Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and
gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 carat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join
me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's
tune in on these topics and get golden. One of the most important roles in gemology is
creating some unity and placement when a jewel is discovered then identified. Part of the
human experience is creating order that is universal enough to easily share and comprehensive
enough to reveal a logical pattern. Imagine if you went to a library or a grocery store
and there was no system or grouping to help you see the likenesses or recognize items
that belong together. It makes jobs in the industry so much easier if all of the mysteries
are solved and every congruent item is in the same area. Which families of gems have become
mainstream? What are the virtues of each type? Come learn more in this episode and see the
big picture on categorizing discovered jewels. Chapter timestamps are in the show notes.
The simplest place to begin is to break the order of gems down into the families and then
the individual jewels. The two words that I'll use to match this science are species, which
is a family, referring to composition, chemical makeup, crystal habit, and those words are
fancy for the pattern, structure, and layout of its makeup. The second word is variety,
meaning coloring agents, features, effects, or phenomenon. Let's begin with special effects
and gems, which helps me appraise by process of elimination in my job. The first phenomena
is Agular Rescence. Derived from the root word for moon, it is found in the Feldspar
family, which I will cover later. This is characterized by a luminous or metallic reflection
and so it seems light and shiny for its material. Sometimes the signature sheen is only observed
in certain directions, which is due to variables of interferences in the diffraction, which
is a big word for the bending of light waves. Asterism. Coming from the Latin word for star,
this is visible in dome cut gems called cabochons. They have a flat back but a gum drop top as
far as faceting. How this effect happens is due to needle shaped inclusions in mostly
corundum material, and that is a gem family I will cover later in this episode, that are
in certain directions for a geometric echo of the jewels crystal structure. So we can
see a 4, 6 or 12 ray pattern in some materials. Adventuracence. This is when many bright reflections
create a spangly or clustered glitter effect within gem material. The inclusions are plate
like so light reflects in different directions and isn't singular or a dimensional phenomenon.
This is found mostly in adventuring quartz and yes quartz is a family or in sunstone.
Chatoancy. Oh I love this word. Derived from the French word for cat, this is made possible
by parallel inclusions that are long or two blood cavities or crystals. The result is
a vertical flash across the gem that looks like a cat's eye, most common in chrysoberal
gems. Color change. This attribute is like a whole jekelhyde switch when exposed to different
lighting such as day incandescent or warm lighting versus fluorescence which is cool
lighting. The most well known gem with this behavior is Alexandrite and the change is
from reddish like a ruby to greenish like an emerald or tourmaline depending on the light
source. Iridescence. I love this one. And it breaks it down into spectral colors like
a rainbow. The colors take turns shifting as the light source or the gem or the observer
moves. This appears most often on pearls, some shells and fire agate. Orient. This refers
to the sheen seen on a pearl and does not exhibit in all pearls. It would be like losing the
enamel on your tooth so that it is dull and no longer plays with light. Sheen is dependent
on the layers, the thickness, the base color and the behavior when it comes to reflecting.
And lastly, play of color. This phenomenon is specific to types in the opal family. This
describes flashes of color that happen as a result of the diffraction of light. Think
of this as the quote, now you see me, now you don't unquote phenomenon. And opal can
have what I call peekaboo moments of blue, red, yellow, green, orange and purple. And
is probably why it was assumed to be a supernatural gem in earlier centuries. Before I take you
through the gem families known as species, I want to address that certain elements can
distinguish varieties, but not necessarily predictably. For example, different color
varieties of a gem species can have very different commercial values. Regarding barrel, its pure
form is called goshnight. It's colorless and not necessarily appealing. However, add a
bit of iron and you have the blue green version or variety called aquamarine. That is a highly
desired gemstone. If instead of iron, you add a bit of chromium in a barrel, it becomes
a deep green emerald. And yet, in an entirely different family, corundum is also colorless
in its pure state. If you were to add iron here, with a bit of titanium, you get a blue
sapphire. Chromium, which made that emerald into green barrel, creates a red version known
as ruby. Simply said, ruby and sapphire are varieties of the corundum gem species. They
have the same chemistry and crystal structure. However, the color variations are defining.
