Author: Laurie Donovan

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Aquamarine, March Birthstone

Aquamarine – March Birthstone, 19th Wedding Anniversary. Aquamarine evokes the purity of crystalline waters and the exhilaration and relaxation of the sea. It is calming, soothing, and cleansing. It inspires truth, trust and letting go.

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Amethyst Wrap Ring, 18KY

This lovely ring design is one of our best sellers. It is solid and strong and lends itself to many different sizes of gemstones. Here we have set a 10mm round Zambian Amethyst, 3.24ct. This ring can be worn every day because of its strength and durability.

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Amethyst, February Birthstone

Amethyst is the violet or purple variety of quartz. It is a precious stone of spiritual protection and purification. It is thought of as a natural tranquilizer that relieves stress, soothes irritability, balances mood swings, dispels anger, rage, fear and anxiety. Amethyst is an excellent crystal for creative people because it helps them remain calm, focused, and receptive to any unusual ideas.

Stop by our gallery and see our beautiful amethyst jewelry on display. Ask about our extensive collection of loose amethyst gemstones for collectors or custom designs.

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Spessartite Garnet

Also known as “Spessartine” this lively garnet is usually orange to reddish-brown and is somewhat rare. Most spessartites especially orange ones, have eye-visible inclusions.
Manganese is the element in Spessartiet that produces the orange color. Spessartite has been found in Brazil, Burma, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and the USA (San Diego County, CA). The most important sources today are Nigeria and northeast Namibia. Spessartites are not enhanced by any method. Hardness is 7 – 7.5 on the Mohs scale.

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Himmeli Earrings with Garnet

Garnets are often named after the location where they are found. Umba River garnet is from the Umba Valley of Tanzania. They are a mixture of pyrope and spessartite and display a gorgeous orange-red garnet. It is also known as Umbalite garnet and is a relatively new gemstone to the market.

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Tanzanite

Tanzanite is a rich blue-violet colored gemstone from Tanzania and one of December’s birthstones. We have many loose tanzanite gemstones for collectors to pick from or for a unique piece of jewelry designed and made in our workshop. We also have ear studs to match this pendant.

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Turquoise

An alternative birthstone for December. This endless necklace is made from natural turquoise beads from Arizona. Large polished chunks of natural turquoise are juxtaposed with a mixture of various shapes and sizes of turquoise beads. The red beads are coconut shell that cleverly keep this magnificent necklace in place.

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Tsavorite Garnet

If you’re contemplating green gemstones, one rare but beautiful alternative to emerald is a Tsavorite garnet.
Tsavorite garnet is one of the most important varieties of grossularite garnet. It was first discovered in 1967 by Campbell Bridges, a Scottish geologist. Tsavorite was named after Tsavo National Park on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, where the stones were discovered.
Tsavorite garnets are about 200 times rarer than emeralds, and they are among the most expensive types of garnets because of their rarity.
These types of garnets also tend to be small in terms of carat size. The majority of stones are under one carat. Pieces over two carats are rare and therefore significantly more expensive than the smaller stones. The most preferred color is a pure, highly saturated green.
Unlike emeralds, inclusions are rare, so Tsavorite garnets don’t typically need to be treated or filled. They have a high refractive index which makes them especially brilliant. They are moderately hard, measuring 6.5 – 7.5 on the Mohs scale.