At Mint Gems, we are always captivated by the natural beauty of stones & fascinated by their intriguing histories. We not only want you to love wearing your new jewelry but to also understand what you’re wearing. So we’ve put together some plain old facts, interesting tidbits & helpful hints so you get the most enjoyment out of your jewels. Enjoy!!

METALS

STERLING SILVER: All sterling silver is comprised of 92.5% silver & 7.5% copper. That’s why you’ll see sterling silver stamped with ‘.925’. Adding copper makes the silver stronger & more durable. It also causes the silver to tarnish which is a natural process known as metal oxidization. Some people prefer it when their silver turns darker but if you don’t, it’s easy to clean. See our cleaning & care section below for some tips.

GOLD FILL: The term gold fill can be slightly misleading. Even though it sounds like something has been filled with gold it’s actually the opposite. What it really means is that a piece of base metal, usually brass, has been wrapped by a layer of gold. The gold is fused to the brass which still gives it the beauty of solid gold but also makes it stronger, more durable & more affordable.

GOLD PLATED: This is created using the same method as gold fill. The only difference is the layer of gold surrounding the base metal is slightly thinner than that used for gold fill.

VERMEIL: For this process, a layer of gold is plated on sterling silver. The gold used is usually 18k but can sometimes be up to 24k.

CRYSTALS

All the crystals we use in our designs are Swarovski crystals. The extraordinary legacy of Swarovski began over a century ago when company founder, Daniel Swarovski, invented an automatic cutting machine. The invention of this new technology allowed Swarovski to capture the full beauty of crystal. Widely used within the fashion industry, Swarovski is synonymous with fine craftsmanship. These precision cut high quality crystals help give our designs that extra sparkle that makes them so special!

SEMI PRECIOUS STONES

Moh’s Scale: You’ll notice below that most of our stones are rated with a number between 1 and 10. These numbers are taken from the Moh’s scale which was created in 1812 by a German mineralogist named Frederich Mohs. It’s used to measure the hardness of a mineral relative to others based on its scratch resistance. The lower the number, the softer the stone…so 1 is the softest and 10 is the hardest.

AFRICAN TURQUOISE: Although actually a dyed jasper, it’s known in the trade as African turquoise because it looks just like natural turquoise but slightly greener. Mohs: 6.5<

AGATE: Agate is mostly recognized by its distinct curved layers of color (either multicolored or similar colors). It can be found in many places including Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, India & the US. Mohs: 6.5-7 (very durable) Some of our favorite types are listed below:
*Botswana Agate: Multi color stripes ranging from creamy whites to pinks to black.
*Blue Agate: This translucent agate is dyed, resulting in various shades of blue from pale to bright.
*Green Agate: Greens vary from light to bright in this translucent agate.
*Moss Agate: Translucent & colorless with inclusions that look like bits of floating moss.
*White Agate: This agate is opaque white.

AMAZONITE: This light blue to aqua color opaque stone gets its name from the Amazon River. It can be found in Namibia, Virginia, India & Russia. Mohs: 6-6.5

AMETHYST: This translucent purple stone is the most well known & valuable type of quartz. It’s mostly found in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia & Zambia. Be careful where you leave your amethyst because the color may fade if exposed to the sun for too long. Mohs: 7 (can easily scratch metal, glass & softer stones)

ARAGONITE: A creamy peach color with medium translucency it reminds us of mango sorbet. It can be found in Argentina, Czech, Turkey, Spain, France, Colorado and Cumbria, England. Mohs: 3.5

AVENTURINE: This translucent to opaque quartz has small mica crystal inclusions which give it a very subtle glistening effect. It comes from Brazil, India & the US in a variety of colors including green, peach, red & blue. Mohs: 7

BLACK ONYX: An opaque chalcedony, black onyx is typically dyed to achieve the same level of black throughout. Found in Brazil. Mohs: 6.5-7

CARNELIAN: This translucent rich red/orange chalcedony gets its color from its iron oxide content and is found in India, Brazil & Uruguay. Color can vary from very pale creamy tones to deeper rich reds and oranges. Mohs: 6.5