Now let's learn some groups and individual gems. Quartz. I adore the quartz's. The most
common varieties are amethyst, rose quartz, and citrine. Then, we have clear quartz known
as rock crystal at times, smoky quartz, and a lovely sage green known as praesialite. Fact
wise, this is the most abundant crystalline gem in our world and it was used in watches
and clocks and photograph needles as a beautiful piezoelectric property that can transfer energy.
Today, it helps make TVs, electronic games, cell phones, and specialized lenses as part
of our modern tools. The folklore behind it is that it is considered the master healer
as a stone or an amplifier to other gem's metaphysical uses. Clear quartz is a very
simple composition and associated with clearing and purifying ourself and our surrounding.
Barrel is a mineral composed of beryllium, aluminum, silicate, hence the name. Pure barrel
is clear like I mentioned. It's the elements and impurities that cause the varieties. The
South American limestone is an excellent ground for the development of the species, hence
many amazing aquamarines, emeralds, and morganites hail from this area. Other varieties are heliodor,
or golden barrel, thanks to iron irons, red barrel, once called bixbite, which is due
to the manganese presence. And so we have clear, blue, green, orangey pink, yellow,
and red versions in this family. Factually, a member of the barrel family, aquamarine,
has a raw color of greenish blue and becomes sky blue with heat treatment. Abundant supplies
are from Brazil and parts of Africa because soils affect hues differently. As far as folklore,
this is a gem whose name comes from the Latin words for water and of the sea. And it was
used to protect travelers, especially sailing. In healing, it's associated with breath and
is said to cure or avoid sinus and lung issues. Many owners associate clarity and youthfulness
with this stone. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide and typically contains
traces of iron, titanium, vanadium, and chromium. This is a naturally transparent material and
again, impurities or elements color the varieties. It falls into two main versions of that, ruby
and sapphire. Rubies owe their redness to the presence of chromium and sapphires exhibit
a range of colors. Blue needs iron and titanium. Podparagea sapphire, my personal favorite,
is a rare pink orange. The best part of corundum is that it is so near the hardness of a diamond
that watches will use it for its crystal to buffer against damage and scratches. And yet
it also holds up very well in cocktail rings and engagement jewelry. Factually, ruby is
the cousin of sapphire since they're both corundum. Various chemical elements create
the color variations. Ruby is the scarcest corundum. Highest hue crystals come from
Burmra, which is now called Myanmar. Commercially, this gem helps with tattoo removal and most
medical lasers. And in fine watches, like a 15 jewel watch, tiny little rubies will
delay metal fatigue. As far as folklore, it's used to influence passion, wealth and protection.
This gem is often used for prosperity, fertility and safety. As for sapphire, which also occurs
in yellow, green, pink, purple, orange and clear tones, the last being used for shadow-resistant
crystals on luxury and performance timepieces, the hardness is just below a diamond like
I mentioned. The best sapphire, blue of course, comes from Kashmir, where we value the precious
tint. Secondly would be India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, which is Burma, all follow, providing
unusually vivid and electric tones. Again with the folklore, this was considered a holy
gem in a few faiths. And the most attention a sapphire has ever gotten in modern times
was Princess Diana's or Princess Kate's engagement ring. While we tend to symbolize
love unions with diamond, sapphire has been associated with fidelity and has been common
in wedding jewelry. Metaphysically, it is associated with wisdom, clarity and tranquility.
