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Garnet is a group
of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and
abrasives. Most often seen in red, they come in a wide variety of colors
including orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and
colorless. Six common types of garnet are recognized based on their
chemical composition. Garnet can range from the gemstone-quality transparent
to the opaque. |
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Jade Cabochons
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The term jade is used for two different rocks made up of different silicate
minerals. Nephrite jade is composed of amphibole mineral actinolite.
Jadeitite consists almost entirely of jadeite. Nephrite and jadeitite were
used by people from ancient times for similar purposes. Both are about the
same hardness as quartz, and they are exceptionally tough. They are
beautifully colored and can be delicately shaped. Thus it was not until the
19th century that it was determined that "jade" was in fact two different
materials. Jadeitite is rarer, found in fewer than a dozen places worldwide.
Translucent emerald-green jadeitite is the most valued. Jade is the official
gemstone of British Columbia, Alaska, and
Wyoming.
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