Commercial Names vs. Mineralogical Names
A table of some common commercialised gemstone misnomers
by Peter J Clark, from original work by Walter Schumman and Evelyne Stern
Because the commercial world of gem trading and jewellery sometimes needs to boost its
ailing trade, new names are often invented to describe old stones. In some way this makes
a well-known stone seem more attractive to prospective buyers - perhaps more romantic.
For this very reason, we need to be able to translate! Here listed are some of the more
common 'nicknames' (in the left hand column) along with their real names (on the right).
Commercial Name
|
Correct Mineralogical Name
|
Accabar
|
Black Coral
|
Achrite
|
Dioptase
|
African jade
|
Green grossular garnet
|
Almandine spinel
|
Natural purple spinel
|
Amazon jade
|
Green microcline feldspar
|
Arkansas diamond
|
Rock crystal
|
Atlas pearls
|
White satin spar beads
|
Aztec stone
|
Smithsonite
|
Beccarite
|
Green Zircon
|
Bishop's stone
|
Amethyst
|
Black amber
|
Jet
|
Canary stone
|
Yellow carnelian
|
Canary diamond
|
Yellow diamond
|
Cape chrysolite
|
Prehnite
|
Cape emerald
|
Prehnite
|
Cape ruby
|
Pyrope garnet
|
Ceruline
|
Calcite coloured with malachite and azurite
|
Cinnamon stone
|
Hessonite garnet
|
Colorado ruby
|
Pyrope garnet
|
Coral agate
|
Agate pseudomorphous after coral
|
Craquelees
|
Cracked rock crystal
|
Cross stone
|
Staurolite twin crystals and chiastolite
|
Cymophane
|
Chrysoberyl cat's eye
|
Danburite
|
Synthetic red corundum
|
Daourite
|
Red tourmaline
|
Disthene
|
Kyanite
|
Ditroite
|
Sodalite
|
Dust pearls
|
Small seed pearls
|
Edinite
|
Prase
|
Egeran
|
Idocrase
|
Enhydrus
|
Chalcedony with water inclusion(s)
|
Eye stone
|
Thomsonite
|
Feather gypsum
|
Satin spar
|
Flame spinel
|
Natural orange spinel
|
Flash opal
|
Opal with one-coloured flash
|
Giogetto
|
Black pearl
|
Girasol
|
Fire opal, water opal or moonstone
|
Goldfluss
|
Aventurine glass
|
Gold opal
|
Fire opal
|
Green starstone
|
Chlorastrolite
|
Greenstone
|
Nephrite and chlorastrolite
|
Hawaiite
|
Peridot from Hawaii
|
Heliocite
|
Aventurine feldspar
|
Iceland agate
|
Obsidian
|
Imperial jade
|
Fine Chinese jade
|
Inca stone
|
Pyrite
|
Indian jade
|
Green aventurine quartz
|
Indian topaz
|
Yellow sapphire
|
Jacinth
|
Red zircon and hessonite garnet
|
Jet stone
|
Black tourmaline
|
Kidney stone
|
Nephrite
|
Korea jade
|
Almandine garnet
|
Lynx eye
|
Labradorite with green ray
|
Lynx sapphire
|
Iolite
|
Maiden pearl
|
Untouched pearl
|
Malacon
|
Brown(ish) zircon
|
Manchurian jade
|
Soapstone
|
Maori stone
|
Nephrite
|
Mexican onyx
|
Stalagmitic calcite
|
Montana jet
|
Obsidian
|
Montana ruby
|
Red garnet
|
Nassau pearl
|
Pink conch pearl
|
New Zealand greenstone
|
Nephrite
|
Oriental alabaster
|
Stalagmitic calcite
|
Oriental amethyst
|
Violet sapphire
|
Oriental cat's eye
|
Chrysoberyl cat's eye
|
Oriental topaz
|
Yellow sapphire
|
Oriental emerald
|
Green sapphire
|
Ox-eye
|
Labradorite feldspar
|
Paris pearls
|
Imitation pearls
|
Paste
|
Glass imitation
|
Pigeon-blood agate
|
Carnelian
|
Pipe stone
|
Red siliceous clay
|
Prase opal
|
Stained green opal
|
Rainbow agate
|
Iridescent agate
|
Red Sea pearls
|
Coral beads
|
River agate
|
Water-worn agate pebbles
|
River pearl
|
Fresh water pearls
|
Rose kunzite
|
Synthetic pink sapphire
|
Rubicelle
|
Orange-red spinel
|
Rubolite
|
Red common opal
|
Ruby balas
|
Red spinel
|
Ruby spinel
|
Red spinel
|
Schmelye
|
Glass
|
Schnide
|
Blue, glassy, ordinary opal
|
Shell marble
|
Lumachella
|
Starlite
|
Blue zircon
|
Star topaz
|
Yellow star sapphire
|
Trainite
|
Banded variscite
|
Vesuvian garnet
|
Leucite
|
Vienna turquoise
|
Imitation turquoise
|
Volcanic glass
|
Obsidian
|
Wild pearl
|
Natural pearl
|
Yu
|
Jade
|
Zunite
|
Arizona jasper
|
Zebra stone
|
Layered jasper
|
Copyright Acknowledgement: This list was largely obtained from "Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann (translated by Evenlyne Stern), which is published by Sterling Publishing, USA.
If you can get hold of a copy, I would thoroughly recommend it as an invaluable source of
reference. Please support the author's work if you find this table useful - next time you
see a good book by Walter Schumann or Evelyne Stern, I'd urge you to do what I do... buy it!
Do you want to get a copy of "Gemstones of the world"?
Buy it online at Amazon.co.uk
Buy it online at Amazon.com
Copyright © Walter Schumann and Evelyne Stern
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