CHALCEDONY: Types of chalcedony include agate, carnelian, chrysoprase, jasper, onyx & petrified wood. Mohs: 6.5-7

CHRYSOPRASE: A translucent light to medium green stone, it’s one of the most valued varieties of chalcedony. Found in Australia, Brazil, California & Russia. Mohs: 6.5-7

CITRINE: A member of the quartz family, citrine gets its yellow color due to the presence of iron. The name citrine comes from the French word for lemon – citron. Citrine can be found in Brazil. Mohs: 7 (easily scratches metal, glass & softer stones)

RAINBOW FLUORITE: Fluorite gets its name from the Latin word fluere (to flow) because it melts easily. So keep your fluorite away from high heat! Another fun fact: we get the word fluorescence from fluorite because it was one of the first fluorescent minerals ever seen. Fluorite is translucent and comes in a range of colors including purples, greens & clear. It is found in the US, South Africa, Peru & Canada. Mohs: 4

GARNET: Traditionally thought of as red, garnet also comes in an array of other colors such as pink, purple, green, yellow, orange & brown. Since the crystals reminded early scientists of pomegranate seeds, they named it after the Latin word granatum which means “seed like”. Today, most garnet comes from India; however, Bohemia in Czechoslovakia was the main supplier up until the late 1800’s. European bourgeoisie would visit Bohemia on holiday and buy garnet to take home as good luck charms. Mohs: 7-71/2 (easily scratches metal, glass, softer stones)

HEMATITE: Charcoal to black in color, hematite has a metallic luster. This opaque stone gets its name from the Greek word for blood, hema. If you were to scratch or scrape it, hematite’s powder is a reddish color similar to blood. Its powder was once used in paint for barns, as face paint by American Indians and even by the Egyptians for cave paintings. Most hematite is found in Brazil, Canada, Venezuela & the US. Mohs: 5.5-6.5

WHITE HOWLITE: Opaque white with fine grey veining, this soft mineral is found in California. Mohs: 3.5

IOLITE: This translucent blue stone was named after the Greek word ios, meaning violet. Legend has it that the Vikings would look through thin pieces of iolite on cloudy days to locate the position of the sun; hence its nickname “Viking’s compass”. If you look at a piece of iolite you will be able to see two or more colors depending on which direction you look at it. Today, most iolite is found in India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania & Brazil. Mohs: 7-7.5

JASPER: Found worldwide, jasper is opaque and can be found in a variety of patterns: multicolored, spotted, striped or a solid color. Mohs: 6.5-7 Some of our favorites include the following:
*Dalmatian Jasper: Really the name says it all! From Utah, this jasper looks just like the dog -white with lots of black spots.
*Fancy Jasper: This variation comes in a medley of colors such as mauve, lilac, cream & green.
*White Jasper: Translucent white

LABRADORITE: Opaque & iridescent, this stone gets its name from the Labrador Peninsula in NE Canada where it is mined. Depending on the way you look at it, you can catch flashes of blue, green, grey, yellow and orange. This effect is known as labradorescence. Labradorite is also found in Finland. Mohs: 6-6.5

MAHOGANY OBSIDIAN: Obsidian is also known as volcanic glass because it is formed when lava cools very rapidly. It’s usually a black, brown or reddish color with stripes or spots. The mahogany variety is a reddish brown with black spots. Obsidian is found in North America, Hawaii & Japan. Mohs: 5-6

MALACHITE: Opaque with multiple shades of green banding. Zaire is the main producer but malachite can also be found in Arizona, New Mexico, Australia, Russia & Namibia. Malachite has a long history which dates back to 3000BC when it was used by the Egyptians not only for jewelry but also as eye make-up (in its powder form). Mohs: 3.5-4 (can be scratched with a coin)

MOONSTONE: Transparent to almost opaque, moonstone is usually white, colorless or a light gray blue. Most moonstone is found in Sri Lanka, Burma and India. It gets its name from the once held belief in India that moonstone was solidified moonlight. Mohs: 6-6.5

MOUKAITE JASPER: Deep reds, mauve, yellow, cream and other earthy tones make up this opaque jasper. Found in Australia.

