Citrine

A citrine is a very pretty gemstone that comes in the colors of the sunset. Many citrines are pale yellow to dark brown in color. Citrines rank a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Like all other gems, it is valued on it's size and coloring, the darker the better.

 Many of the citrines being sold on the market today are heat-treated to bring out the deeper color in them, hence making them more expensive. Some people even believe that citrines are just amethysts that have had extreme heat treatment.

So where do citrines come from?

Many of the world's citrines come from Brazil, but these are only heat treated amethyst. Real citrine comes from France, Russia, and Madagascar. These stones are typically inexpensive, except when they are a golden orange color. Then, they can be priced at up to $30 per carat.

 Citrines are often mistaken as valuable yellow and orange topaz, and are sold by dishonest vendors as topaz for a higher price. The citrine is supposed to help in the healing of the heart, kidney, liver and muscles. Citrine also helps eliminate self-destructive actions.

Beryllium

Beryllium

Beryllium is the perfect example of sweet yet deadly. The sweet flavored mineral is toxic and can pose as a threat to your life if inhaled. It leads to an allergenic disease called berylliosis. Beryllium used to be called Glucinium and still is called that in some countries. Glucinium is a Greek reference to beryllium's sweet minerals.

Beryllium is one of the rarer of the elements, as it was created by the Big Bang and is not typically created by the nucleosynthesis of the stars. Beryllium is useful in many ways. It is used in rocket nozzles, space telescopes, and in the windows of x-ray machines to make it easier for doctors to see broken bones. Beryllium is more commonly used as a hardening compact.

So where does beryllium come from?

Synthetic Beryllium

Well, as I mentioned before, beryllium was created by the Big Bang. However, beryllium can also be found in the beryl family of gemstones. These include aquamarines and emeralds. For more info on gemstones, please see my other posts. Synthetic beryllium is produced in the USA, China, and Kazakhstan.

*Beryllium is the fourth element in the periodic table.

Aquamarine

Aquamarines are very strange and beautiful gemstones. They are usually a deep-light blue color. The rarest and most expensive aquamarines are a rich, deep blue. Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family and ranks a 7.5 on the Mohs Scale Of Hardness. Aquamarine gets it's exotic name from the Latin words for water and sea. *Almost all gemstones get their names from Latin terms.*

Aquamarines have many legends that surround them, the most famous being that it is believed to bring the wearer good fortune, happiness, intelligence, courage, and youthfulness. As for healing and medicinal purposes, it is believed to help with anxiety and in the Middle Ages was believed to bring down the effects of poisoning.

So where do aquamarines come from?
Well, many of the world's best aquamarines are found in Brazil, but aquamarines can also be mined in:

Cat's eye aquamarine

Kenya
Nigeria
Madagascar
Zambia
Tanzania
Sri Lanka
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Russia

While most aquamarines being sold in jewelry stores today are cut into faceted gems, occasionally they are cut in cabochon styled gems and give a cat's eye effect. Aquamarine is the birthstone of those born in March and with the Zodiac sign of the Scorpio.

Amethyst

Amethyst is a precious gem often identified by it's beautiful color- purple. Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February. Amethyst is a part of the quartz family, and is by far the most expensive in it. The quartz MUST be purple to be amethyst, however, there is a incorrectly named type of quartz called a green amethyst. While amethysts must be purple, they can range from deep purple to light lilac.

Over time, it has been thought that amethysts could be used in healing. It is rumored to help with drunken people and help cure addiction. It is also supposed to stop aches, pains, and be very calming because of it's color. It is also supposed to help mental illnesses. Purple has been known to be a very relaxing, calming color.

So where do amethysts come from???

Well, amethysts can be found in mines everywhere, but many of the amethysts that are sold in stores come from the Brazil mines. Before being set into jewelry, though, many amethysts are heat treated to bring out the brightest color. As all other gemstones, amethysts are judged by their size and color.

Amethyst is a very beautiful stone that can be carved into many beautiful things, such as this: my Dad's eagle, made entirely out of amethyst. Beautiful.

Lithium

Lithium is the third element in the elemental table. Lithium is not found free in nature, though it can be found as a mineral within rocks. Lithium metal burns white, though when held up to a flame turns crimson. Lithium is about half the weight of water, which means that if it didn't react with water (which it does), it would float. It is known as the lightest metal on earth.

Lithium is often used in medicine, as a heat transfer agent, and in batteries among other uses. The transmutation of lithium to tritium was the first ever manmade nuclear fusion reaction. The medical purposes of lithium are known to be good for treating mania and deep depression. Also, in 1949, a doctor name John Cade discovered that the lithium he had found could be used to treat bipolar people. 

So where does lithium come from?

Lithium structure

Lithium can not be found free in nature, as mentioned above, but can be found as a mineral in rocks and in mineral water. That is how it's medicinal purposes were discovered; by giving the patients water with lithium in it. Lithium traces can also be found on plankton and various plants.

 Lithium can kill algae and absorbs carbon dioxide, even in space. Lithium is also used in batteries, and most recently used in a battery study that is working to produce a battery that is the same size as normal, but has ten times the storage space. Northwestern University workers predict that this technology will be available in 3-5 years.

