Most beautiful gemstones

[Kazimiera]

28 Beyond Beautiful Minerals And Stones

Source: http://www.earthporm.com/beautiful-minerals-and-stones/

Get ready to over indulge on the world’s most beautiful minerals and stones! When you think of gorgeous natural treasures glistening diamonds and deeply colored gemstones often come to mind. Less common minerals are largely forgotten, but as this list proves they most certainly shouldn’t be.

1. Luz Opal With Galaxy Inside

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-14__700.jpg


2. Sunset Fire Opal

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-1__700.jpg


3. Lightning Ridge Black Opal

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-26__700.jpg


4. Opal Fossil

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-16__700.jpg


5. The ‘Empress Of Uruguay’

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-12__700.jpg


6. Ocean Inside Of An Opal

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals__700.jpg


7. Fluorite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals9__700.jpg


8. Bismuth

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals3__700.jpg


9. Titanium Quartz

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-22__700.jpg


10. Rose Quartz Geode

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-13__700.jpg


11. Chrysocolla In Malachite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-23__700.jpg


12. Azurite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals7__700.jpg


13. Scolecite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-15__700.jpg


14. Watermelon Tourmaline

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals2__700.jpg


15. Burmese Tourmaline

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-17__700.jpg


16. Bismuth

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals4__700.jpg


17. Realgar On Calcite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-19__700.jpg


18. Cobalto Calcite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-241__700.jpg


19. Uvarovite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals5__700.jpg


20. Combination Of Fluorite, Quartz and Pyrite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-24__700.jpg

[Kazimiera]

21. Crocoite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals8__700.jpg


22. Rhodochrosite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Amazing-StonesMinerals6__700.jpg


23. Rhodochrosite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-21__700.jpg


24. Botswana Agate

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/65a9670dfe9c8719c1cac273b1f54996__700.jpg


25. Alexandrite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Chrysob%C3%A9ryl_var._alexandrite_sous_UV_Br%C3%A9 sil_1__700.jpg


26. Opalised Ammonite

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/6678b921187e129e04025c661e2174c13__700.jpg


27. Tourmaline On Quartz With Lepidolite And Cleavelandite Accents

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/amazing-stones-minerals-20__700.jpg


28. Carnelian

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Carneool__700.jpg

[zarzian]

Wow, such colors

[Svipdag]

The opals, 1.-6. are gorgeous. Unfortunately, opal is prone to shattering easily, especially if exposed to freezing temperatures because
it contains water. This has given it a reputation as a bad-luck stone.

7. In case you wonder why such a beautiful mineral as fluorite is not a gemstone, it is very soft, only 4 on Mohs' Scale, and easy to scratch and it has, as shown, 6 pefect cleavages, so that breaks easily into cubes.

8. Specimens of crystallised bismuth show such magnificent urban landscapes that I think that architects should put them on their desks for inspiration.

11. Well ! This is the first time I have ever seen a geode full of phallic symbols !

14. This is the best example of watermelon tourmaline I have seen, though there is one nearly as good in the museum at Rutgers.

17. I have never seen realgar in good crystals before .Usually it occurs as a mass of tiny grains mixed with orpiment. Both are very toxic
being sulfides of arsenic. The mother of a late friend of mine stole "pretty stones" from his mineral collection to put in her goldfish tank. Alas for the goldfish, one of them happened to be orpiment and realgar. :picard1:

19 Uvarovite is a chromium garnet found mainly in Russia. It is very rare, and perfect crystals like this are the exception, not the rule.

25. Ah, Alexandrite, named after the Tsar. This picture was taken under incandescent light. Had it been taken in daylight, the stone would have been blue-green. I had a poor example of it in a ring I purchased on St. Thomas, but it was stolen from me. One of the jewellery stores on St. Thomas used to have the world's largest alexandrite. It was about the size of a mango.

Thank you for showing us all of these fine minerals and gemstones. They are magnificent specimens.