Precious Gemstones

Birthstones by Month

Month	Birthstone	Alternative
January	Garnet - Brown, Red, Orange
February	Amethyst – Purple
March	Aquamarine – Light Blue	Bloodstone
April	Diamond – White	Rock Crystal
May	Emerald – Green	Chrysoprase
June	Pearl – Cream	Moonstone
July	Ruby – Red	Cornelian, Onyx
August	Peridot – Pale Green	Sardonyx
September	Sapphire – Dark Blue	Lapis Lazuli
October	Opal – Assorted colours	Tourmaline
November	Topaz – Yellow	Citrine
December	Turquoise – Sky Blue

 

 

Zodiac Signs 

Zodiac	Dates	Gemstone
Aquarius	20 January – 18 February	Garnet
Pisces	19 February – 20 March	Amethyst
Aries	21 March – 20 April	Bloodstone
Taurus	21 April – 20 May	Sapphire
Gemini	21 May – 20 June	Agate
Cancer	21 June – 20 July	Emerald
Leo	21 July – 21 August	Onyx
Virgo	22 August – 22 September	Cornelian
Libra	23 September – 22 October	Chrysolite
Scorpio	23 October – 22 November	Beryl
Sagittarius	23 November – 20 December	Topaz
Capricorn	21 December – 19 January	Ruby

 

 

Anniversary Gift Ideas

Year	Material	Alternative
1	Cotton	Paper
2	Paper	Cotton
3	Leather
4	Jewellery	Fruit, Flowers or Silk
5	Wood
6	Plate
7	Wool	Copper
8	Bronze	Pottery
9	Watch	Willow
10	Tin	Aluminium
11	Scent or Soap	Steel
12	Silk	Linen
13	Barometer	Lace
14	Clock
15	Crystal
16	Holloware	China or Emerald
17	Accessories
18	Coloured Gemstones
19	Furniture
20	China
25	Silver
30	Pearl
35	Jade
40	Ruby
45	Sapphire
50	Gold
55	Emerald
60	Diamond
65	Star Sapphire, Grey
70	Star Sapphire, Purple
75	Diamond

 

Gemstones are minerals which are then cut and polished to make them sparkle and shine, and therefore very attractive to buy in pieces of jewellery like earrings, rings, brooches, silverware, bracelets, necklaces and many other items. 

 

Amber – is usually a yellowy colour though can also appear in shades of green.  It is formed from hardened, fossilised resin and can include plant fragments and insects.  It’s very soft in hardness having a level of only 2-2.5 on the Mohs’ scale.  Visually Amber is unique and very interesting.  It works very well with Silver in jewellery and is said to have protective healing qualities.  Caution should be taken when cleaning as its quite sensitive to certain household products. 

 

Amethyst – part of the quartz mineral group.  The colour ranges from a pale lilac to a deep purple tone.  It’s a semi-precious stone and is the birthstone for February.  Other variations of the quartz family are Citrine which is yellow in colour and also Rock Crystal which is clear.  The most expensive colour of Amethyst is the deep purple tone. It is quite a hard stone as on the Mohs’ hardness chart it comes in at 7 (with Diamond being 10).   Even though Amethysts are fairly inexpensive, it’s important to say that they are still a beautiful and eye catching stone.

 

Aquamarine – this stone is part of the beryl group.  The colours range from very pale blue to a sea blue.  The popular and better quality stones tend to be darker blue and is the birthstone for March.  They are also quite a hard stone coming in at a Mohs’ level of 7.5-8.  Aquamarine's are quite sensitive to heat and therefore when you clean an item set with these stones its best to use warm soapy water, as opposed to hot or boiling water.  Also if you have any repair work carried out with these stones they are best to be unset before any alterations are made. 

 

Citrine – this stone is also part of the quartz group.  Its colour ranges from light lemon yellow to a deep orange appearance.  This also has a hardness level of 7 and the stone works really well with silver as it complements the colour very nicely. 

 

Corundum – in simple terms this word is the variety of ruby and sapphire.  In gemmological terms the word corundum is aluminium oxide.  Corundum comes in various different colours from pink to red, from black to brown, from orange to green, from blue to purple.  The red Corundum is called Ruby and all the other colours are called Sapphire.  Corundum in its pure state is clear, it’s the impurities in the mineral that cause the colour formation.  The stones are very hard and have a level of 9, in comparison with Diamond which is 10.

