10. Musgravite

Until 2005, only 8 clear-cut, pure-colored stones were made by human in this world. The jewelry export company in Sri Lanka has one of the world’s largest Musgravite gemstones. It was tested and certified by the Gubelin Gem Laboratory in Lucerne, Switzerland, on September 6, 2007.

Musgravite’s price is about $6,000 per carat.

9. Tanzanite

About 90% of Tanzanite in this world is sold by those jewelers who are the members of ICA (the International Colored Gemstone Association, the leader in colored gemstone industry, and its members are extremely ethical.) This fairly reliable sales channel avoids Tanzanite being handled by unprofessional businessmen.

In recent years, the price of Tanzanite has risen steadily. In large jewelry stores, you can even see tanzanite jewelry worth ten thousand dollars. However, if Tanzanite hardness was high enough (about 6.5-7), its current price is likely to be comparable to that of sapphire.

8. Alexandrite

In the 1930s, Alexandrite was discovered by a group of workers who worked in the emerald mine in Ur Mountains and it was presented to the tsarist government at that time. At the time of discovery, Prince Alexander (later Tsar Alexander II) was happening to become an adult, so Alexandrite was inlaid in the crown and was named “Alexandrite”. Now Russia’s Alexandrite mines have dried up, and its main producing areas have moved to Brazil, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Tanzania.

Just like all the precious stones, Alexandrite’s price is mainly decided the perfection of the color change effect, transparency, clarity, weight, and cut.

Alexandrite price is about $12,000 per carat now.

7. Morganite

Although many people may not have heard of Morganite, they must have known Emerald and Sapphire. They may look very different, but in fact, they all belong to the beryl family.

Basically, Morganite is actually a pink beryl. Its colors range from light orange, to rose and pink. Its Mohs hardness (7.5-8) makes this gem very suitable for inlay.

Morganite was just founded in 100 years ago. Because of its unique feminine color, this type of gemstone helps to improve interpersonal relationships, so people also said that Morganite is a love stone.

6. Black Opal

Black Opal does not mean that it is completely black, but it has a darker shade of embryo than the lighter Opal. Also, because of their shape and scarcity, high-quality Black Opals are very rare and expensive.

5. Taaffeite

Taaffeite also has many different kind of colors – purple, blue, pink, brown green, black, colorless and red.

Although the majority of the Taaffeite discovered have deficiencies in clarity and color, they are still being the favorite of gemstone collectors.

4. Emerald

Now there are many natural Emerald producing areas. High-quality Emeralds are produced in Colombia, Zambia, and Brazil. Colombia produces the best Emeralds in this world.

Emerald is a sign of status and power and has been being the favorite of Royal Families. It is also the most loved jewel of Cleopatra; the most fascinating gems for the women in Russian court. Queen Victoria, Princess Diana and the European royal family all wore Emeralds for the enthronement ceremony. For the famous artist Elizabeth Taylor and the famous movie star Angelina Jolie, it symbolizes vitality and pure elegance.

3. Sapphire

Sapphires are produced in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Laos, and Cambodia. The rarest sapphires are in Kashmir, and Burma is the place where the highest quality sapphire is produced today.

Natural sapphire can be divided into blue sapphire and brilliant (non-blue) sapphire. In the gem market, dark blue and purple sapphires are called “male sapphire” and light sapphire is called “female sapphire”. The international gemstone community defines sapphire as the “September birthstone”, symbolizing loyalty and steadfastness.

2. Ruby

Before the Middle Ages, due to the undeveloped scientific knowledge of gemstones, the red gemstones were all called ruby. In ancient India, people believed that there was an immortal fire in ruby. In the past, there was such a tradition in the West that the ruby ring was worn on the left hand, indicating that man’s nature was good, his inner peace was calm, and he could resist the temptation to come from outside.

In addition, ruby is also a symbol of supreme authority and wealth. Therefore, in Britain, France, and other countries, rubies are the main gems used to decorate the crown or the royal symbol. Israel in particular uses rubies as a symbol of the tribe.

Ruby is the birthstone of July and it represents goodness, permanence, and steadfastness.

1.Diamonds

The Mohs hardness of a diamond is 10, which is the highest hardness in natural minerals. But we can’t assume that diamonds are hard and never break. In fact, the brittleness of diamonds is also quite high, so crashes with force will still break them.

According to their original stone shape, Diamonds are cut into different shapes. Among them, the 5 most popular cuts are- round, oval, marquise, heart-shaped and pear-shaped. And Round diamonds are the most common shapes.

