Blue gemstones are the most popular among the spectrum of colors available in gemstones. From delicate pale aqua to deeply saturated dark blue, blue gems come in a wide range of colors. Some stones are completely blue, while others have violet, green, white, or gold hues.
Key Terms of Gemstones
1. Diaphaneity: The interaction of light with the surface of a material is described by diaphaneity, also known as transparency. Interactions fall into three categories.
- The material is transparent, allowing light to pass through it (such as glass).
- Light can enter and depart through translucent materials, but it is distorted as it passes through (such as parchment paper).
- The surface is opaque, allowing no light to pass through (such as wood).
2. Hardness: A gemstone’s hardness determines how easily it can be damaged. On a scale of one to ten, the Mohs scale rates mineral hardness. Because of the considerable risk of scratching or other damage, gemstones with a hardness of about 7.0 or less are frequently not suggested to be worn on a daily basis.
3. Gravity: The density of a gemstone is measured by its specific gravity. A gemstone with a greater specific gravity will be slightly smaller than one with a lower specific gravity.
4. Shine: When light hits a gemstone, it gives it a shining appearance. Luster is divided into several groups:
- Dullness: Doesn’t reflect much light, but polishing can improve it.
- Resinous: Resin or plastic-like appearance, ‘vitreous’ is a term that refers to something that appears to be made of glass.
- Waxy: It has a waxy appearance.
Now, let’s know about a few blue gemstones below.
- Agate
Agate is a banded type of the stone chalcedony that appears in a rainbow of colors, including the entire blue spectrum. Natural or dyed colors are available. Agate contains some of the most diverse banding and color variations of any mineral, owing to the ability for color and banding diversity. You could buy 10 different agate pieces and they’ll all look different.
Agate is one of the most affordable gemstones on the list, and agate jewelry is frequently inexpensive. Because large pendants have more bands of color than smaller agate pieces, agate stones are most commonly utilized as pendants for necklaces.
- Aquamarine
Aquamarine prices vary greatly based on the stone’s size and quality. Stones that are a darker, more brilliant blue, like most blue gemstones, are often more valuable (and rarer) than light blue stones.
Aquamarine is a popular gemstone that can be found in a variety of jewelry, though rings are the most common setting. Aquamarine is also the birthstone for March, which contributes to its widespread popularity. Huge crystals of aquamarine are frequently found, allowing large stones to be cut, polished, and set into jewelry or acquired by collectors. The world’s largest gem-quality aquamarine weighed more than 240 pounds.
The majority of aquamarine comes from Brazil, but there are other considerable reserves in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
- Tanzanite
Tanzanite is one of the newest gemstones, with only one deposit identified in 1967. However, because of its rich blue and violet hue, Tanzanite has gained a lot of interest since then. The most sought-after (and most expensive) Tanzanite stones are deep blue and bluish violet, but the stone can also be found in lighter hues. Heat treatment is used to deepen the blue color of most Tanzanites.
Tanzanite is frequently used as a cheaper substitute for sapphire of similar color. Because of Tanzanite’s low hardness, it is frequently used as Tanzanite pendants and Tanzanite earrings, which are less likely to be damaged than Tanzanite rings and Tanzanite rings. But, Tanzanite jewelry is more than a dream to anybody’s jewelry box. Tanzanite can only be found at one location in Tanzania’s northern hills.
- Blue Topaz
Topaz comes in a variety of colors, with blue being one of the most popular. Topaz’s blue color is usually typically treated to render it blue or deepen it. Topaz is also pleochroic, which means that depending on whatever way you look at it, it might appear in multiple hues.
Topaz crystals are among the biggest of any gemstone. Brazilian deposits are extremely massive, with topaz crystals weighing over 500 pounds and the size of rocks unearthed.
Topaz is one of the most economical blue gemstones, which, along with its naturally big crystals, allows huge topaz stones to be placed in jewelry at reasonable prices. Topaz can take such a high polish once it has been faceted that it becomes slippery to the touch.
Topaz is a common gemstone that may be found in many locations. Brazil, Utah, and Russia’s Ural Mountains all have significant deposits.
- Blue Tourmaline
Blue tourmaline can range from delicate aqua to deep azure, with practically every tint in between. Paraiba Tourmaline is the most well-known blue tourmaline variation, with brilliant blue, violet-blue, or greenish-blue hues not found in other tourmaline stones. Due to the rarity of Paraiba Tourmaline, its prices are significantly greater than those of other tourmaline kinds. Rarely, a cat’s eye can be found in blue tourmaline, when light reflects off the stone in the shape of a cat’s slit eye.
Blue tourmaline stones are frequently set with tourmaline stones of other colors for contrast and variety in jewelry. The Paraiba Tourmaline is found in Paraba, Brazil, and other types of blue tourmaline can be found all over the world.
- Turquoise
Turquoise has long been prized for its vibrant sky blue and blue-green color, which is often enhanced by an attractive spider web of dark veins running through the stone. It is one of the oldest stones used for jewelry.
Turquoise lacks the luster and purity of many other blue stones, but its vibrant hue has kept it in demand for ages. Turquoise is frequently cut into cabochons or beads when used in jewelry. It can also be intricately carved for pendants and other jewelry items because it’s a rather soft stone. The Middle East, the United States, and China have large deposits.
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