History of gemstones

If you want to understand the history of gemstones, this guide will explain all the key points you need to know. Red rubies, priceless diamonds, huge emeralds and other gemstones have long inspired myths, legends, and even curses. They have been coveted by royalty, rich collectors and movie stars alike.

A gemstone is a valuable piece of mineral crystal, usually mined from the ground. Gemstones are often used as decorative elements in jewellery and other adornments. No. Throughout history, they have also been used to decorate a variety of other items like plates, combs, religious or ceremonial objects, and weapons. No. While most gemstones are minerals and rocks that come from underground (such as emeralds and opals), some valuable organic materials like pearls and amber are used in jewellery and therefore also called gemstones.

Gemstones appear naturally in all the colours of the rainbow, including colourless, white and black – with all shades of blues, greens, reds, yellows, browns, pinks and oranges in between. The difference in gemstone colours is based on the trace elements they contain, physical differences in the crystals, and the way they refract light. For instance, a physical process called “charge transfer”, as well as the presence of titanium and iron, are what produce the blue colour in sapphires.

Gemstones naturally occur as “rough” stones. These are irregular in shape and in some cases, not all that sparkly or beautiful. After mining, however, they are carved and polished into specific shapes, called cuts, by expert lapidaries (gem cutters). This enhances and brings out their shine and colour.

All other gemstones that are not classified as precious stones are called semi-precious stones. This does not mean that they are not valuable. On the contrary, many semi-precious stones can fetch sky-high prices if they are of good quality and colour.

he age of gemstones, from the time they were formed within the Earth, ranges from millions to billions of years. (With the exception of organic gemstones like pearls which are formed constantly.)

As carbon-, gas- and other scientific mineral dating techniques improve, scientists are able to determine the age of gemstones more exactly. For instance, experts currently estimate that diamonds formed deep within the Earth’s mantle more than 3 billion years ago. On the other hand, sapphire is a much younger gem as it formed “only” around 150 million years ago.

The oldest gemstone formed on Earth is zircon. In 2001, researchers found a piece of natural zircon in Jack Hills, Western Australia and dated it back to around 4.4 billion years. (Zircon is a natural gemstone and should not be confused with cubic zirconia which is a synthetic imitation.)

The oldest extraterrestrial gemstone is peridot. While the gem is also mined on Earth, peridot crystals have been found on meteorite landing sites and in mineral samples collected from space. This “stardust peridot” is a remnant of our solar system’s birth from 4.6 billion years ago. The most prominent gemstone in Chinese history was, without a doubt, jade. Its importance in Chinese history cannot be understated. This gemstone, with white, yellow or green colour, is synonymous with wealth and power in Chinese history. It is no coincidence that the symbol in Chinese writing for “emperor” looks almost identical to the one that means “jade”. Jade has been mined in China since the stone age. At prehistoric sites, archaeologists have found jade beads, tools and weapons.

Later, around 3000 BC, jade became known as “yu” or the “royal gem”. Beautiful jade carvings were used for ceremonial dishes, vases, furnishings and jewellery for the Chinese imperial families. The most influential Chinese people were buried in jade suits. These were extremely costly, taking a long time to make.

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