Gems and Birthstones Trivia

1. Which gemstone was thought to protect those who wore it from drunkenness?

From Quiz Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Answer: Amethyst

The amethyst derives its name from the Greek for intoxicate as they believed it protected the wearer from drunkenness. The Greeks even carved drinking vessels from this purple-hued quartz gemstone.

From Quiz Color Me Purple Part 3: Purple Gems in General

Answer: Tanzanite

Tanzanite, as its name suggests, is native to Tanzania and is only found within a small mining area near the Merelani Hills. It was given its name by Tiffany's, who introduced it to the jewellery market in 1968, as 'tanzanite' sounded more snappy than its original name of 'blue-violet zoisite'. It gets its blue-violet colour from small amounts of vanadium. In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose it as a birthstone for December, an honour which it shares with turquoise and zircon. Question by Kankurette, Quiz Expert.

From Quiz Facts Associated with Various Gemstones

Answer: Topaz

A topaz is the birthstone for November. This gem comes in various shades, with the most popular being yellow. If given as a gift to anyone, it stands for friendship. During the Middle Ages, if any stone came with a yellow colouring, it was referred to as a topaz. Superstitions associated with this stone are that it protects one against evils, calamities, poisons, epilepsy, headaches and asthmatic attacks. It keeps married couples from fighting, while increasing their desire and passion for one another, and it invites love, prosperity and bravery into your life.

From Quiz Glitter Gems

Answer: opal

The traditional birthstones come from the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate. There is a lot of speculation on which country started the tradition of wearing a birthstone, Poland or Germany? In 1912, a modern list of birthstones was adapted in the United States by the National Association of Jewellers. My modern stone would be pink tourmaline for October.

From Quiz From the Fun Trivia Jewel Box :The Amethyst

Answer: To enrich the color

Almost all amethyst are heat treated to enrich the color. High quality stones are a deep medium purple with rose colored flashes. The heating process is an exacting process. If heated at too high a heat or for too long the stone can turn various shades of golden brown. Radium radiation is also used to darken some stones which are very light in color. These stones are known to lose their color and should not be worn while sunbathing, while under a black light or in a solarium.

From Quiz Clever Quiz Title

Answer: pearl

Pearls are found inside oysters and other mollusks, and are often used to make jewelry, such as pearl necklaces. They can be white or pink in colour (and other shades too). A natural pearl is very rare; this is because it takes about eight years to create a single pearl. Pearls are the birthstone for June.

From Quiz It Was Red and Yellow and Green and Brown.....

Answer: Champagne and Cognac

Champagne diamonds are a cross between a yellowish/brownish colour, obviously reminiscent of champagne. The Kimberley Diamond is a fabulous example of this colour; it is flawless and weighs 70 carats. Cognac diamonds are a little darker and have a rich brown colour. They have a lot of fire and sparkle, as all good diamonds should.

From Quiz This is a Gem of a Quiz

Answer: White

The streak test is a method which is used in identifying gemstones. It is best to use a rough piece of gemstone and not a faceted gemstone. A streak plate is a piece of unglazed porcelain. The streak can be obtained by rubbing the mineral across the surface.

From Quiz Obscure Gemstones II

Answer: Iran

Onyx comes in a variety of colors, including white, which is largely produced in Iran. Turkey produces beautiful honey onyx. Black onyx has been mined in India for centuries. White onyx has been used throughout history to make bowls, cups, and vases as well as jewelry. Onyx has a hardness of 6.5-7.0 meaning care should be taken with it as it is susceptible to chipping and cracking.

From Quiz Ingots We Trust

Answer: Zircon

Zircon is highly common, a derivative of zirconium. It can be found in all three phases of rock, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary, and in addition has high refractive properties, nearly equal to diamond. For this reason, it is often used as a substitute for the precious mineral. Interestingly enough, powdered zircon can cause medical trauma if exposed to the eyes, and can cause short-term irritation to the skin, yet it is still the most common form of gemstone substitute.

From Quiz Gemstones

Answer: pink

Morganite comes in shades of medium to light pink. Morganite is also mined in Brazil, Russia and Madagascar, with smaller mines dotting the globe. The largest faceted morganite is a 598.70 carat gemstone that is in the collection of the British Museum. One of the more unusual aspects of this gemstone is that the color will fade when exposed to sunlight for long periods of time.

From Quiz Australia's National Gemstone - The Opal

Answer: Coober Pedy, Australia

The opal is the national gemstone of Australia. Although many sources differ slightly, it is generally concurred that Coober Pedy supplies 70% of the world's natural production. As a nation, Australia produces 95%. There are other deposits worldwide but they are miniscule in comparison.

