Gemstones That Lost It! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aquamarine

The name aquamarine refers to the beautiful light blue color of the stone and "means water of the sea". Aquamarine also has a deep blue variety that is called maxixe, which is mined exclusively on the island of Madagascar. This unusual stone fades to white when subjected to heat or sunlight. Aquamarine has been carried for centuries by sailors who view it as a good luck talisman.

Answer: Sapphire

The official birthstone for the month of September, sapphire is the non-red variety of the mineral known as corundum. Sapphire comes in a rainbow of colors, but is most well known for being blue. When corundum is red it is called ruby. This gemstone rates a 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness making it the second hardest natural mineral.

Answer: Opal

One of the gemstones of October, the opal is well known for its opalescence colors and can be among the most valuable of gemstones. No two opals are exactly alike and getting a matched pair for earrings can sometimes be very difficult. Opals are one of the softer gemstones rating only a 5.5-6 on the Mohs scale and care should be taken when wearing an opal in a ring. Opals are believed to aid inner beauty, faithfulness, eyesight and are believed to help the wearer recall past lives.

Answer: Emerald

Emerald is the name of the green variety of beryl. This highly valuable gemstone ranges between 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale. Columbia and Brazil are the source of some of the highest quality emeralds on the planet. Emeralds usually have many inclusions and can be a very brittle stone. An emerald should never be immersed in boiling water or worn when steam cleaning. Emeralds are thought to help epilepsy in children, improve eyesight, and are believed to help both memory and intelligence capacity.

Answer: Turquoise

Turquoise is a semi-precious opaque gemstone known for its lovely blue-green color. It has been used for decoration and in jewelry for centuries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This is a relatively soft stone with a hardness of about 5.5 on the Mohs scale.

The highest quality turquoise was mined for centuries in Persia (Iran) but has also been found in significant quantity in the Southwest areas of the United States. Turquoise was a sacred stone for many North American First Nations as well as many cultures found in the Himalayas.

It is believed to bring mental calmness, ensure wisdom, and promote kindness and understanding to the wearer.

Answer: Peridot

The lovely green peridot is the official birthstone for the month of August and rates 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Sometimes found in meteorites, most peridot comes from such diverse places as Arizona, Burma, Hawaii and Norway. Legend says that peridot was one of Cleopatra's favorite gemstones and she was known to wear them in her hair.

Although both emeralds and peridot are green, peridot usually has better clarity with more yellow or brown in its color, while emerald is harder and often has a deeper color. Peridot is believed to bring the wearer peace, success, and good luck.

It is also believed to sooth the nerves, calm anger and help insomnia.

Answer: Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a wonderful translucent gemstone that comes in every color of the rainbow. There are even bi-colored and multi-colored versions of the gemstone, while some change color when viewed from different angles. This beautiful stone rates about 7.5 on the Mohs scale and is often mistaken for some of the more expensive gemstones because of the great variety of colors it can be found in.

The name comes from the Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) word "tura mali" which translates as "the stone of mixed colors".

They are believed to bring good luck, clarity of mind, and true love to the wearer.

Answer: Iolite

Iolite is a lovely purplish-blue translucent gemstone that is sometimes called a water sapphire due to that fact it is often found sitting on the sides of small streams and ponds. It has been used by sailors for centuries to help with off-shore navigation due to its abilities as a polarizing filter. Iolite is considered one of the hardest gemstones to cut correctly due to the dichroism and sometimes trichroism that it displays.

This gemstone is rarely found above four carats in size and is thought to promote kindness, generosity, and wisdom.

Answer: Diamond

Although often thought of as white or colorless, the diamond actually comes in a large variety of colors, including black, yellow, blue, red and various shades of brown. Diamond is four times harder than any other gemstone and can only be cut using another diamond. One of the most highly valued of gemstones it is not because it is rare.

It is because of its clarity, hardness, melting point, and the sparkling beauty of the cut stone. Diamond is emblematic of love, power, and good health.

Answer: Alexandrite

Alexandrite is one of the rarest and most expensive of gemstones. Known for being dichroic, which means it appears to be different colors depending on the light in which it is being viewed. Alexandrite usually changes from a shade of green in the daylight to a shade of red in incandescent light.

This hard stone, which rates an 8.5 on the Mohs scale is very rarely found over one carat in size. Alexandrite is thought to ensure safe pregnancy, keep evil spirits at bay, and is emblematic of power and strength.