This December birthstone has been used for millennia in jewellery. It was a favourite of Egyptian Pharoahs who often adorned themselves in it. And it has been carved it into beautful pieces of art in China for over 3000 years. As such turquoise has rich history with lots of lore attached to it. It was…
Gemstone Focus: Zircon
Zircon is probably one of the most under-rated gemstones. This December brthstone is often confused with the diamond imitation cubic zirconia. Hoever Zircon is a completely natural gemstone and its beauty rivals any gemstone. Zircon can be found in a number of colours including blue, yellow, orange, green, brown, red and white. White zircon has…
Gemstone Focus: Topaz
Yellow Topaz is the traditional birthstone of November. Most people will associate the November birthstone with the colour yellow . However, as a family group topaz can be found in many colours including blue and the highly sought after and rare Pink Topaz and the orange- red Imperial Topaz aka Precious Topaz. I’ll talk more…
Gemstone Focus: Citrine
With its bright sunny yellow, Citrine is one of the most cheerful gemstones in the birthstone calendar. But you can also find them in pale yellow and cognac as well as the rich orange-yellow Madeira Citrine. Throughout history it has often been confused with November’s other birthstone, Topaz. This was mainly because before gemology became…
Gemstone Focus: Tourmaline
Tourmalines are a beautiful group of gemstones found in a wonderful assortment of colours. The word means “stone with many colours” in the Sinhalese language. They are associated with creativity and artistic expression and they have often, historically, been mistaken for other gemstones. In fact, one of the Russian Crown jewels once thought to be…
Gemstones: How tough is your gemstone jewellery?
You sometimes hear jewellers mention something called the Mohs scale in reference to the hardness of a gemstone. Hardness is one of the measures that contributes to overall durability in a piece of jewellery and it helps to understand how well your jewellery will wear over time. The Mohs scale was created by German minerologist…
Gemstone Focus: Opal
‘Mysterious opals contain the wonders of the skies – sparkling rainbows, fireworks, and lightning, shifting and moving in their depths.’ – Author Unknown Birthstone of October and gemstone of the 14th wedding anniversary, Opals have been treasured for their amazing play of colour for centuries. They are in fact so unique that a completely unique vocabulary…
Gemstone Focus: Pearls
If you were born in the month of June, you are lucky indeed because you have four birthstones to choose from, pearl, moonstone, bloodstone and alexandrite. But by far the most popular is the pearl. The pearl is special in that it is produced by a living organism in response to an iritant, usually a small…
Gemstone Focus: Amethyst
I have always loved gemstones. As a child I had a huge collection of gemstone rocks and basically, if it sparkled, glowed or was just pretty, I wanted it. That love has followed me into adulthood and has now made its way in my jewellery designs. I love working with rare, or unusual gemstones. And…
Top Tips: Caring for your jewellery
To keep your jewellery pieces looking their best, occasionally you will need to give them a clean to remove the build-up of oils and dirt from daily wear. Caring for jewellery is pretty straight forward, but there are a few things to consider. Basic Care Avoid showering, washing dishes, swimming etc. with your jewellery on…