Types of Gems and Jewelery

In Pakistan almost all varieties are available regarding gems. Here is the list of popular gemstones.


* Ruby - Rubies range in color from light red to deep red. The biggest deposits of Rubies are in in Hunza Valley of the northern Kashmir, once known as the Gilgit Agency. The Hunza ruby is a deep "blood" red. Besides the nation of Burma, Hunza is the only region to have ever produced this type of ruby.

* Emerald - Like aquamarine, the emerald belongs to the beryl group of gems. Emeralds are geologically rare, but fine specimens are located in Swat, Pakistan. Pakistani emeralds are medium to deep green in color.

* Tourmaline - Tourmaline comes in a variety of colors including golden yellow, lime green and golden brown. It is found in pencil-shaped crystals. In Pakistan it occurs in Chitral, Swat, Dir, Gilgit and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

* Garnet - Garnets are used extensively in jewelry. Garnet is the name given to a family of minerals with similar structures. Not all are of gem quality. In Pakistan, the blood red pyrope as well as the purple almadine and the green-colored grossularite occur in the Kalat, Quetta, Dir and Swat areas. Other types include rhodolite, demantoid, spessartite and hessonite.

* Peridot - The peridot is lime green in color, with a hint of gold. It is the August birthstone. Popular in ancient Egyptian and Roman times, the peridot's popularity skyrocket in the 1990s after rich deposits were found in the Kashmir region of Pakistan.

* Aquamarine - The aquamarine gem belongs to the beryl mineral group and has a hexagonal crystalline structure. In Pakistan, it is found in Chitral, Kaghan, the Shigar valley of Baltistan and the Neelam Valley of Azad Kashmir. Aquamarine is transparent and ranges in color from sky blue to sea green.

* Topaz
* Spinel
* Pargasite
* Diopside
* Moonstone
* Serpentine Jade
* Epidote
* Pink Beryl (morganite)
* Purple Beryl
* Sphene
* Zoisite
* Lapis Lazuli
* Turquoise
* Kunzite
* Quartz
* Amethyst
* Sapphire