Stones Stories

The first thing a person probably pays attention to when gets to see a mineral is its color. It also plays a major role in defining the stone’s value. But what if the stone is able to change its appearance and may change from emerald to ruby right in front of your own eyes? As a matter of fact, a mineral in possession of such a rare feature was considered an asset of the premium quality in the Soviet Union. Throughout the whole period of existence of the USSR, there was not a single natural sample sold. Discovery of each mineral was also monitored closely. Moreover, even now many Russians are not aware that their grandmothers’ jewels, kept as family relics, are nothing but the finely crafted by the Government fakes.

Throughout the history, people’s attitude towards minerals has been somewhat mixed. Some stones were believed to be sacred, the others were considered cursed, while the rest were essential to our very existence.

Among the five thousand minerals known to mankind, there is only one stone that we cannot live without. This one is crucial for the human body, same as food or water, but a completely irrelevant one from the perspective of jewellery.

Beauty is power. Surprisingly, the same statement may be applied with success to the world of minerals. At all times, people were ready to do a lot to gain natural wealth. Thus, to get their hands on one of the most beautiful gems on the planet, people were killing, betraying and plotting against each other at the state-level scale.

Until the middle of the twentieth century, mankind was unaware of the existence of this stone. During the next twenty years, the mineral had no official name, and American and Russian scientists were fighting for the right to be considered its discoverers.

Among the most expensive minerals on earth are diamonds, sapphires, rubies, platinum and gold. The majority of people on this planet would consider owning these precious metals and stones as a sign of prosperity. However, 1.4 billion Chinese are unlikely to share the same opinion.

Garnet is a mineral which to a great extent resembles pomegranate seeds in appearance. However, while almost everyone had a taste of the fruit with wine-coloured seeds inside it, not everyone was lucky to to hold the stone in the hands.

Malachite is one of the main copper minerals. In nature, it is usually found at the deposits rich in copper.