Gems and Gemmology

by Jvanash Hemachandra July 29, 2020

What is Gemology?

According to course text provided by the gemological association of Great Britain Gemology is described as the following:

"Gemmology is the study of gem materials from their origins to their use in jewellery and in ornamentation."

and Gemologist is explained as the following from the same text:

"A Gemmologist is like a detective who identifies the gemstones and determines their nature, whether they are natural, treated, or synthetic. Accurate identification is essential to the jewellery trade, and to the collector."

What Is A Gem?

A gem can be thought of as any material which is used for adornment or decoration, especially when cut and polished.

The Birthstones

One of the ancient traditions we recognize today is the birthstone. Birthstones are highly valued today as it's a form of representation of people's characteristics and personality. These stones go according to the 12 months of a year, and are as followed:

January: The Luscious Pomegranate "Garnet"

February: The Mystical "Amethyst"

March: The Oceanic "Aquamarine"

April: The Dazzling "Diamond"

May: The Seductive "Emerald"

June: The Pure "Pearl", "Moonstone" and "Alexandrite"

July: The Passionate "Ruby"

August: The Savana Grass "Peridot"

September: The Deep Blue "Sapphire"

October: The Vibrant "Tourmaline" and "Opal"

November: The Fresh "Citrine" and "Topaz"

December: The Artful "Turquoise" and "Tanzanite"

Each stone's characteristics can have a multitude of symbolic meanings, in fact it can be as subjective as finding meaning through association. An example would be the Queen Cleopettra and her obsession with Emeralds, this can affiliate character traits of the queen back to anyone born on May. Like this the birthstones can be a fun tradition to help find meaning in life as well.