Photo: Paranyu Pithayarungsarit. Courtesy: tontoxin/Getty Images | Papakōlea Beach, also known as green sand beach, is located on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Its green sand comes from olivine weathered from the volcano nearby. The gem-quality variety of olivine is peridot, one of August's birthstones. Olivine and peridot are sometimes found in volcanic rock and meteorites. Want to learn more about peridot? | Most diamonds that contain boron are blue. Because the element boron is such an effective coloring agent, even a tiny amount will affect a diamond's color. If a diamond contains boron but is colorless, this is an indication that the diamond could be laboratory-grown. The diamond here is an exception, however. This natural type IIb diamond contains a boron concentration that is too low to cause a blue color. Want to discover more about how it formed? | Blue Sapphires from Mogok, Myanmar | While Mogok, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is most well-known for its rubies, it also produces a wide variety of other gems such as sapphire, spinel, peridot, and rare collector minerals such as painite and johachidolite. For sapphires, a Burmese origin is one of the most desirable, after Kashmir. The best Mogok sapphires have a saturated, rich, intense blue color, sometimes with a light violet component. But they can range from pale icy blue and delicate periwinkle to dark navy blue. Mogok sapphires are also famed for their size, with a few polished sapphires weighing more than 100 carats. Want to explore more? | We hope our gem knowledge inspires you to rock on. #knowledgerocks | |
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