What are gems? Detailed answer

BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Free library / Directory / Big encyclopedia for children and adults

What are gems? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

Did you know?

What are gems?

Precious stones have always amazed people. For thousands of years, people wore them as amulets to protect themselves from disease and evil spirits. It was believed that with the help of some gems, their owner was able to predict the future. Other stones allegedly made it possible to determine whether the suspect was guilty or not.

In ancient times, precious stones differed only in color. Rubies are all red stones. All green stones were called emeralds, and blue stones were called sapphires.

Later it became clear that some stones are stronger and more durable than others. It also became clear that the cost of precious stones depends not only on color, brilliance, uniqueness, but also on their strength. For example, today diamonds are considered the most expensive stones because, in addition to their beauty, they have the highest durability compared to other precious stones.

All gems are called precious stones. But, strictly speaking, only the four most expensive stones can be classified as precious: diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire. Others belong to semi-precious stones, these are opal, amethyst, topaz. Many of the precious and semi-precious stones are closely related.

Diamond, the most expensive of gems, is also the simplest in structure: it consists of one chemical element - pure carbon. Rubies and sapphires are classified as corundum. Rubies have a carmine color due to the presence of a small amount of iron in corundum. And the presence of various oxides gives sapphires different shades of blue and blue.

Most gems include various combinations of "silicates". Topaz and tourmaline belong to the silicate family, as do garnets and jadeites. Some less expensive gems belong to the quartz group, which is made up of pure silica. They include amethyst. Opal is silica containing 5-10% water. By the way, it is believed that opal is one of the few precious stones that bring misfortune to their owners.

Currently, the first attempts are being made to create artificial gems. Among them are diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. This is not a fake, in fact, these are stones similar to natural ones, only they are created in laboratories!

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Is it possible to fly far using only muscle strength?

A flight over a distance of 115 km in 3 hours 54 minutes 59 seconds in the footsteps of the legendary Icarus from the island of Crete to the mainland was made by the Greek Kanelos Kanelopoulos on the Daedalus-88 muscle plane on April 23, 1988. The device had a wingspan of 34,75 m, and the wing area was 35 square meters. His aircraft weighed 32 kg, and the propeller was driven by pedals. True, the pilot had to train for a long time.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ Can salamanders live in fire?

▪ Why does a tree shed its leaves in autumn?

▪ What is the difference between using & and and in movie credits?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Flying racing electric car Alauda Airspeeder Mk3 27.06.2021

The electric flying race car has flown for the first time in Australia, in preparation for a series of remotely piloted aircraft races later this year. A four-meter multicopter Alauda Airspeeder Mk3 made its first unmanned test flight in the desert of South Australia.

With a weight of 130 kg, the aircraft has a specific thrust that exceeds that of some modern fighters. Alauda Aeronautics founder Matthew Pearson said the test vehicle will be raced in Formula One style, with up to ten similar aircraft in each "race". Three such races are planned for 1, the date and location of which have not yet been announced. Depending on the terrain, flying electric vehicles will travel at speeds of 2021 to 150 km/h, Pearson said.

There is a place for a pilot in the cockpit of the vehicle, but at the moment the control takes place remotely: a robot sits in the cockpit, connected to the pilot on the ground. The mechanism duplicates all the actions of the pilot, as if he himself controls the aircraft. In the event remote-controlled racing goes off without incident, the company hopes to allow people to fly in the future. It is worth noting that, in order to avoid collisions in the air, Alauda Airspeeder Mk3 is equipped with LiDAR sensors and a radar system.

The vehicle is powered by a lithium-polymer battery, the charge of which is enough for 15 minutes of flight. Each race will last 45 minutes, requiring two pit stops to change the battery, which takes about 20 seconds.

Pearson expressed his hope that the Airspeed EXA series will improve the safety of flying vehicles. Many analysts and scientists see great promise in compact flying electric vehicles. It is expected that in the not too distant future, compact air transport will be used for the delivery of goods, and later for passenger transportation.

Other interesting news:

▪ Enterprise SSDs and Mobile HDDs with Cryptographic Erase

▪ Adults and children perceive time differently.

▪ Climate change causes bees to deform

▪ living concrete

▪ Memristors - electronics of the future

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ site section Digital technology. Article selection

▪ Article Movement on frozen rivers and lakes. Fundamentals of safe life

▪ Article Why is it not recommended to run from a dog? Detailed answer

▪ article Consultant on taxes and fees. Job description

▪ article The simplest sensor. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

▪ article Experiments with the outer part of the flame. physical experiment

Leave your comment on this article:

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews