Gems. Jewels. Precious Stones. A thrill runs up your spine. Diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, opal, amethyst...The list goes on and on. Hold that shimmering gem - one of earth's rarest and most stunning crops - in your palm. Watch the lustrous flashes of color leaping out at you from every angle.

Beauty is certainly one of the most important parts of a gemstone. The richness of its color, how much light it scatters when you tilt it in different directions, its degree of brilliance and how it has been cut and polished.

It's no wonder then that gemstones have always glittered on fingers, around wrists, under necks and off the tips of ears.

But besides being commonly displayed in necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches, gemstones have adorned royal crowns, tiaras, headdresses, armbands, buttons, shoe buckles, sword hilts, watchcases, snuff boxes, seals, purses, thimble cases, cane handles, fans, picture frames and even cigarette cases.

They have been affixed to knights' coat-of-arms, men's cloaks and women's dresses. In fact, Elizabeth I had over 2000 dresses, each one studded with pearls and gemstones. Another ruler, the Dowager Empress of China, Tz'hsi, (who ruled China from 1861-1908) wore a cape embroidered with 3500 pearls, each the size of a canary's egg.

Czar Alexander III even started a tradition of presenting a jeweled Easter egg to his wife and mother. These gold, silver and jewel-studded creations often contained something inside like a locket, miniature statue or mini portraits.

Of course you can't talk about gemstones without mentioning birthstones. Everyone knows about birthstones, but not everyone knows their origin.

The concept seems to go back to the twelve stones set into the Hebrew high priest's breastplate, one for each tribe. As time passed, people wanted to own these twelve stones and after acquiring them, began wearing them in different pieces of jewelry, a different one each month. Eventually, either to express individuality or because they couldn't afford all twelve, people chose to wear one - the one associated with their birthday month.