What are Biogenic Precious Gems?
Biogenic precious gems are gemstones of biological origin, created through natural biological processes rather than geologic processes. Depending on the stone in question, some biogenic precious gems are totally biogenic, while others involve a mixing of natural and geological processes: gem-quality fossils, for example, are biogenic but also mineral in nature. The value of biogenic precious gems varies considerably, depending on the gem and the quality.
Biogenic precious gems are gemstones of biological origin, created through natural biological processes rather than geologic processes. Depending on the stone in question, some biogenic precious gems are totally biogenic, while others involve a mixing of natural and geological processes: gem-quality fossils, for example, are biogenic but also mineral in nature. The value of biogenic precious gems varies considerably, depending on the gem and the quality. Some well-known examples of biogenic precious gems include: pearl, coral, mother of pearl, and ivory. These precious materials are formed by a variety of organisms for a variety of purposes. Mother of pearl, for example, forms as a result of deposition of layers of material called nacre, used to expand the shells of some marine mollusks, while ivory is a type of tooth present in elephants and rhinoceroses, among others.
