Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum and it symbolizes sincerity, truth, faithfulness, and nobility. It has a long history with nobility and clergy, who wore sapphires because they also symbolized heaven. Some Sapphires are quite famous, such as the Rockefeller Sapphire, a 62.02ct rectangular step-cut stone from Myanmar, which is now set in a platinum ring with two…
Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August as well as the gemstone to celebrate a 16th wedding anniversary. It is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one colour: a bright, grass-green to yellowish-green colour. The word “peridot” comes from the Arabic faridat, meaning gem, and it has appeared in priests’ jewellery as early as the…
Gemmology is the science of analyzing natural and synthetic gemstone material, from coloured stones to diamonds to organic material like pearls, amber and opals. A gemmologist is a person that is academically trained and qualified to identify and evaluate gems using specialized scientific equipment such as microscopes, refractometers, dichroscopes, spectrometers and more.
In the fifteenth century, the traditional virtue of the Amethyst stone was the cure of drunkenness: it had a sobering effect. The word “amethyst” derives from the Greek “amethystos”, meaning “a remedy against drunkenness”. This stone is known to support sobriety. It was also believed to protect soldiers from harm and help hunters capture wild animals. In our day and…
It is the beginning of a new year and we will all have a birthday to look forward to. This brings me to talk about birthstones and the lore and history about them. Birthstones, also known as “natal stones”, can be traced back to the Bible. Aaron, the High Priest of the Hebrews, wore a breastplate containing twelve precious gemstones…