Heldspar is a group of rock forming aluminum silicate minerals. And you've heard me say
silicate, stay tuned for more of that with opals. This however is by default an abundant
part of the top earth's makeup. My job is to assess as labradorite, moonstone, rainbow
moonstone, and then of course go beyond the commercial names and into scientific labels
so other gemologists can instantly know which conversation on Heldspar we are having, either
in person or remotely. Factually, moonstone has a specific effect regarding late reflection
that is found only in a few jewels. As for labradorite, lower grades are important beyond
jewelry since they are used in glass, road construction and ceramics. Folklore around
moonstone, it is worn for the intention of balance and emotional cleansing. Labradorite
is considered very metaphysical and is related to the color changing effect equalling a doorway
into the unknown. It is considered a stone of transformation that can enhance strength
of the will and inner worth. So I personally wear one for bringing forth my transitions.
Plus I find it beautiful. Agate. This is a type of calcidony that is known for its
ringed colorways. It can be white, gray, yellowish brown, reddish brown, blue, or green. And the
colors are caused by manganese based minerals made with silica rich water deposits that
drip into quartz layers and those run parallel to cavity walls. Or when lava cools, steam
and gases form bubbles that get trapped into solidifying lava, creating colored cavities.
So it goes through quite the transformation. Most of these are named for their character
or their location. Turmaline offers so many options. Let me start with hue and then variety.
Turmaline comes in pink, yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and multicolor such as watermelon
turmaline. So maybe you know the familiars such as pink or green. Let's mention rarer
ones like rubalite, a red turmaline, or in dicolite, a bluish teal turmaline.
Factually, like the quartz family, there is piezoelectricity, a word meaning the charge
of energy within a stone. Turmaline's energy is found as far as use in the hair and beauty
industry, air purifiers, cosmetics, and paints. Turmalines are almost every color. Metaphysically,
as gem has been used to heal and expand the emotional body. Regardless of color, it's
associated with purifying our virtues. Love, prospering, energetic boundaries, inspiration,
and unblocking all benefit from Turmaline. Garnet. Since it's a birthstone, you may
not know that when you look up garnet, you can find words like pyrope, almondine, spesartine,
and grassular. Pyrope is what we accept and is common for birthstones, clasrings, and
commercial jewelry. Almondine is a bit more purple than brown as pyrope is, and reportedly,
almondine is perhaps the most common garnet species. Spesartine is a manganese-rich member
of the garnet family and is usually a reddish-orange in color. It can also have modifiers of yellow,
pink, and brown. While I am not much of a pumpkin spice girl, I adore the pumpkin tones
of this variety while appreciating its virtues as a garnet.
During grassular, this is typically a greenstone. Can I have other tones? Yes, but I am focusing
on that botanical hue for this classification. And I will go deeper into Savarite, since
that is the most jewelry-forward gem of all the green garnets, making the others more
collector items. My adoration for Savarite has many facets. First, it has chromium, or
vanadium, which gives emerald tones to this lush greenness. Secondly, its clarity and
finish is royal. Last, Savarite garnet, my favorite variety of grassular, is rich in
its underdogness. After all, Tiffany's has endorsed this.
Actually, garnets are found in embraces and cosmetics for scrubbing and beautifying. Folklore-wise,
there is correlation that the material helps to let go of negative emotions, reduce anxiety,
stress, and depression. It can help people heal broken bonds of love. Garnet is thought
to soothe emotional turmoil and provide a sense of stability and calm.
Opal has quite the roll call. We have white opal, black opal, water opal, sometimes called
jelly opal, fire opal, boulder opal, matrix opal, and Mexican opal. But what are we describing?
It's a very hydrated silica composite that makes some crystals morph into transparent,
translucent, opaque, and multicolored. Actually, opal is used in insulation, fillers, and ceramic
ingredients. Folklore-wise, it is associated with hope and has historically been correlated
with the supernatural or metaphysical, meaning the invisible side of life. If the elements
of fact and folklore appeal to you, I will be sharing my educational gem deck of cards
this fall. Stay tuned for details on why I did this and how to obtain yours.
Thank you for listening and learning with me. I would love you to share this project
with people finding rare beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the
next episode, keep your own story sparkling.