Common Gemstone Groups, Species and Varieties
by Doreen, Expert Gemologist Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®
See how different gemstones are interrelated or grouped, and discover common trade names for many of them.
| Group | Species | Mohs Hardness | Variety/Trade Names |
| Actinolite | 5 - 6 | Cat's eye | |
| Alabaster | 2 - 2-1/2 | Satinspar (fibrous gypsum, often chatoyant), selenite | |
| Amber | 2 - 2-1/2 | Amber (baltic, dominican, etc.) | |
| Ammonite | Variable | Ammolite, korite, calcentine (name for iridescent Canadian material) | |
| Andalusite | 7 - 7-1/2 | Chiastolite, viridine | |
| Apatite | 5 | Cat's eye apatite, asparagus stone (green), teal, green and other colors | |
| Aragonite | 3-1/2 - 4 | By color (yellow, brown, white, gray, green, blue, other colors) | |
| Azurite | 3-1/2 - 4 | Chessy copper, azure stone | |
| Azurmalachite | 3-1/2 - 4 | Rock composed of azurite and malachite | |
| Beryl | 7-1/2 - 8 | Emerald, aquamarine, goshenite, bixbite, heliodor, morganite, maxixe beryl | |
| Calcite | 3 | Iceland spar, marble, onyx marble, satinspar (fibrous aggregate, often chatoyant--the name is also used for a similar variety of gypsum) | |
| Chalcedony | 6-1/2 - 7 | Milky chalcedony, chrysoprase, carnelian, bloodstone (heliotrope), agate, moss agate, onyx, jasper, fire agate, dendritic agate, petrified wood, agatized wood | |
| Charoite | 5 - 6 | None | |
| Chrysoberyl | 8-1/2 | Alexandrite, cat's eye alexandrite, cat's eye (semi transparent-semitranslucent yellow-yellowish green, grayish green, brown to brownish yellow) | |
| Coral (organic material) | 3-1/2 - 4 | Different colors | |
| Corundum | 9 | Ruby, star ruby, sapphire (different colors), star sapphire (different colors) | |
| Diamond | 10 | Colorless--fancy colors | |
| Diopside | 5-1/2 - 6 | Star diopside, cat's eye diopside, chrome diopside, malacolie, alalite, violane | |
| Feldspar | Microline feldspar | 6 - 6-1/2 | Amazonite (or Amazon stone) |
| Orthoclase feldspar | 6 - 6-1/2 | Moonstone (different colors) | |
| Plagioclase feldspar | 6 - 6-1/2 | Labradorite (different colors), sunstone, rainbow moonstone is a trade name for transparent-semitranslucent white-grayish labradorite with multicolored labradorescence) | |
| Fluorite | 4 | Multicolored, blue John (bluish violet to purple on a reddish to colorless background) | |
| Garnet | Almandite garnet | 7 - 7-1/2 | Reddish orange to red, star almandite |
| Andradite garnet | 6-1/2 - 7 | Demantoid, melanite, topazolite | |
| Grossularite garnet | 7 - 7-1/2 | Hessonite, tsavorite | |
| Pyrope garnet | 7 - 7-1/2 | Medium to dark reddish garnet | |
| Rhodolite garnet | 7 - 7-1/2 | Transparent, purplish red through reddish purple | |
| Spessarite garnet | 7 - 7-1/2 | Transparent yellowish orange to reddish orange | |
| Color change garnets | 7 - 7-1/2 | Malaia (light to dark--pinkish orange, reddish orange, yellowish orange) | |
| Natural glass | 5 - 5-1/2 | Moldavite, obsidian (sheen, snowflake, rainbow), tektites | |
| Hematite | 5-1/2 - 6-1/2 | None | |
| Hemimorphite | 4-1/2 - 5 | None | |
| Howlite | 3 - 3-1/2 | None | |
| Idocrase (also known as vesuvianite) | 6-1/2 | Californite, xanthite, cyprine | |
| Iolite | 7 - 7-1/2 | Dichroite, bloodshot iolite | |
| Jadeite Jade | 6-1/2 - 7 | Imperial jade, yunnan jade, moss in snow | |
| Nephrite Jade | 6 - 6-1/2 | Depending on color--mutton fat, tomb jade, chicken bone, spinach jade | |
| Kyanite | 4 - 7-1/2 | None | |
| Lapis Lazuli | 5 - 6 | Depending on color/mine--Persian or Afghan, Russian, Chilean | |
| Malachite | 3-1/2 - 4 | Also known as peacock stone | |
| Opal | 5 - 6-1/2 | White opal, black opal, fire opal, boulder opal, common opal, milky opal, onyx opal, wax opal, moss opal, etc. | |
| Pearl | 2-1/2 - 4 | Natural, freshwater pearl (multiple colors) | |
| Pectolite | 4-1/2 - 5 | Larimar | |
| Peridot | 6-1/2 - 7 | Chrysolite (used primarily in Europe) | |
| Pyrite | 6 - 6-1/2 | None | |
| Quartz | 7 | Amethyst, citrine, tigereye, rock crystal, smoky quartz, rose quartz, aventurine quartz, rainbow or iris quartz, rutilated quartz, sagenitic quartz, dumortierite quartz, milky quartz, green quartz, quartzite, tourmalinated quartz, etc. | |
| Rhodochrosite | 3-1/2 - 4-1/2 | None | |
| Rhodonite | 5-1/2 - 6-1/2 | None | |
| Serpentine | 2-1/2 - 6 | Bowenite, williamsite, verd antique | |
| Shell | 3-1/2 | Mother-of-pearl shell, helmut shell, etc. | |
| Sodalite | 5 - 6 | Sometimes called as Canadian blue stone, hackmanite (pink--fades rapidly) | |
| Spinel | 8 | Multicolored, flame spinel 9 (orange-red), color change spinel, star spinel, ceylonite (black) | |
| Spodumene | 6-1/2 - 7 | Kunzite, hiddenite, triphane | |
| Sugilite | 6-1/2 - 7-1/2 | Royal azel, royal lavulite | |
| Topaz | 8 | Sherry topaz, london topaz, imperial topaz, etc. | |
| Tourmaline | 7 - 7-1/2 | Rubellite, dravite, verdelite, parti-colored, chrome tourmaline, multicolored, black tourmaline (or schorl) | |
| Turquoise | 5 - 6 | Depending on color, mine source--Persian, American or Mexian, Sleeping Beauty, spiderweb, etc. | |
| Unakite | 6 - 7 | None | |
| Zircon | 6 - 7-1/2 | Colorless to multicolored | |
| Zoisite | 6 - 7 | Tanzanite, ruby in zoisite, thulite |
Shop for Your Materials Here:
Copyright Permissions
All works of authorship (articles, videos, tutorials and other creative works) are from the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads® Collection, and permission to copy is granted for non-commercial educational purposes only. All other reproduction requires written permission. For more information, please email copyrightpermission@firemtn.com.