•  What is a gem?  What is a mineral?

 

  •  How do we tell one mineral from another, or from synthetic materials?
  • - Methods of ID, physical and optical properties

 

  •   From where does their beauty arise?
  • - Crystallography and optics

 

  •   How are gemstones shaped and polished?
  • - Lapidary arts

 

  •   Where do gems come from and how are they found?
  • - Important gem minerals and the geology of major gem localities

 

  •   Who and what determines the value of gems?
  • - Physical attributes, economic trends, synthetics and imitations

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