Would Gemstones Be Considered A Nonrenewable Resource?

Would Gemstones Be Considered A Nonrenewable Resource?

Will gems be considered a non-renewable resource, the question certainly arises in the mind of most gem lovers. We have a limited amount of non-renewable resources on Mother Earth.

The minerals are present in huge quantities and are found in the earth’s crust and take about 4-6 million years to form. Most minerals are non-renewable resources. Gemstones are natural minerals that are used for personal use, as jewellery, because of their beautiful colours.

What Is A Minerals?

Minerals are basically chemical compounds having a specific composition and fine chemical composition. We extract minerals from the ground using certain processes such as pressure, heat, weathering and other manual activities.

There are many things that fall under the category of minerals like gold, silver, mercury, graphite, diamond, sapphire, goethite, brucite. pyrite, galena, sphalerite, barite, gypsum, magnesite, monazite, fluorite, garnet, olivine, tourmaline, beryl, mica, clay, quartz, zeolites, etc.

Let us first break down the title and get to know the basics of this topic like what is a gem and what are non-renewable resources, etc. Lets Dive into it.

What Is A Gemstone?

Gemstones are known as minerals, rocks and an organic material that is chosen most of the time for their beauty, and rarity. They are cut and polished and then cast as jewelry. Some gemstones are hard and some are soft, their durability depends on their formation.

What Are Nonrenewable Resources?

Would Gemstones Be Considered A Nonrenewable Resource?

Non-renewable resources are extracted from the earth’s soil in the same way as gems. Gems are present in limited quantities in the earth’s crust. They cannot grow again and they take millions of years to form. So yes, gems are a non-renewable resource.

It took thousands of years for the gems to be made by Mother Earth. Once they are used up, they will not be available for many centuries.

It took billions of years for diamonds to form from coal and once mined, it would take billions of years for them to form another diamond. Therefore diamond is a non-renewable resource. There is no way to recycle it.

What Is A Natural Resource Explain?

• Renewable Resources
• Non-Renewable Resources

What’s the difference Between Renewable & Nonrenewable Resources?

• Renewable resources are those resources which naturally replace themselves at the rate of their consumption and can be used repeatedly, and which are present in abundance in nature such as sun, crop, solar, wood, biomass energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, water, wind etc.
• Non-renewable resources are those which are present in the earth in limited quantity and cannot be used again, once used they are gone forever like coal, petrol, metals, oil, nuclear energy, Natural gas, fresh water, etc.