 

Emerald – this stone is part of the beryl group.  They are green in appearance and are quite a hard stone being 7.5-8 on the Mohs’ scale.  Using a tooth brush to remove any dirt is ideal after washing it in warm soapy water rather than using a harsh ultrasonic cleaner.  Emeralds work very well with both yellow and white metals.  Emeralds are oiled which lowers the look of any inclusions which are present.  It both protects the stone and also improves the green appearance. 

 

Garnet – this stone is a group of minerals as opposed to just one.  It has many colour combinations such as red, brown, green and yellow.  It is known as a semi-precious stone and looks particularly good in silver settings.  It is quite a hard stone being 7-7.5 on the Mohs’ scale. 

 

Jade – This mineral is usually green in colour but can appear in white or yellow. The most traditional colour is green.  The shades vary quite dramatically.  The hardness of this stone is 6.5-7 on the Mohs’ scale.  It can be carved into ornamental pieces and made into jewellery pieces.  It’s not polished and has a rather opaque appearance.  It is also quite a tough material.

 

Opal – this stone is one of the most colourful of them all.  The colours vary dramatically from the very pale white through to the vibrant black opals which have an array of blues, reds and greens.  It isn’t as hard as some of the other stones I’ve mentioned with a rating of 5.5-6.5 on the Mohs’ scale.  The opal is particularly attractive when set with diamonds, as they really do complement each other.  There are 3 main types of opal such as natural solid opal, opal doublets and opal triplets.    Opal doublets have 2 layers, one layer being sandstone and the other natural opal.  They are cemented together to give really vibrant colours.  Triplets also have the sandstone layer, but on the top of that is a quartz layer.  Natural and opal doublets are more expensive and desirable than opal triplets.  Opals do contain water so with doublets and triplets having more than 1 layer they can be damaged if exposed to water continually.  You can simply wipe your opal jewellery with a soft cloth and warm water. 

 

Peridot -  this is a semi-precious stone.  It is a bright green colour and is pleasing to the eye.  It is the Birthstone for August and Peridot works very well with white and yellow gold, and also silver.  It has a hardness level of 6-7 and can be brittle so some care should be taken when wearing this as a piece of jewellery. 

 

Ruby – part of the mineral corundum and the colour is caused by the element chromium. ideal colour is “pigeon blood” red - i.e a deep, intense shade of red. However, it is the Clear stone which is more expensive.  Often the best quality stones have needle looking inclusions when checked under an eye glass.  The colour ranges from a light reddish pink to the most deep and vibrant red. Sapphires are also another variety of corundum.  Ruby is one of the 4 precious stones along with diamond, emerald and sapphire and is the birthstone for July.  You can clean your jewellery with warm or hot soapy water with a baby’s tooth brush.  This works really well in removing any dirt or grease. Avoid using any cleaning agents.  As with everything, personal choice is the most important value when purchasing a piece of jewellery with ruby.  So whether you prefer pink or red it’s entirely your choice.

 

Sapphire – a hardness level of 9.  It is also the mineral part of Corundum.  The most popular colour known in this stone is blue but there are many other colours also available such as pink, yellow, green and even colourless just to name a few.  As with the ruby its certain impurities present that give it these colour ranges and it is the birthstone for September.  You can clean your jewellery with a baby’s tooth brush and warm water.  Sapphires work very well with both white and yellow metals. 

 

Tanzanite – a fairly recent stone as this was only discovered in Tanzania in 1967.  The usual colours range from a light lilac through to a deep bluey violet colour.  They are a beautiful and vibrant stone.  Although they are coming up at a hardness level of 8.5 they are quite a delicate stone.  When cleaning these stones, I would suggest a gentle clean with a baby’s tooth brush and warm soapy water.  We would NOT recommend using an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

Topaz – the colours range from green to red to blue and golden, yellow and even light blue.  The hardness is a level of 8 and the intensity of these colours are paler or watery in appearance.  The most expensive colours are deep orange and pink.  This stone can be cleaned gently with a cloth and washing up liquid with warm water.

 

Turquoise – these are opaque in appearance, generally a bluey green colour.  Turquoise is primarily blue but sometimes green in tone and not so often mixed up with browns or greys.  This stone is normally cabochon cut (smooth).  Perfumes and washing up can alter the colour of turquoise and it has a slightly matt appearance and is not a highly polished stone.

 

If you have any questions at all, please email us and we will reply to you as soon as we can.