Tonight, we’ll read all about gemstones from the book “Jewels and the Woman” written by Marianne Ostier and published in 1958.

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out our other jewelry episode featuring this author titled “The Story of Jewels” which aired in November 2022.

Gemstones are classified into different groups, species, and varieties. For example, ruby is the red variety of the species corundum, while any other color of corundum is considered sapphire. Other examples are the emerald (green), aquamarine (blue), red beryl (red), goshenite (colorless), heliodor (yellow), and morganite (pink), which are all varieties of the mineral species beryl.

Gemstones may also be classified in terms of their "water". This is a recognized grading of the gem's luster, transparency, or "brilliance". Very transparent gems are considered "first water", while "second" or "third water" gems are those of a lesser transparency.

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