Two gemstones.
Side by side.

GEMSTONE ONE

Sillimanite

Sillimanite: aluminosilicate with white, pale brown, grey, yellowish or greenish appearance; Mohs 6.5–7.5. Mineral identification, origins, care and buying guide.

Colour & appearance

White, pale brown, grey, yellowish or greenish

Mineral family

Aluminosilicate

Mohs hardness

6.5–7.5

Representative source regions

India; Sri Lanka; United States; Brazil

India Sri Lanka United States Brazil

Jewellery & care

Selected transparent stones can be faceted, but most fibrous collector specimens are not intended for jewellery. Unlike a photographed product listing, this guide's AI illustration is not a real individual specimen or a guarantee...

WhiteBrownGrey

Read the Sillimanite guide

GEMSTONE TWO

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gem variety of corundum, often associated with blue but also found in other colours. Its hardness makes it an enduring jewellery material, although the secu...

Colour & appearance

Blue and other colours

Mineral family

Corundum (Al₂O₃)

Mohs hardness

9

Representative source regions

Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar, Australia, Thailand and Montana in the United States are recognised sources. The Kashmir region is historically famous for highly valued blue sapphires.

Sri Lanka Madagascar Myanmar Australia Thailand United States

Jewellery & care

Choose the style and setting to suit the specific stone, treatment information and intended use.

Blue

Read the Sapphire guide

Hardness measures scratch resistance, not breakage. Source regions are educational examples, not claims about the provenance of an individual GEMHOOD product. Images may be digital gemstone illustrations.