What are gems and minerals?

There are thousands of different minerals types found throughout the world, and some even come to us from outer space. What makes up minerals and how are they classified? What are the different terms used to describe their many forms?

Minerals occur naturally in the earth’s crust. They are solid, inorganic substances differentiated by their appearance, odour, texture, and chemical composition. Some minerals may combine with another type of mineral to form a new one. They are usually crystalline in atomic structure, meaning that they form crystals as a result of geological processes such as high pressure and heat.

Minerals that form large, defined crystals are usually valued in the gem and mineral rock market. However, not all minerals form crystalline structures, and not all minerals that do have that occurrence form them all the time. Silver, for example, is usually associated with its liquidy, mold form, but in rare instances it is known to crystallize.

All minerals may be refer to as stones or rocks. Rocks are divided into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The minerals you will find on this site, however, are mostly found in metamorphic rocks in hydrothermal vents near volcanic areas. The second-most abundant mineral on earth, quartz, is often referred to as rock crystal.

There are many types of minerals that form in certain places on earth. Classes include elements (gold), salts (sulfur), silicates (quartz), carbonates, sulfates, halides, oxides, sulfides, phosphates, and organics.

What makes certain minerals be recognized as a gem or gemstone is its ability to be used in jewellery. Gemstone quality minerals can usually be cut and polished in an appealing manner. Gemstones have high aesthetic values. Some popular examples include diamonds, sapphires, aquarmarine, and amethyst.

The terms semi-precious and precious gemstones refer to minerals with a current high economic and aesthetic values. There is no definite list of minerals that fall into the category of “precious” because it changes with time, place and culture. Nevertheless, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds have a reputation for being called precious.

Chemical elements may also be considered a minerals given that they are solid substances. A chemical element purely consists of one atom throughout its structure. Gold, silver, sulfur, and iron are examples of mineral chemical elements.

Metals are elements, compounds, or alloys with high electrical conductivity. Precious metals are rare, metallic chemical elements with high economic values. They may be favoured for their colour, malleability, or rarity depending on their applied use. There are only three precious metals in the world: gold, silver, and platinum.

Alloys are a combination of metals fused together.