Amazonite Gemstone bracelet of facet cut beads.

Gemstones, rare minerals often used in jewelry and decorative objects, are known for their beauty, which is expressed in visual aspects such as color, shine, fire, transparency and light effects. Durability, determined by hardness, fragility/cleavage and chemical resistance, is also essential. The rarity of a gemstone affects how often it occurs in nature. There are various cuts, including the cabochon, a spherical cut, and faceted cuts, in which the surface of the stone is divided into multiple facets. When cutting, characteristics such as color, color distribution, inclusions, special light effects, dispersion, and fracture and grinding surfaces are considered. Gemstones are not only popular in necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry, but also have industrial applications. Well-known examples include diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, topaz, tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, carnelian, opal, onyx, turquoise, lapis lazuli and garnet. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was popular to make jewelry with the name or initials of a person, led by the first letter of the name of the gemstone, resulting in the gem alphabet. In the 19th century, acrostic jewelry emerged, in which feelings were expressed with precious stones. The best-known example is the English 'regard' ring, an engagement ring in which the word 'regard' was formed by the English names of the precious stones ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst and diamond.