Tag: Birthstone rings

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Amethyst Floral Ring, 18KY

This fanciful ring showcases both the intricacies of metalwork, and how a ring is more than just a gemstone on a band. It is a work of art, where stone and metal harmonize to make an impact greater than each on it’s own.

The floral/leaf motif has been a longtime staple of Laurie Donovan designs, and can be applied to a variety of underlying styles, including our popular wrap ring. Shown here with a six prong setting cradling a 9mm, 2.5ct Amethyst with three .08ct diamonds, this ring is a stunning addition to any collection.

For more information, check out our product page 040265 Ring, Amethyst Floral Design with Diamonds, 18KY.

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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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Tourmaline, Alternative October Birthstone

The many colors of Tourmaline provide an alternative October birthstone.
Tourmaline is 7-7.5 on the Mohs Hardness scale making it more durable than it’s rival for October babies – Opal.
We have an extensive collection of loose tourmaline for collectors or custom design pieces. Many tourmaline jewelry pieces are on display in our gallery.

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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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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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Hand Made Sapphire Jewelry

Padparadscha Sapphire Ring with Diamonds, 18KY.

Sapphire is the perfect engagement ring stone because of it’s hardness. Our hand made jewelry is also made to last a life time.

Padparadscha is the rarest type of Sapphire. The word means “The color of the lotus”. Sapphire is a wonderful ring gemstone because it has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale making it less susceptible to damage than any other gem except diamond. And it comes in every color of the rainbow except red when it is considered ruby. We have a large collection of sapphire jewelry and loose sapphire gemstones available for purchase in our gallery or our online store.

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Sapphire, September Birthstone

Blue Sapphire, 2.96 carat.

If your birthday falls in September, you are one of the lucky ones who can claim Sapphire as their birthstone. It is also the gem of the 45th wedding anniversary.

Sapphire is typically blue in color, but natural “fancy” or “parti colored” sapphires occur in yellow, purple, orange, green, and brown, Sapphires may also be black, gray, and colorless. The pinkish orange variety of sapphire is called Padparadscha.The only color which sapphire cannot be is red, which would make it a ruby.

Sapphire is 9 on the Mohs hardness scale making it (corundum) the third hardest mineral, after diamond (10) and moissanite (9.5). Why does this hardness matter? Because your sapphire will not scratch as easily as other gemstones, it makes sapphires perfect for ring stones, especially engagement rings.

Sapphire is found in Eastern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China (Shandong), Madagascar, East Africa, and in a few locations in North America, mostly Montana. Sapphire and ruby are often found in the same geological setting. Our sapphires come from these locations.

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“Fantasy Cut” Carved Gemstones

Loose Colored Gemstones are Art.

This Green Sapphire is a Fantasy Cut Gem Carving by Cutting Edge Award winning gem cutter John Dyer. It would make a beautiful engagement ring flanked with two trillion cut diamonds!

The trend of innovative gem cutting began in both Europe and America, and many attribute it to a German cutter named Bernd Munsteiner (b. 1943).  He began in Idar-Oberstein, a region of Germany that has been famous for over 500 years for its tradition of fine gem cutting. Munsteiner’s style was geometric, abstract and thoroughly modernist. He would leave parts of a gem raw and unpolished to produce a stark contrast with the cut and polished sections. Often he would cut and facet only the back of the gem, making the design appear to be embedded in the gemstone. Sometimes he would integrate inclusions into the design.

The gem cutting establishment in Idar-Oberstein rejected his work but international critics were enthusiastic and Munsteiner went on to receive many international awards. Following the introduction of “Fantasy Cut” gemstones by Munsteiner in the 70’s, many lapidary artists have begun producing this style of gem cutting art. Bernd’s son Tom continues this tradition along with many other lapidary artists, some of whom are represented in our gallery. Other Cutting Edge lapidaries in our gallery include Larry Winn, Steve Walters, Michael Dyber, and John Dyer.