Gemstones

A gemstone is defined as: A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry. In the word search puzzle below the names of twenty gemstones are used. The words can go horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

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Fun Facts:

The mineral corundum consist of aluminum oxide and after diamond, is the hardest natural substance known to humans. Transparent blue crystals of the mineral corundum are valued as the gemstone sapphire. Transparent red crystals of the mineral are valued as rubies. Common corundum is normally grayish or brown.

The red transparent corundum, or true ruby can vary in color from rose red, which is a slightly bluish red color, to a deep violet red. The darker deeper shades are the most highly valued as gemstones. Other stones that are called rubies that are not in actuality are varieties of garnet, such as the American ruby, Montana ruby, and Rocky Mountain ruby. The balas ruby is a pale rose-colored variety of spinel and the Siberian ruby is a type of tourmaline.