Introduction of precious stones of Iran

In order to know Iran's precious stones better, we must know that precious stones and minerals have been of special importance among different ethnic groups of human society for a long time. The beauty of these minerals was so important that ancient people believed in supernatural powers such as the secret of eternal youth, healing spells, luck and fortune in their minds.

Today, although these beliefs and beliefs seem rejected, it must be admitted that the industry of mining and processing precious stones and jewels has become a healing spell for the economy of many countries and has taken an important share of world trade. In this article, we mention a number of precious and semi-precious stones and minerals that Iranians knew and used.

Turquoise: The name of this stone is derived from the French word Turquoise which means Turkish stone. The smoother and bigger the turquoise, the more valuable it is. Also, the color of this stone changes from blue-green to pale yellow. Turquoise is found in Arizona, New Mexico, the United States, Australia, Afghanistan and Iran (Nishabour and Damghan); Ajami and Shajari Neyshabour's turquoise is very famous not only in the country but also in the world because of its excellent quality; Ajami turquoise is round and coarse, and its pure color (garlic blue) is used as the most expensive type of turquoise to make rings.

Striped turquoise is also called Shajari; This type of turquoise is formed by gathering several turquoise grains inside the stone.

Opal: opal or agate (a type of quartz) is another semi-precious stone; A common agate or agate is made of regular layers of chalcedony, and in its center are mostly amethyst crystals. The chemical composition of opal is silica, but sometimes elements such as Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Ni, Cr are also placed next to it. The characteristic of agate is its fine grain and bright color. Agate is semi-transparent, opaque and has a glassy polish. Agate is white to dark gray and black, yellow to red, green and light blue, and it is a famous second grade stone among gems. The best is red, yellow and white. A type of it that has many mica particles and is shiny is called enchanter. After Neyshabour turquoise mine, the oldest semi-precious stone mine in Iran is Baig mine. This mine is located in Razavi Khorasan province. Shajar agate mine in Bemroud is also located in South Khorasan, and as the only Shajar agate mine in Iran, it supplies most of the raw materials for agate cutting workshops.

Green Garnet (Emerald): Garnet stone (demantoid) is found in red, pink, brown and green colors. Meanwhile, the most valuable type of garnets is green. Garnets with a rich green color are more valuable, but lighter colors are also often sought after. Now this stone is sold at very high prices in the world markets; Apparently, this mineral was sent abroad after it was bought, and after cutting, it is used as a kind of emerald. Although the green garnet (emerald) of Kerman Tower garden is considered the most famous stone of Iran after Neyshabour turquoise, but despite its world fame Still, this type of garnet is less known in the country.

Pearl: Pearl is a white and shining gem. Pearls are formed inside the shell of some bivalve molluscs; When a foreign object such as a particle of sand is placed inside the shell, the animal secretes layers composed of organic material conchiulin and carbonate materials around the foreign object, which eventually forms a pearl. The shape of the pearl is often close to spherical. Pearls have been caught for thousands of years from the shores of the Persian Gulf, Ceylon - Sri Lanka, the Red Sea, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, the Philippine Islands and Malaysia, New Guinea, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, the United States of America, England and France. .

Diamond: The high value of diamond is the result of its high hardness, bright luster and high dispersion. In addition, it is completely insoluble in acid and bases, and cracks, breaks, scratches and cracks reduce the clarity of diamonds. Diamonds are usually formed at a depth of 100-200 km below the earth's surface and at a temperature of 900-1300 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 45-60 kilobars. Diamonds are mined in Siberia, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, India and Russia. In Iran, ophiolitic belts are among the areas prone to diamond exploration. Diamonds were not paid much attention in pre-Islamic Iran. Iranian scientists such as Aburihan Birani and Abu Ali Sina have conducted studies on this mineral during the Islamic period; The old Iranians paid little attention to diamond because of the lack of its mines in Iran or the lands close to it.

Lapis Lazuli: Lapis lazuli is one of the semi-precious stones. This stone is made of several mixed minerals. The most important part of this stone is lapis lazuli (25-40 percent); Lazurite contains sodium, aluminum, silica, oxygen, sulfur and chlorine. In addition to lapis lazuli, calcite (in the form of white streaks), sodalite and pyrite (in golden color) are among the elements that make up lapis lazuli; The less the white veins of lapis lazuli (calcite) and the more and more scattered the golden veins (pyrite), the more valuable lapis lazuli will be. Also, original lapis lazuli turns the flame blue when placed on fire. This stone can be polished well and is considered among metamorphic stones. Sometimes this stone is confused with Azurite, which is a blue copper carbonate stone.