Beautiful green gemstones! When people think of colors with great meaning, they are quick to go to pink, blue, red, black, and white.
But green is a color with so many deep-seated psychological associations.
It also functions in nature in a way that is crucial.
Green is basically synonymous with life and with growth.
People refer to “green energy” and to a “green movement,” one that seeks to preserve life on this planet; even a term that sometimes seems negative, “green,” refers to a person who is fresh and new or young.
Green gemstones can mean freshness or good health, since grass and plants are green in their living, growing, and healthy states.
Green also, famously, stands for jealousy. And no one will ever forget the Emerald City in the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz.”
In ancient Rome, green was the color of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love.
Green can be as dazzling as red, and can throw off light as well as blue.
There are so many shades of green, from apple green to blue green.
Here are 12 great green gemstones that can be used in jewelry.
Peridot on matrix from Pakistan
Most Ancient Green Gemstones: Green Peridots
This gemstone is ancient and truly unique.
Some of its shades have an amazing other-worldly glow, while others look like clover.
They generally have a clarity that makes them easy on the eye.
Peridot is a variety of olivine (a/k/a fosterite). Specifically, it’s a gem-quality variety.
Peridot necklace pendant
Not only does it date back some 4 million years, but some of it was found in the dust of comet, which was brought back from a space probe in 2005.
Think about that—wearing star dust around your neck!
With a hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale, Peridot definitely has durability. To be fair, though, these stones are sensitives to acid, and despite their Mohs score, do have a tendency to crack.
Peridot bracelet
On the upside, this ancient and mystical stone is actually very affordable.
Not surprising for an ancient green gemstone, Peridot can help us regulate the stages of our lives.
Peridot is the birthstone for the month of October and for the zodiac signs of Libra and Scorpius.
It helps us wash away old vibrations of thought and feeling that may not be useful.
Demantoid garnet in matrix from Iran
Demantoid
First and foremost, Demantoid is beautiful.
It is lustrous in a way that really challenges the fabled Emerald. But it’s also very rare.
It is the rarest of stones in the garnet family, even after a discovery of a source of in Namibia in the 1990s.
Demantoid is only 6.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale which measures a mineral’s resistance to scratching.
Demantoid green garnet pendant
This green gemstone has an adamantine luster and incredible light dispersion.
That accounts for rainbow-shards of light seen dances off of this gem. Stones from Russia often sport inclusions of chrysotile: these appear as golden threads, the stones with them are called Horse-tail Demantoid.
These are even more sought-after than standard Demantoid.
Demantoid is also faceted, making it as prized by jewelry lovers as by green gemstones collectors.
Maw Sit Sit ring
Maw Sit Sit
Named after the Burmese village where it was first discovered, this gem is thought of as a great replacement for Jade.
It’s much less expensive, but doesn’t give up much in the way of beauty and quality.
Maw Sit Sit pendant
While people think of Maw Sit Sit as a type of jadeite, technically, it is not.
In fact, it isn’t technically a mineral, but a rock. It contains, kosmochlor, from which it gets its striking color, which is largely defined by small glack-green blotches.
Raw prasiolite
Prasiolite
Prasiolite is green Quartz. It’s a macro-crystalline stone.
Usually a lime-green, this gem has a great hardness score of 7. It is also free of cleavage.
In terms of its metaphysical properties, it combines the higher and lower parts of a person’s consciousness.
Not only does it help us follow our hearts, but also helps us connect with others by opening our hearts up.
One thing to keep in mind—do not confuse Prasiolite with Praseolite, which is a completely different gem, a variety of cordierite.
Gold necklace with green sapphires
Hottest Green Gemstones: Green Sapphire
This gem is as hot as possible right now. That’s partly because people often turn to it for engagement rings in same-sex or other non-traditional marriages.
The common color of Green Sapphire is in the olive range, but the stone can be found from dark and assertive to pale and meek.
Commonly, this gorgeous gem comes from Australia or Thailand. However, there are some in other locales, including parts of Africa—the shade of green the gem comes in usually corresponds with the source location.
One of the most distinguishing features of Sapphire (and green sapphire as well) is its hardness, second only to diamonds, with a Mohs score of 9 out of 10.
Further, because blue is so treasured in Sapphires, green sapphires aren’t as expensive.
Therefore a green sapphire checks all the boxes for jewelry lovers, and should find a place in all of your jewelry boxes.
Chrome diopside bracelet
Chrome Diopside
One can love the ancient quality of Peridot, yet still appreciate a much newer gem like Chrome Diopside.
This pretty green gemstone has been on the market only since the late 80’s, after it was discovered in Siberia.
Basically, Chromium will cause a gem to have a green color, and the hues of green in this gem are very pure.
Most stones you’ll find are clear and vibrant. Some of the medium-hued Diopside stones are analogous to other green gems, like green tourmaline, while lighter ones are similar to Peridot.
Lion head ring with chrome diopside
That’s why many people mistake this less-expensive stone for some of these other gems.
These green gemstones are associated with compassion and caring, and will also help you heal from a broken heart.
There’s no doubt that this young gemstone has a unique niche, largely as a sneaky way to replace other gems as needed!
Moldavite
Green Gemstones from Outer Space: Moldavite
This is another outer-space material for jewelry. Moldavite is actually a type of glass that was formed by the heat of an asteroid slamming into the Earth millions of years ago.
It’s not from outer space, but caused by a part of it.
Moldavite often comes in a crisp forest green and in other variants that aren’t much darker or lighter.
They are used in a wide range of jewelry, usually faceted and put into pendants and necklaces.
