Carat – not a carrot!
More about Gold and Precious Stones to come here soon ... What is a Ruby? For many people first a well written old song ... What is blood - red or pinkish ruby? Linked About Stones and more - like Geology ... written by Peter H Bloecker Read more about Ruby Gap here. Linked Mark Knopfler Linked Profile **Rubies**: Rubies are the red variety of corundum and they contain chromium. A small amount of chromium in corundum will produce a pink colour, but to be considered a true ruby, there must be enough chromium for the gem to be a distinctly red, or slightly purplish-red colour¹. **Sapphires**: Sapphires are also a variety of the mineral corundum. They contain traces of iron, titanium and nickel, giving them a range of colours including green, yellow, blue, orange, black and pink. Blue sapphires are the most common¹. **Opals**: The Australian Outback yields a cornucopia of precious gemstones, with opals being one of the most significant. The interaction of ancient inland seas and the leaching of silica-rich sediments have given rise to opals, those iridescent jewels that seem to capture the very essence of the Outback’s fiery skies⁸. **Other Gemstones**: Australia, with its long geological history, has some of the world’s oldest rocks and minerals and a wide variety of gemstones. Australia is the world’s biggest producer of diamonds and opals and major supplier of…