Two gemstones.
Side by side.

GEMSTONE ONE

Brookite

Brookite is a titanium dioxide mineral often collected as lustrous brown tabular crystals, sometimes on quartz.

Colour & appearance

Golden brown, reddish brown, near-black

Mineral family

Titanium dioxide polymorph

Mohs hardness

5.5–6

Representative source regions

Pakistan; United Kingdom; France

Pakistan United Kingdom France

Jewellery & care

Primarily collector display due to brittleness and cleavage.

GoldenBrownBlack

Read the Brookite guide

GEMSTONE TWO

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gem variety of corundum, often associated with blue but also found in other colours. Its hardness makes it an enduring jewellery material, although the secu...

Colour & appearance

Blue and other colours

Mineral family

Corundum (Al₂O₃)

Mohs hardness

9

Representative source regions

Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar, Australia, Thailand and Montana in the United States are recognised sources. The Kashmir region is historically famous for highly valued blue sapphires.

Sri Lanka Madagascar Myanmar Australia Thailand United States

Jewellery & care

Choose the style and setting to suit the specific stone, treatment information and intended use.

Blue

Read the Sapphire guide

Hardness measures scratch resistance, not breakage. Source regions are educational examples, not claims about the provenance of an individual GEMHOOD product. Images may be digital gemstone illustrations.