It’s a bit risky for rings because it is brittle and subject to breakage. Its hardness is 5-5.5 on the Mohs scale.
Moldavite ring in sterling silver
Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake moldavite faceted stones out there.
If you go to a reputable jeweler, they should be able to tell you—honest jewelers will let you know if they carry any imitations, which are often made with bottle glass.
However, if you want to know how to tell a fake from an original, look for round gas bubbles inside the transparent stones.
You may also find flow structures.
Green Aventurine
Aventurine comes in many colors, but we’re concerned with the green stones here.
Aventurine is translucent quartz. It has many various inclusions: when it has inclusions of fuchsite, you get green hues.
You see Green Aventurine used in sculpture, as well as in pottery. But it is also used in jewelry.
Its perfectly suited for cabochons, which can go into pendants and earrings. Aventurine is very sparkly, and that’s where its name comes from.
Aventurine earrings in 14k gold filled
It includes quartz, and when light strikes this quartz just right, it creates an intense sparkle, which is dubbed aventurescence.
The hardness of this green gemstone is 6.5-7. Therefore, you can wear these stones daily, which is nice bonus considering how delicate and refined they appear.
The stone corresponds to the heart chakra, and many consider it to have great healing properties. Aventurine is one of the May green birthstones.
It is also known to inspire a zest for life.
Ruby zoisite
Zoisite: the Secret Green Gemstone
Zoisite in its green variety is for people with a bit of spirit and boldness, who want some funkiness in their jewelry arsenal.
A lot of green Zoisite stones have very interesting and cool markings, often black streaks and swirls that make the stone look like a planet.
Now, to be fair, this describes one variety of green Zoisite, the only kind people were familiar with before 1991.
Ruby zoisite bangle bracelet
At that time, transparent green Zoisite gemstones were found in Tanzania. So, if you want to go the route of these stones, you have a more traditional gemstone, one with a stunning, bright green color.
Zoisite stones come from igneous rocks, and has prismatic or tabular crystal structure.
These green gemstones can be pleochroic, meaning that you may see one color tone from one angle and another from a different angle.
This stone is thought to help the immune system and to have other healing properties.
It is also known to support proper development through childhood.
One thing to clear up is the nickname “green tanzanite.” It is important to note that Zoisite is not a form of Tanzanite.
It is nearly the other way around. A blue variety of Zoisite was found in Tanzania and called Tanzanite.
That led some folks to reason backwards and call Zoisite “green tanzanite,” but that should not mislead one into thinking the stone is other than what it is.
Malachite
Hypnotic Green Gemstones: Malachite
The concentric markings on many malachite stones will help you hypnotize your friends and make them do your bidding!
Just kidding, but Malachite stones all have concentric bands of one kind or another.
Amulette de Cartier malachite
Sometimes a dark green stone is banded with thin lighter green stripes, and sometimes light and darker bands alternate all around the stone.
It’s hard to imagine a more attractive green gemstone for those who want a somewhat casual or Earthy look to go with everyday outfits.
Green malachite bracelet
This isn’t a ring stone, since its hardness score is low—it’s often cut into cabochons and is also made into beads.
It has a silky luster, with a refractive index of 1.65-1.9.
When you tap into the power and loveliness of Malachite you reach back to Ancient Egypt, where people carved the image of the Sun onto the stone and wore it to ward off evil spirits.
Malachite is now known to be able to clear away past traumas, as well as to physically detoxify and to aid in childbirth.
Raw Variscite
Variscite
This green gemstone, often comes in hushed green tones that are distinct. To some extent the color range of Variscite may make one think of the ocean or plants of the sea.
The color can also recall peaceful meadows.
Variscite is the name of this individual stone, but also of a mineral group. Vanadium and Chromium are usually inclusions in the green variety of Variscite.
It has weak refraction and dull green luminescence, giving the stone its gentle and understated qualities.
Variscite bracelet
Sometimes you don’t want to shimmer too much. Like Malachite, these green gemstones don’t work best with use in rings.
Instead it is more often beaded, as it has been for thousands of years.
The stone helps people to stay free of judgment and to find self-acceptance. It is good for cognitive functions such as logic and reasoning.
Emerald crystals
Emerald
Don’t worry! We didn’t forget about one of the most famous green gemstones of all.
There sure is a place for the Emerald on this list.
Emeralds are famous and loaded with lots of history and legend. There’s no denying the beauty of this translucent stone with its pure, stunning green colors.
It has large hexagonal crystals and is beautiful in its simple, unmarked appearance.
Emerald earrings
It’s true that Emeralds are valuable and prized. However, one main reason for this is how rare they are.
While they are beautiful, they are usually flawed, and often synthetically treated to mend these flaws.
And while they are very hard, they also break easily, making them less than ideal for uses in rings.
For these reasons, many alternatives to Emeralds, and stones with different qualities altogether, can suit the needs and wants of jewelry lovers: what about green tourmaline, green diamonds, green agate, green zircon?
Round Emerald Ring
Yet, rarity has true value, and this famous stone can be beaded and used in various ways.
If one’s budget allows, why not spring for an Emerald?
As you can see, there’s plenty of diversity in green gemstones. Some are nearly translucent and with great luminescence.
Some have mesmerizing markings, and some are mottled and earthy. Any look you’re going for can be achieved with some of the great gemstones we’ve highlighted.
Other green gemstones green include chrome tourmaline, green zircon, green diamond, green agate, tsavorite garnet, green diamonds.
We’ve given you the hardness scores for each of these gems, as well as a word on how frequently one can wear them.
Many of the stones are suitable for frequent wear, and many are also affordable!