The name Aquamarine is a derivative of two Latin words: “aqua”, meaning water, and “marina”, meaning the sea – and refers to its sparkling ocean-like color. This gem is the birthstone for March and like emerald, it possesses a color variety of the mineral beryl. Its best form is a combination of high clarity with limpid transparencyRead more
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Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz, with the name originating from the Koine Greek word “amethystos” meaning “not drunken” in association to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The purple colour of Amethyst ranges from a light lilac to a deep, intense royal purple, and from brownish to vivid. ItRead more
The word “garnet” comes from “gernet” a 14th century Middle English word derived from the Latin word “granatus” which means grain. This is a possible reference to Punica granatum (“pomegranate”); a plant with its fruit having red seeds similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals. This beauty is most often seen in red,Read more
Topaz is a derivative of the word “Topazios”, the ancient Greek name for the Egyptian island in the Red Sea now known as St John’s Island. Interestingly, this island never produced topaz, but it was once a source of a yellow gem, which was confused with topaz before the development of modern mineralogy. Some scholarsRead more
Did you know that blonde maidens wanted a necklace made of opals during medieval times because they believed that opals would prevent their hair from fading or darkening? The word opal originates in India. In Sanskrit, it was called Upala, meaning a “precious stone”. Later, in ancient Rome, Upala became opalus, meaning “to see aRead more
Did you know that not all sapphires are blue? Sapphires are sourced in various countries, including the United States, Myanmar, Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Kashmir. They come in many colours, including pink, peach, orange, yellow, green, teal, and purple, which may be surprising to some people. However, top-quality blue sapphires remain one of theRead more
Peridot is the birthstone for August. “Peridot” is derived from the Arabic word faridat, meaning ‘gem’ and pronounced ‘pair-uh-doe’. Most people recognize birthstones such as diamonds, rubies, opals, sapphires, and emeralds. Still, few are familiar with peridots, and that’s why peridots have been under-appreciated and thought of as a lesser gem. However, in recent years,Read more
“If I had rubies, riches, and crowns, I’d buy the whole world and change things around“. These lyrics are from Bob Dylan’s famous song, “Let Me Die In My Footsteps” (Warner |Brothers Inc., 1963, 1965), yet another of Bob Dylan’s songs yearning for peace and the end of wars. The ruby’s beautiful rich red colourRead more
Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June. Associated with purity, innocence, and humility, it’s no wonder that people give pearls as wedding gifts. They are “sweet simplicity”. Pearls have been popular since the start of time. They are highly desirable jewellery pieces because they are rare and change colour based on the surroundingRead more
Did you know that Emerald is derived from various languages, including Old French, Middle English, Latin, Ancient Greek, and from a semantic language? Talk about confusion. Like other gemstones, genuine emeralds are graded using the 4-C’s; colour, clarity, carat, and cut. But unlike diamonds, which everyone is familiar with, the most critical grading criteria forRead more