Your favourite gemstone?

[Comte Arnau]

What's you favourite gemstone? Diamonds? Emeralds? Sapphires? Rubies? Bloodstones?

Is there a reason for that?


Starting with an amethyst.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x7Rup5pJsI8/T7qXmsiKUfI/AAAAAAAADrY/p4q5We1qj-A/s1600/amethyst.jpg

[Rudel]

Sapphires and blue diamonds. I just love blues, which is also our national colour.

The Hope diamond, cut from the Bleu de France (the biggest blue diamond ever found, bought by Louis XIV for the Crown and stolen during the Revolution to be sold in England. Fucking English).

http://public.media.smithsonianmag.com//filer/ef/3d/ef3d827b-9022-4f82-9caf-271de61ba70a/hope_diamond.jpg

The Great Sapphire of Louis XV :

http://www.museum-mineral.fr/_img/specimens/visu_478.jpg

Some wonderful medieval blues, made out of lapis lazuli :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Plafond_de_la_chapelle_Saint-Martial,_par_JM_Rosier.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Ambrogio_Lorenzetti_001_edit.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2754/4060784643_745b6538b1_o.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2634/4061527492_693806f755_o.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Folio_60v_-_The_Coronation_of_the_Virgin.jpg

[Comte Arnau]

Sapphires and blue diamonds. I just love blues, which is also our national colour.

Nice. And interesting reasons. I should try and find a yellow gemstone then. :D

[1stLightHorse]

Emeralds. I'm more into green.

[Svipdag]

Pyrope garnet. Dark red with a red fire blazing within it.

[Katie Karma]

1. Tanzanite
2. Chrome Diopsite
3. Opal (various types)

[Skjaldemjøden]

I feel like a terrible Jew. I've never thought of this.

[Kazimiera]

I LOVE Yellow topaz and citrine. It is also my birth stone for November.

http://gemstoneguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Citrine_AGTA.png

http://sgemsinc.com/websites/spathjewelers/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Citrine.jpg

http://www.a1-birthstone-jewelry.com/images/citrine1.jpg

http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/4719357/Miadora-Sterling-Silver-Citrine-and-White-Topaz-Ring-3909e370-069c-435d-ab3d-5e2cbeef2aac.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418hxxVrSAL._UY395_.jpg

http://www.earthstreasure.com/Photo/Signs/Citrine_Topper.jpg

[Svipdag]

Alexandrite because of its pleochroism. By daylight it is blue-green and under artificial light it is raspberry red. I had a rather poor alexandrite ring which I had bought on St. Thomas around 2001 which was stolen from me in 2006. When I was again in St. Thomas this winter, I sought to replace it only to find that the price was staggering. It was always rare and expensive, but now is out of reach except for the very wealthy.

[Rædwald]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Intaglio_Caracalla_Cdm_Paris_Chab2101.jpg/220px-Intaglio_Caracalla_Cdm_Paris_Chab2101.jpg

I've always loved Amethyst, this is an engraved gem of "Caracalla" otherwise known as Emperor Antoninous. When this was created Amethyst was still considered as valuable as the cardinal gemstones (diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald) but discovery of large deposits in the 18th century reduced it's value.

The Greek word "amethystos" translated as "not drunken", from Greek a-, "not" + methustos, "intoxicated". As such Amethyst was believed to stop/slow intoxication which is why many wine goblets were often decorated with it.