Photo by Christoph Oberschneider
ABCs of Earth’s Rocks, Minerals & Gemstones By: Caitlyn Hershberger
CCSS Standards: 3rd Grade Science
3.ESS.1 Earth’s nonliving resources have specific properties 3.ESS.3 Some of Earth’s resources are limited.
Table of Contents Nacre…….16 Amethyst……3 Beryl…………4 Citrine……….5 Diamond…….6
Opal……….17 Peridot……..18 Quartz……..19
Emerald……..7
Rhodolite…..20
Fluorite………8
Sapphire…….21
Garnet……….9
Tourmaline….22
Hessonite……10
Uvite…………23
Iolite…………11
Verdelite……..24
Jade…………12 Kyanite………13 Lapis Lazuli…..14
Wernerite…….25 Xaga………….26 Yellow Sapphire….27
Morganite……..15 Zircon…….28
A is for AMETHYST -Amethysts are often viewed as a stone of peace. -Amethysts are known for their bright purple coloring. -The February birthstone Her pretty necklace has an amethyst stone.
B is for BERYL -Beryl is a gemstone that can be found in many different colors such as, green, blue, yellow, red, pink, and more. -Rated on the hardness scale as 7.5-8. -Emerald and Aquamarine are other variations of Beryl. Beryl can be hard to identify since it has different colors.
C is for CITRINE - Hardness scale is 7. - Often a yellow-ish brown color. - Natural Citrine is rare.
Joy and abundance is welcomed by Citrine.
D is for DIAMOND - Birthstone for April. - At a level 10 on the hardness scale.
- Created by pressure and heat. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.
E is for EMERALD - Birthstone for May.
- Known for its vibrant green color. - Together, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire are considered the “big three.” Emerald is a pretty green gemstone.
F is for FLUORITE - A chemical element with the Atomic number 9 and symbol F. - A form of Fluorine is used in air conditioners and refrigerators. - Fluorine is a poisonous, pale yellow gas. There is fluorine added to your toothpaste to prevent cavities.
G is for GARNET - January birthstone
- Garnets are known for their red color but they can be found in many different colors too. - Depending on the mineral, Garnets range from 6.5-7.5 on the hardness scale. My friend Codie’s birthstone is a garnet.
H is for HESSONITE -
A variation of garnets.
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Known as the “cinnamon stone.”
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Helps boost concentration.
This Hessonite stone is a beautiful orange color.
I is for IOLITE - Rich in iron. - Found in colors of grey and purple, or colorless! - A 7-7.5 on the hardness scale. The iolite gemstone looks like a galaxy or the ocean.
J is for JADE -
Known for its green color but also in other colors.
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First used to make ax heads, weapons, and other tools.
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Can be divided into 2 different minerals: jadeite and nephrite.
On the Mohs Hardness Scale, jade is rated between 6-7.
K is for KYANITE -
Typically found in a blue, grey, and white mix but also found in other colors.
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Rated between 4.5-7 on the hardness scale.
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Name is from the Greek word “kyanos” meaning “blue.”
Kyanite is a great substitution for sapphire. The way to tell between the two is by a scratch test.
L is for Lapis Lazuli - Also called “lapis” for short. - Known for its deep blue color.
- Rated 5-5.5 on the hardness scale. The deep blue metamorphic rock is called a Lapis Lazuli.
M is for MORGANITE - Orange, purple or pink gemstone.
- Morganite can be mined in countries like Brazil, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Namibia, the United States, and Madagascar. - Shares a mineral class with Beryl. She has a beautiful morganite gemstone on her ring.
N is for NACRE - Also known as the “mother of pearl” - Rated 2.5-4.5 on the hardness scale. - The shiny layer in mollusk shells.
The beautiful variety of pearl colors is the result of the nacre the oyster makes.
O is for OPAL - Birthstone of October. - Found in many colors of the rainbow.
- 5.5-6.5 on hardness scale.
There are many different types of opal.
P is for PERIDOT - August birthstone - Known for its green and yellow colors. - Found inside meteorites. On the Mohs hardness scale, Peridot is rated 6.5-7.
Q is for Quartz - Has different names based on the color. - Second most commonly found mineral on Earth - An igneous rock Quartz countertops are very popular.
R is for RHODOLITE - The red-rose rhodolite is a form of Garnet. - Found with a red or purple color. - 7-7.5 on the hardness scale Rhodolite was first described in North Carolina.
S is for SAPPHIRE -
Rated 9 on the hardness scale
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September birthstone
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Symbolizes wisdom.
The gemstone Sapphire is derived from the Greek "sapheiros" which means blue.
T is for TOURMALINE - Found in a variety of colors but black is the most common - Shares October as a birthstone with Opal - 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale Kate has a beautiful tourmaline bracelet.
U is for UVITE - Uncommon form of tourmaline - 7.5 on the hardness scale
- Lots of dark color variations This uvite is a dark green color.
V is for VERDELITE - Variety of Tourmaline - 7-7.5 on hardness scale - Known for its green color
Green Tourmalite (Verdelite) is known to attract luck.
W is for WERNERITE - 5-6 on the Mohs hardness scale - Found in a variety of colors - Another name is Scapolite
Wernerite is a gemstone that needs polished to be nicer.
X is for XAGA - A type of obsidian
- Typically black and red colors - 5-5.5 on the hardness scale The Xaga stone is a form of Obsidian with red and black.
Y is for YELLOW SAPPHIRE - Found in Tanzania, Madagascar, Thailand, and Australia, although Sri Lanka is the main source - When buying the yellow sapphire, the “cut” is very important - Very rare The yellow sapphire is very beautiful and a rare finding.
Z is for ZIRCON - Associated with the month of December - Is a source of metal - Found in many different colors Zircon is a natural and underrated gemstone.
SOURCES: https://www.firstclasswatches.co.uk/blog/2021/04/10interesting-facts-about-amethyst/ https://geology.com/minerals/beryl.shtml
https://geology.com/gemstones/emerald/ https://geology.com/minerals/garnet.shtml https://geology.com/gemstones/jade/
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/kyanite-jewelryand-gemstone-information/ https://www.minerals.net/gemstone/rhodolite_gemston e.aspx
https://geology.com/minerals/tourmaline.shtml https://www.minerals.net/mineral/uvite.aspx https://www.mindat.org/min-4169.html
