People are generally surprised to learn that gemstones can be magnetic. This is because most gems show no direct response to common magnets that we keep around the house. Alnico magnets (aluminum-nickel-cobalt), such as the horseshoe magnet pictured below (left), are many times weaker than rare earth magnets.
Uvarovite Garnet crystals and crystals of Chromium-dravite Tourmaline are the only natural gem crystals that have high magnetic susceptibility due to chromium.
The pyrope-almandine and spessartites seem to be more magnetic than the tsavorite, which is a grossular garnet. Next up is a color change garnet. Definitely strongly magnetic. Another grossular, Merelani mint garnet.
An important thing to remember is that real gemstones are natural and because of this they are going to have flaws. Synthetic gems will look more perfect. Also, fake gemstones tend to sparkle and shine better than real gemstones, because real natural stones have been worn down through the environment.
The easiest way to do the same is to look out for flaws. Due to the immense pressure under which they are created, most gemstones tend to feature different inclusions like feathers, crystals and needles, for example. To find them, hold your stone under a bright light and view it through a 10x jeweler's loupe.
Is magnetite a precious stone? Not quite. This stone is a mineral that may be used as a semi-precious gemstone!
Many rocks contain iron-bearing minerals that act as tiny magnets. As magma or lava cool, these minerals begin to form. At this point the molten rock has not completely solidified, so the magnetic minerals floating in the molten mass, become aligned to the magnetic field.
The imitation shows a diamagnetic response on both sides of the doublet. This response separates it from most natural Emeralds, which generally show some magnetic attraction on all sides due to iron and chromium/vanadium content.
A: Pure diamond is not magnetic. If you're lucky, your mum may have gotten a real diamond with some small magnetic impurities.
Only a small percentage of crystals are magnetic. The forces that tend to align the electron spins are subtle. There are three separate parts to the explanation of magnetism.
Most natural "fancy color" Sapphires show some degree of magnetic attraction, but in some cases iron content is too low to be magnetically detectable.. We found a number of yellow Sapphires to be diamagnetic.
In other diamagnetic gems such as Quartz and Common Opal, macroscopic and microscopic inclusions can result in magnetic attraction (paramagnetism). Topaz as a gem species is diamagnetic. Regardless of color, we have not found any Topaz gems that show magnetic attraction.
Jade is magnetic because it is a silica mineral composed of calcium and sodium elements that hold magnetic properties. Silica is paramagnetic due to the presence of unpaired electrons. Hence, jade is paramagnetic and shows magnetic attraction only in the presence of an external magnetic field.
If you have a rock that does attract a magnet, then it is also probably not a meteorite because the mineral magnetite is common in Earth rocks. Cut or break the rock open.
Some rocks are made mostly of metal. These metal rocks are attracted to magnets. That means they stick to magnets. Other metal rocks are magnets! That means they attract certain kinds of metal.
Quartz is diamagnetic. It will be forced out of a magnetic field, but this force is extremely small.
Magnetic minerals are an important class of iron-bearing minerals that occur as iron oxides (magnetite, maghemite, haematite), oxyhydroxides (goethite, ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite), and sulphides (greigite, pyrrhotite).
Refractometer. Measuring the refractive index (RI) of your gems will be a high priority. You can do this with a microscope, but a refractometer is the best tool. Besides measuring the RI, a refractometer will give you the birefringence and optic sign of a gemstone.
Gems are also known as gemstones. These are crude and rare pieces of minerals, organic matter, and rock stones that are excavated, cut, and polished to perfection for use in jewelry production. In contrast, crystals are pure substances composed of atoms, molecules, or ions arranged in three-dimensional lattices.