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Jet is generally classified as a lignite coal and has a high carbon content and a layered structure. It is typically black to dark brown and can sometimes contain tiny inclusions of pyrite. Jet has been carved for ornamental purposes since prehistoric times. The term “jet black” gets its name from the color of jet. There is hard jet that forms in saltwater and soft jet that forms in freshwater.

Apatite is the name for a mineral group as well as the generic term for many phosphates, but gem-quality apatite is a special gemstone found in a beautiful variety of colors. Apatite's various colors are often due to the presence of rare earth elements or natural irradiation. Because of its wide color range, apatite has often been mistaken for many other gemstones, including topaz, tourmaline, and various beryl varieties. Particularly rare in sizes over one carat, apatite is a relatively soft gem and when used in jewelry manufacture, is often set into more protective mountings that capture light yet safely display its beauty. The long-established sources for gem-quality apatite are Brazil and Mexico, but more recent African discoveries have thrust it into the spotlight once again.

Scapolite's name is derived from Greek words meaning "rod" or "shaft" and "stone," which describes the shape of its crystals. Originally discovered in 1913 in the Mogok stone tract of upper Burma, scapolite has been found in many locations. However, it is typically found only in small pockets, leading to its status of rarity in the gemstone world. Scapolite is a mineral group of colorless, or translucent pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet or purple gemstones.

Mimetite is a lead-arsenate mineral belonging to the apatite group. It forms a series with vanadinite and pyromorphite. For this reason, the mineral is named for the Greek word for imitator due to its resemblance to pyromorphite.

Vesuvianite, also known as Idocrase after its discovery at Mount Vesuvius, has crystals that are prismatic and glassy. It is usually green or chartreuse in color, but may be found in yellow to brown, yellow-green, red, black, blue or purple hues.

With its dazzling kaleidoscope of colors, Mystic Topaz® first appeared in September 1998 at the Hong Kong Jewelry Fair, but it took a few years for designers and high-end jewelry manufacturers to realize its unquestionable charm. Mystic Topaz® begins with a natural topaz gemstone that was created millions of years ago, that is then made even more beautiful and desirable with the assistance of modern technology. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process deposits a thin film onto part of the surface of a white topaz gem, creating an eye-catching rainbow effect as light passes through the gem, which results in an unbelievable array of colors.

Benitoite is a single-source gemstone, meaning that so far, it has been found in only one place on Earth: San Benito County, California. Benitoite grows in relatively small crystals, only a portion of which are gem quality--further increasing the rarity and value of this unique gemstone. Gem-quality benitoite over one carat is incredibly difficult to come by. California's state gemstone, benitoite is especially prized by collectors for its strong dispersion, which rivals that of diamond in lighter material.

Named after Niels Viggo Ussing, professor of Mineralogy at the University of Copenhagen, this rare silicate mineral can be found in only a few locations worldwide including Greenland and northern Russia. It typically has a massive habit and can be light pink, lilac-blue, and in rare cases dark violet-red.

Trilobites are remarkable, hard-shelled creatures that lived some 400 to 500 million years ago in Earth's ancient seas. Trilobites represent the single most diverse class of extinct organisms. Throughout the 270 million years they inhabited the oceans, they continued to evolve into various species, leading to a great deal of diversity in their size, form and function. This means there is a wide variety of trilobite fossils to collect! One of the most appealing factors about trilobite fossils is that you can hold and examine an entire fossil animal as you turn it about in your hand.

August's birthstone, peridot, is a relatively inexpensive, beautiful gem with a pedigree dating back as far as early Egyptians. Among its accolades, peridot can count being a favorite among royals and clergy, used to adorn everything from a queen's crown to a knight's sword. Peridot jewels were actually among Cleopatra's beloved treasures, though she believed them to be emeralds, as gems were then classified solely by color. Prized for its all natural, unenhanced range of colors, peridot is the gem variety of olivine and exhibits colors ranging from golden lime greens to rich grass greens.

Enstatite normal color range includes shades of green to brownish green, yellow green, yellow to brown, orange to reddish brown, and rarely colorless. This gem has been identified in meteorites, and is believed to be one of the early stages of crystalline silicate formation in space.

Teredora™ is a trade name for Triphane or Yellow Spodumene.