In the gemstone trade, there are many misleading names for specific minerals and stones.
The majority of misnamed stones are for marketing purposes,
or a striking resemblance to a more valuable gemstone. In this video we will cover 10 stones
which are misnamed, and what the actual stone is. The first stone we will cover is a herkimer
diamond. Originally named after its type locality in New York State, it is now used as a term to
refer to completely transparent quartz crystals. The second misnamed gemstone is so called white
buffalo turquoise. Turquoise cannot be white. Instead, this term is used to refer to howlite
or dolomite. Howlite can have a relatively similar crystal structure to that of turquoise. Howlite is
a boron rich white mineral, while turquoise is a copper rich blue or green mineral.
The next gemstone is so called mexican onyx. This stone is not a true variety of onyx,
as it is not a variety of silicon dioxide. Rather, this stone is a form of banded calcite
aka calcium carbonate. It has parallel bands of coloration leading to the nickname for this stone.
Number 4. Around the world, the most commonly misnamed or misleading names for gemstones
are based around jade. So called korean jade is one such example. True jade occurs as two forms,
nephrite, and jadeite. On the other hand, korean jade is simply a variety of green serpentine.
Number 5. Indian jade has the same issue as korean jade. This stone is a variety of green aventurine,
and not a true variety of jade. Number 6. In Arizona, there is a
variety of red pyrope garnet which can be found in the northern half of the state. This stone has
been misnamed "the Arizona Ruby". As of the writing of this video,
no sources of gem grade ruby are known in arizona.
In the Ural Mountains of western russia, a spectacular blue stone is mined. This stone
is called the ural sapphire. However, this name once again is misleading. The stone in question
is not a true variety of sapphire. Rather, it is a deeply blue variety of the gemstone tourmaline.
Of all the gemstones on this list, blue tourmaline has the closest value
to the gemstone it was misnamed after. Number 8. Beware of anything specifically
labeled as "african emerald". Emeralds can be found in Africa such as in Zambia. However,
this term of african emerald specifically refers to a largely transparent and deeply green variety
of fluorite. Not only is fluorite much softer than emerald, it has a value about 1000x less than one.
Number 9. In India there is a variety of zircon which is sometimes misnamed as a matura
diamond. This variety of zircon is prized for its transparent and nearly flawless white appearance.
Zircon is a zirconium silicate mineral while diamond is a very hard compressed carbon mineral.
The last misnamed gemstone we will cover is so called mountain jet. Jet is a form of coal like
organic material which formed many millions of years ago. It is a gemstone prized for
its black appearance. However, mountain jet is not a vatiety of jet. Rather, it is a form of
volcanic glass known as obsidian. My final note is to do your own
research before buying a gemstone. I hope that you enjoyed this video.
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