PEARL

Semiprecious stones, GemsSemiprecious stones, Gems Characteristics of the mineral.

Known sea (more correct form) and river (usually less than the correct form). Sea pearls, especially natural, and not artificially grown, are extremely expensive. Of course, grown pearls have reduced abilities, but, nevertheless, his work remains. A natural pearl, thrown on the glass, jumps several times, possessing great elasticity. Up to the size of a pea pearl grows over 12 years. Natural and cultured pearls have layers of growth and specifically clings to the tooth. Grinded into powder and poured with vinegar, it emits bubbles of carbon dioxide. Artificially grown pearls usually have a non-sticky base (metal, plastic, a piece of mother-of-pearl from the shell) and a layer of pearls 0.01-0.1-1 mm. Can be artificially colored. And mother-of-pearl (the inner layer of shells of mollusks), and pearls are made up of the finest plates of calcium carbonate (aragonite) immersed in organic matter, conchiolin. In spherical pearls these plates are perpendicular to the surface, and in the mother-of-pearl they lie in parallel. Due to this mother-of-pearl has a more pronounced play of colors and strong shine, and pearls look more opaque in comparison with mother of pearl.

Pearls are one of the most favorite ancient jewelry stones. It is used only in jewelry business. Pearl-bearing mollusks are common both in marine and freshwater waters. Sea shellfish give the best pearls. Pinctada mollusks form large colonies in warm seas. They lead a sedentary lifestyle, attaching themselves to the underwater rocks. Lifespan of 3 to 11 years. Pearls weighing up to 7 kg (not of jewelry quality) produce Tridacna gigas, the mass of the mollusks themselves reaches 200 kg, and the size of the shells reaches 1.4 m. It lives along the coast of Australia in the Indian and Western Pacific. Fishing for sea pearls is a very ancient occupation with more than 4000 years of history. Collecting mollusks is a very difficult and dangerous work. Pearl fishers sink from canoe boats for more than a minute and a half under the water to the bottom of the sea, collect in wire baskets of mollusks. On the day they dive 30-40 times. On the shore, the shells are opened and carefully inspected. In places of traditional pearl fishing, only one of the 30-40 shells is a pearl. Often in one shell is one - three pearls, sometimes more.

An important property of pearls is its brilliance. The pearls of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Manaar are characterized by the greatest shine with a pearl ebb. Pearls from the East - orient. In this regard, the best sort of jewelry pearl is called oriental. The brilliance of pearls is explained by the refraction and reflection of rays in the prismatic layers of aragonite. The color of sea pearls is white, yellow, cream, pink, blue, red, black. The organic substance present in the pearls can dry up and decompose, so the pearl has a certain period of life, then it fades, splits, collapses. However, with proper storage, pearls do not lose their beauty for many years. First of all, to make the pearl not old, it must be worn. In addition, do not store pearls in a place that is too wet or dry, and keep them in the sun for a long time. Tarnished inexpensive pearls can be briefly dropped into a weak solution of acetic cyst.

Currently cultivated sea pearls are common. The share of artificially grown by Japanese and to a lesser extent by the companies of pearls reaches 90% or more. The size of large Japanese cultured pearls 10-12 mm is the result of a two-three-year life of the mollusk. Large pearls are cultivated in Australia. Measurement of cultured pearls is the diameter of a pearl in millimeters.

Pearls are formed in the shell of a mollusk consisting of three layers: the outer organic - the periostracium, composed of conchiolin, the middle prismatic and the inner lamellar - of the mother of pearl, consisting of prismatic and lamellar crystals of CaCO3. The layers are formed by the epithelial cells of the clam mantle and represent the outer skeleton. These outer cells, trapped with a foreign body in deeper layers of the mantle, create a special pearl bag (cyst), which serves as a growth chamber for the pearl. The appearance of pearls can be considered as a protective reaction of a mollusk to the introduction of alien objects into it. Enclosing them with epithelial cells, the mollusc forms an organo-mineral aggregate with a concentric-zonal structure, including a nucleus, prismatic and lamellar layers. The nucleus is the center of crystallization of pearls, it is surrounded by a thin layer of conchiolin, on which prismatic crystals of calcium carbonate are grown, oriented perpendicular to the surface of the layers. Each of the crystals is surrounded by a conchiolin sheath. In sea pearls CaCO3 is 82-86%, organic matter is 10-14%, water is 0.5-4%; In freshwater CaCO3 - 5-95%, organic matter 4.5-95%, water 0.5-4%. Possible trace element traces. The shape of the pearl may be different: regular spherical (round pearls), oblong ovate (oval), hemispherical (buttons), drop-shaped (pear-shaped), irregular (baroque). Near the wall of the shell is formed shell pearl - containing foreign substances, and solid - blister-pearls (actually half of the pearl).

Magic properties of stones.