Helium

Helium, helium... The second element in the elemental table. Helium is a gas lighter than air, and is often kept in a tank for blowing up balloons. It is almost always in gas form, and cannot take any other form except under very rare and extreme conditions. Helium is the second most abundant element found on earth. Helium is odorless, colorless, and tasteless.

Helium is better than air in almost every category. It is seven times lighter than air, and transmits sound three times faster. It has five times air's thermal conductivity, and it does not become radioactive under irradiation. The only place where helium cannot beat airs is breathing- if humans all breathed helium, they would be dead. While it is non-toxic and fun to use for weird voices, it can kill a person very fast because of lack of oxygen.

So where does helium come from?

Helium is created by the radioactive decay of uranium and other elements, and then rises to the surfaces and mixes into the atmosphere. It is also extracted from other natural gasses. Many of the main natural gas deposits that supply the world with helium are located in:
Texas
Oklahoma
Kansas
Russia
Helium can only be taken from gas at a volume of 0.3 percent or higher. Any deposits with less are not worth extracting. The natural gas deposits mentioned above have over 3000 ppm (parts per million) of helium.

Structure of helium

The word "helium" comes from the Greek word "helio", for "sun". It was named by Pierre Jannsen and Norman Lockyer, who discovered helium in 1868. The name was perfect, because helium was discovered during and eclipse from a small strand of light from the sun, hence the name.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table. It has an atomic weight of 1.00794, which makes it the lightest element there is. Hydrogen is the most common element as well. 75% of the entire universe is made up of hydrogen! Hydrogen can be found in many things, such as hydrogen peroxide ( 2 oxygen to 1 hydrogen ), water (2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen), and natural fuel. This fuel is being made to help stop air pollution, which is happening because of gas and oils from factories and cars.

Hydrogen gas is very flammable. It is used at many air bases for the launching of spaceships, and was related to the famous massive explosion of the Hindenburg Airship. Aside from making fuel ( it's main use ), hydrogen is also used in the creation of ammonia, a liquid that commonly goes into multi-purpose and window cleansers.
(Picture on right is of ammonia's molecular structure.)

In an acid/metal reaction in 1776, Henry Cavendish discovered Hydrogen. He also discovered that burning hydrogen created water. The word hydrogen comes from the Greek words "hydro", which means water, and the word "gene", which means creator. The name is perfect, since burning hydrogen DOES create water. Hydrogen is given the name H2, and in gas form at room temperature and under standard pressure is odorless, tasteless, and invisible.

Hydrogen can only exist as a liquid in two forms- one, when it is mixed with other elements and chemicals, and two, when it is kept under extreme pressure at a freezing cold temperature of -423 degrees Fahrenheit. I would think that it is easier to just mix the hydrogen with other elements such as oxygen, and create water, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and fuels. Hydrogen is so useful, and it is like a miracle that it is so easy to find.

Emerald

The word "emerald" is derived from the Greek word "Smaragdos", which means "green stone". This is a fitting name, as emeralds are a rich green in color. Emeralds are the birthstone for those born in May. Emeralds also symbolize friendship, faithfulness and loyalty. These precious gems are also given out on a person's 20th, 35th, or 55th year of marriage. The emerald's color is also said to promote a calm and peaceful spirit.

 Emeralds, while always green, come in different SHADES of green. These shades are produced by the amount of chromium in the crystal. The more chromium there is, the more green an emerald is. Color is also determined by the different wave-lengths of light that the emerald intercepts while being formed. Hue, tone, and saturation also play a big part in the creation of the emerald. The hue gives the first impression of the color, the tone determines what color the emerald will be, and the saturation relates to the intensity of the emerald's final color.

All gemstones, including emeralds, are graded by their cut, color, size and weight. Emeralds are graded by this: Commercial, Good, Fine, and Extra Fine. All naturally made emeralds undergo special treatment within factories to improve their color and touch up the clearly visible imperfections, such as scratches on the emerald's surface a large cracks in the stone. The largest emerald ever discovered was the Mogul Emerald, which weighed in at a whopping 217.80 carats. Emeralds rank a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Ruby

Pigeon blood red

Dark ruby

If you were born in July, then Ruby is your gem! Ruby is a gem that is very common in royal insignia and is used in very expensive jewelry. Ruby is also commonly used to celebrate a couple's 15th and 40th anniversary. The ruby was named after the Latin word for red, "ruber". This is a perfect name for it. Many of the most desired rubies are considered pigeon's blood red. The more common rubies are usually pink, orange, purple, and brownish red.

spinel

Many tales of large rubies are not true. This is so because many of the gems that were thought to be rubies were spinels, a similar gem. But I'll talk about spinels some other time. Here are some gems that ARE real. Real stones of outstanding beauty and color are the "Edwardes Ruby",weight 167 ct, displayed at the British Museum of Natural History in London, the "Rosser Reeves Star Ruby", of 138.7 ct, to be seen at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the "De Long Star Ruby", weight 100 ct, shown in the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the "Peace Ruby", 43 ct, which was found in 1919.

Rubies are very close to diamonds on the Moh's scale of hardness. Rubies are the second hardest, rating a 9 on the scale. So where are rubies found? Well, rubies can be found in many places, but mainly Madagascar, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.For a long time, India was also thought to be a large ruby deposit. In the Sanskrit language, rubies are called ratnaraj, which means king of gems. In the ancient times, a main reason for having a ruby was because they were believed to keep bad disease away.