February Birthstone ~ Amethyst

Amethyst is the most precious and valuable gemstone of the quartz family and can be found in Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka, the USA, Uraguay and Zambia! Phew!

As purple is considered to be the colour of royalty, beautiful Amethysts can be found in the Crown Jewels and was a favourite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty.  It was also referred to as the "stone of bishops".

It's name is thought to come from the Greek word "Amethystos" meaning "not drunken" and was worn to protect against drunkeness!   Some wine goblets were carved from Amethyst to protect against getting tipsy!  I can't confirm this fact and therefore cannot be held responsible!!  Even to this day, Amethyst is a symbol of sobriety.

There is a Greek myth that tells of Dionysius who was the God of intoxication!  One day, an insult from a human angered him and so swore to take revenge on the next mortal he came across by sending tigers to devour them!  A beautiful maiden, named Amethyst, was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana was that next mortal.  As the tigers sent by Dionysius approached, Amethyst cried out to Diana to protect her.  Diana turned her into pure white crystalline quartz to protect her from the tigers teeth and claws. Dionysius wept tears of wine in remorse at the sight of the beautiful statue, staining the quartz purple.

Ruby! The birthstone for July.

Known as the “King of Gemstones”, this month’s birthstone is Ruby (and also the traditional gift for a 40th wedding anniversary).  Deriving its name from the Latin ‘Ruber’ meaning red, rubies are dark red in colour.  For more than five centuries, Ruby has been found in the Mogok area in Myanmar (formally known as Burma) but is also found in Thailand, Vietnam and Mozambique.

Now you know I love myths and legends, especially when associated with gemstones and the ruby has plenty of these. Rubies have the ability to absorb natural light and then release that light a little while later, causing the gemstone to glow. Legend has it that this was a warning of impending danger or bad luck, giving the wearer time to prepare!  In more recent times, there is a belief that the glowing light from the ruby signifies the essence of life, a reminder that the wearer is full of life.

 In ancient Asia,the ruby’s unique features led people to believe it held mystical powers.  This belief was so strong among Burmese warriors that they wore necklaces of rubies, sure that it made them invincible. 

The root Chakra is represented by a deep red colour and so a connection was made with the ruby by ancient Hindu’s who believed that the gemstone could ward off negative energy, fight evil and treat inflammation.

Thought to contain passion and energy, Rubies can be found in the crowns of kings and queens, the armour and swords of warriors and in the jewellery of those who wanted to increase their energy, gain courage and bring success in gaining wealth and love...and were even buried in the foundations of buildings in China in the hope that it would bring good luck and fortune! 

If you want to bestow a little good luck, wealth and love on yourself or a loved one, get in touch to commission the perfect piece of jewellery.

May's birthstone ~ Emerald

Emerald’s hold a special place in my heart ~ I inherited my grandmother’s engagement ring which feature’s this beautiful gem; my husband bought me an Art Deco emerald ring; and my eldest was born in May!

It has such a vivid, lush colour that I think it’s a perfect representation of Spring and therefore suited to being May’s birthstone. It is also the gem for the twentieth and thirty-fifth wedding anniversaries.

I love interesting and rarely known facts so here are some of my favourites:

If you would like to discuss a commission featuring this beautiful gemstone, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

November Birthstones!

November already?! This month has two birthstones, citrine and topaz.  Both gemstones were found on the Mediterranean island known in Ancient times as Topazios.  Since both gemstones are similar in colour, they were often mixed up - the most common colours for Topaz are brown, yellow, yellow-gold and orange...all similar to the shades of Citrine.

Topaz is found in many other colours, ranging from colourless to oranges to blues.  The oranges, reds and pinks are the most rare, one in particular is called Imperial Topaz and has been mistaken for Padparascha Sapphire

Imperial Topaz

Blue Topaz

Blue topaz is rarely found naturally and so now nearly all blue topaz, whether it's Sky, Swiss or Blue topaz, tends to be heat treated.

Blue topaz is the fourth anniversary gemstone while Imperial topaz is the gemstone for the 23rd anniversary.  

