GIA COLORED STONE ESSENTIALS QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
COLORED STONE - CORRECT ANSWER -Any gem material other than diamond.
GEMOLOGY - CORRECT ANSWER -The study of gems.
ORGANIC - CORRECT ANSWER -Once living, or produced by a living organism (plant or animal).
MINERALS - CORRECT ANSWER -A natural, inorganic substance with a characteristic chemical
composition and usually characteristic structure.
INORGANIC - CORRECT ANSWER -Composed of, or arising from, non-living matter.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS - CORRECT ANSWER -Kinds and relative quantities of atoms that
make up a material.
DURABILITY - CORRECT ANSWER -A gemstone's ability to withstand wear, heat, and chemicals.
LUSTER - CORRECT ANSWER -The appearance of a material's surface in reflected light.
TRANSPARENCY - CORRECT ANSWER -Degree to which a material allows light to pass through it.
HARDNESS - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists scratches and abrasion.
TOUGHNESS - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists breaking, chipping, and cracking.
, STABILITY - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists the effects of light, heat, and
chemicals.
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE - CORRECT ANSWER -Regular, repeating internal arrangement of atoms in
a material.
CHEMICAL FORMULA - CORRECT ANSWER -Written description of a material's chemical makeup.
TRACE ELEMENTS - CORRECT ANSWER -Atoms in a gem that aren't part of its essential chemical
composition.
AMORPHOUS - CORRECT ANSWER -Lacking a regular crystal structure.
SPECIES - CORRECT ANSWER -A broad gem category based on chemical composition and crystal
structure.
VARIETY - CORRECT ANSWER -A subcategory of species based on color, transparency, or
phenomenon.
PHENOMENON - CORRECT ANSWER -An unusual optical effect displayed by a gem.
GROUPS - CORRECT ANSWER -A family of gems from several closely related mineral species.
NATURAL GEMS - CORRECT ANSWER -Gems produced by natural processes, without human
help.
LAB-GROWN GEM - CORRECT ANSWER -A manmade (synthetic) gem with essentially the same
chemical composition, crystal structure, and properties as its natural counterpart.
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
COLORED STONE - CORRECT ANSWER -Any gem material other than diamond.
GEMOLOGY - CORRECT ANSWER -The study of gems.
ORGANIC - CORRECT ANSWER -Once living, or produced by a living organism (plant or animal).
MINERALS - CORRECT ANSWER -A natural, inorganic substance with a characteristic chemical
composition and usually characteristic structure.
INORGANIC - CORRECT ANSWER -Composed of, or arising from, non-living matter.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS - CORRECT ANSWER -Kinds and relative quantities of atoms that
make up a material.
DURABILITY - CORRECT ANSWER -A gemstone's ability to withstand wear, heat, and chemicals.
LUSTER - CORRECT ANSWER -The appearance of a material's surface in reflected light.
TRANSPARENCY - CORRECT ANSWER -Degree to which a material allows light to pass through it.
HARDNESS - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists scratches and abrasion.
TOUGHNESS - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists breaking, chipping, and cracking.
, STABILITY - CORRECT ANSWER -How well a gemstone resists the effects of light, heat, and
chemicals.
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE - CORRECT ANSWER -Regular, repeating internal arrangement of atoms in
a material.
CHEMICAL FORMULA - CORRECT ANSWER -Written description of a material's chemical makeup.
TRACE ELEMENTS - CORRECT ANSWER -Atoms in a gem that aren't part of its essential chemical
composition.
AMORPHOUS - CORRECT ANSWER -Lacking a regular crystal structure.
SPECIES - CORRECT ANSWER -A broad gem category based on chemical composition and crystal
structure.
VARIETY - CORRECT ANSWER -A subcategory of species based on color, transparency, or
phenomenon.
PHENOMENON - CORRECT ANSWER -An unusual optical effect displayed by a gem.
GROUPS - CORRECT ANSWER -A family of gems from several closely related mineral species.
NATURAL GEMS - CORRECT ANSWER -Gems produced by natural processes, without human
help.
LAB-GROWN GEM - CORRECT ANSWER -A manmade (synthetic) gem with essentially the same
chemical composition, crystal structure, and properties as its natural counterpart.
