Gemstones Education

• All garnets are essentially the same crystal structure but vary in chemical composition.

• There are more than 20 garnet categories, called species. Only 5 of these are widely used as gems, which include pyrope and almandine (range from purple to red), spessartine (oranges and yellows), andradite known as the gem variety demantoid (yellow to green), and grossular (colorless to reddish orange) but it can also be a vibrant green known as tsavorite.

• Garnet’s name derives from the Latin word granatus, meaning pomegranate, which the seeds of are strikingly similar in color to the abundant red garnets.

• Garnets are January’s birthstone and are 2nd wedding anniversary gifts. They are also perfect as a gift to an important friend, as they symbolize a deep and lasting friendship.

• Although known for its purple hue, it can also range from a light almost pinkish violet to a deeper purple with hints of blue or red.

• Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that this gemstone would help prevent intoxication of both power and even quite literally, as they would add these crystals to their goblets in order to attempt from getting drunk off their wine. In ancient Greek, amethystos means “a remedy against drunkeness”.

• It was once considered equal in value to ruby, sapphire, and emeralds until the 19th century when large deposits were discovered in Brazil, which is still a major supplier.

• It is the birthstone for February and the gem for 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries. It is also one of the emblems of the twelve apostles.

• It is a variety of the mineral called beryl, in which the popular gemstone Emerald is also a variety of.

• Beryl is believed to protect the wellbeing of its wearer and accelerate their intellect.

• They are one of the few gemstones that are often clear of inclusions, thus symbolizing purity.

• Aquamarine is believed to bring happiness to marriages and is traditionally given to celebrate 19th wedding anniversaries.

• It is the birthstone for the month of March, it is largely found in Brazil and Pakistan, as well as many countries in Africa, and even in areas of Colorado, where it is the state gem.

• Clarity is incredibly important in the value of most all gemstones, however emeralds inclusions are expected and affectionately referred to as an internal “jardin” or garden.

• Emeralds, due to its natural crystal shape, are cut as rectangular step cuts also referred to as an emerald cut.

• Emeralds have a lower density, so a one carat emerald appears larger than many other gemstones.

• First known emerald mines were in Egypt, believed to be worked as early as 3500BC.

• Emeralds are a popular choice for lab grown jewelry, which means they go through the same process as natural or mined gemstones, but in a controlled environment. They contain the same same physical, chemical, and optical properties, however lab grown emeralds are a lower price point and have fewer inclusions (more clarity) than their counterparts.

• May’s birthstone, known as the gem of spring, it is also given to celebrate the wedding anniversaries of 20 years, and 35 years.

• Pearls are one of the few gemstones that are considered organic. They are extremely sensitive to scratching and household chemicals. Pearls require special care and cleaning.

• Misshapen pearls are known as baroque pearls.

• Pearls can be found in salt and freshwater.

• Tahitian pearls are collectively called black pearls, but range from gray, blue, green, and purple, these are found in several islands around French Polynesia, not exclusively Tahiti.

• June’s birthstone is the pearl. Pearls are traditionally given as wedding gifts and also for 3 year and 30th wedding anniversaries.

• In ancient India, ruby was known as the king of precious stones, because of its rarity, hardness, beauty, and mystical powers. It became a symbol of power and youthful energy in Indian jewelry.

• Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum, all other colors of gem quality corundum are called sapphire.

• Chromium is what gives ruby its color, but also is responsible for the rarity of this gemstone because it causes cracks and fissures as it grows, resulting in few rubies that grow large enough into fine quality gems, bringing on high pricing for these precious stones.

• The first laser was created in 1960 using the red fluorescent light that a ruby emits.

• Lab grown rubies have become popular for a multitude of reasons, but perhaps the biggest is the difference in price. The finest lab-grown and mined ruby of the same size and quality can be as much as $100,000 per carat difference!

• Ruby is the birthstone for July, and is given on 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries.

• Peridot is a gem variety of the mineral olivine, most often found in volcanic rocks, and receives its green color from iron, which is an essential element to its chemical structure.

• While most Peridot is sourced from the Earth, olivine has been found in most fallen meteorites, and a few have even held gem-quality peridot!

• Known to some as “Hawaii’s diamond” largely because of the island’s green sand beach (one of two worldwide) which was created from ancient lava flows on the big island that left large deposits of olivine crystals that form into Peridot over time.

• August’s birthstone and given in celebration of 16th wedding anniversaries.

• Sapphires come from the same mineral (corundum) as rubies, therefor anything deemed the right hue of red is considered a ruby, not a red sapphire.

•All other colors of sapphire that are not blue, are known as “fancies”.

• The origin of a sapphire affects their value as much as the color, cut, clarity, and carat size.

• In the U.S. in order to be considered a ruby, the mineral corundum must meet a minimum red color saturation. Falling just below this color requirement are the coveted pinkish-orange sapphires called padparadscha (Sri Lankan for lotus flower), which can draw even higher prices than some blue sapphires.

• Sapphires, like rubies also measure 9 on the Mohs scale, making them not only valuable in jewelry, but also for industrial applications such as scientific instruments, high durability windows, watches, and electronics.

• September’s birthstone is Sapphire, known to symbolize fidelity and the soul, it also given as a gift for 5th anniversaries as well as for celebrations of 45 years of marriage.

• There are many categories experts divide them into, the five main types are white or light opal, black opal, fire opal, boulder opal, and crystal or water opal.

• Opals are believed to originate in India but Australia has produced 95% of the world’s modern supply since large deposits were discovered there around the 1850’s.

• They are developed from seasonal rains, that carry silica deposits underground into cracks in the rock, as the water evaporates Opal is formed.

• Water content of this gem can range from 3% to 21% making it very delicate. Extra care needs to be taken with extreme temperatures and direct light, that could cause further dehydration.

• Opal is October’s birthstone and is given in celebration of 14 years of marriage.

• In the 19th century the Ural Mountains in Russia became a leading source of a prized pinkish orange hue they named Imperial topaz, at the time only royals could own it.

• Throughout most of history yellow gemstones were wrongly believed to be topaz. It was also incorrectly assumed that topaz was only found in yellow.

• Most blue topaz seen today very rarely occurs naturally, it results from permanent treatment of colorless topaz with irradiation and heating, thus making it one of the least expensive gems on the market today.

• Blue topaz is the official gemstone of Texas and given as gifts for 4-year anniversaries.

• November’s birthstone is topaz, in all its varieties.

• Zircon is the oldest mineral on Earth, dating back 4.4 billion years.

• Zircon is often wrongly associated with cubic zirconia. Zircon is a naturally occurring mineral, while zirconia
is man-made.

• Australia leads the world in zircon mining with 37% of the world’s supply.

• Blue zircon is primarily mined in Cambodia and one of December’s birthstones.

• Diamonds were traded as early as the 4th century BCE, and coveted by royalty and the wealthy.

• The first diamond engagement ring (on record) was given by the Archduke of Austria to his betrothed in 1477.

• The birthstone of April, and the gift of choice for 10th, 60th, and 75th wedding anniversaries, diamonds are universally accepted to show undying love, affection, and many couples desires to be together forever.

• For more information on diamonds and what to look for when shopping and pricing them out, please check out our Diamond Education page.