Colored Stone Jewelry: Defining Colored Stones
Colored stones are actually precious minerals that, when extracted, bears a striking color, hence the name. Colored stones are classified as either precious or semi-precious stones or gemstones. After they are mined, gemstones are then cut and polished to make colored stone jewelry and other accessories. Most gemstones are hard, but some are soft and are used in colored stone jewelry because of their luster and other aesthetic physical properties. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Color is the most common and attractive feature of gemstones. The color of any material is due to the nature of light itself. When light passes through a material, some of the light may be absorbed, while the rest passes through. The part that is not absorbed reaches the eye as white light minus the absorbed colors. A ruby appears red because it absorbs all the other colors of white light - blue, yellow, green, etc. - except red.