Diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald are considered precious gemstones because of their beauty, rarity, durability and hardness. As a result, precious gemstones have a higher commercial value.
Any other gemstone is considered semi-precious: agate, opal, jade, peridot, moonstone, turquoise, lapis lazuli, malachite, and azurite are just a few. Because these gems are not as hard or as durable, you must care for them properly so that they will last.
At Designing-Diva Jewelry, I tend to use a lot of jasper because it comes in such a variety of colors. I also like white jade because it is often dyed and comes in some delicious candy colors. I love rainbow moonstone because of it iridescence. Using these semi-precious gemstones, allows me to have a lot of variety in my jewelry designs that is just not possible with the precious gemstones.
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