Sapphires come in a multitude of colours and they are the hardest coloured gemstone after diamond. This statement alone is enough to consider sapphire for your next piece of jewellery. The September birthstone usually refers to the blue variety of the specie corundum (ruby is the red variety), but this birthstone comes in a rainbow of colours, such as violet,…
Your birthstone is Ruby, a pinkish-red to an orangy-red colored gemstone that is a variety of the mineral corundum. Sapphire is also a variety of the mineral corundum but if the colour is dominant red, it is called Ruby. Ruby is one of the most coveted of gemstones. The name is derived from the Latin word ruber, meaning “red” – the…
As Canadians, we should all be very proud of owning the oldest (3 billion years) and prettiest diamonds in the world. They have more value at the time of appraisal than any other origin. Speaking of origin, Canada is the only country in the world that has traceable diamonds. This means if you purchase a Canadian diamond, it will be…
The word “aquamarine” means “seawater” in Latin. The name alone evokes scenes of summer days on the beach, by the sea, in warm sunshine … Aquamarine is a variety of Beryl with deep blue to slightly greenish-blue colour. Crystals are sometimes big enough to facet gemstones weighing well over 100ct. It is often free from inclusions and as clear as…
Amethyst is not only the birthstone for the month of February, it is also the gemstone for the 6th wedding anniversary. Amethyst is the purple variety of Quartz and it has many popular symbolic and folkloric associations. One of the most well-known is Amethyst’s supposed powers to prevent drunkenness. The story goes back to a myth about Bacchus, the Roman…
Garnet is the January birthstone. If you think Garnet is an ordinary red stone, think again. Garnet comes in a variety of species and colours and there is something for everyone! Read on to find out more. There are more colours to choose from than red when it comes to garnets. A full and rich palette includes greens, oranges, pinkish…
If blue is your favorite colour, the December birthstones are sure to please you! Let’s start with the most ancient gemstone: Turquoise. Chinese artisans were carving it more than 3,000 years ago. It is known as the national gem of Tibet as well as a stone that promotes health and good fortune. Along with being a ceremonial gem, it was…
Both birthstones for the month of November are happy, vibrant, colourful gemstones and they can even be mistaken for one another: Citrine and Topaz. Citrine is a Quartz variety and its colour is yellow to dark and saturated orangy-yellow. This gemstone is well-loved in the esoteric community as it is known for carrying the power of the sun and being…
October has two beautiful birthstones: Electrifying Tourmalines and Mysterious Opals. Read on to find out more … Tourmaline is the newer October birthstone, and it offers a dazzling array of colours. It is not uncommon to see a Tourmaline display more than one colour in a stone. The most popular colours are pink and red Rubellite, green “chrome” and neon…
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.