It Is What It Is Trivia Quiz

Answer: Beryl

Beryl is a common mineral that comes in a rainbow of colors. This picture of morganite, aquamarine, and heliodor crystals shows the myriad of colors that beryl comes in. It is mined in locations all over the planet. Probably, the most famous, and definitely the most valuable form of beryl is the lovely, green gemstone known as an emerald.

Answer: The martyr's stone

According to the legend, bloodstone was created when drops of Christ's blood fell on some jasper, staining it red. It has been called the martyr's stone for centuries. Most bloodstone is green with red speckles, but the very finest is almost all red. Bloodstone has been used to carve religious jewelry for a very long time.

In India, it is pulverized and used as a medicine and an aphrodisiac. So in the end, it is jasper with spots red iron oxide, that's what it is.

Answer: Jade

While many people mistakenly think that all jade is green, this lovely pendant shows some of the many colors that this gemstone can come in. China was not the only culture which revered this gemstone, the Mayas, Aztecs, and Olmec's all valued jade more than they valued gold.

In ancient Egypt, jade was considered to signify love and inner peace. Jade has been used to make a variety of things including jewelry, snuff boxes, hair combs, bowls, candlesticks, and small figurines.

Answer: White diamond

White diamonds are made of pure carbon. Many people are unaware that diamonds do come in many colors including yellow, blue, black, pink, brown, and the extremely rare red and green. While many types of gemstones are rarer than diamonds, none are harder, and few are more valuable.

This image is of a replica of the Cullinan I diamond, the largest gem quality diamond ever found. It weighed 3106.75 carats and was mined in South Africa in 1905.

Answer: Cabochon

This is an image of moonstones which are almost always cut in the cabochon style. This is a style that is appropriate for soft or opaque stones. The other three options are also gemological terms. Asterism is the optical phenomena that is seen in star sapphires and star rubies.

A loupe is the magnifying tool that is worn in the eye of the jeweler/gemologist when they are examining a stone. A dop is a rod with a dollop of wax on one end, which is used to hold rough gemstones during the grinding process.

Answer: False

This lovely gemstone is clinohumite and while it is very rare, it is definitely not the rarest gemstone in the world. It was first discovered in 1876 in limestone blocks that originated in an eruption from Mount Vesuvius. It was named after Sir Abraham Hume (1749-1838) a noted British mineralogist. Colors range from yellowish-orange to brown.

Answer: Shield cut

The shield cut depicted in this image, has a somewhat triangular shape that resembles shields used by warriors in battle. The round cut is the most popular cut used today and its 58 facets are thought to bring out the brilliance in diamonds. The pear cut looks somewhat like a teardrop, rounded at one end and pointed at the other.

Inclusions, size, and color in the rough stone all help lapidaries decide which shape to cut a certain stone.

Answer: Watermelon tourmaline

Tourmaline is known for having a huge variety of colors and the depth of the colors found in the cut stones. The bicolor variety of green and pink is known as watermelon tourmaline and is usually cut in in an emerald cut which displays both colors. It does not change color, it is actually two different colors on one crystal.

It is a gemstone that is two different colors at the same time, that's what it is.

Answer: J. P. Morgan

Morganite is a fairly new gemstone and was first discovered in the early 1900s and was known simply as pink beryl for many years. In 1911, the gemstone was name morganite after J.P. Morgan an American banker and gem collector. Throughout his life, he donated millions of dollars' worth of gemstones to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The Minas Gerais mine in Brazil is, by far, the largest morganite mines in the world and is known to yield KG crystals that weigh over 50 lbs. (22.67kg).

Answer: Persia

Persian turquoise was thought to be the finest in the world. There are mines in present-day Iran that have been worked for thousands of years. Persian turquoise is favored because of its beautiful color and very delicate veining. Turquoise has been popular in many ancient cultures, including the Egyptian, the Aztec, the Mesopotamians, and some areas of China. Depending on copper content, turquoise can vary between blue, bluish-green, to yellowish green.