Crystals and precious stones

There are over 4600 different minerals and new minerals are discovered every year. The definition of a mineral is that it is a naturally occurring substance in solid form, it is homogeneous, crystalline, inorganic and defined by its chemical formula. If we break down the previous sentence, it may become even clearer what counts as a mineral.

A naturally occurring substance - a mineral is created by the geological processes that are constantly occurring in the earth. The process of creating a mineral is a long and varied process involving different substances and reactions in the earth that in turn give the stone its unique properties. Synthetic gemstones cannot be considered minerals because they are created in laboratories.

Inorganic - minerals are not composed of or created from animal or plant parts, so coral, pearls and amber are not minerals.

Defined by its chemical formula - everything that exists is made up of atoms. A given amount of a certain number of different types of atoms is called rock crystal, for example, if the mass consists of other types of atoms, it is a different mineral. The chemical formula for rock crystal is SiO2, meaning each silicon atom is connected to 2 oxygen atoms.

The definition of what a gemstone is is not always clear. Generally speaking, it is a material used for adornment and decoration. Most gemstones are minerals, but not all. Some examples of gemstones that are not minerals include amber and coral, and there is also a long list of gemstones that are made by man, such as synthetic diamonds and rubies. But there are some criteria to follow to say whether a material is considered a gemstone, these are beauty, durability, rarity and acceptance. We explain these concepts one by one:

Beauty – that the material is beautiful in itself, or that it becomes even more beautiful when processed, such as polishing or grinding.

Durability – that the material is resistant enough to be processed so that it becomes useful for embellishment or decoration.

Rarity – there is always a limit to the natural materials. Even though there is a constant manufacturing process going on in the Earth's interior, we cannot influence which materials will be formed and in what quality we find them. This is why many sought-after gemstones are manufactured synthetically. The synthetic gemstones are similar to the natural ones, both chemically, optically and physically and therefore sometimes very difficult to distinguish from the natural ones.

Acceptance – it is the acceptance of a material that makes certain materials count as gemstones. Glass is not accepted as a gemstone, even though it may be beautifully cut and set in stunning jewelry. It is also the acceptance of a material that makes certain materials more desirable and have a higher price than others. For example, natural and untreated minerals are considered more desirable than their synthetic counterparts, even though the manufactured stones are often many times more beautiful. The acceptance of a material also determines what we see on the market. An example of a non-accepted material is new ivory.

So what is the difference between semi-precious and precious stones?

The term semi-precious stone is outdated and misleading. Semi-precious stone gives the impression that the stone is less valuable than a stone called a gemstone. But in many cases, for example, a good quality amethyst can be both more beautiful and more expensive than sapphires and rubies of poor quality. So semi-precious stone is a term we avoid using.

The word crystal can mean a few different things:

• Crystalline materials, which include all minerals (see the heading “Mineral”).
• Raw mineral that is unprocessed and where the mineral's crystal structure is clearly visible. For example, natural rock crystal tips.
• Cut crystal points in jewelry or to have standing on your home altar, for example. These can be made of a mineral but also cut glass.
• Prisms and Swarovski crystals are cut glass but are also called crystal.