Hi everyone, Liz here. I’ve been learning a lot through the Introduction to Gemology course that I have been working on. Recently, I completed a section that walked me through an A-Z list of commonly seen gemstones. It was fun and intriguing to see these beautiful gems, as well as learn about their formation. I thought I’d share just a few of the ones that stood out to me.

Ammolite is a beautiful gemstone with a rainbow coloring. What’s particularly interesting about ammolite is that it is formed from the ancient ammonite sea creatures, as you can see by the shell shape. They are mostly found in Canada where there was once a shallow sea.

Another gemstone with unique origins is Charoite. This stone is only found in the Charo River in Russia, but it is no longer mined. As stated in the course, the chemical make up of this gemstone is so complex that it is not really understood.

Lapis Lazuli is a very well-known gemstone. The famous blue color comes from the minerals lazurite and calcite. The wonderful gold that runs through the stone is actually pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold”. Lapis Lazuli has been prized for thousands of years and was used by ancient civilizations, like the Ancient Egyptians. It was also ground up to be used in paint.

It has been a fulfilling experience learning about gemstones and even more fun to look at all the stunning examples!

*All information from the International School of Gemology course Introduction to Gemology