WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF 20 GEMSTONE SPECIMENS IN PERSPEX BOXES 

LAST CHANCE TO OWN ONE OF THESE WONDERFULL GEMSTONE COLLECTIONS. On sale is part of a collection of Minerals and Gemstones called Treasures of The Earth sold between 1995 -1999. Ideal for collectors, students, budding geologists, etc.
Gemstones were once divided into two categories: precious and semi-precious. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires constitute the first category. Some have added Jadite, Opal and Zircon to this group as Precious Gemstones.
THIS LOT CONTAINS 20 GEMSTONES AND CONTAIN ALL THE PRECIOUS GEMSTONES LISTED ABOVE.
1.  EMERALDS THE RAREST OF GEMSTONES:
Emeralds are the most highly valued gemstone (apart from diamonds) and are the rarest gemstone available. They are considered the gem of royalty and romance. Emeralds are known for their deep green color and natural inclusions that make each one distinct.
2. RAREST MINERAL IN UK, BLUE JOHN:
The rarest mineral in Britain - Blue John. This semi-precious stone is only found in in the depths of two caves near in Castleton, Derbyshire, first hollowed out by the Romans two thousand years ago. Blue Johns elegant name derives from the French bleu-jaune, meaning blue-yellow, which describes the stones signature bands of purple and amber.
3. TV STONE ULEXITE:
Ulexite is also known as TV rock due to its unusual optical characteristics. The fibers of ulexite act as optical fibers transmitting light along their lengths by internal reflection. When a piece of ulexite is cut with flat polished faces perpendicular to the orientation of the fibers, a good-quality specimen will display an image of whatever surface is adjacent to its other side.
For this effect to be seen, specimens are polished with smooth surfaces.
4. RUBY RED KING OF GEMS:

One of the most popular traditional jewelry stones, ruby is exceptionally durable. Its colors always red can reach vivid levels of saturation. Fine-quality rubies are some of the most expensive gemstones, with record prices over $1,000,000 per carat. For centuries, the majority of the worlds rubies were mined in both Mozambique and Myanmar (Burma). One of the first mentions of rubies dates back thousands of years to Sanskrit texts, when it was known as the King of Gems.
5. BITTERSWEET BLUE SAPPHIRE:
Few gems have held our attention over millennia as well as sapphire. The pure blue colors and excellent durability of this gem-quality member of the corundum family make for an exceptional gemstone.  It is second only to Diamonds on the hardness scale.
The original Ten Commandments were said to be inscribed on sapphire slabs, a substance so hard to break that it was thought only divine intervention could inscribe it.

6. UNLUCKY MAGICAL OPAL:
Opal is comprised of tiny silica spheres, formed when silica-rich water seeps into deep cracks and voids in the Earths crust. In the Middle Ages, opal was known as the magicians stone; because the stone displayed a variety of colors.
You may have heard that the opal brings bad luck and is an evil stone. This unfortunate reputation and myth actually is the fault of one man, Sir Walter Scott. He wrote a novel in 1829 in which a Lady Hermione is falsely accused of being a demoness, and dies shortly after a drop of holy water accidentally falls on her opal and destroys its color. The public took this to be a warning of the bad luck an opal can bring, so they stopped buying opal. Within months of the novel being published, the opal market crashed and prices were down 50%.
7. RADIOACTIVE ZIRCON:
Zircon, also known as the mimic stone, comes in a range of colors, making it easy to misidentify it. Zircon's image has suffered over the years first by its use in its clear form as a cheaper substitute for diamonds.
Its color diversity is caused by traces of certain impurities some of which are radioactive. It is generally believed to be safe, without posing any health hazards.
ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS. I ALSO HAVE A BATCH OF ROCK AND MINERAL SAMPLES ON AUCTION THIS WEEK.  I ALSO HAVE A COLLECTION OF TREASURES OF THE EARTH BOOKS ON AUCTION.