Amethyst – All About The Purple Gemstone

Amethyst Gemstone Image

Amethysts are a purple variety of quartz and is the most valued among the quartz group. The coloring is thought to be the result of natural impurities (most likely to be iron and some trace elements). Given that Quartz is probably one of the most plentiful minerals on Earth, Amethysts, one of the most precious … Read more

The World of Emeralds Demystified

Green Faceted Emerald

The world of precious emeralds is a captivating one.  Known as the Stone of Venus and discovered in Cleopatra’s Mines in Egypt in 1600 BC they hold a special fascination for most gemstone lovers. Legend has professed that the Roman Emperor Nero wore glasses with the lens made of emeralds to watch the gladiators fight.  … Read more

Topaz – the Symbol of Love?

Image of blue topaz

Topaz has been a popular gemstone for centuries, with ancient civilizations bestowing powers on the gemstone. These powers, while a little exaggerated, nevertheless gave Topaz an important status within society. These stones come in many different colors and color is perhaps the single most determining factor of its value. What Color of Topaz gemstone is … Read more

Opal Gemstones made simple

Opal Gemstone

Opal is a beautiful, unique gem that derives it’s name from the Latin word “opalus,” meaning ‘precious jewel’. The opal is a non-crystalline mineraloid. It is a form of silica that is found in lumps with intricate and delicate internal displays of color, rather than the norm of externally-ordered crystals. It is this lack of … Read more

What Everybody Ought To Know About Garnets

Red Garnet Rhodolite Gemstone

Looking for Garnet Jewelery? Click here, if not read on to learn more about the gemstone…. While the most common Garnet is the deep red, this is far from the whole story because it is a gemstone which occurs commonly in many colors other than blue. This includes many variations in green, yellow, orange, and … Read more

Garnets – A Family of Gemstones

Looking for Garnet Jewelery? Click here, if not read on to learn more about the gemstone…. Garnets are in fact identified as a group of gemstones that share the same crystal structure but differ in chemical makeup.  Whilst commonly available in most colors except for Blue, the origin of its name is said to be … Read more