From Quiz Dotty for Peridot

Answer: St. John's Island

Zabargad is located in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt. The island is uninhabited and is mostly made up from the earth's mantle, this exposed mantle has several veins of peridotite (raw peridot). The peridotite in on Zabargad has been dated to be around 600 million years old.

From Quiz Emerald Green

Answer: May

The birthstone for July is a ruby, November is a topaz and February is a amethyst. The emerald is also used for the 20th and the 35th wedding anniversary.

From Quiz Aquamarine, Treasure of the Sea

Answer: Latin

In Latin "aqua" means water and "mare" means sea, aquamarine is a combination of these two words. Aquamarine has many ties to the sea besides its rich sea-like colour; there are also many myths and superstitions involving the sea.

From Quiz The Royal Purple Quartz

Answer: SiO2

Gemstones are classified by their chemical composition, this chemical signature decides where they belong. Al2O3 is a ruby, ClOH6O is amber and Au is not a gemstone it is gold.

From Quiz Gold in Thailand

Answer: Anyone who has the money

Thailand has one of the more open gold markets in the world. Any person, locals, tourists etc can simply buy jewellery by weight. Not even a passport is required!

From Quiz Green Heat, Green Sugar: Emerald

Answer: They are green in color.

The stone name "smaragdus" is probably a synonym for green. It has been used for green microcline feldspar (amazonite), peridot, green tourmaline, jade, and green garnets! More recently, the name has been restricted to beryls of a sufficiently intense green.

From Quiz The Jet Set

Answer: Black

When polished, Jet is a deep opaque black - hence the use of the term "jet-black", which has been part of our language for many centuries.

From Quiz Gemstones

Answer: The Millennium Star Diamond

The Millennium Star Diamond is one of the finest diamonds ever discovered it was displayed in the Millennium Dome in London, England.

From Quiz Your Birthstone

Answer: Garnet

A vitreous mineral, garnet represents "constancy." The word garnet comes from the Latin "granatum," meaning "pomegranate" after the closeness in colour between the stone and the seeds of the pomegranate. Occasionally rose quartz is used as the birthstone for January.

From Quiz Gemstones

Answer: Opal

The first pieces of opal were first found by gold panners in 1863. Mines at White Cliffs began producing in 1890.

From Quiz Gemstones

Answer: Ruby and Sapphire

The term "Ruby" refers to all red varieties of corundum, while sapphires can be almost any other color of the rainbow, including blue, purple, yellow, orange and even hot pink and colorless. Rubies and Sapphires are the second hardest gemstone next to diamonds.

From Quiz Diamonds and Gemstones

Answer: Carbon

A diamond is formed by carbon crystallizing.

From Quiz Birthstone and Flower Quiz

Answer: Pearl

Pearls consist almost entirely of nacre, which is the substance forming the inner layers of the mollusk shells.

From Quiz Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Answer: Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest diamonds in the world weighing in at 105.6 carats. It now forms part of the Crown Jewels of England and was acquired when the Punjab was annexed by Britain in 1849. Within the British Royal Family the stone is considered to be unlucky for men and is, therefore, only worn by female members of the Royal Family.

From Quiz Opal: Australia's Gemstone

Answer: Lightning Ridge

Lightning Ridge, NSW not only provides the greatest quantity of black opal in Australia, it produces the best quality. Although the finest black opals come from Lightning Ridge, Australia, the Virgin Valley, Nevada, USA, also has produced some comparable specimens. Kotroit, Queensland, is a source of boulder opal. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria. Coolgardie is for gold, not opal, and has been called "the mother of Western Australia Goldfields".

From Quiz Precious Things

Answer: Alf Garnet

'Till Death Us Do Part' was written by Johnny Speight and the obnoxious Alf Garnet was played by Warren Mitchell. His long suffering wife was played by Dandy Nichols and his daughter and son-in-law by Una Stubbs and Antony Booth. The series poked fun at Alf's racist attitudes which were very prevalent in the 60s.

From Quiz Facts Associated with Various Gemstones

Answer: Diamond

The birthstone for the month of April, diamonds come in many colours. The word diamond itself derives from the ancient Greek for unbreakable. Long, long ago, this stone was used in the art of engraving. Interestingly, not all diamonds originated on earth but from asteroid impacts instead. Superstitions associated with this stone are that it gives the wearer great courage, victory and fortune. It also stands for a faithful marriage and protects against evil and the plague.

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Last Updated Nov 01 2025 11:45 AM

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