Gold Rush 101 A gold rush is a period of feverish excitement over discovery of gold, typically in a remote or an overlooked area. During a gold rush, prospectors or miners rush to the area hoping to find and extract the precious metal and make some quick money. The appeal of potential wealth and prosperity fuels migration of people from various places, leading to significant economic, social, and environmental impacts
The Brilliant Red July Birthstone The gemstone world celebrates the month of July with one of the most coveted of gems; Ruby. Ruby is a precious gemstone known for its brilliant red color. It is a variety of the mineral corundum whose other varieties of gem-quality stones include sapphires. The red color of ruby is caused by the presence of chromium in its chemical composition. The more chromium there is, the
Moonstone; the June Birthstone Moonstone is one of the three colorful stones used to celebrate the month of June in the gemstone world alongside pearls and alexandrite. This popular gemstone belongs to the feldspar group of minerals and is composed of orthoclase feldspar with a small amount of albite feldspar. It has a chemical formula of (Na,K)AlSi3O8, where Na and K represent the sodium and potassium ions that substitute for
Sapphire – The September Birthstone The gemstone world celebrates the month of September with some of the most incredible gemstones. They include sapphire, peridot, zircon, agate, moonstone, and sardonyx with sapphire undeniably leading the line. Sapphire is a rich blue gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. It consists of crystalline aluminum oxide with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium (α-Al2O3). This fancy gemstone also
Alexandrite: The Birthstone for June The month of June is celebrated with three special birthstones alexandrite, moonstone and pearl. As you would guess, alexandrite takes the lead in terms of value, rarity and class; making it our gemstone of focus this month. So, what is it? Why is it so special? Alexandrite is the rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl (chemical formula BeAl2O4 + Cr) that changes colour in different
