Gem ♡ LOVE ♡: ORGANIC GEMS!

Red Coral

Earth is 71% covered with water (which leaves 29% of the planet comprised of land).   Of all the water on our beautiful blue planet, 97.5% of the water is saltwater.  And the world's oceans contain two precious organic gems:  coral and pearls!  As organics, both are products of living creatures.  Coral is created by coloies of marine animals called "coral polyps", and marine and freshwater mollusks make pearls  The most valuable coral colors are red and pink, but a lot of red and pink coral on the market is dyed.   The decision to harvest coral from the seas is a very controversial subject today.

Golden South Seas Pearls

Pearls come from both the ocean and from freshwater.  They come in all sizes, colors and shapes---from large, round Golden South Seas pearls and Black Tahitian pearls, to baroque pearls, Akoya saltwater pearls, tiny rice pearls, freshwater pearls, pearls in white, cream, pink, lavender, peach, black, peacock... all are beautiful and unique!  Natural (not cultured) pearls are rare and very expensive, but cultured pearls allow every person to own a strand of pearls or set of pear earrings at affordable prices.

30 million-year-old insect trapped in Amber

Amber is one of the major varieties of organic gems.  Ancient trees secreted resin that, over time, solidified into "copal"-- a hard, oil substance.  Then, over millions of years, the oil gradually leached out of the copal, leaving behind Amber.

Dominican Blue Amber

Amber is found in a range of colors, from dark brown to a light lemon yellow and even a creamy white.  The rarest forms of Amber are deep red called "cherry amber", green amber, and even a blue variety found only in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.