The oldest known gem, Pearl was considered the most valuable stone for centuries and there have been plenty of legends surrounding it (Krishna’s wedding gift to his daughter, Cleopatra’s love potion etc.). The first known source of pearls was the Persian Gulf and the oldest known pearl jewellery is a necklace found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC.

This gem especially enamored the Romans. And it was believed that pearls were a symbol of the moon and had magical powers. The Chinese also used pearls to cure heart trouble, indigestion, fever, bleeding and eye ailments and till today use it as a skin whitener and as a cosmetic product. In India pearls were believed to give peace of mind and strength to the soul. Europeans too believed that whole or powdered pearls cured matters of the mind and heart.

Generally worn as strings, pearl rings too are gaining popularity nowadays especially those with unusual black colored pearls.

Queen Isabella funded Christopher Columbus’ expedition to discover the new world, which also led to the discovery of pearls in Central American waters. This led to a flood of American pearls in the European market. However greed for these sea gems resulted in the depletion of the American pearl oyster populations by the 17th Century.

Then in 1919, a Japanese perfected and patented the art of cultivating pearls; thus turning production of pearls into an industry by itself. A Natural pearl or Oriental pearl forms, when an irritant enters into a particular species of mollusk. As a defense mechanism the mollusk secretes a fluid to cover this irritant. Layers of this coating, also known as nacre is deposited onto the irritant until a pearl is formed.

A similar process is used to create a cultured pearl. However in this process the irritant is an artificially implanted mother-of-pearl bead or nuclei. As long as there are enough layers of nacre deposited on the nucleus to result in a beautiful pearl, the size of the nucleus is of little importance.

Almost every pearl that is sold these days is cultured. And you are likely to come across “Natural” pearls only at auction houses. As they symbolize purity and innocence, pearls are considered as ideal wedding gifts. In the western hemisphere pearls are given as gifts to couples celebrating their 3rd and 30th wedding anniversaries.

Saltwater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls. The Akova Japanese pearls are the most popular. However, freshwater pearls are available in a wider range of colors than saltwater, including purple, violet, orange, blue and gray. Freshwater pearls are cheaper to produce as each mollusk can yield up to 30 pearls. The American freshwater pearls are allowed to mature for longer periods as compared to other cultured pearls thus forming thicker nacre, which gives these pearls an unusually high luster.

As pearls are available in a variety of colors, it is best to choose the color that complements you. While buying pearls check them under different light sources and make sure that the luster is uniform throughout the surface. Being porous they will soak up any substance that they will come in contact with, especially perfume, cosmetics and sweat, so make sure to wipe them clean after every use.

Petalite

Discovered on the Swedish island of Ut Arfvedson, by Jos Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, a Brazilian scientist at the end of the 18th century, Petalite a rare mineral generally occurs in pastel yellow. The name is derived from the Greek word 'Petalon' meaning ‘leaf’ and 'Lithos' meaning 'Stone'. It is commonly found in mass without any crystal form. However it does occur in crystals sometimes in the tabular or columnar prism form. These fine crystals are however rare and fragile; thus Petalite is seldom cut as a gemstone.

Petalite has been found in Brazil, Australia, Sweden, Finland, USA, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Elba in Italy. However Brazil and Namibia are the major sources of nice transparent stones. Composed of Lithium, Aluminium, Silicon and Oxygen (LiAlSi4O10), Petalite has a Specific Gravity of 2.4 and a relative hardness of 7 and is commonly found in Lithium-bearing pegmatite.

A unique mineral, Petalite occurs in some beautiful pastel colors. The large sized stones are greatly desired by collectors due to its rarity. A stone that weighs above 2.0 carats is considered large especially in case of Petalite.

Prehnite

Prehnite an attractive mineral with a very good luster forms in the cavities of basaltic rocks and along fractures of diabase rock. With a bright luminescent green coloring Prehnite is a hydrous, calcium-aluminum-silicate mineral, which can be facetted or carved into ornaments. Usually found in a pale green to a grass green color, Prehnite can also be gray, white or colorless; some specimens even resemble jade.

The first mineral to be named after a person – Dutch minerologist Colonel Hendrik von Prehn, Prehnite was discovered in Jurassic (Karoo) dolerite in the Cradock district of the Eastern Cape Province in the early 18th Century.

A calcium aluminum silicate hydroxide: Ca2 Al2 Si3 O10(OH)2, Prehnite has a hardness of 6 – 6.5 and a Specific Gravity of 2.9+. It is found in India, South Africa, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, Scotland and in New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Michigan in the US.

Believed to enhance one’s protective field and memory, Prehnite helps build the immune system and bring about peace and calm. Ideal for stress release, its color and unusual touch generates serenity and tranquility and is thus useful for curing anemia and blood disorders. It is also used as a Prediction stone by the Channellers and the Shaman’s.

Pectolite

A popular semi-precious stone, Pectolite occurs in white or colorless, gray, light yellow, light brown, light blue and light pink colors. Discovered in 1828 in Mont Baldo and Mont Monzoni, Italy, the name Pectolite comes from the Greek word ‘Pectos’ meaning ‘well put together’ in reference to the groups usually formed by the crystals of this mineral.

An ocean blue variety of Pectolite was discovered in the Dominican Republic a few decades ago and was given the name Larimar, which is quite popular in the semi-precious stone market.

Composed of NaCa2Si3O8(OH), Sodium Calcium Silicate Hydroxide, Pectolite, has a Specific Gravity of 2.7 - 2.9 and a hardness of 4.5 - 5 on the Moh’s Scale. The crystals are vitreous, transparent to translucent and occurs in fibrous tufts, globular masses and in radiating veins. Pectolite has been mined in Lake Country - California, Paterson and Franklin - New Jersey (USA), The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Italy and England.

Pectolite can be confused with other similar looking minerals such as Okenite, Wollastonite, Artinite and some others. But it can be easily identified due to its association with Zeolites, as others do not form this association and by the way it occurs in basalt cavities.

Discovered in the nineteen seventies Larimar was named after the Dominican who had discovered the stone and is mined only on a unique Caribbean mountain and nowhere else in the world. It has an extraordinary blue color similar to that of the ocean in tropical areas.

Larimar, the pale blue to sky blue variety of Pectrolite, is quite attractive and popular among those who like polished jewellery. Found in the Bahamas and Dominican Republic, Larimar is similar to Turquoise in appearance. And like Turquoise it too is used in contemporary Native American jewellery.

Phenakite

Prasiolite is also known as Vermarine, and is quite simply Green Quartz. It is found in nearly every geological environment and is a component of almost every rock type. It is also the most varied in terms of varieties, colors and forms. Some macrocrystalline (large crystal) varieties are well known and popular as ornamental stones and as gemstones. These include: Amethyst, Citrine, Ametrine, Rose Quartz and Prasiolite.

Heating certain types of quartz in the presence of iron forms Prasiolite. Prasiolite is sometimes confused with Green Beryl, Peridot (olivine) and Tourmaline, all gem types that are considerably more expensive than Prasiolite. Prasiolite has a Refractive Index of 1.55 and Specific Gravity of 2.65, with hardness of 7 on the Moh’s Scale. Most commercial Prasiolite is found in Brazil and Arizona (USA).

The most important aspect to consider when purchasing Prasiolite is the Intensity of color and clarity. Color variations from a pale yellow-green to deeper, more lustrous greens are available. A tough stone displaying beautiful colors, Prasiolite is ideal for everyday wear and, as an inexpensive gem variety, is perfect for a wide variety of applications and usage.