What is a gem?
A gem is a valuable and beautiful object fashioned from materials of nature and used primarily in jewelry. These materials are usually crystalline minerals mined from the earth. Non-crystalline minerals such as opal and obsidian, and biological materials such as amber are also used to fashion gems. The raw material, whether crystal or otherwise, is shaped and polished to bring out its inherent beauty and to render it into an attractive and usable shape. The three most important criteria of gems are that they be beautiful, rare and durable.
