2023-02-01
The most precious gemstones are considered to be minerals that are homogeneous and have excellent clarity, high hardness and exhibit a strong lustre. The extraordinary beauty of some of them, make and have made them an object of desire and often a symbol of luxury. What do you need to know about gemstones?
Archaeological findings attest to the fact that there was already an interest in precious stones in the Middle Stone Age. In the Greco-Roman world, diamonds and pearls were highly valued. It is known that in ancient times, we were able to grind and polish precious stones, but it was not until the Middle Ages that people learned to give them polyhedral geometric forms. Regardless of the era, their aesthetic qualities were admired and jewellery was made from them.
Stones used in jewellery can be divided into four categories: precious stones, jewellery-decorative stones (chrysolites, quartz, garnets, opals, tourmalines, spinel), ornamental stones (minerals and rocks, turquoise, malachite or lapis lazuli) and those of organic origin (pearls, corals, amber). The former include the stones with the best properties. The most important coloured gemstones, the so-called Big Three, include ruby, sapphire and emerald. The most prized of all stones, however, is the diamond.
A person who deals with gemstones professionally is a gemologist. When examining a specimen, this specialist pays attention to a number of factors: the degree of transparency, the colour and its variation, the presence of flaws and impurities and many others. The gemmologist also uses special equipment (among others, a polarizing microscope, or a gemological spectroscope), in order to examine, for example, hardness, density or optical anomalies.
Interestingly, gemological materials also include synthetic stones. Many of them are created in imitation of natural materials. An important term in gemmology is , "imitation". Imitations are intended to mimic a natural or synthetic material.
The theme of the auction will be coloured stones. The catalogue will feature jewellery with tanzanites, emeralds or aquamarines. In addition to jewellery with beautiful coloured stones, it will also be possible to bid on necklaces and earrings with pearls, rings with diamonds and much more. The auction will run from 7-10 July.
