Gemstone Guide – Sundari Jewellery

Gemstone Guide

The Sundari collection celebrates our passion for truly creative and original silver jewellery, accessories and clothing brought to you from all over the world. Our jewellery, designs are timeless classics, using sterling silver and semi-precious stones – choose from our wide range of bracelets, earrings and necklaces. Sundari jewellery, combines pearls, amethysts, garnets and a wealth of other semi-precious stones to create beautiful, stylish silver jewellery.

What are Gemstones?

Gemstones are generally minerals that have been formed over thousands or millions of years. Gemstones may be formed from pure mineral, a simple chemical compound, or a more complex mixture of various compounds and elements.

The physical characteristics of gemstones can be divided into:

  • Hardness,
  • Gravity or Density,
  • Colour and Luster.

The hardness and gravity or density of gemstones will depend on the crystal formation of the particular gem. Gemstones may be formed in single or multiple discrete crystals.

How are gemstones formed?

The basic material in gemstones is mineral. There are over 3000 different minerals on the earth, but only about 50 of which are gems. These minerals are found on the earth’s surfaces and their origin dates back to the time the earth was formed. 

Minerals in gemstone derive from three basic rock formations:

  • Igneous,
  • Metamorphic
  • Sedimentary

Each of these varies in the way they originate (from molten lava or the temperature at which they cooled down), and this in turn makes up the different characteristics and properties in gemstones.

The colour of gemstones

Colour is the most obvious feature of a gem. There are as many gems as there are colours. Intensity, tone and variety distinguishes them from one another as well as being one of the key measures of gem quality.

Colour can be described as the combination of three characteristics:

  • Hue
  • Tone
  • Intensity

Hue is the function of the frequency of light and is described by familiar terms such as red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo and violet. Tone is a variation from very light to very dark. Intensity is a measure of saturation, or purity of a colour.

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