Birthstone/Gemstone Activity

A gemstone is a ______, ______and ______piece of mineral.

1. Visit www.gemselect.com

2. Scroll down the middle of the page to “shop birthstones” then go to the right hand menu to “gem hardness” Write down the hardness for each birthstone.

3. Next, click on the information page of the name of the birthstone on the right side of the table

4. Read the specifics of the birthstone and record the color, origin, and one interesting fact of your choice. If there are many colors, write the first, or main, color mentioned in the information. If there are many locations of origin, document the primary locations/sources.

5. When the table is complete, answer the questions in complete sentences.

Birthstone Data Chart

Month Birthstone Hardness Color Origin 1 interesting fact January Garnet

February Amethyst

March Aquamarine

April Diamond

May Emerald Month Birthstone Hardness Color Origin 1 interesting fact Pearl June

July Ruby

August Peridot

September Sapphire

October Tourmaline

November Topaz

December Turquoise

Analysis questions:

1. What are the characteristics of a gemstone?

2. Which of these birthstones is/are NOT minerals? Why? (Hint: Two of them do not fit the criteria of a mineral.)

______

3. How many gemstones are there? ______4. How many minerals are there? ______

5. What is the definition of a mineral? ______