Glamorous Gemstone Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer:

All the gemstones featured in this quiz are considered semiprecious stones, not as valuable as the "big four" - diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire. However, they are no less beautiful, and their cultural connections will not fail to pique your interest.

Pearls are among the few gemstones of organic origin, sharing this distinction with amber, coral and jet. If steeped in vinegar (dilute acetic acid), the calcium carbonate of which a pearl is primarily composed will dissolve, as narrated by Pliny the Elder in his "Natural History". Cleopatra made a wager with her lover, Mark Antony, as to which of them could provide the most expensive feast. She won the wager by dissolving one of her extremely valuable pearl earrings in a cup of vinegar, and drinking the contents.

Lapis lazuli is a rock rather than a mineral, characterized by its intense blue colour and glittering pyrite inclusions. Its name, derived by the Persian "lazward", is the root of the English "azure" and the Spanish and Portuguese "azul". Widely employed by the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, in Christian tradition it came to be associated with the Virgin Mary, who was usually portrayed wearing brilliant blue robes. Ultramarine, a prohibitively expensive blue pigment made by grinding lapis lazuli to a fine powder, was reserved for the depiction of the Virgin's clothing as a sign of devotion.

Garnet is a silicate mineral whose colour depends on its chemical composition. Reddish shades are the most common - hence the etymological association of this stone with pomegranates ("pomum granatum" in medieval Latin, meaning "seeded apple"). In fact, the arils (fleshy seed covers) of pomegranates resemble garnet crystals in size, shape and colour. Opaque garnets are not used as gemstones, but make excellent abrasives. A grenade is a small explosive weapon that explodes in fragments - suggesting the many seeds of the pomegranate, as well as its rounded shape.

Jade is an umbrella term for two different silicate minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite, the most valuable of the two, comes in a wide range of colours, the most prized of which is a translucent shade of emerald green known as imperial jade. Indeed, in China jade was regarded as the imperial gem by definition, and its use in decorative arts was widespread. However, the most prized variety was the creamy white one called "mutton fat", which was held as more valuable than silver or gold. Today most high-quality jade is mined in Myanmar, from where it is exported to China and other Asian nations.

Spinel is a magnesium/aluminum oxide whose name comes from the Latin "spinella", meaning "small thorn" - a reference to the pointed shape of its crystals. It comes most often in shades of red, caused by the presence of chromium. Because of the resemblance of red spinels with rubies, these stones were often called spinel-rubies or balas rubies. The Black Prince's Ruby is a large, irregular cabochon red spinel set in the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom, while the Timur ruby (named after Mongol conqueror Tamerlane) is a massive, engraved red spinel set in a necklace.

Onyx is a variety of agate, a silicate mineral. Its name means "claw" or "fingernail" in Greek, as the white bands typical of this stone were reminiscent of the white parts of a human nail. In the red variety of onyx, known as sardonyx, this resemblance is even more pronounced. On the other hand, pure black onyx is relatively rare, and many stones marketed as black onyx are artificially coloured. Onyx has been used for centuries in jewelry, in particular for cameos and engraved gems.

Lacking a crystalline structure, the opal is considered a mineraloid rather than a mineral. Precious opals are distinguished by their iridescence - in some cases displaying every colour of the visible spectrum. The stone's unique appearance has made it the object of legends and superstitions. Regarded for centuries as a symbol of good luck, the opal acquired a negative reputation in the early 19th century due to a sinister tale featured in Walter Scott's Gothic novel "Anne of Geierstein" (1829).

The name of the turquoise - a copper and aluminum phosphate mineral - comes from the Old French word for Turkish, as the high-quality stones mined in Iran were first introduced in Europe through the Ottoman Empire. Turquoise is found in plentiful amounts in the Southwestern US, where it has been mined for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the region. The stone was also culturally important to pre-Columbian civilizations: in particular, the Aztecs created stunning mosaic objects using different varieties of turquoise.

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz, a silicate mineral. Its name comes from the Greek verb for "intoxicate", preceded by the negative prefix "a-". The belief in the properties of the stone to prevent drunkenness was such that drinking vessels were carved out of it, and people wore amethysts as amulets. Though regarded as a semiprecious stone since the discovery of extensive deposits in Brazil and elsewhere in the 19th century, amethyst was once rare and thus considered as valuable as the "big four".

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral that comes in a wide range of shades of green: in fact, its name comes from the Greek word for "mallow" because of its resemblance to the leaves of that plant. Used for decorative purposes (as well as a pigment) by many civilizations, malachite was also believed to ward off evil and protect from contagious diseases. The Ancient Egyptian concept of the Field of Malachite was similar to the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology - a place where the virtuous dead were able to enjoy an afterlife similar to their lives on Earth, though free from illness, grief and toil.