Unboxing Gemstones Colored by Iron

The colors of gemstones are fascinating and in today’s unboxing video, we’re going to learn about gemstones that get their color from iron and other fun facts that will blow your mind!

Starting off strong we have almandine garnet! Almandine garnet comes in a variety of colors, but the darker it is, the more iron content it has. Watch as your hosts demonstrate almandine garnet’s magnetic properties.

On to the next, we have hematite and schorl tourmaline. Hematite is a metallic mineral and its luster will make you never want to look away! Schorl is the most common variety of tourmaline, but that doesn’t make it boring. Watch to explore the formations of hematite and schorl tourmaline along with some fun facts about these fascinating gems.

Continuing on with our colorful journey is epidote and peridot. Epidote is an olive green color with a complex crystal system and is also colored by manganese. Peridot will always be a green gem, so what does the iron do? Find out more about Epidote and August’s birthstone!

Aquamarine is March’s birthstone, scoring a 7.5 to an 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Aquamarine displays an icy blue color and is a part of the hexagonal crystal system. Find out how iron and other elements change aquamarine’s color. 

Coming to an end, amethyst is a purple variety of quartz that can change to a variety of other colors. February’s birthstone color can range from a lilac purple to a deep purple depending on the amount of iron content that is in the gemstone. Amethyst is often heat-treated, turning into other gemstones. Citrine is an example of heat-treatment done to amethyst, turning the gem purple to yellow. 

Tune in to learn more about these colorful gemstones and how iron plays a part in their mesmerizing formation.