Dreamy and romantic, the month of February is dedicated to sharing your love. Show appreciation for the most important people in your life with a token of affection. This gift will serve as an everyday reminder of your feelings for that person. A pink gemstone is a beautiful choice to consider. As you search for the perfect Valentine’s jewelry gift, learn about different types of pink gems so that you will know which one is perfect for you. (more…)
Happy Birthday January! We begin our famous birthstone series with none other than January’s birthstone, garnet. While there are many different species and varieties of garnet that come in many colors, perhaps the most well-known is pyrope garnet. Usually deep red, this gem is featured in the antique pyrope hair comb, a stunning and historic example of pyrope’s beauty, and GIA’s famous birthstone for January babies. (more…)
Found only in a few places on earth, turquoise is the second of December’s two official birthstones. Sought after for its robin’s egg blue and unique spiderweb-like patterns, it’s a perfect gem for unusual jewelry designs. (more…)
Captivated by pearls? You’re certainly in good company. A favorite of legendary women including Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth, these beautiful spheres are the only precious gems made from a living creature – the mollusk. (more…)
Notable for its majestic blue velvet and intense royal purples, the first of December’s birthstones is named after the only country it can be found: Tanzania. Exceptional tanzanite can display three distinct colors in three crystal directions. (more…)
Perhaps the most popular and frequently purchased yellow gemstone, citrine is a variety of quartz, and a November birthstone. While it’s an attractive alternative for topaz as well as yellow sapphire, natural citrine is actually quite rare, and those without color zoning or visible inclusions are highly sought after. (more…)
One of November’s birthstones, topaz has the unique ability to show different colors in different crystal directions. Ancient civilizations believed that topaz gave them strength, long life, beauty, and intelligence. (more…)
Everyone loves a good Halloween scare, so we scoured the gemological literature for stories about cursed gemstones. Here are a few tales we dug up about these bone-chilling beauties.
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Featuring one of the widest color ranges of any gem, tourmaline is one of October’s two birthstones. A favorite of mineral collectors everywhere, tourmalines come in all shapes, sizes, color saturations and tones – from expensive electric blues to affordable olive greens.
We’ve been wearing coral jewelry for at least 30,000 years – an impressive testament to its timeless appeal.
Coral comes in an array of colors: white, cream, various shades of red and orange, blue, a light grayish violet called “lavender” in the trade, and a light, vivid pink color sometimes referred to as “angel’s skin”. There is also black and golden coral. Red coral (sometimes called “ox blood” in the trade) has historically been the most expensive. Gem-quality coral has uniform color. (more…)
