Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones.

The jewellery offered to you by Outrage jewellers is the result of incredible natural processes that have formed Our Planet. 

We try to give our customers a brief insight into the formation and composition of our gemstones and have been asked several times to provide further insight into our gemstones. 

Gemstones are minerals which are found in rocks . 

We often use the word `rock` but what is a rock?  Rocks are naturally occurring solid masses or aggregates of minerals. 

A Mineral is an inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and crystal structure. A Gemstone is a mineral which has become highly prized for its beauty , especially when cut and polished. 

All minerals and therefore Gemstones and are found within three major groups of rocks, Igneous , Metamorphic and Sedimentary . 

Igneous rocks are the oldest and are formed from hot molten rock called magma which originates deep within the Earth and eventually cools . The magmas all have different chemical compositions and therefore cool to form many differnt types of rock. There are two types of magmatic structures , Intrusive which are magmas which squeeze into pre existing rocks and cool within them , and Extrusive which spill out onto the Earth`s surface , cool and solidify. 

Metamorphic rocks occur when heat and pressure from within the Earth chemically change the structures of pre existing older rocks . They may be older igneous , sedimentary or metamorphic rocks . For example when lava from a volcano flows over older rocks it will change them at the point of contact. 

Sedimentary rocks are also created from pre existing older rocks which are broken up by water , wind or the sun`s heat . These fragments are moved by rivers for example and dumped layer upon layer elsewhere , where the weight of 100`s of meters of sediments create heat and pressure and eventually cement the many particles together to form new rocks. 

All these processes are constantly changing the surfeace of our planet and in the process creating new Gemstones for us to discover and marvel at .