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Specialist Gemstones - Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Aquamarine, Tanzanite, Opal, Pearl
Gemstones - Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Aquamarine, Tanzanite, Opal, Pearl
Sapphire
The birthstone for September. Sapphire is a form of the mineral corundum which is known for excellent hardness that is exceeded only by diamond. The primary colour is blue which varies in intensities from a rich, full royal blue to the highly sort after middle blues such as cornflower blue. Fancy coloured varieties include purple, pink, yellow and green. Variation in colour is caused by iron, titanium or chromium impurities.
The blue of sapphire is said to symbolise loyalty and give expression to people's love and longing. Fancy sapphires are thought to give the wearer enormous wealth, good health, fame, honour and success. Deposits are found in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tanzania and Australia.
Ruby
The birthstone for July and traditionally the stone that represents fortieth wedding anniversaries. The 'red sapphire' is a form of the mineral corundum which is known for a hardness only exceeded by diamonds.
Ruby varies in colour from rose-red to rich, full red known as 'pigeon-blood-red.' Aluminium oxide and chrome cause rubies colour. The stones hot passionate and fiery colours make it the perfect stone to express powerful feelings. The finest rubies are found in Burma but other sources include Australia and Asia.
Emerald
The birthstone for May as well as traditionally the symbol for the twentieth wedding anniversary. It is the most precious stone in the beryl group. Traces of chromium and vanadium cause the emeralds magnificent green colour which is unparalleled in the gem world and is said to convey harmony, beauty and constant love. Most Emeralds include multiple inclusions making a flawless stone a rarity. Fine emeralds can be even more valuable than diamonds. The most significant deposits are found in Columbia.
Aquamarine
Birthstone for March and the popular blue member of the beryl family. The stone has a wide variety of blue hues from pale blue to bright sea blue - the more intense its colour the higher its value. The presence of iron causes the stones spectacular blue hues. The high hardness level makes it very durable and good for everyday use. The most significant deposits are in Brazil but other sources are in Nigeria, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Amethyst
The birthstone for February and the most striking and regal member of the quartz family. Amethysts come in a wide variety of purple hues from pale violet to rich and velvety purple. The large array of hues are caused by constituents and natural radiation. Commonly found in Brazil, Uruguay and Madagascar.
Citrine
Birthstone for November. Citrine is a variety of quartz with a versatile colour ranging from delicate pale yellow to deep mocha brown caused by oxidised iron. Natural citrines are extremely rare - amethyst is often heat treated to "create" citrine - and the the main deposits are found in Brazil.
Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz is transparent quartz ranging in colour from light golden brown to rich earth brown, grey or black caused by natural radiation. Smoky quartz has been found and mined from South America to the Swiss Alps and the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.
Peridot
Birthstone for August. Peridot has a multitude of colours that can vary from shades of bright yellowish green to olive green. Fine traces of iron give peridot its colour and determine the intensity. Rich deposits are found in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline has an incomparable variety of colours from red to green and from blue to yellow. Popular varieties range from the intense ruby red (rubellite) and shocking fuchsia pink to spring like yellow (canary), emerald-like green (verdelite) and spirited turquoise (paraiba). Tourmaline can also have two or more colours known as bicolour or watermelon tourmalines. Iron, manganese, chrome and vanadium cause the wide varieties of colour. The major deposits are in Brazil, Sri Lanka, South and South-West Africa.
Garnet
Birthstone for January. The world of garnets is rich in colour. Popular varieties include shades of deep, warm red (pyrope, almandine and rhodolite), radiant orange (spessartites) and a vivid, rich green (tsavorite). The wide range of colours are caused by trace element impurities within the stones absorbing light. Deposits are found in Africa, India, Russia and Central and South America.
Topaz
Topaz has an abundance of colours from yellow, yellow-brown, honey-yellow, golden-brown, green, blue, red and pink caused by chromium and iron content. The golden yellow variety, known as Imperial or Brazilian Topaz, is relatively rare whilst the pink varieties are the most valuable and blue the most popular. Blue topaz has been found in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland whilst Brazil has the major deposits for the other colour varieties.
Tanzanite
Founded in 1967 Tanzanite is one of the newest gem stones to enter the jewellery market. It is a blue variety of the mineral zoisite. It was named after the East African state of Tanzania, the only place in the world where it has been found. The most coveted colour is a deep blue with a delicate hint of purple. The exclusivity of Tanzanite's origin and its captivating colour makes it a highly prized gemstone.
Opal
Birthstone for October. A highly prized and sort after silica gemstone. Popular colour varieties used in jewellery are fire opal - a transparent to translucent variety with brown yellow, orange or red body colour, white opal - translucent to semi-translucent with play of colour against a white or light grey body colour and the rare black opal - translucent to opaque with play of colour against a black or other dark body colour. Each opal consists of up to 10% water. Australia produces around 97% of the world's opals.
Pearl
Birthstone for June and traditionally represents thirtieth wedding anniversaries. Pearls are created by living creature called molluscs. Naturally occurring pearls are extremely rare. It was not until the early twentieth century when the cultured pearl industry was established in Japan that pearls became widely available.
Cultured pearls can be split into two main groups: freshwater cultured pearls and seawater cultured pearls. Freshwater cultured pearls are generally from mussels in fresh water, in which many pearls are produced while seawater cultured pearls come from oysters which produceonly one pearl. Oyster pearls have a more even shapeand a superior lustre. Popular seawater cultured pearls include Akoya pearls and the larger and highly sort after Tahitian pearls. Cultured pearls are sourced from Japan, China, the Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka and North-West Coast of Australia.
