Author: Laurie Donovan

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Peridot Jewelry

Peridot is 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs Hardness scale, making it a good jewelry gemstone.

Peridot, in shades of olive, is one of the few gemstones that forms in only one color. Beautifully faceted, it evokes the lateness of summer and the onset of fall, as leaves morph from green to gold and hang like jewels in the sunlight. It is a crystal of warmth and well-being, mentally stimulating and physically regenerating. It carries the gift of inner radiance, sharpening the mind and opening it to new levels of awareness and growth, helping one to recognize and realize one’s destiny and spiritual purpose.

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Peridot, August Birthstone

We have an extensive collection of loose peridot available for purchase by collectors or for a custom-designed piece.

Peridot (pronounced pair-uh-doe) is the gem form of Olivine, a magnesium iron silicate mineral of the forsterite-fayalite family, with the amount of iron being responsible for the color. It occurs for the most part as an eye-clean gem with excellent transparency and is typically faceted. There is no known treatment to improve its color or clarity and therefore is not heat-treated or enhanced in any way.

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Ruby, 15th, and 40th Anniversary Gemstone

Ruby, Emerald Cut, 5.66 x 4.57mm, 1.02ct. (H)
Diamonds, Trillion Cut, 4.0mm, .25ctw EF/VS matched pair.
Carved by hand and cast in platinum to perfectly accommodate the gems.
Engraving all around the gems makes them sing!
Trapezoidal-shape for an ergonomic fit and feel.
Satin finished platinum with highly polished beveled edges.
Exquisitely handcrafted.
Size 6.

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Ruby, King of Gems

Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes ruby one of the most important gems in the colored stone market. In its purest form, the mineral corundum is colorless. Trace elements that become part of the mineral’s crystal structure cause variations in its color. Chromium is the trace element that causes ruby’s red color and hence its’ difference from sapphire.

Color – Color is the most significant factor affecting a ruby’s value: Fine gems are a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red.

Clarity – If a ruby’s inclusions affect its transparency or brilliance they reduce the gem’s value significantly.

Cut – Rubies are commonly fashioned as mixed cuts, which have brilliant-cut crowns and step-cut pavilions.

Carat weight – Fine-quality rubies over one carat are very rare and the price goes up significantly as size increases.

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Tahitian Black Drops with Umba River Garnets

Tahitian pearl (black pearl) is an organic gem formed from the black lip oyster, Pinctada margartifera. They are primarily cultivated around the islands of French Polynesia, around Tahiti. 

These lustrous black Tahitians drop from rich colored Umba River garnets, hand made in 18K yellow gold.

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Pearl, June Birthstone

Pearl – a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Its hardness is only 2.5 – 4.5 on the Moh’s scale so we don’t recommend it for an everyday ring, but earrings, pendants, necklaces, and bracelets are just wonderful to wear.

Pearls come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are irridescent and can be white, pink, silver, cream, brown, green, blue, black, yellow, orange, gold, and purple.

Freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, which live in lakes, rivers, ponds, and other bodies of fresh water.

Saltwater pearls grow within pearl oysters, which live in oceans. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls. These are called Akoya pearls.

Tahitian pearl (black pearl) is an organic gem formed from the black lip oyster, Pinctada margartifera. They are primarily cultivated around the islands of French Polynesia, around Tahiti. 

South Sea Pearls are produced in the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia. It’s the largest of all pearls and ranges in size from 9 – 20 mm. They can be cream, white, or golden, and they are harvested from the oyster pinktada maxima.

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Emerald, Gem of Spring

As the gem of spring, emerald is the perfect choice as the birthstone for the month of May. It is also the gem of the twentieth and thirty-fifth wedding anniversaries.

See our selection of fabulous emeralds and emerald jewelry on display in our store.

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Emerald, May Birthstone

Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, colored green by trace amounts of chromium and vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.8 – 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness is classified as generally poor.

Columbia is the world’s largest producer of emeralds. The three main emerald mines in Columbia are Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor.

Zambia is the world’s second biggest producer. Emeralds are found all over the world in many countries. In the US, emeralds have been found in Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, and South Carolina.