Azurite

Azurite is a blue carbonate mineral, chemically composed of copper carbonate hydroxide. It is found associated with green mineral malachite as an aftermath of weathering and oxidation of copper sulfide minerals. The name of the stone is derived from the Arabic word for blue.

Azurite is also commonly called 'Blue Bice' and 'Blue Verditer.' Formerly it was known as Azurro Della Magna, taken from Italian words. The stone turns slightly green when mixed with oil and green-grey, when mixed with egg yolk.

Azurite in beautiful crystals form are found in the United States in the Arizona and New Mexico. In France it is found at Chessy and is sometimes called chessylite. It is used for ornamental purposes, as a dye for paints and fabrics for eons.

The stone is a powerful healing stone which invokes spiritual guidance and opens psychic eye. It is also good for dreams and improving psychic ability. The magnificent color is considered to be unique in the mineral world.

Ametrine

Partially it occurs to be purple and partially orange-yellow. It is typically given a rectangular shape with a 50-50 pairing of amethyst and citrine. So, with ametrine one can have the color of two gems for the price of only one.

Ametrine is very popular among the artistic cutters and carvers. They play with its colors, creating landscapes in the stone. Sometimes, the artists give a checkerboard pattern to the top, which increases the light reflection.

Ametrine is durable and is suited for a variety of jewelry uses. The sizes and shapes are also available in abundance and the color contrast is mainly pronounced in sizes over seven carats. Taking into account of its availability from a single mine, it is not so expensive.

Ametrine helps in achieving a balance between the spiritual and the material world. It is also used to enhance the cooperation with others. It gives higher mental opening for meditation and inspiration.

Alexandrite

Its natural colour ranges from dark to pale green, but in the light may appear anything from red to yellow, to orange, to mauve even, depending on how the rays strike it.

It is a very attractive stone, but rare and therefore very costly, and only the top quality is worth buying. It is, however, an excellent investment because it is much prized by jewelers and collectors.

Pure alexandrite is always faceted, or cut en cabochon if flaws are present (in this case be careful not to confuse it with other "chameleon" chrysoberyls or labradorite). Its value is on a par with the four precious stones and when well set is a match for even the finest diamond.

Identifying Gem Stones – Step 6:

Color:

While this may seem the first test to use when classifying a gem stone, using color to identify a stone is not as reliable as you might think.

Most people view the sapphire as blue, but this cousin to the ruby can be found in various shades including pink, green, yellow and almost transparent. The classic diamond, with its colorless crystal, looks so much like the less rare cubic zirconium or cubic zirconia, that they almost indistinguishable without a close examination.

Identifying Gem Stones – Step 7:

Chemical and Physical tests:

These methods of identification of gems most often used by experts because they usually require special equipments. The tests include:

Specific gravity.

Refractive Index.

Light Dispersion.

Color changes.