For the most part, orange-colored precious and semi-precious stones are undeservedly ignored, although recently this color has become fashionable in clothing, accessories, and makeup. It's time to pay attention to this color in jewelry, because it very beautifully sets off both snow-white and tanned skin.
Orange stones
It may seem that there are not so many such minerals, but, in fact, the variety of shades of this color in stones is amazing. If we analyze it, it can be found both in very expensive and rare jewelry stones, and in a segment more accessible to the masses.
In this article we will look at these stones:
- Colored diamonds
- Sapphire
- Citrine
- Topaz
- Spinel
- Zircon
- Opal
- Amber
- Grenades
Topaz
Like sapphires, topazes are not always only blue or blue. Golden or sherry topazes are common. They come in shades of yellow - from pale to golden honey, and are also found in the characteristic tones of the wine that gave them their name - sherry or cognac. These are golden brown, pinkish or reddish shades. A beautifully crafted stone in a yellow gold frame is a very beautiful and impressive piece of jewelry that suits both blondes and dark-haired women with brown eyes. Golden topazes are also called imperial topazes.
Amber
The stone of organic origin is the hardened resin of ancient trees. It can be colored in all shades of yellow - from almost white to rich, and is found in orange, reddish, cherry, and brown tones. Rare varieties are black and blue, green amber. This beautiful stone has healing properties, especially having a positive effect on the respiratory system, so it is recommended to wear beads made from raw material. Well, amber jewelry inserts are stylish, eye-catching, eye-catching jewelry that goes in and out of fashion.
ORINANCIAL RED STONES
Ornamental scarlet gems are used to create spectacular large jewelry and decorative items.
Cornelian
Carnelian (carnelian) has the same physical characteristics, colors and places of extraction as its subspecies - sardonyx. But, unlike the latter, carnelian is less valuable and does not have a striped texture.
Cornelian
Peculiarities:
- Characteristic are gradients from rich to lighter tones, as well as dark inclusions.
- Today, natural red stone is rarely found on sale. It has been almost completely replaced by artificially grown carnelian from China.
- Indian stones are the most beautiful, and their color, after a long exposure to light, loses brownish tints, becoming orange-red.
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Jasper
Jasper is a variegated, opaque wax-red stone with numerous inclusions of other minerals.
Jasper
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 7 |
| Shine | bold or matte |
| Refractive index | 1,53-1,55 |
| Transparency | opaque |
Peculiarities:
- Red jasper, along with green, is the most common.
- One of the varieties of the mineral is heliotrope (blood jasper) - a dark green stone with bright scarlet spots and stripes.
- The most famous deposits of semi-precious red jasper are located in the Southern Urals, on the Kola Peninsula. The mineral is also mined in France, Germany, USA, and India.
Hessonite
Hessonite is one of the varieties of garnet, the red color of which is characterized by pink or brown shades.
Hessonite
Peculiarities:
- Hessonites of red shades are called oriental or Ceylon hyacinths.
- Gesson is translated from ancient Greek as “weakest.” Hessonite has the same brilliance, transparency and hardness as garnet, however, due to defects in the crystal structure, the stone is very fragile and rarely suitable for processing.
- The best samples are mined in Mexico, India and Sri Lanka. There are also deposits in Italy, Germany and Russia.
Vanadinite
Vanadinite is a brittle red mineral with a brown tint.
Vanadinite
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 3—4 |
| Shine | from diamond to fat |
| Refractive index | 2.41 —2.35 |
| Transparency | opaque |
Peculiarities:
- Due to its fragility, vanadinite is more often used as a collection material than for making jewelry and decorative items.
- The stone is mined in Morocco, USA, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mexico and Argentina.
Hematite
Hematite, or “bloodstone,” in crystalline form has a black or steel color. However, in powder form it turns surrounding minerals cherry red.
Hematite
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 5,5—6,5 |
| Shine | metallic, matte |
| Refractive index | 2.87—2.94 |
| Transparency | opaque |
Peculiarities:
- Scarlet varieties of hematite include “red glass head” and “red ironstone”.
- High-quality samples are mined in the Urals, Alaska and the UK.
