subject: Rare And Magnificent Gemstones [print this page] Oftentimes most people think only of diamonds or gold to be the most prized thing that they can give to their loved ones. However, little they did know that there are several varieties of stones or minerals that are as rare and expensive as gold or diamonds are. Here are some of those stones that can be great gifts too.
Serpentine
Green, yellowish-green or brownish green stones are what serpentines are. Though many people still confuse serpentine with jade, it has to be known that jade is usually even in color while serpentine is spotted or veined. There are multitude of serpentine variants such as the Connemara, williamsite, bowenite and verd-antique that have been available in the market for so long. Serpentines are naturally opaque to translucent in color and have a hardness grade of 2.5 to 5.5. These pieces of stones are lighter than quartz with a density of 2.44 to 2.62. Countries such as Greece, Italy, Norway, Burma, New Zealand, USA and China are few places who have the largest amounts of serpentine tapped every year.
Danburite
Danburites are one of the less known gems that were first quarried in the United States. This calcium boric silicate was first discovered in the year 1839 in Danbury, Connecticut by a professor and mineralogist Charles Upham Shephard. The usual colors of Danburites are very light pink to colorless. Often mistaken with a diamond, Danburites are also transparent and eye-clear in appearance. After its first discovery in Connecticut, countries such as Russia, Mexico, Japan, Madagascar and Burma have been found to have deposits of this gem stone as well.
Spodumene
This fascinating piece of stone is surprisingly a major source of the rare element lithium. This mineral got its name from the Greek word spodumenos meaning ash-colored. Common Spodumene ranges colors of yellow, yellowish-green to deep-green and violet to pink. It has to be noted that yellow spodumenes are simply called spodumene and pink and green varieties are known as kunzite and hiddenites. Colorless varieties of spodumene, which are a rare variety, have been recently found in Afghanistan.
Labradorite
Labradorites are quite famous in the diamond trade for its remarkable iridescence. Iridescence means the property of a mineral to display a play of colors on its surface. Since it was first found in the Labrador Peninsula of Canada, gemologists named this stone to this place. Countries such as India, Mexico, Finland, Australia, Madagascar and the Adirondack Mountains have been found to have large deposits of labradorites too. However, the rarest variety of labradorites has been recently quarried from the Ylamma region in Finland.
