Amber is sometimes called the “Jurassic gem” because its popularity soared following the release of “Jurassic Park,” where scientists extracted DNA from an insect trapped in prehistoric amber. Most of the world’s amber ranges in age from 30 to 90 million years old.
Amber is pine tree resin that fossilized. The two main sources in today’s market are Baltic states and the Dominican Republic. Amber from the Baltic states is older and therefore preferred in the market; however, Dominican Republic amber is more likely to have insect inclusions (insects trapped in …

This opaque, deep blue gemstone has a history as fantastic as the Arabian Nights. It was among the first gemstones to be worn as jewelry.  It has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color peppered pyrite, which shimmers gold and looks like stars on the deep blue night sky of the lapis lazuli. At excavations in the ancient centers of culture around the Mediterranean, archaeologists have found decorative chains and figures made of lapis lazuli among the grave furnishings. Countless signet rings, scarabs and figures were wrought from …

Because of their beauty, rarity and difficulty harvesting, pearls have been called the “diamonds of the ocean.” They are considered a gem, in the precious category. Pearls are amongst the oldest and most universal of all gems. They are the oldest jewels known to man, and the only gem made by a living animal. The oldest surviving pearl necklace is nearly 2000 years old, found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess. There are many references to pearls in the Bible and its comparison to great value.
In any discussion about …