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When we hear the word "gems," many people will first think of "beautiful" and "expensive." However, behind the light, geology, chemistry, history, and human values are intertwined in many layers. Let's take a look at the background.
First of all, it is often overlooked that many gemstones are "minerals." For example, rubies and sapphires are both made from the same mineral, "corundum." If it is red, it is called a ruby, and if it is any other color, it is called a sapphire. In other words, even if it is the same substance, its value and name can change significantly depending on the color. This reflects the slight differences in the chemical components of nature and human aesthetic sense.
There are also some misconceptions about diamonds. They are said to be the "hardest substance in the world," but in reality, they are very resistant to wear, but weak to impacts. They can even break when subjected to a sharp impact. This is another story regarding their ease of handling and durability as jewelry. In other words, here is a basic but important fact: "hardness" and "strength" are not the same thing.
Furthermore, emeralds are characterized by the large number of "inclusions," but these are not simply "blemishes." Rather, they are sometimes considered important as proof that the stone is natural. Many jewelers feel that perfectly transparent emeralds are unnatural. In fact, emeralds are often treated with oil, and this information is disclosed in the appraisal certificate. It is in the natural "imperfections" that a certain sense of trust resides.
Pearls are not even minerals. They are "biominerals" that are born when a shellfish wraps around a foreign object that has entered its body. Their origin is unique among gemstones, and in a sense they can be said to be a "miracle." Perhaps that is why there is a certain human warmth in their brilliance.
Gemstones are not just beautiful, but also have a deep historical and cultural background. Diamonds have been treated as symbols of royalty, rubies represent love and devotion, sapphires are associated with wisdom and faith... Each stone has touched the hearts of people.
We tend to only see their shiny surface, but when we learn about the hundreds of millions of years that these stones have been around, and the process of human selection, processing and valuing them, we begin to see them in a different light, seeing them not as mere ornaments, but as beings that contain a story.