Natural Gemstones are defined as being any type of mineral, organic matter or stone that can be use in jewelry or other type of adornment. At least that is the definition as given my the US Governments Science for a changing world, web site.

We believe that definition of the term is somewhat limited because it only deals with natural gemstones from the standpoint of jewelry and as we all know, gemstones have many other uses in both the magical and the mundane world.

It is important to note that the governments definition of the term states that the stones "can be" cut. Natural gemstones are in their natural form. They may have been washed to remove the dirt that has accumulated on them during the thousands of years it took for them to form within the earth, but to be called a natural stone, it can not have been cut or polished in any way.

Many magical people prefer their stones to be this way when being used for magical purposes. Yet depending on the intended use of the stone, it is sometimes preferable to have the stone cut and/or polished, even for magical purposes.

When gemstones are first removed from the earth, rarely are they the beautiful works of art we see on display shelves. There are few perfectly smooth edges or sharply defined facets like you would find in precious gemstones that have been cut for jewelry use.

Most magical people have dealt with beautiful crystal points which come in a wide variety of mainly semiprecious gemstones. They are almost always worked by man to have the wonderful smooth and polished edges everyone favors. Rarely will you find precious gemstones cut into points simply because the cost would be extravagant.

When you are looking for the perfect natural gemstones to add to your personal collection or to use in your magical workings, it is important to look for gemstones that appeal to you personally. Don't worry about what others think you should have. Look for the gemstones that call to you.

When you are truly meant to have a specific gemstone, it will call for you and you can hear it over great distances. One year, while on vacation, I had the overpowering need to visit a mall in a town I had never been in before. At the mall I walked straight to a little store I had never heard of before, went to the back of the store to a specific counter, looked in and there was an amethyst wand at an unbelievable price. I would have paid $100 for it because I knew before I saw it I was meant to have it.

That is part of the beauty and magic of natural gemstones. Their ability to touch our lives can reach across thousands of miles and leave us blessed.

have you ever wondered exactly what the difference between precious gemstones and semiprecious gemstones is? Precious gemstones have 3 distinct qualities. They are beauty, durability and rarity. Semiprecious gemstones only have 1 or 2 of those qualities. In many cases they are laking in the rarity department but semiprecious gemstones can be quiet rare. In those cases it is usually the durability quality that they lack. I personally do not know of a single case where beauty is the quality that is lacking.

For the most part, precious gemstones include Diamond, corundum which includes all the ruby and the various colors of sapphire, beryl which includes emerald and aquamarine, topaz, and opal. All the other gemstones used in jewelry are generally considered to be semiprecious gemstones. It is important to note however that often when a new stone is first discovered, it is classified originally as a precious gemstone because of its rarity, but when additional deposits are found it is moved to the semiprecious list.

All in all, natural gemstones can be a boost to your magical working and look beautiful in any collection. While it is nice to have nice big examples of stones, never be afraid to make use of the small stone in your favorite piece of jewelry in a pinch. Size has little to do with power when dealing with gemstones.