...or any other precious stone for that matter? Aren't gemstones made primarily of the same minerals? So is it the hardness or trace elements (or a combination of the two) that distinguishes one stone from another?
2007-10-08 05:10:09 · 3 answers · asked by HMFan 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
No, all gemstones are not composed of the same elements. Diamonds are pure carbon in a lattice structure. Aquamarine is the gemstone-quality variety of beryllium aluminum silicate, or Be3Al2Si6O18.
2007-10-08 05:19:35 · answer #1 · answered by JLynes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm - diamond was probably the wrong comparison, since diamond is only made of one element - carbon.
Aquamarine is made up of Beryllium, Aluminium, Silicon and Oxygen.[Be3Al2(Si6O18)]
You are correct in thinking that many gemstones are similar to each other - aluminium oxides are the basis for the ruby (corundum) family. Oxides of silicon are included in a huge range of gems because it is a very common compound in the earth. The different colours are usually caused by traces of metal such as iron, chromium and manganese.
2007-10-08 05:19:51 · answer #2 · answered by attakkdog 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
hmm, gem stones are made in the depths of earth; saturated pockets of minerals with extreme heat and then cool,
but recently, science has been able to quickly fabricate various crystals (different hardness grades for different apps...and funds)
like gems' hardness is usually dependent on its structural integrity and impurities...not any specific molecule
2007-10-08 05:35:26 · answer #3 · answered by rusty 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