Pearl is a talisman of fidelity and pure love, giving the owner a lot of joy in life. He dies disorganization, knocks off offenders arrogance, pride and vanity, in every possible way defending his master. Pearls love and quickly get used to the owner, but extremely reluctantly serves another, if you give it. He protects his owner from anger, hatred and betrayal. At a low man the pearl is short-lived: it darkens and can crumble. In water travel, pearls take care that they are unhindered, and is able to negotiate with the water element and its population, it is only necessary to lower it into the water. Promotes prosperity and longevity, brings happiness to its owner. The glitter of pearls depends on the health of its owner. After the death of the owner, Pearl fades. In ancient Rome, pearls were dedicated to the goddess of love Venus. The ring with pearls protects from thieves and from unfortunate transactions. It must be worn by Pisces. He protects them from ill-considered actions.

Semiprecious stones, Gems

Poisonous and radioactive dangerous stones and minerals

** - poisonous stones and minerals (mandatory check in the chemical laboratory + explicit indication of toxicity).

** - radioactive stones and minerals (mandatory check on the standard dosimeter + ban on open sales in the case of radioactivity over 24 milli / g / h + additional measures of population protection).

All rare stones are subject to mandatory inspection at the standard dosimeter for the permissible level of radiation and in the chemical laboratory for the absence of poisonous and evaporating components that are dangerous to humans and the environment.

  1. Adamine *
  2. Annabergite * Erythrin *
  3. Antimonitis *
  4. Arsenolit **
  5. Arsenopyrite **
  6. Aurepigment **
  7. Baildonite *
  8. Beryl **
  9. Betafit **
  10. Billietite **
  1. Bismuthinite *
  2. Breithauptit *
  3. Witherite *
  4. Gadolinite **
  5. Galit * *
  6. Geocronite *
  7. Glaucodot *
  8. Decloisite * Mottramite *
  9. Jordananite *
  10. Carnotite **
  1. Kinovar **
  2. Cobaltin *
  3. Kotunit *
  4. Lyroconite *
  5. Marcasite *
  6. Monazite *
  7. Mytalian *
  8. Nickelin *
  9. Otenith **
  10. Pyromorphite *
  11. Pyroclor *
  1. Proustite *
  2. Rammelsbergit *
  3. Realgar **
  4. Mercury *
  5. Senarmontitis *
  6. Sulfur *
  7. Scutterudite *
  8. Strontianite * *
  9. Antimony *
  10. Tetrahedrite *
  11. Thorionite **
  1. Torit **
  2. Uraninite **
  3. Pharmacolit *
  4. Chalcosine *
  5. Hutchinsonite *
  6. Celestine * *
  7. Zircon **
  8. Euxenite **
  9. Enargite *
  10. Ashinit **
  11. Conichalcite

Catalog of stones - all stones in alphabetical order

  1. Aventurine *
  2. Agat ***
  3. Azurite *
  4. Aquamarine *
  5. Alexandrite
  6. Almaz ***
  7. Almandine
  8. Amazonite *
  9. Amethyst **
  10. Ametrine
  11. Ammolite
  12. Ammonite
  13. Apatite
  14. Belemnite
  15. Beryl **
  16. Mammoth tusk
  17. Turquoise
  18. Bulls-eye
  19. Verdelit
  20. Gagat (coal) * *
  21. Heliodorus **
  22. Heliotrope
  23. Hematite **
  24. Hessonite
  25. Hovlit, kaulit
  26. Garnet
  27. Grossular
  28. Demantoid **
  1. Diopside chromediopside
  2. Dravit
  3. Wood fossilized
  4. Dumortierite
  5. Jade
  6. Pearl
  7. Emerald **
  8. Calcite *
  9. Cajolong
  10. Quartz
  11. Quince-hairy
  12. Quartz pink
  13. Kinovar **
  14. Coquihalcite **
  15. Corals
  16. Corundum
  17. Cat's Eye Quartz
  18. Cat's eye of chrysoberyl
  19. Flint * *
  20. Kunzite **
  21. Labrador **
  22. Lapis lazuli
  23. Moonstone
  24. Malachite
  1. Meteorite
  2. Morganit **
  3. Morion **
  4. Jade **
  5. Obsidian **
  6. Onyx marble. **
  7. Onyx chalcedony
  8. Opal
  9. Orthoclase, microcline **
  10. Pegmatite **
  11. Nacre
  12. Pyrite * *
  13. The pie
  14. Half-Fear
  15. Prase
  16. Rauchkwartz smoky quartz **
  17. Rhodonite
  18. Ruby
  19. Rubellit
  20. Sapphire **
  21. Sardonyx
  22. Selenite
  23. Serafinite
  24. Cornelian
  25. Serpentine (coil) **
  1. Simbirtsit **
  2. Sodalite
  3. Hawkeye
  4. Staurolite **
  5. Tektit *
  6. Eye of the Tiger
  7. Tourmaline *
  8. Topaz
  9. Uvarovite
  10. Uleksite * *
  11. Fluorite
  12. Haliotis
  13. Chalcedony
  14. Chrysolite *
  15. Chrysoprase **
  16. Crystal mountain
  17. Celestine * *
  18. Citrine
  19. Zircon **
  20. Charoite **
  21. Schorl
  22. Spinel *
  23. Shungite * *
  24. Eudialyte *
  25. Euclase
  26. The Epidote (Jasper)
  27. Amber
  28. Jasper