Emerald. This lovely form of green beryl is one of the most highly prized of all gems. It was a favorite of Cleopatra in ancient times for its beautiful, velvety grass-green color. It is harder than jade, quartz, and some kinds of steel but it is rarely flawless and can be brittle. Never clean emeralds in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.
Clean with warm water and a soft brush. Always remove emerald jewelry before playing active sports or doing heavy work.

Ruby. This vibrant red variety of corundum has been valued for thousands of years for its intense, saturated red color which ranges from flame red to orangey red to purplish red. Ruby ranks behind diamond in hardness and has a bright, glittering finish. In fact, large rubies can be more valuable and rare than even top quality colorless diamonds. Tough and hard, rubies are easy to clean with warm soapy water, but be careful to avoid hard knocks.

Sapphire. Best known and prized for its beautiful celestial blue color, sapphire, which like ruby, is a variety of the mineral corundum, also comes in every color of the rainbow except red. When corundum is red it is called ruby. Sapphire is a hard, brilliant, and sparkling gem, and like ruby, is harder than all other gems except diamond. Cleaning is easy with ultrasonic cleaners, steamers, or soapy water. Store sapphires away from softer gems to avoid damaging them.

Amethyst. This beautiful lavender colored gemstone is the most precious type of quartz and has been treasured for thousands of years. Its color ranges from pale lilac to a rich, velvety purple.
The name comes from the Greek work "amethystos" which means "not drunk" and the ancient Greeks believed that wearing the gem prevented intoxication. Amethyst is a lively and durable gem but it is sensitive to heat, which can cause cracking and color fading. So avoid sudden temperature changes and clean with warm soapy water.

Aquamarine. Transparently clear like the sea itself, beautiful sea- blue aquamarine is a gem that is practically flawless. It ranges in color from deep blue to greenish-blue. The name comes from the Latin words "aqua" and "marine" which means seawater. Aquamarine has been valued as a gem long before the Egyptians. It is a brilliant, hard, and durable gem with outstanding wearing qualities. Clean with warm soapy water and avoid sudden temperature changes.

Garnet. This durable and sparkling-clear gemstone is best known for deeply colored wine-red gems. But garnet comes in many hues…red, green, yellow, brown, orange, violet, purple, and colorless…every color but blue.
The name garnet comes from the Latin "granatum" which means "seed- like" because garnet crystals in rocks looked like pomegranate seeds.
Protect garnets from sharp blows and clean with warm soapy water.

Peridot is a lovely olive-green transparent gem that was highly prized by Egyptian pharaohs since 1500 BC. Peridot is a variety of chrysolite and comes in shades of bright yellowish green so brilliant it flashes even in dim light. Peridots have a glassy luster and a soft, subtle appearance. They are sometimes called "evening emeralds" because they turn bright green in artificial light. Peridot is one of the softer gemstones, so protect it from scratches. Clean with warm soapy water.

Spinel is a brilliantly clean and sparkling gem known and prized since earliest times. Spinel comes in a rainbow of brilliant colors as well as crystal clear and has a remarkable tendency to look like other gems. For instance, the huge 2-inch, 352-carat Black Prince’s Ruby in the British Royal Crown is really a red spinel, which Henry V wore at the battle of Agincourt in 1415. Spinel is tough, durable, and is one of the easiest gems to clean.

Tanzanite has an exquisite purplish-blue color that is unlike any other gemstone. It comes from only one place on earth…Tanzania…near Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa. Tanzanite is the blue variety of the mineral zoisite. Its exquisite color comes from permanent heat- treating at 1,100 degrees, which originally occurred during Africa’s annual brush fires. Tanzanite is relatively soft, so clean with warm water and mild soap. Avoid ultrasonics and steamers.

Topaz is best known as a beautiful, transparent yellow gem with brilliant luster and shimmering beauty. To ancient Egyptians, its golden glow symbolized Ra, the sun god. But topaz also comes in pink, blue, green, red, blue-green, clear, and a lovely sherry color known as Imperial Topaz. Topaz is a hard, brilliant, and durable gem but it requires gentle care since it is sensitive to hard blows. Clean with warm soapy water. Avoid ultrasonics and stem cleaning.

Tourmaline is a beautiful, transparent, fiery gem that comes in every color of the rainbow. In fact, tourmaline comes in more brilliant colors and combinations of colors than any other gemstone variety.
And there is a tourmaline that looks like almost any other gem including ruby, sapphire, topaz, and emerald. Tourmaline is hard and durable with a bright inner fire. It is reasonably tough and scratch- resistant but is sensitive to heat and vibration. Clean with warm soapy water.