Garnet Garnet derives its name from the Latin word "granatus" which means seed or grain. This is because of the rounded crystals of the gemstone and their similarity to the red kernels of the pomegranate fruit. It also takes its name from the 14th-century English word "gernet" which means dark red. Garnet is the [...]
Pearl The name Pearl is believed to be from the Latin word "Perna" which means a type of shell. It is produced in bivalve mollusks, mostly of the oyster family ( Ostreidae ). It starts as an irritant in the mollusk. To cope with this irritant the mollusk will continuously coat the foreign object [...]
Sapphire Sapphire gets its name from the Greek word "Sapphirus" which means blue and is a member of the corundum family along with Ruby. It comes in a variety of colours including blue, pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, black, and colourless. Historically only the blue variety was called Sapphire. With the green variety being [...]
Ruby Ruby is a member of the corundum family of gemstones. There are two gemstones in the corundum family, Ruby and Sapphire. Low-quality corundum gemstones are typically used as cutting and polishing agents. The best known of these would be emery paper, which is mostly fine-grain corundum with the addition of magnetite, hematite, and [...]
Emerald The gemstone Emerald belongs to the beryl group and is the most precious variety of beryl. The other varieties of beryl are Aquamarine, Morganite, Red and Green beryl, Heliodor, Maxixe, and Goshenite. The stone derives its colour from the element chrome, while green beryl is coloured by vanadium. The colouring agent chrome is [...]
Amethyst Amethyst is a member of the Quartz family and it ranges in colour from pale lilac to deep purple. It gets its colour from Iron and other trace elements such as manganese. The paler shades of the stone are often called "Rose de France". Siberian Amethyst is a deeper shade of purple and [...]
Cleaning and Care of Antique Jewellery Antique jewellery is a beautiful and timeless investment, but it is important to take care of it properly to ensure that it lasts for generations to come. Gold Jewellery Gold jewellery is relatively easy to take care of. To clean gold jewellery, simply allow it to soak in [...]
Diamonds Explained There have been numerous books written in great detail about diamonds. In this article, we are going to summarize how diamonds are graded. Every diamond is unique and there are a number of factors which affect a diamonds beauty and therefore its value. These factors are known as a diamonds four C`s, which [...]
Ring Size Guide Firstly make sure that your finger is at normal temperature, before measuring it. If your finger is cold then it will shrink or if your finger is hot it will expand, giving you an incorrect measurement. To measure accurately you will need a ruler or measuring tape, a pen and a [...]
Mid-Century Jewellery The term Mid-Century Jewellery generally covers the design style of the 1950s. It received its name in 1984 from a book called "Mid-Century Modern : furniture of the 1950s". Suburban California in the 1950s pretty accurately sums up architectural and interior design of the time. Low flat roofs with lots of large [...]
