Authentic Occurrence " It's OK to become attached! " tm

GEMOLOGY 101

Welcome! I have been asked to create a learning library of sorts for educational purposes. I decided to create this page to represent a gemstone each month.

There is a vast array of resources available to expand upon the representation here. In the future, I will be adding more items such as fossils, megalodon ( pre-historic shark's teeth ) and mineral specimens.

If you have a "thirst for knowledge" .....

Please bookmark the page and visit it often!

For previously featured specimens please visit the Library

Fossils:

Orthoceras

Goniatites were an early form of curved cephalopd. They are part of the ammonite family. The suture pattern has a zig zag appearance that is very distinctive. Goniatites lived from the middle of the Devonian Period to the end of the Permian Period which closed out the Paleozoic Era

Ammonites were a type of cephalopod that appeared in the fossil record during the Devonian Era. They are related to squid and octopus. The nautilus is their closest living relative. The ammonite shell had sections, with the living animal occupying only the section of the shell closest to the head. As the soft-bodied ammonite got larger, it grew a new shell section and sealed off the old one with a layer called the septa. All ammonites became extinct 65 million years ago.

Carcharodon Megalodon

Carcharodon Megalodon was a giant shark that lived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of the Cenozoic Era, between 2 million and 16 million years ago. Little is known for sure about these giant predators because all that remains of their existence are fossilized teeth. But what teeth they are! These giant shark teeth range in size from 3 inches long to 7 inches long. They are massive things that can be bigger than a man’s hand. It sets the imagination reeling. To put this in perspective a large great white shark measures about 20 feet long and weighs a little over 2 tons. A tooth from a shark like this is about 1.5 inches long.

The fossilized teeth are all that remains of this monster because sharks do not have bones. Their skeleton is made up of cartilage. This is what your ears and nose are made from. Cartilage does not fossilize well.

The white shark is its closest living relative. This is well accepted but sets the stage for debate over the family tree

Wildlife Conservation:

Safari Todd:

Director Of Education and Entertainment at Jungle Adventures

in Christmas Florida.

Follow him on twitter:

twitter.com/SafariTodd

Aquamarine

The birthstone for March, aquamarine is the most common and one of the most popular members of the beryl family, cousin to emerald, morganite, heliodor, and goshenite. Aquamarine's color and clarity capture the beauty of the sea. Rough aquamarine is easy to cut, so lapidaries are able to create new, imaginative aquamarine cuts and shapes.

Name Origin and Meaning

Possibly the most appropriate name in all of gemology, ocean-like aquamarine gets its name from the Latin aqua meaning "water" and mare or marinus meaning "sea" or "ocean."

Phenomenon

In very rare cases, aquamarines cut en cabochon can display chatoyancy (the cat's-eye effect).

Discovery and History

As with many gemstones, the discovery of aquamarine was so long ago, it is unknown. Amulets featuring aquamarines have been dated as old as nearly 500 B.C., proving that people have long used aquamarine for decorative and medicinal purposes. The modern March birthstone, aquamarine pre-dates even the Roman Empire and has been highly prized for thousands of years.

While aquamarine crystals have been found weighing multiple tons, the largest gem-quality aquamarine was found in 1910 in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The 243-pound stone was 18 inches long, had a diameter of 15.5 inches, and was cut into numerous stones weighing a total of more than 100,000 carats. A piece weighing 13 pounds can be seen in the American Museum of Natural History.

Care:

Aquamarine's toughness, durability, and high ranking on Mohs' hardness scale makes it ideal for jewelry, and it requires no special care. Unless an aquamarine has feather or liquid inclusions, it should be safe to clean it in ultrasonic or steam cleaners. If you are unsure, simply use warm soapy water and a soft brush.

Value:

As with other colored gems, the most valuable stones are those with the richest color saturation. While the slightly greenish-blue hues are generally considered most valuable, aquamarine is a beloved stone in all shades. Throughout its long history of popularity, different hues of aquamarine have fallen in and out of favor. While green-tinted aquas were most popular in the 19th century, the sky-blue gems are more popular in jewelry today.