E X T E N S I O N PRECIOUS STONES The statue of the Happy Prince has precious stones: a ruby and two sapphires. The ruby and the sapphire are considered two of the four precious stones. The other two are the emerald and the diamond. Ruby The ruby is a coloured gemstone1. The colour can vary from pink to red. Its name comes from ruber, the Latin for red. Prices of ruby are determined by the four Cs: colour, clarity, cut and carat (weight). Sapphire The sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. The origin of the word comes from sappir, the Semitic word meaning precious to Saturn . Sapphires are used in jewellery2. They are also used in scientific instruments, optical components and watches3. Emerald The emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, coloured green. The word derives from the Vulgar Latin, esmaralda, meaning green. A fine emerald is pure green and has high transparency. Diamond The diamond is the hardest natural material. The name comes from the ancient Greek, adàmes, and means unbreakable 4. It has a clear appearance and no colour. Half 5 of the world s diamonds come from central and southern Africa. 1. gemstone: precious stone. 2. jewellery: objects (for example, rings and necklaces) made from precious metals that people wear as decoration. 3. watch: 4. unbreakable: impossible to break. 5. half: 50%. 19