for [italic]type[/italic] of gem stone, I'd go with my birth stone opals, particularly fire opals.

[quote]I’ve been told sleeping with a Rose quartz in the furthest Eastern corner of one’s bedroom is supposed to make one dream of a future lover or spouse, but given months of testing it hasn’t happened for me yet.

I think you misunderstood. You're supposed to sleep with Rose SCHWARTZ.

I love moonstones.

And by the way, this is the gayest thread, ever.

"Legend has it that all opals are cursed stones. The only people who can "safely" wear them are those for whom it is their birth stone."

Yes, that's what they say. I tend to believe there's some truth to that. Here's a couple of reasons why:

In 1977 a disturbed Yale graduate named Richard Herrin bludgeoned to death his girlfriend Bonnie Garland with a claw hammer. They had a college romance despite their differences; he was hispanic, from a poor, deprived background, bullied by his stepfather. He did nothing but study and work and when he came to Yale he was socially unskilled and had never been out on a date. She was the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, had lived much of her early childhood in Brazil, and had lived a privileged life. She was well-traveled and vivacious and very at ease with people. They met in college; they were each other's first loves. Herrin thought it was forever, but she outgrew him and told him she wanted to start seeing other people (she was letting him down easy; the relationship was over). He couldn't accept that, so killed her. The case got a lot of publicity because both killer and victim had gone to Yale and because Herrin had so many supporters. Anyway, at their last Christmas together Herrin gave Bonnie a special gift. Unable to afford a diamond engagement ring he gave her what he thought was a good substitute: an opal ring.

A few years ago a ring of Sharon Tate's was up for auction. There was controversy about it because it wasn't clear how the ring got into the possession of the woman who was auctioning it off. A female friend of Tate's said Roman Polanski had given her the ring and that she had given the ring to a friend of hers to have it appraised but it was never returned. The erstwhile friend who was to have had it appraised was the one selling it off. The auction company was milking the situation for all it was worth claiming : "Since it was her engagement ring she was most likely wearing the ring on the day of her murder." That was bullshit. At any rate, the ring sold for $21,260 despite it being worth not nearly that much. The ring? It was an OPAL ring. A marquise shaped opal surrounded by garnets. It was an ugly ring. And that was what Roman Polanski gave her as an engagement ring instead of a diamond? The cheap bastard. Anyway, there was still more controversy. Tate's sister said it wasn't Sharon's "official" engagement ring but rather an "unofficial symbol of her relationship" with Polanski. Whatever. Anyway, it was another bad luck opal. Seems like getting an opal ring doesn't much bode well for the recipient.

[R90] They can think, or say, whatever they like. I'm out and proud. That ring is the only piece of jewelry I ever wear. I'm proud that I have a very beautiful stone that other people see as beautiful, too. I bought the stone, loose, from a jeweler because it called to me (as they say in the trade). Afterward, I didn't have enough money for a ring to mount it in. My father removed a diamond from a gold ring that he had worn for years and gave it to me as a present. The sapphire fit perfectly, and I've worn it ever since. I think about my father every morning when I put it on.

So if anyone wants to think, or say, "Gurrrrllll!" because I have a colored stone in a ring -or because it's lavender -They can go fuck themselves or, to put it in DL terms, die in a grease fire. :-)

Garners come in just about every color as well. Orange garnets that are a fanta color are beautiful. Tsavorite garnets are green and some could compete with the finest emeralds.

Paraiba tourmalines are one of my favorites. The finest ones are neon blue and are copper bearing. The come from Brazil but are hard to come by as the mines are closed.

R95 now I’m remembering a lovely birthday gift I received from an old friend that has sadly been long lost.

When I turned either 16 or 17 (I forget) my closest friend at the time gave me a pair of square moonstone stud earrings. They were cheaply set (you could see where the stone had been glued to the backing) and bought from a local witchy/hippie boutique, but I adored them and wore them out for years. I’ve has more expensive jewellery as presents since then, but nothing has suited me as well or been as close to my taste as those earrings.

Unfortunately I lost them when I moved away for College, coinciding with the breakdown of my friendship with the gifter over differing lifepaths and values and emotional ideas. Until recently we were in touch, but very lightly and more basically friendly than ‘as friends’.

R98 Also love those different colored garnets.

Nice thread. Love stones and their healing properties. I've become quite obsessed with collecting them. I like sapphire, tourmaline,angel aura quartz, aqua aura quartz, rose quartz, blue topaz, moonstone, labradorite.

