Introducing Gemstone

Types of Gemstones and minerals have long been of special importance among the various ethnic groups of human society.  The beauty of these minerals was so important that the ancient people believed in supernatural powers such as the secret of eternal youth, healing spells, luck and fortune.

Today, although these beliefs are rejected, it must be admitted that the industry of extraction and processing of Persian Gemstone and Persian jewelry has become the healing spell of the economies of many countries and has a significant share of world trade.  In this article, we refer to a number of Types of Gemstones and semi-gemstone and minerals that Iranians knew and used.

Different types of Gem stone

Turquoise: The name of this stone is derived from the French word Turquoise meaning Turkish stone.  The smoother and larger the turquoise, the more valuable it is.  The color of this stone also changes from blue-green to pale yellow. You can find Firoozeh in Arizona, New Mexico, Australia, Afghanistan, and Iran (Neishabour and Damghan). Neishabour produces Ajami and Shajari turquoise, which people know worldwide for their excellent quality. Ajami turquoise has a round, coarse shape and a pure garlic-blue color. Jewelers use it to make the most expensive rings.

Striped turquoise is also called Shajari;  This type of Firoozeh consists of a community of several turquoise grains inside the stone

Agate

Agate (a type of quartz) is another gemstones. Ordinary agate has regular layers of chalcedony, and most have amethyst crystals in the center. Opal mainly contains silica, but sometimes it also holds elements like aluminum, iron, magnesium, calcium, nickel, and chromium. People recognize opal by its fine texture and light color. Opal is translucent, opaque and has a glassy luster.  Agate is white to dark gray and black, yellow to red, light green and blue, and is popular among second-rate gemstones.  The best are red, yellow and white.  A species that has many mica particles and is shiny is called enchanting.  After Neishabour Turquoise Mine, the oldest Types of Gemstones mine in Iran is Baig Mine.  This mine is located in Khorasan Razavi province.  Shajr Bamrud agate mine is also located in South Khorasan and as the only Shajr agate mine in Iran, it supplies most of the raw materials for agate cutting workshops.

Green garnet (emerald): Garnet (dementoid) is found in red, orange, brown and green colors.  Among these, the most valuable type of garnets is green.  Bright green garnets are more valuable, but lighter colors are often more popular.  Traders now sell this stone at very high prices in world markets. Buyers often send the mineral abroad, cut it, and use it as a type of emerald. This type of garnet is also less known in the country

Pearl

Pearl is a white and shiny gem.  Pearls grow inside the shells of some clams and oysters. When a small object like a grain of sand enters the shell, the animal covers it with layers of conciolin and carbonate. Over time, these layers form a pearl. The shape of the pearl is often close to spherical.  Persian Pearls have been hunted for thousands of years off the coasts of the Persian Gulf, Ceylon-Sri Lanka, the Red Sea, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia, New Guinea, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, Britain and France.

LOVE POETRY PEARL BRACELET

Diamond

The high diamond value is the result of high hardness, brilliant polishing and high distribution. In this case, in acid and openings, it is completely insoluble, and cracking, fracture, scratch and gap of diamond resolution. Usually the diamonds are in depth, 100-200 km below the surface of the earth and in the heated about 900-1300 degrees Celsius and a compression of 65-40 kb. Diamond is extracted in Siberia, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, India and Russia. In Iran, ophiolite persian belts are one of the areas prone to diamond exploration. In Iran, before Islam, has not paid much attention to the diamond. Iranian scientists, such as Outdoor and Abolley Sinai in the Islamic era, have conducted investigations about this mineral. Based on the experiment low attention to the old Iranians to the diamond was due to the lack of its mines in Iran or the territories.

Azure

This is one of the types of gemstones called azure stones. This stone is made of several composite minerals. The most important part is lazurite (25–40%). Lazurite contains sodium, aluminum, silica, oxygen, sulfur, and chlorine.

Azure also has calcite (white streaks), sodalite, and pyrite (gold spots). When an azure stone has fewer white veins and more golden streaks, it is more valuable. The original azure turns the flame blue when you place it in fire.

People polish this gemstones well and consider it a metamorphic stone. Many confuse it with azurite, a blue carbonate rock.

In the Median period, azure was common. People believed it came from a mine near Damavand, though no trace has been found there. In the Achaemenid era, they called lapis lazuli “Kabutkeh.”

Builders used it in Ctesiphon’s roof and sculptures, though they might have used azurite instead. In ancient Badakhshan, azure was abundant. The Sar-e-Sang mine in Afghanistan has produced azure for at least 6,500 years.

Silver Earrings With Azure Stones

Subbune

The second natural mineral is difficult. It contains cells, calcite, feldspar, mica, and garnet. Gem traders call the watered ruby “safer,” but the most valuable type is the pigeon blood ruby. This ruby forms in acidic magma and at the boundary between inner and outer layers. People have found it in Burma, Sri Lanka, the U.S., Africa, India, Kazakhstan, and the Middle East. No one has found it in Iran yet, but historical evidence shows Iranians knew about ruby before Islam.

People quote Salman Farsi, who said God brought ruby on Nowruz to decorate people’s ornaments. He also brought shards for this day and for the other days.

In Khajeh Al-Molk’s Letter of Policy, Anoushirvan filled his mouth with rubies, pearls, and gems. According to Swallow, the foundations of Anoushirvan’s palace were made from ruby.

Iran has no known ruby mines. But in the lands of Kazakhstan, which once belonged to Iran, people have mentioned ruby mines.