Gemstone Guide
At Les Olson, we love playing with different colors and patterns! We have a fantastic variety of gemstones in the store, and we can even order any stone you want—including opals, aquamarines, and pearls!
Amethyst
The deep violet color of amethyst has long made it a prized stone for royal jewelry, with church officials and the British Crown Jewels having many pieces made with the gemstone. Based on Greek myths, amethysts originated from a nymph named Amethystos, who refused Dionysus, the god of wine.
Today, amethysts are used in almost all types of jewelry, including rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and many others. They are commonly found in Africa and South America and have relatively abundant supplies, thus being an affordable stone.

Properties
- Color: Violet, purple, or red-violet
- Hardness: 7
- Specific Gravity: 2.6 – 2.7
- Cleavage: None
- Crystallography: Hexagonal
- Luster: Vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.544 – 1.553
Symbolizes
Wisdom, Contemplation, Peace
Proper Care
Citrine
Nowadays, citrine is a popular and affordable stone for jewelry since it can easily be customized into intricate cuts based on your preference. It appeals particularly to people who enjoy earthy tones. However, citrine found in the market is often treated as the natural form and is much rarer and more expensive.

Properties
- Color: Golden yellow to red-orange
- Hardness: 7
- Specific Gravity: 2.651
- Cleavage: None
- Crystallography: Hexagonal
- Luster: Vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.544 – 1.553
Symbolizes
Joy, energy, wealth
Proper Care
Diamond
As a gemstone, diamonds are evaluated based on the 4 Cs, namely carat, cut, color, and clarity, which are assessed to determine their value. These stones can be found in places with high temperatures and pressures, including South Africa, India, Brazil, and Australia.

Properties
- Color: Colorless, white, gray, black, brown, green, shades of yellow, and others
- Hardness: 10
- Specific Gravity: 3.4 to 3.6
- Cleavage: Perfect octahedral
- Crystallography: Isometric
- Luster: Adamantine
- Refractive Index: 1.544 – 1.553
Symbolizes
Clarity, faithfulness, purity
Proper Care
Emerald
Up until today, emeralds continue to be one of the most valuable colored stones, along with rubies and sapphires. They are regarded with high esteem and can be found primarily in South America, specifically in Brazil and Colombia.

Properties
- Color: Deep to medium green
- Hardness: 7.5 – 8
- Specific Gravity: 2.68 – 2.78
- Cleavage: Indistinct
- Crystallography: Hexagonal
- Luster: Vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.569 – 1.5602
Symbolizes
Hope, rebirth, romance
Proper Care
Garnet
Under different lighting conditions, garnets may reflect unique colors. These stones are mostly found in Madagascar, South America, Africa, Russia, India, and the United States. Mozambique garnets are particularly coveted in jewelry as they are known for their quality and warm tones.

Properties
- Color: Commonly deep red to violet-red
- Hardness: 6.5 – 7.5
- Specific Gravity: 3.5 – 4.3
- Cleavage: None
- Crystallography: Isometric
- Luster: Vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.72 – 1.95
Symbolizes
Protection, Love, Friendship
Proper Care
Types and Varieties
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- Almandite. Almandite is one of the most common members of the garnet group. While they come in many colors, the almandite-pyrope blend has the deep red color that you often associate with a garnet.
- Pyrope. Pyropes are mostly red with a slight brown tint, but it is the only type of garnet that always appears red in its natural state. One of its varieties includes rhodolite, which exhibits a pinkish purple color.
- Grossular. Contrary to most other garnets, grossulars are mostly yellow or orange, rather than the traditional red. Tsavorites, which resemble the emerald green color, are one of the rare grossular species that usually come at a higher cost.
- Andradite. Andradites are the most lustrous, but also one of the rarest, green Demantoids, in particular, are recognized as one of the most valuable stones in the gemology world.
- Spessartite. Spessartites have a predominantly orange hue and, much like other garnets, are often blended with other types.
Peridot
Peridot can be found in many locations, but the finest quality gems are often sourced from Australia, South Africa, China, Norway, and Brazil.

Properties
- Color: Pale lime green
- Hardness: 6.5 – 7
- Specific Gravity: 3.2 – 4.39
- Cleavage: Imperfect or weak
- Crystallography: Orthorhombic
- Luster: Oily or vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.635 – 1.879
Symbolizes
Compassion, health, spirituality
Proper Care
Ruby
Rubies can exhibit different colors based on their chromium and iron content, but they are most valuable when they are blood red. Burma, in particular, is known for having some of the highest quality rubies and the most pigeon blood rubies in the world.

Properties
- Color: Various shades of red
- Hardness: 9
- Specific Gravity: 3.99 – 4.1
- Cleavage: None
- Crystallography: Hexagonal
- Luster: Vitreous, adamantine
- Refractive Index: 1.757 – 1.779
Symbolizes
Love, power, vitality
Proper Care
Sapphire
Precious Stone
Ancient Persians viewed sapphires so highly that they believed the blue skies were a reflection of the stone’s color. In more recent times, sapphires were classified as Corundum like rubies. While this precious gem is most prized in its pure blue color, it comes in a diverse range of colors, essentially encompassing all non-red Corundums.
Blue, pink, and pink-orange sapphires have the highest prices in the market. With blue sapphires, color is one of the biggest considerations. Factors like tone, saturation, and hue can all contribute to the stone’s vividness and resulting value.

Properties
- Color: Various colors, including blue, blue-green, white, gray, colorless, and green
- Hardness: 9
- Specific Gravity: 3.99 – 4.1
- Cleavage: None
- Crystallography: Hexagonal
- Luster: Vitreous, adamantine
- Refractive Index: 1.757 – 1.779
Symbolizes
Focus, truth, fortune
Proper Care
Topaz
Topaz can have varying characteristics based on its origin. Some of the most common sources include Russia, Brazil, Pakistan, Germany, and the United States.

Properties
- Color: Various colors, including blue, white, gray, yellow, pale pink, and orange
- Hardness: 8
- Specific Gravity: 3.56 – 3.57
- Cleavage: Perfect basal
- Crystallography: Orthorhombic
- Luster: Vitreous
- Refractive Index: 1.607 – 1.649
Symbolizes
Communication, relationships, wealth
Proper Care
Other Gems

Opal

Aquamarine
