Introduction to Gemology with Jeffery Bergman — Natural Gems

Hey Lounges,  Today Jeffery "Master" Bergman is taking us through the legendary Mermaids' treasured gems: the Aquamarine, read on! A stunning example of a deeply saturated Brazilian "Santa Maria" blue Aquamarine Aquamarine derives its name from the ancient Latin word for "sea water" which depicts its lovely pale to medium blue color shades. Commonly referred to by it’s nickname Aqua, it is often found with a slight to strong greenish tint. A member of the beryl family, aquamarine is a close cousin to the revered emerald.   Old legends said that aquamarine is the treasure of mermaids, with the power...

Hey Loungers, Have you heard of Tourmalines before? If not, read on as Jeff "Master" Bergman takes us through this lovely and colorful family of gems! Tourmaline's name comes from the Sinhalese word "turmali," which means "mixed." Bright rainbow collections of gemstone varieties were called "turmali" parcels. Tourmalines, occurring in more colors and combinations of colors than any other gemstone variety, lives up to its name. There is a tourmaline that looks like almost any other gemstone! Many stones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th Century once thought to be rubies are actually tourmalines. Learn more about this...

The Garnet family provides gems for all Seasons.   The oranges of autumn leaves, the glowing red coals of a winter fire, the sparkling green of a summer field, and the beautiful pinks of spring flowers, garnet is a gemstone for all seasons. Garnets are a closely related group of gemstones that are available in every color. Dark reds, tangerine orange, vivid lime green, soft bluish-pink, garnet is all these colors and more.   You can see here an example of a Pink garnet from the early AsiaLounges collection - Photography by Arjuna Irsutti Photography   There are garnets that change...

Dark reds, tangerine orange, vivid lime green, soft pink, garnet is all these colors and more. There are garnets that change color in different light, translucent green garnets that look like jade, garnets with stars, garnets that have been mined for thousands of years and garnets that were just discovered in the last decade. Garnets are fairly hard and durable gemstones that are ideal for jewelry use.   Here is an example of one of the nicest "Mandarin" garnets we have seen - Asia Lounges Collection - Video by Arjuna Irsutti Photography   One garnet growing in popularity is a...

A new tourmaline variety discovered in 1989 left gem dealers searching for new adjectives to describe the brilliant blues and greens that are more vivid than any ever seen before. Tourmaline is the most colorful variety of any gemstone but, until the Paraiba deposit was found, no tourmaline had ever shown the intense turquoise, electric blue, rich sapphire blues, neon and emerald greens of the new discovery in Paraiba, Brazil. In fact, these colors haven't ever been seen with any consistency in any gemstone variety.   Featured in this picture is a Nigerian Paraiba type tourmaline - Asia Lounges Collection...