I don't care about unlucky former wearers, for me nothing is more beautiful than black opal (they are vividly coloured, not black). I can't understand why anyone would ever want to own a white opal. I have cufflinks set with black opals and wear them whenever I can.

Sweet story, R97. Do you have a picture of the ring?

After seeing the photo at R83, now I understand why a previous poster said that Peridot looks like lime jello. It really does! An emerald would set off those diamonds in a much better way.

R87/R97, does your stone look like this?

Regarding the emotional value of gems.. When I went on an Antarctic cruise, some of the ladies had some very good jewelry. There was a New Zealander lady who wore the most beautiful blue pearl necklace, a Chinese lady with superb jade bracelet, an American lady with a huge turquoise ring, etc. And they all said the same thing - the jewel was literally a piece of home.

There we were, at the far end of the Earth, and these women were wearing something that had come out of the ground or the sea of the places they lived. The jewels were a reminder of home, a connection to it.

Chances are, R104, the kiwi woman was wearing blue/grey Tahitian pearls. They don't exist in NZ except in jewellery stores.

What do we think about gemstones as women's names? Some are sort of classic (Pearl -- not really a gem, I know, Opal, Ruby.) But some sound more tacky -- Diamond? I know that "Emerald" (and its Spanish equivalent, Esmeralda) are becoming more popular. Sapphire? Only in Amos 'n' Andy and that author. Amethyst? Peridot? Aquamarine?

As fancy lady, I like the gem stone which looks very real.

R106 well done. A complete list, with no oversight.

Victorians would name their daughters after nearly all the gemstones: not just Pearl and Ruby and Opal, but Topaz, Carnelian, Sardonyx...

I go weak in the knees for pink gemstones...morganite, pink tourmaline, pink diamonds and padparadscha sapphires. I didn’t even know the last one existed until Eugenie got one in her engagement ring. The setting was blah but the stone was resplendent.

Regarding peridots: I think they look a little cheap in American jewelry but I saw a parure worn by a Pakistani friend of mine. It was filigreed, oxidized gold studded with oval peridots and accented with small rubies, sapphires and seed pearls. I wish I had a picture, it was such a charming set. The peridots looks so beautiful against the deep gold.

Did you see the engagement ring Ben gave J Lo R110?

r110 gets the coveted MARY! of the Day award.

It's a lousy picture -No professional lighting. The stone has a ton of fire in good/natural light.

Love clutching my pearls

I had to look up "parure," because I didn't know what it was.

[quote] noun - a set of jewels intended to be worn together. Ex: "Aunt Gertrude's diamond parure"

Are you telling me that a man wore something like this, R110?

[quote] How can men wear a gemstone, in a way that doesn't look totally feminine?

Here you go, R22. The answer to all your problems.

Like I said above, one of the things I like about American turquoise jewelry is that both men and women can wear it.

Although it's only old Navajo men who can wear a shit-ton and still look masculine.

[quote] They can think, or say, whatever they like. I'm out and proud. That ring is the only piece of jewelry I ever wear. I'm proud that I have a very beautiful stone that other people see as beautiful, too. I bought the stone, loose, from a jeweler because it called to me (as they say in the trade). Afterward, I didn't have enough money for a ring to mount it in. My father removed a diamond from a gold ring that he had worn for years and gave it to me as a present. The sapphire fit perfectly, and I've worn it ever since. I think about my father every morning when I put it on.

[quote] So if anyone wants to think, or say, "Gurrrrllll!" because I have a colored stone in a ring -or because it's lavender -They can go fuck themselves or, to put it in DL terms, die in a grease fire. :-)

That's okay, honey.

You go on doing you, and you flash that lavender sapphire proudly and boldly all over everywhere!

I love sapphires. Cobalt as well.

R84 - chrome diopside doesn't have by far the subtlety of an emerald green. Beautiful but definitely like the business class of green stones.

".... healing qualities."

Jebus Crisp on a Cracker.

I love the color of that kunt stone.

I've always liked jade. It comes in various shades; some of them are gross but really good jade is an exquisite shade of green. Prices vary a lot too; there's cheap jade and there's jade that's as expensive as the most expensive diamond. I heard Barbara Hutton, the crazy, obscenely wealth Woolworth heiress, was a connoisseur of jade. She could afford the best, and she got it.

Colored stones are vulgar.

[quote] chrome diopside

What a horrible name!

