Gemstone Reports

Gemstone Reports are for Extra Credit and Grade Improvement

• You are assigned the mineral by the instructor if you request one.

• Your report is due at the time you leave the final exam.

• Reports are graded by whether they contain the needed content and whether they exhibit neat layout and proper spelling and grammer.– They are not graded by the pound or by length.

Gemstone Report Layout

• What is the name of the gemstone?• What does the gemstone look like– Is it clear or colored– Is it transparent or opaque– Is it faceted?– What colors does it come in?

• What types of colors, cuts etc do the most valuable specimens have?

More on Desirable Character• Is the stone desirable for refractive index or “fire” or is the stone made

desirable by possessing a specific color.– Include pictures of a desirable stone with an explanation of what makes the

shown stone desirable.– (Obviously this section will make you address measures such as refractive index or

index of dispersion or perhaps other measures)• What are the common “pitfalls” or things to “watch out for” in inferior

specimens• Is the stone suitable for everyday wearing jewelry?

– Does it fade?– Is it soft enough to scratch easily? (Obviously this forces you to report on the

stone’s hardness)– Does it cleave or break easily?– Do edges wear off easily?– Does it have some other special problem?

Where do you get it?

• How much are gem grade faceted or shaped specimens of the stone worth?

• Where does the stone commonly come from?• What kind of rock formation or deposit would the stone

be found in?• How is most of the commercially available stone mined?• How is deposit ore “processed” to yield raw gemstones?• How are raw gemstones processed or treated to make

them into commercially traded gems– Who and where is this post recovery processing done?

Gemstone Lure

• When and how has this gemstone been used or sought after in previous or recent history?

• Many gemstones are regarded (usually without merit) of having mystic powers to heal or change your life or attitude. What mystic properties are imputed to your gemstone?

Referencing

• Provide a reference section at the end of your report clearly identifying the sources you used for your report. The references must allow another person to find and check your sources.