OLIVE SERPENTINE: With color ranging from light avocado to olive green, this translucent stone often has small dark flecks. It comes from the Afghanistan/China border. Mohs: 5

PEARLS: Pearls are formed when an irritant settles in a shellfish causing it to secrete layers of nacre as its natural defense. This can happen naturally or the irritant can be placed there on purpose. Freshwater pearls are cultivated in Japan & China. Mohs hardness scale: 3-4 (can be scratched w/ a coin)

PERIDOT: A translucent lime green color, peridot is the birthstone for August & the 16th wedding anniversary stone. Mined for over 3500 years, the Crusaders used to bring peridot to Europe from St. John’s Island in Egypt. That’s the oldest source of peridot but it’s also found in Pakistan and Arizona. Mohs: 6.5-7 (easily scratches window)

QUARTZ: Quartz comes in many variations including amethyst, aventurine, citrine, tiger eye, crystal quartz, rose quartz & smoky quartz. It is believed that quartz is the oldest gemstone known to man. In Europe, examples of quartz objects have been discovered along with the remains of prehistoric man (20,000BC). Mohs: 7 Some of the varieties we use in our designs:
*Crystal Quartz: clear with some inclusions, crystal gets its name from the Greek word krustallos meaning ice. It was believed that crystal quartz was ice formed by the gods.
*Rose Quartz: translucent & light pink in color, rose quartz is found in Madagascar & Brazil.
*Smoky Quartz: translucent & brownish in color, smoky quartz is found worldwide.
*Ice Flake: Cracks inside this crystal quartz make it look like ice.

RHODONITE: This opaque pink stone with veins of black manganese oxide gets its name from the Greek word for rose - rhodos. Rhodonite is found in many countries including the US, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Sweden & India. Mohs: 5.5-5.7

SODALITE: This deep blue opaque stone with white streaks of calcite sort of looks like denim. Sodalite was first discovered in Bancroft in Ontario, Canada during a visit by Princess Margaret of England. Sodalite mined in Bancroft is now sometimes referred to as Princess Blue. It is also found in Brazil. Mohs: 5.5

TIGER EYE: An opaque quartz which is recognized by its gold & brown banding that shimmers just like a cat’s eye. South Africa is the most important source where it can be found in thick slabs. Mohs: 7

TOURMALINE: This translucent gemstone is available in a huge array of colors including green, pink, red, blue, yellow & black. We usually use the pink variety in our designs. It’s found in California, Afghanistan, Africa & Brazil. Be careful where you leave your tourmaline because it’s sensitive to strong heat & overexposure can cause the color to fade. Mohs: 7-71/2 (easily scratches metal, glass, softer stones)

TURQUOISE: The purest turquoise is an intense sky blue color with few to no inclusions. More affordable turquoise varies from blue to green & has brown or black veining running through it. Although thought of as somewhat common today, turquoise was once believed to be more valuable than gold by the Aztecs. The highest quality turquoise has been mined for over 3,000 years in northeast Iran. It is also found in China, Mexico & the US. Mohs: 5-6 (can be scratched w/ a knife)

BIRTHSTONES

CLEANING & CARING FOR YOUR JEWELRY

If you follow some of these tips you’ll help to preserve the life & beauty of your jewels. The easiest thing you can do to keep your jewelry looking new is to store it carefully. We suggest hanging your pieces especially those with chains. This prevents them from getting scratched and tangled. Also, some gems are affected by sudden temperature changes. Stones can crack if they go from hot to cold or vice versa. So, for example, we suggest removing your jewels if you’re planning on lying in the sun & then jumping in a cold pool. Stones that are susceptible to this include tourmaline, quartz, peridot, garnet & topaz. Some stones are also more prone to fading than others. They include tourmaline, turquoise, amethyst & malachite. You shouldn’t leave these stones sitting in the sun.

When it’s time to clean your jewels, try using a soft cloth with lukewarm water & a mild liquid soap. This works especially well for gold jewelry. For those harder to reach spots, use a toothpick or a Q-tip. To clean tarnished silver, we suggest using a silver polishing cloth. Gently rub your jewelry with the cloth and the tarnish should easily lift away.