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 Corals
Precious coral or red coral is the common name given to Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.The hard skeleton of red coral branches is naturally matte, but can be polished to a glassy shine.[2] It exhibits a range of warm reddish pink colors from pale pink to deep red; the word coral is also used to name such colors.
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Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, Even the finest of turquoise is fracturable, reaching a maximum hardness of just under 6, or slightly more than window glassThe lustre of turquoise is typically waxy to subvitreous, and transparency is usually opaque, but may be semitranslucent in thin sections.
Colour is as variable as the mineral's other properties, ranging from white to a powder blue to a sky blue, and from a blue-green to a yellowish green. For at least 2,000 years, the region once known as Persia has remained an important source of turquoise.
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 Aquamarine: Gem of the Sea
Aquamarine derives it name from the Latin term for seawater - and one look at this elegant gem's blue hues easily explains why.
According to legend, aquamarine was the treasure of mermaids and had the power to keep sailors safe at sea. It was also thought to possess a number of other mystical properties, including the ability to help couples smooth out their differences; protect against the wiles of the devil; cure headaches, insomnia and other ailments; quicken the intellect; and attract new friends.
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 The name iolite derives from the Greek word Io which means violet. The iolite has a distinct blue color, similar to a blue sapphire. It is quite resistant with a hardness of 7, 7,5 on the Mohs scale and boasts a very distinctive characteristic referred to as pleochroism. By looking at the stone through different angles, one can see totally different shades and colors.
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 Also known as lapis or lazurite, this semi precious stone is composed by a mixture if different minerals and chemical elements such as pyrite, mica, augite, diopside, aluminum, calcite, and natrium. It has a hardness of 5-6 and an isometric crystal system, and is a non transparent stone with a bright blue color which varies depending on its quality. The most expensive types of lapis contain “golden veins” of pyrite.
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 It is said that when tourmaline made its long voyage from the center of the earth to the surface, it met a rainbow on its way and took all of its colors with it.
There is no other gemstone on earth with such transparency, purity and hardness, that presents all of these amazing colors, as well as stunning combinations of two of three colors (dichroic or triochroic tourmalines). Depending on the type of lighting (natural or artificial), the stone can change color (alexandrite phenomenon), while depending on looking direction, can be darker or lighter (dichroism).
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 Named after its red color (latin: rubens), it is one of the most popular gemstones because of its warm, blood like red shade.
On rubies:
Rubies are the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale after diamonds, with a hardness of 9. As sapphires, it belongs to the group of corundum.
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 Its green color is so unique, that it is known as a variety of its own, “emerald green”. Its name comes from the Greek word “smaragdos”.
On emeralds:
Emerald, with aquamarine and beryl, belongs to the beryl group. It is one of the most valuable and rare gemstones, adored since the ancient times. Its hardness on the Mohs scale is of 71/2-8, while it is clear only when of the highest quality.
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 A member of a great family of minerals of the same name, the spinel takes its name from the Latin word spina (point, spike), because of the sharp-edged rock in which it is found.
The spinel can be found in many different colors: blue, known as sapphire spinel, dark green, known as chlorospinel, orange, known as rubicelle, brown, and black. The most famous is of course the red spinel, very similar to a ruby. In the past years it has been difficult to make a clear distinction between rubies and spinels, since the latter’s color and hardness made it easy to be mistaken as a ruby.
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 The Sapphire beauty and its unique properties have attracted the interest of men since the beginning of history. A symbol of wealth, sapphire is believed to relieve pain, protect from hassle and bring power, honor and immortality to its owner. In the Middle Ages, it was referred to as the “stone of the archbishop”, while symbolizing the sky and highest moral values.
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 The amethyst is a variety of quartz with elements of iron, manganese and titanium. It has a hardness of 7 and its crystal habit is a 6-sided prism ending in 6-sided pyramid. It can be found in a transparent, half transparent, and non transparent crystal form, yet its unique characteristic is its stunning violet color. In its non transparent form, this violet color can seem almost black, while its transparent form can make it seem almost colorless.
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Stones