Test Your Knowledge

Test Your Knowledge
(Identifying Gemstones)
This webpage was created by Gina Manders and Brenda Zabriskie to fulfill an assignment
for ES340 Gemstones and Gemology/ES567 Gemstones of the World, a course at Emporia State University.

Guess what kind of gemstone each description depicts, then move your mouse cursor
over the description to check your answers.
(Click on link below gems game for additional information)
Game concept by Gina Manders and Brenda Zabriskie

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$Description of gemstone that occurs in varying blues, many colors, streak: white; hardness: 9; specific gravity: 3.95-4.03; cleavage: none; fracture: uneven, conchoidal; chemical composition: aluminum oxide; transparency: transparent to translucent; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.762-1.788. Rollover image is of the gemstone, sapphire.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in lemon-yellow, golden yellow; streak: white: hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.68-2.75; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.564-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, golden beryl.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in golden-yellow, many colors streak: White, hardness 8.5, specific gravity: 3.70-3.78, cleavage: good, fracture: weak, conchoidal, uneven, chemical composition: beryllium aluminum oxide, transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.746-1.763. Rollover image is of the gemstone, chrysoberyl.$
$Description of gemstone that only occurs in raspberry red; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.68-2.74; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.564-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, red beryl.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in emerald green, slightly yellowish-green; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.67-2.78; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: small conchoidal, splintery, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque: luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.567-1.602. Rollover image is of the gemstone, emerald.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in colorless, many colors; streak: white; hardness: 8; specific gravity: 3.49-3.57; cleavage: perfect; fracture: conchoidal, uneven; chemical composition: aluminum fluorohydroxysilicate; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.609-1.643; double refraction: .008-.016. Rollover image is of the gemstone, topaz.$
$Description of gemstone that only occurs in light yellow-green; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.68-2.74; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency; transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.567-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, heliodor.$	$Description of gemstone that only occurs in colorless; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.68-2.74; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.567-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, goshenite.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in golden-yellow, many colors; streak: white; hardness: 8.5; specific gravity: 3.70-3.78; cleavage: good; fracture: weak, conchoidal, uneven; chemical composition; beryllium aluminum oxide; transparency; Chatoyance (cat's eye effect); luster: vitreious; refractive index: 1.746-1.763. Rollover image is of the gemstone, chrysoberyl cat’s eye.$
$Description of gemstone that occurs in green in daylight, light red in artificial light; streak: white; hardness: 8.5; specific gravity: 3.70-3.78; cleavage: good; fracture: weak, conchoidal, uneven; chemical composition: beryllium aluminum oxide; transparency: transparent to opaque, chatoyance; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.746-1.763. Rollover image is of the gemstone, alexandrite.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in colorless, many colors; streak: white; hardness:10; specific gravity: 3.50-3.53; cleavage: perfect; fracture: conchoidal to splintery; chemical composition: carbon; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: adamantine; refractive index: 2.417-2.419. Rollover image is of the gemstone, diamond.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in red, many colors; streak: white; hardness: 8; specific gravity: 3.54-3.63; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven; chemical composition: magnesium aluminum oxide; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.71-1.73. Rollover image is of the gemstone, spinel.$
$Description of gemstone that occurs in shades of pink; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.71-2.90; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum beryllium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.564-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, morganite.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in shades of purple to violet; streak: white; hardness: 7.0; specific gravity: 2.65; cleavage: none; fracture: conchoidal, very brittle; chemical composition: silicon dioxide; transparency: transparent; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.544-1.553. Rollover image is of the gemstone, amethyst.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in varying reds; streak: white; hardness: 9; specific gravity: 3.97-4.05; cleavage: none; fracture: small conchoidal, splintery, brittle; chemical composition: aluminum oxide; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.762-1.778. Rollover image is of the gemstone, ruby.$
$Description of gemstone that occurs in shades of blue, blue-green; streak: white; hardness: 7.5-8; specific gravity: 2.68-2.74; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, uneven, brittle; chemical composition is beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous; refractive index: 1.564-1.596. Rollover image is of the gemstone, aquamarine.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in colorless, many colors, streak: white; hardness: 6.5-7.5; specific gravity: 3.93-4.73; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, very brittle; chemical composition: zirconium orthosilicate; transparency: transparent to translucent; luster: resinous to adamantine; refractive index: 1.93-1.98. Rollover image is of the gemstone, zircon.$	$Description of gemstone that occurs in colorless, yellow, pale bluish sheen; streak: white; hardness: 6.0-6.5; specific gravity: 2.56-2.59; cleavage: perfect; fracture: Uneven, conchoidal; chemical composition: potassium aluminum silicate; transparency: translucent to opaque; luster: vitreous to pearly; refractive index: 1.52-1.53. Rollover image is of the gemstone, moonstone.$

	What is the following group?
	$Description of gemstone group that occurs in greens, many colors (hint: includes carbuncle!); streak: white; hardness: 6.5-7.5; specific gravity: 3.62-4.18; cleavage: indistinct; fracture: conchoidal, splintery, brittle; chemical composition varies according to isomorph: magnesium aluminum silicate, iron aluminum silicate, manganese aluminum silicate, calcium aluminum silicate, calcium iron silicate, calcium chromium silicate; transparency: transparent to opaque; luster: vitreous to resinous; refractive index: 1.69-1.87. Rollover image is of the gemstone group, garnet.$
Sources for images of gemstones: Wikipedia and more* Image of Gem description contents are screenshots of information typed in MS Word. Source of description is Schumann, Walter. Gemstones of the World, 4th ed., Sterling Publishing, 2009 *Refer to references page for link to spreadsheet of specific image sources and attributions.
If you enjoyed our game and would like to learn more about gemstones please visit our instructor's course materials at Emporia State University and consider taking this great course. Visit our instructor's website by clicking here. To Top of Section.
Back to Gemstones Around the World.

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