gemstone
n.a hard, beautiful mineral that is used to make jewelry. It is usually colored and has a shiny surface.
n.a naturally occurring mineral that is cut and polished for use in jewelry or as a decorative object. Often distinguished by its hardness, luster, and aesthetic appeal.
“Diamond is the hardest gemstone in the world.”
“The jeweler carefully examined the rough gemstone to determine if it was suitable for cutting into a ring.”
“While many minerals are beautiful, only those with specific optical properties and sufficient hardness are classified as gemstones and valued for their use in fine jewelry.”
From Middle English gimstone, alteration (due to Middle English gemme) of earlier ȝimston, ȝimstan, from Old English ġimstān, ġymstān (“gem; jewel; precious stone”), equivalent to gem + stone. Compare Icelandic gimsteinn (“jewel; gem”), Faroese gimsteinur (“jewel, precious stone”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.