Our interest in the gem world is not limited to custom gem cutting. In fact, we love exploring fun facts about gems in Sri Lanka and the world over as well.
Here are some amazing fun facts from the gem world to keep you entertained!
1. Garnet and pomegranates are old friends!
Did you know that the name Garnet was derived from the blood-red seeds of pomegranates? Legend has it that pomegranates represent one’s life, death and rebirth.
The next time you spot a garnet, we bet you’d spot the resemblance with a pomegranate right away!
2. The Queen of England has a Jewellery Collection worth $57 million dollars!
When it comes to jewellery, the Queen of England does not shy away. One of her prized possessions in Sri Lanka’s Blue Sapphire ring, which now adorns the wedding ring of the Duchess Kate Middleton. According to estimates, the Queen’s jewellery collection is worth around $57 million dollars! Now that’s what you call a prized collection!
3. Cleopatra favoured green gemstones.
Cleopatra's beauty is the stuff of legends! But did you know she favoured green gemstones over others? Both emeralds and peridots are green, but the queen took a special liking to peridots and adorned her jewellery with it.
4. Amber is the softest gemstone; diamond is the hardest.
Amber is not only the softest, but also the lightest gemstone in the world. Diamond, on the other hand, is the hardest gemstone in the world. Did you know that absolutely nothing but another diamond can scratch a diamond? Yes, it is that hard!
5. The Uncle Sam Diamond.
The largest diamond to date is known as the Uncle Sam Diamond. It was found in 1924 in Murfreesboro, Arkansas at the Prairie Creek pipe mine and weighs 40.23 (Uncut), 12 (Cut).
6. The largest faceted gemstone in the world
The El-Dorado Topaz is known as the largest faceted gemstone in the world. It was discovered in 1984 in mineral-rich Minas Gerais, Brazil and weighs 31,000 carats. To give you a little perspective, that’s a whopping 13.67 lbs.!
7. The Sun will turn into a large diamond-star!
Don’t hold your breath, there still is time for that. In fact, there are millions and millions of years left. But one day, someone will wake up to find the sun's core crystallized into a giant diamond in the center of the solar system.
8. The Heart of the Ocean
The Heart of the Ocean is the blue sapphire from the James Cameron’s Titanic movie. When the Titanic sank in 1912, it is believed that there truly was a sapphire that went down with the ship; forever buried in the heart of the ocean.
9. The Most Colourful Gemstone
The opal and the tourmaline both are strewn with colours and are known as the most colourful gemstones. The tourmaline is sometimes even called the “Rainbow Gemstone” as it comes in every primary colour. Opals, although colourful, can come in colourless stones too.