They have won the hearts of lovers, influenced mighty affairs of state, and provided adornment and decoration throughout history. There are many steps needed for a gemstone to go from Mine to Masterpiece within a gem's journey. The definition of beauty is in the eye of the beholder and whatever form is preferred by the owner, whether inorganic or organic shows their gaze as something tangible, a reflection of what they admire condensed into a stone.

Beauty is what attracts us to a mineral and causes it to be worn as ornamentation. Desirability is generally what is in fashion at the time, durability so that it doesn't get scratched or broken and rarity which is the valued attribute. These physical attributes are nowadays controlled by a narrative, for instance, the diamond industry campaigning itself as rare and a must-have for couples. Whereas, a diamond is carbon formed under intense pressure but there is an abundance of it. The quanity of it is manipulated into a scarcity within a captive market so they can do as they please, just like how covid masks were so expensive and hard to come by when the pandemic first came. None of us are immune to propganda.

Magical Connotations

Since the dawn of history, these ornaments were used as amulets, talismans, and charms. A scholar from early Roman times, Pliny wrote "Natural History" , which covers a wide variety of subjects and many beliefs on the power of gemstones. From then till the Middle Ages, philosophers and mystics wrote books called "Lapidaries" which explained the magical properties of gemstones - their powers to heal, predict, protect, and change the course of human affairs.

A gem's natural power was augmented by the spirit and craftmanship of an artisan's work. Talismans were adorned with mystical symbols or runes, either carved into store or worked in a metal design, prescribed to yield certain effects. In modern times, many people wear their birthstones or those of partners and children, this ia practice of mysticism but is accepted by a custom of tradition.

What was called magic in the old days is called science today

The study of stars went fom Astrology to Astronomy. Alchemy went to Chemistry. As humans we gained more knowledge about our universe and perfected our magic, augmenting it's name into science. Legitimate scientists study subjects like telekinesis, telepathy and quantum physics - very fancy names for magic. The very fact that you are able to read this has been enabled through raw materials going through complex industrial process to create the internet and all the components necessary to access it. If you were to explain to an ancient mind that the collective conciousness is connected this way, they would believe it to be magic and we know it as techonolgy and science.

Some stones do demonstrate magical powers. Tourmaline produces a charge of static electricity when warmed, and will attract dust and fluff - this is called pyroelectricity. Quartz generates electricity when put under pressure or stress, and will vibrate when electricty is applied to the stone - this is called piezoelectricity . Ancients beleived gems were lenses that focused an underlying field of power or to release a human potential. Vikings used Sunstones, likely calicite crystals, to see polarized light on a cloudy day to navigate the oceans on their raids.

It is only when you realize that you don't have all the answers that you can begin to pursue wisdom.

Synthetics and Imitations

As long as gemstones have been known, we have tried to imtitate their beauty. Ancient Egyptians made a blue ceramic called Faience, and eventually developed glass to imitate Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli. Natural gemstones are taken from nature, dug from the ground or produced organically, and only has been cut and polished. Genuine gemstones are natural gemstones which have been encahnced using on or more methods. Synthetic stones are exact chemical and crystal replicas made in laboratories of natural gemstones. Imitation stones are those which try to look like a genuine gemstone. A stone's true identity is revealed by combining clues from a multitude of tests and matching results to known data about gemstones.