A "Hard" Quiz About Gems

Amber, rather than being a mineral grown in the earth, is an organic gem formed from the fossilized resin of prehistoric trees. It is incredibly soft, sitting at a mere 2 to 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and is commonly sourced from the Baltic Sea region of northern Europe and the Dominican Republic (a rare blue variety).

Because of its organic origin and low density, amber is famous for being light enough to float in saltwater, which is a common "trick" used to test its authenticity. It is also celebrated for trapping ancient insects, plant matter, and even small feathers, which can be seen inside its (normally golden) depths.

Malachite is an inorganic mineral gemstone known for its vibrant green color and concentric bands or swirling patterns. Sitting at a relatively soft 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs hardness scale, it requires gentle handling and is easily scratched. It is primarily mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, though historically important deposits were found in Russia's Ural Mountains.

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral and because of its high copper content, its dust is highly toxic if inhaled during cutting. It is warned that specimens should never be submerged in water or placed in drinks, as they can leach hazardous toxins.

Turquoise is an inorganic phosphate mineral prized for thousands of years for its beautiful robin's egg blue to greenish blue colors. It lands right in the middle of the scale at a Mohs hardness of 5 (though lower-quality, porous specimens can dip below that). It is traditionally mined in dry desert climates, with the world's finest historical deposits located in Iran and the southwestern part of the United States, particularly Arizona and Nevada.

Because it is chemically formed by groundwater trickling through copper and aluminum deposits, turquoise is frequently found webbed with dark brown or black veins called a matrix. Because it is naturally porous, it can absorb perfumes, sweat, and skin oils over time, which actually alters its chemical makeup and can cause a bright blue stone to permanently change color to green.

Moonstone is an inorganic mineral belonging to the feldspar family, which makes up 60% of the planet's crust. It serves as a textbook example for a 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, meaning it is somewhat prone to scratching and requires care when worn daily. It also has two directions of perfect cleavage at or near a 90 degree angle, meaning it breaks smoothly and easily along those two surfaces. Historically, the most prized, highly transparent stones have been mined in Sri Lanka, though significant deposits are also found in India, Madagascar, and Myanmar.

Its glowing internal light is caused by light scattering off alternating microscopic layers of different feldspar minerals inside the stone, which led ancient Romans to believe the gem was formed from literal drops of frozen moonlight.

Peridot is a brilliant, inorganic gem variety of the mineral olivine (very abundant in Earth's upper mantle), famous for being one of the few gemstones that exists in only one color: a signature lime or olive green. It holds a Mohs hardness of 6.5, putting it right on the edge of being durable enough for everyday rings. Historically, its most famous ancient source was Zabargad Island in the Red Sea, but the vast majority of the world's supply is mined on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, as well as in Pakistan and Myanmar.

While most gems form in the Earth's shallow crust, peridot is created under intense heat and pressure deep in the Earth's mantle and brought to the surface by volcanoes and it has even been found embedded inside rocky meteorites that crashed down from outer space.

Amethyst is an inorganic variety of quartz that gets its famous purple color from irradiation (from radioactive decay), iron impurities, and the presence of trace minerals inside the crystal structure. It sits at a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it a highly durable choice for everyday jewelry because anything softer than a 7 can be scratched over time by the quartz dust floating in common household air. Major commercial deposits are found in Brazil and Uruguay, where they are often discovered inside massive, hollow volcanic geodes.

Its name comes from the ancient Greek word "amethystos", meaning "not drunken". This is because the ancient Greeks believed the stone had the magical power to prevent drunkenness, leading them to carve wine goblets out of amethyst in hopes of drinking all night without feeling the effects.

Aquamarine is a bluish green inorganic gemstone that belongs to the beryl mineral family (like the green emerald). It sits at a very durable 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, offering excellent scratch resistance for jewelry. Its primary commercial deposits are located in Brazil, though high quality stones are also found in Pakistan and across parts of Africa.

Named directly from the Latin words for "water of the sea", aquamarine gets its color from iron impurities trapped within the crystal structure. Ancient sailors carried it as a protective talisman, believing that the gemstone was the prized treasure of mermaids and would protect ships from storms, calm rough waters, and ensure safe passage across the oceans.

Topaz is a an inorganic silicate (made of silicon and oxygen) mineral containing fluorine and aluminum, famous for its clarity and large palette of colors, which range from natural golden browns and pinks to artificially enhanced blues. It sits at 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, indicating a high level of hardness and scratch resistance. The world's most significant and famous source of topaz is in Brazil, though it is also found in Pakistan, Russia, and even parts of the United States.

The atomic structure of topaz has a specific fault line that allows it to easily fracture or split cleanly in half if struck with a sharp blow. A specific, rare reddish orange variety called "imperial topaz" earned its majestic name because it was exclusively owned and worn by the Russian tsars during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sapphire is an inorganic gemstone made of the mineral corundum (an aluminum oxide). While known for its deep blue shades, sapphires naturally occur in an array of colors with the sole exception of red, which is classified as a ruby. It sits at a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it the second hardest natural substance on Earth. The world's premium sapphires are mined in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and East Africa, though historically legendary stones came from the Kashmir region of India.

Because of this incredible toughness, this gemstone is not just used for jewelry; synthetic sapphire is incredibly scratch resistant and is widely manufactured for industrial uses, including the durable glass faces of luxury wristwatches, smartphone camera lenses, and even military aircraft windows.

A diamond is an inorganic mineral composed of a single element: carbon. While traditionally admired for its icy, colorless brilliance, it can naturally occur in a spectrum of rare colors, including yellow, blue, and pink. It sits at the absolute top of the Mohs scale with a perfect rating of 10. This makes it the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, meaning a diamond can only be scratched by another diamond. Most of the world's diamonds are sourced from major mining operations in Russia, Botswana, Canada, and Australia.

Diamonds are created under the most extreme conditions imaginable, forged deeper inside the Earth's mantle (90 miles or 145 km down) than almost any other gemstone, before being violently blasted to the surface by ancient volcanic eruptions.