• Gemologists have identified more than 2,000 natural gem minerals, of which just 100 are used as gemstones, amongst which only 16 are important.
• The diamond is the hardest stone. The world’s biggest diamond is the Cullinan Diamond, a massive 3,106 carats in its uncut state: that’s 1-1/3 pounds!
• After diamonds, pearls are a women’s favorite jewel, and it takes up to three years to grow a matured pearl.
• The garnet was named after the seeds of a pomegranate.
• One of the largest sapphires is known as the Star of Asia, which is currently housed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
• Painite was once the world’s rarest gem. A British gemologist discovered it in 1951 and for many years it was the only specimen in existence. 53 years later, there are still fewer than two dozen painite gems. With only 1000 stones, this gem is still scarce and extremely valuable with a carat costing approximately $60,000.
• Indians were the first to mine and use diamonds around 300 BC, used them as an ornamental stone.
• Precious and semi-precious gemstones like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires were imported to the Roman and Greek Empires via India, Sri Lanka, and other Eastern countries via the Silk Road.
• Amber is a lightweight gem that can float in saltwater, and it forms with the resin and sap from prehistoric trees. Baltic amber is the strongest amber and is used for making jewelry.
• Alexandrite is a color-changing gemstone. An old saying says it's like an "emerald by day and like a ruby by night". Discovered in 1830 in Russia, the gem was named after Emperor Alexander III, the Czar of Russia in 1839.

There is still so much we don’t know about the exquisite stones that fill our jewelry boxes but in some way there is also magic in that mystery!