Gems and minerals have captured mans imagination and fascination for ever. The beauty of a sparkling stone, the vibrant unexpected colors and the clarity of fine gems all add to the mystery and magic of them. Gems and minerals are found all over the world some are found widely and others in limited areas. Turquoise is mined in the south west United States, Iran, Pakistan, China and many other locations around the world. Many many many stones come from South America, mainly Brazil: quartz, citrine, amethyst, ruby, tourmaline, emeralds to name a few. Much of the worlds abundance of mining products are on show in Tucson AZ every Feb. From around the world dealers come to buy and sell gems, minerals, fossils and much more. Fine cut gems, faceted beads, chunky specimens to boulders of crystals larger than the average car are there. While visiting a 5 star hotel majorca I recall seeing amazing specimens of ruby, emerald, sapphire etc. I think there was an Indian gem show or something going on. While various gem and minerals are found through out the world. How they form and the appearance can be very different. In central AZ turquoise is mined that is very blue, this is the influence of the copper in the area, in western AZ the turquoise is more green, this is influenced by iron. Nearly all turquoise from China Tibet and Nepal is green in tone due to iron as well. Tourmaline, primarily from Brazil is also found in Madagascar, the crystals are different enough that a trained eye can see the difference. These difference exist with quartz as well where the crystal form can be very different from Arkansas to New York, from China to Brazil. Gems coming all colors shapes and sizes. They are cut and cabed, drilled for beads set in precious metal setting and kept in raw form for enjoyment as a specimen. Less expensive stones are generally carved or turned into beads where more precious varieties are reserved for cutting and setting. All in all it is an endless fascinating world!
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