gemstone

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

For Students

gemstone summary

Read Next

$Reflections in a diamond. (gem; cut gemstone; optics; refraction)$

Cold Stones: 9 Gems That Will Make You Feel Like a Peasant

Great Barrier Reef coral bleached area map and infographic

Coral Bleaching: A Threat to Our Reefs

14 Questions About Aquatic Animals Answered

Discover

After a perfect launch, spectators try to catch a last glimpse of Space Shuttle Columbia, barely visible at the top end of the twisted column of smoke.

7 Accidents and Disasters in Spaceflight History

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Eid al-Fitr

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.

10 Important Dates in Pluto History

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

Arts & Culture

gemstone

mineral

Also known as: gem, jewel

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

jewelry: gems

See all media

Category: Arts & Culture

Related Topics:: garnet; jade; pearl; diamond; opal

See all related content →

gemstone, any of various minerals highly prized for beauty, durability, and rarity. A few noncrystalline materials of organic origin (e.g., pearl, red coral, and amber) also are classified as gemstones. Gemstones have attracted humankind since ancient times, and have long been used for jewelry. The prime requisite for a gem is that it must be beautiful. The beauty may lie in colour or lack of colour; in the latter case, extreme limpidity and “fire” may provide the attraction. Iridescence, opalescence, asterism (the exhibition of a star-shaped figure in reflected light), chatoyance (the exhibition of a changeable lustre and a narrow, ...(100 of 914 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.