Because of the mineral’s ability to color water red, Christians considered brown spots on the mineral to be the blood of Christ and made amulets from hematite.
Coral
Corals are not rocks, but minerals of organic origin and represent the skeleton of a colony of coral polyps. Red corals are one of the most popular in the jewelry industry.
Coral
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 3,5-4 |
| Shine | glass |
| Refractive index | 1,49—1,65 |
| Transparency | opaque |
Peculiarities:
- Flame corals are classified as “noble corals”.
- They grow in the southern hemisphere off the coast of Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Malaysia, and Australia. The most valuable specimens are mined near the islands of Samoa and Japan.
Red minerals are the brightest of the stones. Scarlet precious, semi-precious and ornamental gems have many names. But all of them, without exception, will become a treasure of any collection.
Related publications
- REVIEW OF PURPLE STONES
- Review of 15 BLUE STONES
- Green gems: TOP-18
- RARE STONES - lucky to see them, lucky to have them
SEMI PRECIOUS RED STONES
Semi-precious gems are inferior to precious ones in some physical characteristics. However, to look impressive in jewelry, red stones do not need to have high levels of strength and brilliance.
Pomegranate
Garnets are a whole group of nuggets of different colors (except blue) and with similar characteristics. Most often associated with the mineral are dark red transparent pyrope stones and cherry almandines (“carbuncles”) with a violet tint.
Pomegranate
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 6,5—7,5 |
| Shine | glass |
| Refractive index | 1,70–1,83 |
| Transparency | transparent, translucent |
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Peculiarities:
- Garnet is formed close to the surface of the earth: crystals are often washed onto the banks of rivers and mountain lakes.
- Garnets of high purity and transparency are characterized by calm colors. As a rule, the brighter the color of the stone, the less transparent it is.
- Some samples are characterized by a slight pleochroism effect - from garnet red to violet.
- The main deposits are located in the mountains of the Central Bohemian region, Yakutia, as well as in eastern and southern Africa.
Zircon
Zircon is the oldest of minerals, possessing a diamond luster and a red-brown color.
Zircon
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 7—8 |
| Shine | diamond |
| Refractive index | 1,92–2,01 |
| Transparency | transparent, translucent |
Peculiarities:
- Jewelry zircon of brown, brownish or pinkish color is called “hyacinth”, red with an orange tint is called “jacinth”.
- Despite the high hardness of zircon on the Mohs scale, the mineral is fragile and requires careful handling.
- Zircon is mined in Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Brazil, Canada, USA, Australia and beyond the Urals.
Sometimes zircon is confused with zirconite or zirconium, which is incorrect, since zirconite is a foreign name for synthetic cubic zirconia crystals, and zirconium is a chemical element.
Andalusite
Andalusite is another red gemstone with shades of pink, brown or orange.
Andalusite
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 7,5 |
| Shine | glass |
| Refractive index | 1,64 |
| Transparency | transparent, translucent |
Peculiarities:
- It has noticeable pleochroism, changing color from brown to yellowish, dark red to brownish.
- Andalusite is not often used in jewelry due to the rarity of good quality crystals and the difficulty of processing them.
- Chiastolite (“cross stone”, “cross stone”) is an opaque variety of andalusite, on the cross section of which a cross-shaped pattern appears.
- Andalusite is also mined in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Canada, USA, and Russia.
The mineral was first found in Andalusia, which is how the stone got its name.
Sardonyx
Sardonyx is a semi-precious variety of fire carnelian with a contrasting striped pattern. The colors of the stone range from orange-red to dark burgundy, almost black.
Sardonyx
Characteristics:
| Hardness | 6,5—7 |
| Shine | glass |
| Refractive index | 1,53 |
| Transparency | translucent to a depth of 3-4 cm |
Peculiarities:
- Sardonyx is the most valuable variety of carnelian. Cameos and other jewelry are made from it.
- Traditionally, sardonyx is divided into “male” and “female”. Men's clothing is characterized by dark colors with contrasting transitions. Women's stones have more delicate colors with less contrast.
- Sardonyx is mined in India, the USA and Crimea.
