Gemstones for Kids Trivia Quiz

Answer: Garnet

Garnets are one of the oldest gemstones used by humans. There are many varieties of garnet, and it can be almost any color, but red or reddish garnets are the most common. Garnets are also one of the most common gemstones, and are found in many places throughout the world. Garnets that are not suitable for use in jewelry are sometimes ground up and used in sandpaper or other abraisives.

Answer: Diamond

Diamonds are among the best known of all gemstones, and because of this, they are a popular choice for use in engagement and wedding rings. Although diamonds come in many colors, the most popular diamonds are clear or colorless. Diamonds are almost always faceted, meaning they are cut with many small faces that cause the diamond to refract light, and break it down into a rainbow of colors. Diamonds are composed of carbon, and are the hardest known natural substance on earth.

Answer: Turquoise

Turquoise has been known since ancient times, and was even prized as a gemstone by the Egyptian pharaohs. Its name is derived from a French word meaning "Turkish," since it was imported into Europe from Turkey in the Middle Ages. Turquoise is usually blue, or bluish-green, although it is sometimes found in other colors.

However, the most prized and valuable turquoise is a beautiful sky blue. Turquoise is a relatively soft stone, and is also quite porous. If you own a piece of turquoise jewelry, you should take care not to subject it to abrasion, and keep it out of contact with oil and grease.

Answer: Amethyst

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, and has been used in jewelry since ancient times. It was considered to have the power to to protect its wearer from becoming drunk. It was once considered to be one of the most precious of gems, until large deposits were discovered in Brazil, where much of the the world's supply of amethyst is still produced. Nowadays it is relatively inexpensive, but still as beautiful as ever.

Answer: Opal

Opal, unlike most gems, is not a crystal. It is a form of silica, the same mineral that makes up sand on the beach. It owes its beautiful color to its internal structure, which causes diffraction of light pasing through it. Most opals contain a substantial amount of water trapped inside them. Opal is quite soft as gemstones go, meaning that if it is worn in a ring, the mounting should be designed to protect the stone from abrasion, as opals break easily, and can be scratched by contact with hard materials. Australia is the source for most of the world's precious opal.

Answer: Pearl

Pearls are formed when a grain of sand, a parasite, or some other foreign body becomes trapped inside the shell of a mollusk, such as an oyster or mussel. The mollusk reduces the irritation by enclosing the irritant in a pearl sac, and coating it with a substance called nacre, which gradually forms layers and causes the pearl to grow in size.

There is a distinction made between natural pearls, which are formed without human intervention, and cultured pearls, which are made by deliberately introducing an object, often a bead, into the mollusk. Natural pearls are usually much more valuable than cultured pears. Because they are very soft, pearls are most often seen in earrings or necklaces, although they are sometimes used in rings and bracelets.

Answer: Ruby

The name ruby comes from the Latin word "ruber," meaning red. It is the most famous of all the red gems. Rubies are quite hard and durable, which makes them suitable for all forms of jewelry. Large rubies are rare, and rubies over one carat in size are often more valuable than diamonds of a similar size and quality.

While rubies are mined in many countries, the most sought after are Burmese rubies, especially those of a deep, pure red color called "pigeon's blood." Lower quality rubies have a lighter color or a tinge of purple color.

Answer: Emerald

Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl. If the beryl is more blue than green, it is called an aquamarine. Top quality emeralds are a rich, deep green color. Most emeralds have a number of internal inclusions; clear, flawless stones are rare.

Although emeralds were known in ancient times, they were very rare until large deposits were found in the New World, especially Colombia, which is still the source of most high quality emeralds.

Answer: Amber

Amber is basically fossilized tree sap. Because tree sap is sticky, insects, spiders, and other small creatures were sometimes trapped inside it and perfectly preserved. There are many varieties of amber, and some of them up to 320 million years old! Most amber used in jewelry comes from countries bordering the Baltic Sea, and is 20-40 million years old.

A movie, "Jurassic Park," was made about dinosaurs being created from DNA found in amber.

Answer: Peridot

Peridot is the precious form of the mineral olivine. Peridots are formed deep within the Earth, and are brought to the surface by volcanic activity, so they are found in association with igneous rocks. They have even been found in meteorites! All peridots are green, but the color can range from brownish-green, yellow-green, to a deep olive green. Olive green peridots are the most prized.

In ancient times and the Middle Ages, very fine quality peridots were sometimes mistaken for emeralds.