Moon stone

A gemstone that radiates moonlight-like sheen — Moonstone

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Moonstone is a renowned phenomenon gemstone. In addition to the basic 4Cs(carat, color, clarity, cut), the optical effect is a crucial consideration. High-quality moonstone is semi-transparent, while lower quality ones appear milky and turbid with less adularescence. The best moonstone display a vivid blue sheen when viewed from the front; if this effect is only seen in parts, the gemstone’s value decreases. Moreover, moonstones exhibiting both cat’s eye effect and blue sheen are extremely rare and valuable!

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A gemstone that glows at night — Fluorite

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Fluorite comes in various colors due to its exposure to different minerals during its formation process. Its unique color change and fluorescence are also caused by trace amounts of transitional or rare earth elements. There are two main directions for selecting fluorite for collection: one is choosing faceted gemstones, and the other is selecting phenomena stones such as fluorescence, phosphorescence, color change, etc. Fluorite plays a significant role in industries such as metallurgy, optics, and electronics, special lenses in laboratories are also made from fluorite, which have excellent dispersion resistance.

解理說明

Why is “cleavage” important in design?

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Cleavage refers to the property where a crystallized mineral breaks along weaker planes within the crystal structure under external force, forming smooth surfaces. In the gemstone industry, the cleavage characteristic is utilized by striking along the cleavage plane before cutting and polishing. Cleavage is classified into five grades based on the degree of perfection: perfect cleavage, good cleavage, fair cleavage, poor cleavage, and no cleavage. Cleavage is not only a critical factor in gemstone design but also serves as an important indicator in gemstone identification. Cleavage is an inherent property of gemstones, and even perfectly crystallized diamonds have cleavage planes.

賽黃晶

Rare gemstone variety – Danburite

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Danburite is a kind of rare gem, the English scientific name comes from its discover location—Danbury, Connecticut, USA, the Chinese name is derived from its appearance, which is similar to topaz. It’s primarily found in pegmatite and metamorphosed carbonate rocks that are rich in cryogenic hydrothermal fluids, coexist with plagioclase and orthoclase in dolostone. Danburite can be found in colors ranging from colorless, light yellow, brown, to the rarer pink and purple. Commercially, the appearance and index of refractive of danburite are both similar to those of topaz, but danburite can be identified by its low specific gravity, fluorescence and low birefringence index. Most danburite appear gray and opaque, with gem-quality transparency being extremely rare, but even so most enthusiasts still value its natural appearance and regard it as collection. Danburite has high hardness and toughness, doesn’t require special maintenance in both collection and wear, makes it relatively easy to care.

neodymium

The Famous Twin Rare Earth Element Mystery – The Powerful “Neodymium” Magnet

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Introduction Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by Austrian chemist C. A. von Welsbach in Vienna. Interestingly, the name “Neodymium” comes from the Greek words “neos” (νέος), meaning “new,” and “didymos” (διδύμος), meaning “twin.” Naturally occurring neodymium consists of seven isotopes: stable isotopes 143Nd, 145Nd, 146Nd, 148Nd, the most common 142Nd, and long-lived primordial radioactive isotopes …

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“Erbium” seems to have a knack for separation, as it has given rise to several rare earth elements

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In a previous article, we mentioned the rare earth element “Terbium.” Its sibling elements, discovered in the same year, include “Erbium.” Initially, terbium oxide and erbium oxide were confused with each other, and it wasn’t until after 1860 that this was corrected. Both Er and Tb were isolated from gadolinite, yet their oxides differ in …

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The Rare Earth Triplets—Terbium, the Unfortunate Victim

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Previously, we discussed how “Yttrium” was discovered in a mine near the village of Ytterby in Sweden. Interestingly, there are three other elements that, much like triplets, have similar names and are often confused: Erbium (Er), Terbium (Tb), and Ytterbium (Yb). All of these were also discovered in the same area. In the lanthanide family, …

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The Head of the Lanthanide Family — Lanthanum

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When discussing rare earth elements, we cannot overlook the large group of lanthanides, one of the most important categories in the periodic table.Most lanthanide elements are found in monazite and bastnäsite, and they are typically mixed together in stable proportions (with lanthanum comprising 25-38%). These elements are separated from each other as oxides and are …

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