Citrine is the gemstone gift for the 13th and 17th anniversaries.

Reed Ring featuring Citrine

The name Citrine is derived fro the French word for lemon - citron- but its most sought after colour is the more warm orange-red colour.  These gemstones seem to have captured the last warm glow of Autumn, bringing sunshine to dull November days.

So, there is a colour for everyone in these two lovely gemstones....which would you choose???

Ruby ~ July's Birthstone

July babies get the stunning Ruby as their birthstone. Rubies are actually a form of Sapphire and is the most valuable form of the mineral corundum. The most sought after colour is a pure vibrant red to slight purplish red ~ fine ruby glows in sunlight thanks to red fluorescence which intensifies the colour.

Most of the finest Ruby is found in a region of Myanmar (Burma) called Magok, the legendary valley of rubies. In fact, a ruby from this region, set in a ring by Cartier and known as the “Sunrise Ruby”, broke records in 2015 when it was sold in Geneva by Sotheby’s. This huge 25.59 carat ring was expected to sell for between $12-18 million but eventually sold for over $30 million! That’s a whopping $1,185,451 per carat!

Here’s a few lesser known facts about the fabulous Ruby:

• In Sanskrit, rubies are known as Ratnaraj, meaning the king of gems

• the first laser was created in 1960 using the red fluorescence light emitted by ruby

• ruby is the gemstone for the 40th wedding anniversary

• people living in India believed that rubies enabled their owners to live in harmony with their enemies

• warriors in Myanmar possessed rubies to make them invincible in battle but it wasn’t enough to just wear the rubies…they had to insert them into their flesh and make them part of their bodies!

If you would prefer not to go to that extreme(!) and prefer to wear your rubies in a beautiful piece of bespoke, handcrafted jewellery, get in touch

Sapphire ~ September's Birthstone (and mine!)

What colour do you think of when I say “Sapphire”?  Blue? You wouldn’t be wrong…..but there are so many more!  

Rubies, for example, are a red sapphire.  The mineral Corundum makes a sapphire a sapphire but trace elements of different minerals give them their colour.  Blue is created by by having trace elements of titanium, chromium gives us the pinks and reds (rubies) depending on the amount, iron will produce yellow sapphires…..having more than one trace element will give us beautiful greens and purples too!

My personal favourite is the stunning Padparadscha sapphire, it’s a pale pinkish orange colour and it’s name is derived from the Sanskrit word for lotus flower.  They are also the rarest so can be very expensive.

Padparadscha Sapphire

Sapphires have traditionally symbolised sincerity, truth, faithfulness and nobility, and was also said to have healing powers.  In Medieval Europe, sapphires were thought to cure plague boils and diseases of the eye!

Deep blue sapphires have long been associated with royalty which is perhaps where the colour “royal blue” comes from.  Kings throughout history believed that the gemstone would protect them from their enemies.

Although Sapphires are found in many countries including Australia, USA and Thailand, historically Kashmir, Myanmar and Sri Lanka are important sources of this gemstone.  In 1881, Sapphires were discovered in Kashmir when a landslide in the Himalayas revealed a large pocket of cornflower blue crystals. As these gemstones started appearing further south, the Maharaja of Kashmir took control.  In the next six years, thousands of blue sapphires were found and it’s this that gives Kashmir it’s reputation for beautiful, covetable gemstones.

Jungle covered hills in the Magok region of Myanmar produce a rich, intense blue sapphire that is still known as “Burmese” sapphire.  It’s often found next to Ruby deposits but in lower quantities than it’s red neighbour.

Now, this is the one that most people would be familiar with when talking about Sapphires.  Sri Lanka has been a source of beautiful blue sapphires for more than 2000 years and display amazing saturation and brilliance.  It is also one of the few places where Padparadscha sapphire can be found.

Sapphires are rated 9 on the Moh’s scale of hardness, diamond being the only natural substance that can scratch it.  This makes it perfect for wearing in jewellery as it’s so durable.

So, with all these colours available, which would you choose?