what makes a crystal a gem?
"Gems are cut and polished mineral crystals..."
You can look for more information by using a search engine with appropriate search terms, such as "crystal gem" without quotes.
To understand what makes a crystal a gem, we need to understand the characteristics and qualities that define a gem. Here are the key factors:
1. Beauty: Gems are valued for their visual attractiveness. They typically possess unique colors, patterns, and optical properties that make them visually captivating.
2. Rarity: Gems are relatively rare compared to other minerals. Their scarcity contributes to their value and desirability.
3. Durability: Gems are typically hard and resistant to scratching, which allows them to withstand daily wear and tear. Mohs scale of mineral hardness is often used to determine a gem's resistance to scratching.
4. Clarity: Gems are valued for their clarity and lack of significant flaws or inclusions. The presence of imperfections can diminish their overall value.
5. Transparency: Many gems are prized for their transparency, meaning they allow light to pass through them and display optical effects such as brilliance, fire, and color play.
With these characteristics in mind, a crystal can be considered a gem if it meets most, if not all, of the above criteria. Some common examples of gem crystals include diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, and topaz.
Determining the gem status of a crystal often requires expertise and professional evaluation. Gemologists analyze a wide range of factors, such as color, clarity, cut, and carat weight, to determine if a crystal meets the standard of being a gem.