In addition, diamonds are natural minerals. The main origins of diamonds are Australia, South Africa and India, while the United States, India, Israel and Belgium are the bases for diamond processing and cutting. Belgium, in particular, is a globally recognized carving and diamond trading center.

If you are considering having an engagement ring, but don’t know which kind of gemstone to choose, you may have got some suggestions like this: Whatever you choose, just not Opal! It will bring you bad luck!

Is that true?

Just like its mysterious and gorgeous colors, opal has been cloaking with mystic and legendary stories. However, Opal has nothing to do with Bad Luck.

The Brief History of Opal Superstitions

Opal Used to Be Thought Good Luck

Just like diamond means love and loyal, pearl means elegant and pure, the truth is, Opal used to be thought good luck and had got worship by humans. Many centuries ago, in Roman Empire, Opals had been called “Cupid Paederos”, and was also the symbol of hope and beauty. Also, they even had the power of curing human diseases. In the east, this kind of gemstone was also loved by people. Arbs strongly believed that Opals come from heaven, because of their rainbow-like colors. And in Greek, people believed that Opals can bring fortune and foresight to their owners. In France, Empress Joséphine had an Opal named “Burning of Troy” whose colors is marvelous.

Therefore, Opal was admired and seen as a good luck symbol not only by Royal families at that time, but also by those well-known litterateurs:

Rumors Made Opal to Be Thought Bad Luck

Until Middle Age, people’s feeling for Opal had been turned to another side. Rumor has it that Opal can bring the owner disease and death, the mysterious colors on Opal is the sign of evil and curse. As the rumor spreading, many horrible stories had been appeared in books, which brought terror and fear to the whole society.

The rumors were caused by two simplified reasons.

First, in 14^th century, Black Plague was rapidly spreading throughout Europe. Someone believed that most of the people was wearing Opal when they die from this horrible disease. After they die, their bodies became dull and black because of Opal’s unique colors.

However, this rumor can be easily scotched by today’s medical research which has proved that it was actually the black herpes caused by pestis made the bodies dull, nothing to do with Opal.

Second, because people were so crazy about Opal, some were even willing to give up their lives to get or protect Opal, those diamond traders had a strong competition by this colorful and beautiful gemstone. No matter Royal families or just common people, Opal was their first choice for jewelry and collections. Therefore, for saving their business, those diamond traders started to create terrifying stories. They claimed that Opal can bring people bad luck, misfortune, diseases and nightmares. These stories made the situation worse.

Is It Bad Luck to Wear an Opal Engagement Ring If You Were Not Born in October?

The answer is NO.

The reason why people think that Opal is a forbidden choice for the people who were not born in October is that Opal is the birthstone of this month. So, someone believed: given by the horrible and mysterious legendary stories about Opal, this gemstone only blesses its own kind- the people who were born in October.

But as what we talked above, Opal has nothing to do with Bad Luck, no matter which month you were born. So just forget it.

Why You Should Choose an Opal Engagement Ring Instead of Diamond?

A large number of girls or guys take diamond as their first choice when it comes to engagement ring. Indeed, diamond is classic and the symbol of loyalty and love. This shining little stone is always been the hot topic among jewelry industry. People love diamond, but if you want to try something new and special, Opal is definitely the top choice in your wish list.

Back to many centuries ago, people had seen Opal as the sign of love and commitment.  The “Burning of Troy” of Empress Joséphine was exactly the token of love from Napoleon.

Also, compare to diamond and all the other stones, Opal has colors from black to white, pink to red, red to blue… which made them so unique in gemstone family. Black Opal like deep galaxy and bring you to the dreamy lovely world. White Opal is such pure and elegant and the honest statement of the love between you and your lover.

In addition, the value of opal is comparable to diamond. You don’t think you will get a cheap engagement ring by giving up diamonds. Opals are also charged by carat just like diamonds. Generally speaking, opals with black body tone are much more expensive than those with white tones. Because Black Opal is rarely to find, the amount of high quality Black Opal is even smaller than good diamonds. Given by the article of  http://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn-about-opals/introductory/how-opal-valued, Black Opal is the most prized opal and may realise prices over AUD $15,000 a carat.

Conclusion

About “Opal can bring you bad luck” is totally a rumor that grown during the period of Black Plague, one of the darkest times in human history and vicious marketing competition. Now may is the time to uncloak them: Opal has nothing to do with bad luck, they are just beautiful and gorgeous gemstones which could be the best choice for your engagement ring!