Basic Gem info - AS 1

Key Concepts in Gems

• To be a gem, a mineral must be beautiful, durable, and rare.
• Most gems are minerals, mined by independent miners using small-scale mining methods.
• An appealing name can increase a gem's marketability.
• Treatments improve the marketability and availability of many gems.
• Despite extensive treatment, emerald is the number one colored stone by value imported into the US.
• Most consumers accept gem treatments if they're ethically disclosed and explained in a positive way.
• Changes in a gem's source country can drastically affect its availability and price.

Key Terms

• Amorphous: lacking a regular crystal structure.
• Group: a family of gems from several closely related mineral species.
• Atom: the basic structural unit of all matter.
• Inorganic: composed of, or arising from, non-living matter.
• Chemical composition: kinds and relative quantities of atoms that make up a material.
• Chemical element: a substance that consists of atoms of only one kind.
• Crystal structure: regular, repeating internal arrangement of atoms in a material.
• Disclosure: clearly and accurately informing customers about the nature of the goods they buy.
• Mineral: a natural, inorganic substance with a characteristic chemical composition and usually characteristic structure.
• Natural gems: gems produced by natural processes, without human help.
• Organic: produced by, or derived from, a living organism.
• Phenomenon: an unusual optical effect displayed by a gem.

Key Concepts in Gemology

• Most gems are minerals that must be beautiful, durable, and rare to be considered gems.

Gem Treatments and Disclosure

• Treatments can improve the marketability and availability of gems.
• Many consumers accept gem treatments if they are ethically disclosed and explained in a positive way.

Gem Industry and Market

• Changes in a gem's source country can greatly affect its availability and price.
• Emerald is the number one colored stone by value imported into the US, despite extensive treatments.

Gemology Terminology

• Amorphous: lacking a regular crystal structure.
• Group: a family of gems from several closely related mineral species.
• Atom: the basic structural unit of all matter.
• Inorganic: composed of, or arising from, non-living matter.
• Chemical composition: the kinds and relative quantities of atoms that make up a material.
• Chemical element: a substance that consists of atoms of only one kind.
• Crystal structure: a regular, repeating internal arrangement of atoms in a material.
• Disclosure: clearly and accurately informing customers about the nature of the goods they buy.
• Mineral: a natural, inorganic substance with a characteristic chemical composition and usually characteristic structure.
• Natural gems: gems produced by natural processes, without human help.
• Organic: produced by, or derived from, a living organism.
• Phenomenon: an unusual optical effect displayed by a gem.