TOP-20 MOST BEAUTIFUL GREEN STONES
As a rule, when thinking about green stones, we all think of malachite, jade, and emerald. However, nature is much more diverse in its manifestations, and today I will briefly mention many gems and precious stones of green color.
Most beautiful green stones: Green jasper
A favorite stone since the Neolithic, jasper has been used as a tool of labor and in military affairs. In the countries of the East, jasper was a symbol of beauty and wealth. In Russia, jasper was called “jasper” and was used as an ornamental stone. Perhaps, of the whole variety of ornamental stones, this is the most popular option. Jasper in fact, it is not a mineral, but a cryptocrystalline rock, consisting of quartz, chalcedony and various minerals. It is the rich composition that determines the riot of its colors, patterns and textures. Green jasper is one of the most widespread in the world, and we have it in Russia. The Hermitage houses the world’s largest bowl, made of gray-green Kolyvan jasper. The number of jasper names exceeds several hundred, and I will definitely talk about it in a separate issue.
19. Serpentine
Serpentine or serpentinite is also a name for a rock, not a single mineral. The stone forms a certain pattern, looks like shagreen or snake skin. No wonder its name from the Latin “Serpens” is translated as “snake”.
In the Urals, this stone is called “serpentine” and it is very well known to everyone as one of the most common ornamental stones. There is a Ural legend about the Great Snake snake, which guards the gems of the Urals, and periodically sheds its skin. Serpentines are found in these places. Serpentine is dangerous for jewelers during prolonged use, because serpentine dust contains asbestos, which can cause cancer in the respiratory tract.
18. Malachite
It is difficult to overestimate the impact that this ornamental stone had on us in the 19th century. Discovered in the Urals in two deposits, this wonderful gem is still attracting attention. The best and most expensive malachite is Russian malachite.
Today, the deposits of malachite in these deposits are over, and only malachite from Congo is sold in the networks. However, scientists are sure that we still have Russian malachite, but nature is in no hurry to show its riches to people.
17. Jade
Jade is one of the most valuable jewelry and ornamental stones since the dawn of the world. China cannot imagine its life without this stone, and its unique properties are amazing. Jade in translation from ancient Greek means “kidney”. The stone is 2 times stronger than steel, while it has an average hardness of 5.5 points on the Mohs scale. We have excellent deposits of green and white jade in Buryatia.
The most valuable, after the rarest red and blue jade, in Russia is bright green, like young grass, jade, it may contain a small amount of black as points of inclusions. In China the most valuable white milky shade of jade, its second name is “imperial” stone.
16. Noble jadeite
Noble jadeite belongs to the 2nd order of precious stones, and the cost of the best grades can reach millions of dollars. But it is here in Russia that when the word “jade” is used, only the nondescript gray “stones for a bath” is remembered, this is a sort of “utility”
The grade of noble jadeite used in jewelry is called “commercial”, but the most expensive grade “Imperial” of category A is emerald green homogeneous jadeite from Burma with excellent translucency.
But jewelry with such a stone is usually sold at closed auctions.
15. Aventurine
The name was given to aventurine in honor of the forgery. The fact is that at first in the 16th century glass blowers poured sawdust into glass and called it “aventurine”. And only later this stone began to be called aventurine for its property of shining.
In fact, aventurine is a kind of quartzite with admixtures of various minerals petite, hematite, mica. It is the small amount of traces that gives the characteristic “sparkles” on the surface of the stone. Its color is different mainly green, golden and red-brown shades. There are no blue and black aventurines, this is a fake. Its cost is low, the number of fakes for it is huge.
14. Prasiolite
A delicate onion shade of color, excellent transparency and a good hardness of 7 points on the Mohs scale are the main criteria for the success of this stone. But everything is not so simple here. The fact is that prasiolite is a type of light green quartz, which is extremely rare in nature.
And the chains sell ordinary quartz that has been heated or irradiated with cobalt to obtain a delicate mint-onion shade of color. In addition, some sellers claim that it is a green amethyst. However, amethyst can only be purple or lilac, because its color is due to the presence of Mn in the crystal lattice.
13. Moldavite
This interesting stone is of volcanic origin and is nothing more than volcanic glass. In fact, like obsidian, only of a different color and composition. The name of the Moldavite was given in honor of the Moldau (Vltava) River in the Czech Republic, where the stone was discovered.
The second name by which he is called “vltavit”.
Bottle color, rarity and excellent clarity are the main points of good demand for this stone. Its hardness is low, 5 points, like any glass.
12. Chrysoprase
Chrysoprase refers to the 4th order of precious stones. Its rich apple green color, waxy luster and excellent pedigree have ensured a constant desire for this stone. This is the favorite stone of Alexander the Great, they were used to heal wounds in the Middle Ages, and the art of glyptics stone carving owes much to this beautiful stone.
In fact, chrysoprase is a cryptocrystalline variety of green chalcedony. The most valuable chrysoprase is considered to be the highest grade of emerald green color with a transparency depth of up to 5 cm.This stone is somewhat reminiscent of a juicy green apple, which I just want to bite off.
11. Chrysolite
The stone, which is mentioned in the Bible and is the favorite gem of the high priests. Today, chrysolite is classified as a gemstone of the 4th order. In the west, chrysolite is often called peridot, which is the same thing.
Chrysolite is a type of the mineral “olivine”, it is characterized by a golden-green hue of color and a bright play of cut stone. Interestingly, in the 19th century, the demand for stone increased tenfold, thanks to the legend that the stone helps to restore masculine strength.
