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If a stone is not a ruby, emerald, diamond, or sapphire, it is considered to be semi-precious.What this means that they are abundant and has nothing to do with value.The value comes from color, quality, and availability. They are a good choice for large stone objects that are eye clear. There are literally hundreds of semi precious stones. Here are 5 of them. Amethyst This purple stone was once more valuable than diamonds.In its purist form, amethysts are actually clear.This member of the quartz family has a long history of spiritual belief connections.Named after a mythological Greek virgin, the amethyst has significance in a wide variety of religions including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Wicca as well as many mythologies.It wasn’t until large stores of amethyst were found that they were available to the everyday person. Lapis Lazuli This relatively rare gemstone is a beautiful blue mottled with brassy pyrite and white calcite.It has been found in Ancient Sumerian and predynastic Egyptian archaeological sites. Carved into ornaments and amulets by the ancient Egyptians, Lapis has been used for jewelry, boxes, mosaics, carvings and vases.It was even used as a pigment for paints until the 19th century. Moonstone This unique gemstone is actually named after moonshine due to its shimmer when held in the light.Generally the moonstone is white, grey, blue, green pink or brown.When held in the light it will shimmer with a blue opalescence or on rare occasions the cat eye or star formation will appear.Used as jewel stones, it has associations with various lunar Gods and Goddesses in both the Greek and Roman mythologies. Hematite These semi precious stones are a crystallized form of iron oxide. Although usually minerals are not considered semi precious, hematite is the rare exception. The hard variety that is polished into an ornamental stone is only found in certain areas chiefly Cumberland.It has been used for centuries, and its name has Greek origins.Although will seem steel gray or black when polished, scratching the surface will reveal a red hue, which is why it is named hematite: hema for blood, tite for stone. Sodalite This blue gem stone is marked with white veins.A relatively new entry on the gem stone scene, it wasn’t until 1891 that it truly became popular.A translucent stone, it is remarkably hard, but takes a polish well.Used mainly as an ornamental gemstone, the main stores were found in Ontario, Canada. There are literally hundreds of gemstones.The main difference between precious gemstones and semi precious is that the there is a more abundant supply to the semi precious. These 5 kinds are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gemstones. Michelle Clark is a proficient author and writes articles on semi precious stones and related topics. She is a regular contributor to the website Gemstoneinteriors.com.
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