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.
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.
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.
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.
The term “Precious Topaz”, the finest quality of topaz, is often used to distinguish between true Topaz and lookalikes.
Citrine and Yellow Sapphire have been sold as “Gold, Scotch, or Madeira Topaz.”
Brown Topaz does occur naturally but the term “Smoky Topaz” refers to Smoky Quartz.
Blue Topaz can also be natural but most have been heat-treated to produce the specific trademarked Sky Blue, London Blue, Swiss Blue, etc.
Citrine is an alternative birthstone to topaz.
Shown here is a simple little everyday birthstone pendant. A perfect gift!
We have a lovely collection of loose citrine to choose from for a custom order!
Topaz, the birthstone for November, is naturally a transparent gem but it is found in various tones of yellow, gold, orange, red, blue, green, pink, and brown. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, making it a nice jewelry gemstone.