10. Uvarovite
Uvarovite is a real wonder of the world, it does not look like any stone from the line of garnets. The mineral forms clusters of small crystals of no more than 3 mm on the surface of chrome rocks, and it seems as if an emerald green carpet covers an entire clearing.
The stone has long been considered the “patron saint of merchants”. The jewelry is made from uvarovite together with the breed, it looks very interesting and unusual.
9. Tsavorite
This jewelry variety of grossular garnet containing vanadium was found quite recently, a little over 50 years ago in Tanzania, but it was named after the Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Then this type of pomegranate was discovered in Kenya too. This stone was promoted by the Tiffany company. As in the case of kunzite, today there is a demand in Tanzania and many world jewelry houses make small inserts with this stone. It is rarer and less expensive than the similar demantoid garnet.
8. Demantoid
It belongs to precious stones of the 3rd order, and is a special pride of our country. The stone starts at 700 per carat and is the most expensive in the garnet line. The most exclusive property of demantoid is its dispersion (i.e. the ability of a stone to sparkle), and so the dispersion of demantoid is 1.5 times higher than a diamond.
At a distance of 50 meters in the evening, your demantoids will burn so much that it will immediately attract attention. By the way, the name of this stone is translated as “similar to diamond” precisely for this property. The most beautiful demantoids with golden filaments of byssolite and other minerals are found in the Middle Urals.
7. Chromiopside
Chromiopside is a jewelry variety of the diopside mineral. It is named so because of the chromium impurity content, which provides it with a beautiful emerald green color. It is also called “Yakut emerald”. Chromdiopside is found much less often than emerald, and the main deposit is in Aldan, Yakutia.
The faceted chrome diopside is incredibly beautiful its green flashes are amazing. It is a pity that we do not have our own Tiffanis for “promotion” of such beautiful stones. Otherwise, this stone would be as popular as tanzanite.
6. Verdelite
Verdelite is a gem variety of green tourmalines. Tourmalines are one of the favorite groups of gemstones, along with garnets. Recently, the highest prices are paraiba blue tourmaline, raspberry rubellite, indigolite blue and emerald green verdelite.
Famous jewelry houses like to use the most beautiful jewelry inserts with this stone in their works. Verdelite has the property of pleochroism from light to dark green. Pleochroism is the ability to change the shade of a color when the direction of the crystal axes changes (if simple, when the stone is turned).
5. Noble spinel
Today in the Russian Federation it is a gem of the third order. The most valuable species are: ruby spinel deep red, ruby balais pink and sapphire spinel deep blue-blue hue.
True, sellers come up with various trade names for spinel, each one has its own. Compared to ruby and sapphire, spinel is close to them in hardness (spinel 8 according to Mohs, ruby sapphire 9). Few minerals can boast such hardness, diamond brilliance, excellent transparency and high dispersion.
4. Sapphire
Green sapphires, like other non-blue sapphires, are referred to as colored sapphires. Colored sapphires now cost from 300 to several thousand.
Colored sapphires have the same properties as blue sapphires hardness 9, lack of cleavage (ability to crack along crystal directions), transparency, etc.
There are fewer and fewer sapphires and rubies, unlike diamonds, every year. Even the “ruby-sapphire belt” Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Madagascar their reserves are rapidly decreasing.
3. Emerald
The emerald is one of the three most expensive green gemstones in the world. The cost of 1 carat of a Colombian emerald starts at 5,000, and samples of the highest quality exceed 10,000 per carat. Colombian emeralds are recognized as the best today, but I would add Afghan emeralds to the group of the best the purest emeralds in the world of the color of bright green. The emeralds of our emerald mines have one peculiarity their color is deep green with a slightly turquoise tint.
Also, Zambian emeralds are now actively sold, which are 2-3 times less in cost than Colombian ones.
2. Alexandrite
In terms of cost and rarity on our planet, it is second only to a green diamond from the line of green gemstones. Alexandrite is a gem variety of the chrysoberyl mineral. For the first time, alexandrite was discovered here in the Middle Urals and was named in honor of Tsarevich Alexander, the future Emperor Alexander II.
The main feature of the stone for which it is valued around the world is its alexandrite effect. This stone is capable of changing color in daylight from bluish green to purplish red under artificial light. The most valuable alexandrites are ours from the Urals, from the Malyshevskoye deposit. The reason for this is the strongest reverse, that is, the alexandrite effect.
The stone is a great exclusive, it is not sold in jewelry chains, and it was not sold in Soviet times either. At that time, a synthetic corundum with vanadium was sold under the name alexandrite. Now the cost of 1 carat of natural alexandrite can easily exceed 15,000 per carat.
1. Green diamond
Finally, the green gem selection champion is the green diamond. Fancy colored diamonds green, red, blue or cyan, etc. are very rare and very expensive. A fancy color diamond can be worth millions of dollars per carat. Such copies are sold only at closed auctions and, as a rule, each of them is assigned its own name.
The largest and most famous green diamond is the “Dresden Green” diamond weighing 40.7 carats. “Dresden Green” has a beautiful apple-green color, is cut into a fancy cut, and is encrusted in a luxurious diamond agraph for the hat of the Elector of Saxony. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the unique stone has been kept in the Grünes Gevelb, the famous Dresden treasury. It is simply impossible to look away from this wonder of the world!
