With a value of only 5 on the Mohs scale of hardness, apatite is seldom faceted as a gemstone, except for collectors. However, when cut correctly, stones are bright with strong colours. Transparent to opaque, apatite occurs as colourless, yellow, blue, violet or green hexagonal prisms or tabular crystals.
Apatite is an abundant mineral, found in many types of rock, but most gem-quality material is associated with pegmatites. Blue Burmese apatite is strongly dichroic, and shows colourless or blue when viewed from different directions. Fibrous blue apatite from Burma and Sri Lanka may be cut “en cabochon” to show a cat’s –eye. Chatoyant stones are also found in Brazil, along with yellow, blue and green varieties. Other localities include the Kola Peninsula (Russia), Canada, East Africa, Sweden, Spain and Mexico.
Spanish apatite is often called “asparagus stone”, due to its yellowish green colour.
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Jewellery is one of the most bought products online. An estimated $1 billion USD of diamonds are bought annually via the Internet. Over 40 million people use the Internet to trade!
In Germany, the garland of ambers is hung around the necks of the infants, so that their teeth might come out without much trouble.
In Turkey, people fix a piece of amber in the hubble-bubble, dogged by an age old belief that the presence of the jewel would destroy all the germs and no disease would spread, even after many have dragged their puffs from it.
In Greece, people think if wine is poured into the cups made of amethyst, one does not get drunk after drinking that.
In Rome, a talisman having coral pieces is considered very auspicious to quell the bad spells of evil look. The Romans were in the habit of hanging chains made of ancient coral pieces from the cradle of the infants to protect them from evil effects.
In China, people wear rings studded with tiny conch or oyster shells as they believe it cures all aches such as stomach ache, worms and like.
In India, pendants made of silver and studded with pearls are hung from the necks of the children to save them from any bad effects.
Greeks still believe, if women wear blue sapphires then no sense of immorality would pollute their mind nor can any fear of the supernatural can trouble them.
The Pope Innocent III had circulated an order asking all the priests wear blue sapphire, so that morality can be strengthened.
It is said about turquoise, that when the stone changes its color into yellow, it actually signals bad times to the person who wears it.
It is believed that a turquoise gifted to a friend or a lover turns his or her life into one of happiness and good luck.
Jewellery is one of the most bought products online. An estimated $1 billion USD of diamonds are bought annually via the Internet. Over 40 million people use the Internet to trade!