All I want to know is, which one is the most VALUABLE?

Contrary to popular belief, I've heard that diamonds aren't the most valuable/expensive gemstones.

I think I heard that sapphires are.

I love opal and moonstone

[quote] All I want to know is, which one is the most VALUABLE?

First off: it would not be sapphires. As stated above, red corundum (the rarest kind) are rubies, and all other colored corundum is called a sapphire. thus rubies are much rarer than sapphires.

Carat by carat, a naturally occurring "pigeon's blood" unflawed and unheated/unirradiated ruby is more valuable than a naturally occurring, unflawed and perfectly clear diamond, because the ruby is much rarer.

However, if the diamond is "fancy" colored, the price goes up from uncolored, so most "fancy" colored diamonds would be worth more carat by carat than the ruby. And, if you have a naturally occurring red diamond, carat by carat, that would be worth more than any naturally occurring gemstone because it is the rarest of all colored diamonds.

Wow, thanks R128!

I immediately started looking these up.

Here's a pigeon's blood ruby from Burma.

To the eye, it's still hard to differentiate from any other ruby. But it's pretty.

This red diamond is quite beautiful, though.

I like whatever my Don Jr buys me when I deign to touch his penis

"Pigeon's blood" is a reference to the natural intensity of the color--only the reddest of the red are called "pigeon's blood" rubies, and they are the most highly valued.

Many rubies on the market today have had their color intensified by subjecting the stones to high heat or radiation, and so they can be as red as "pigeon's blood" rubies but not cost a much. However, jewelers are required by law to reveal whether the ruby was heated/irradiated or not. (Believe it or not, you can do a test to tell.)

R115 My friend is a woman, and yes, that’s a parure. That’s how most South Asians wear their jewelry to formal events, in matched sets.

Labradorite fascinates me. It looks like you're scuba diving underneath the ice.

My Barbie Boob necklace is stone-free but gets more looks than any diamonds I've ever worn!

LifeGems are my favorite. I've an entire parure made from the remains of my dead lovers.

R136, LifeGem is possibly the most macabre thing I've ever heard of.

R129, that stone is impossibly beautiful. It's so gorgeous, I think many people would think it was fake.

Moonstone and alexandrite

Citrine. A tricky gemstone, for they can look cheap and gaudy if the colour is too light, too yellow. But they can look mysterious and 'rich' if the tones are more subdued..

Citrine and amythest are just plain old quartz, chemically, they're just the two shades of quartz so fabulously colored that they're considered semi-precious, or precious stones. The crowned heads of europe have fabulous amethyst jewelry of deep purple and violet, the pale stones arent nearly as valuable.

Both good citrine and good amethyst look their best set in gold, but few stones are good enough to rate gold settings. Pale stones set in silver are cheaper, and look cheap.

[quote]Sapphires are just corundum, the second hardest material,

So their second best

Here's Queen Alexandra of Great Britain, wearing the most fabulous quartz parue! Amethysts so big and flawless and richly colored that they're set in a shit-ton of diamonds!

So HEY, TIARA TROLL!! What's become of this fabulous tiara? I found pictures of Queen Elizabeth wearing a necklace like this one, but with a diamond tiara.

This thread is great, very comforting. I'd like to have a bathtub filled with all these gems with candles glowing. Then I'd just roll around in them.

R143 Sounds great but maybe a little painful.

"Glitter and be gay..."

This discussion makes me weish we lived in the good old days, when a man could sew gold and precious jewels all over his hat and jacket and shoes, and wear several necklaces on top of that. Screw bathing in jewels, I want to wear ten pounds of jewels to the movies or to the In-N-Out burger drive-through!

But we live in an age when even women complain that they have no place to wear their costume jewelry.

I love emeralds.

I also love iolite, a deep bluish-purple. Or purplish-blue.

If any of you gentlemen are bemoaning the fact that there's no way for men to wear opals, here's something you might like...

It's very rare, but some fossils turn into opal or become opalized, instead of turning into whatever kind of stone fossils are. I've see a few opalized fossil shells in real life, they're a cool little knickknack. Some are quite beautiful.

[quote]This discussion makes me wish we lived in the good old days, when a man could sew gold and precious jewels all over his hat and jacket and shoes, and wear several necklaces on top of that. Screw bathing in jewels, I want to wear ten pounds of jewels to the movies or to the In-N-Out burger drive-through!

I'm thinking that any amount of jewelry is appropriate to accessorize one's caftan.