August 29, 2023

By Isabelle Corvin, CG, Staff Gemologist at Panowicz Jewelers One could argue that all gemstones are phenomenal; after all, what else on our planet is as beautiful and intriguing as a jewel?  But true “phenomenal” stones are those gems that go above and beyond with unique and stunning attributes. Opals with play-of-color, alexandrites with color-changing abilities and cat’s-eye gems displaying chatoyancy (an optical reflectance effect), to name a few.  In terms of magical presence, however, star stones might be the winners in the phenomenal category. Star stones are gemstones that display a unique pattern called asterism. What is asterism? Asterism