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gemstone

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.

gemstone

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Several traditional gemstone cuts
(credit: © Merriam-Webster Inc.)
Any of various minerals prized for beauty, durability, and rarity. A few noncrystalline materials of organic origin (e.g., pearl, red coral, and amber) also are classified as gemstones. Of the more than 3,500 identified natural minerals, fewer than 100 are used as gemstones and only 16 have achieved importance: beryl, chrysoberyl, corundum, diamond, feldspar, garnet, jade, lazurite, olivine, opal, quartz, spinel, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise, and zircon. Some of these (e.g., beryl and corundum) provide more than one type of gem. In virtually all cases, the minerals have to be cut and polished for use in jewelry.
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A Field Guide To Gold, Gemstone, And Mineral Sites Of British Columbia
A Field Guide to Gold, Gemstone, and Mineral Sites of British ... by Small Press Bookwatch
For $2 per pound, tourists can go into the five-acre material waste site and find their own gemstone with tools provided by the owners.
Amethyst mine makes exclusive guidebook list by Louiseize, Kelly / Northern Ontario Business
The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA; New York) announced that it has launched "InColor," a new magazine that replaces the association's two decade-old "ICA Gazette" newsletter.
The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA; New York) ... by Business Publisher
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