January – garnet February – amethyst March – aquamarine April – diamond May – emerald June – pearl and moonstone July – ruby August – peridot September – sapphire October – opal and tourmaline November – yellow topaz or citrine December – turquoise or blue topaz
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Garnets
Garnets come not only in many colours but also under many names, including Andradite, Demantoid (green), Hessonite, Rhodolith, Spessartine. The most popular colour of a garnet is red (Pyrope). Its fierce and often slightly bronze coloured red was highly popular as gemstone colour in the 18th and 19th century.
Worldwide renowned in those days were the Bohemian Garnets from an occurrence in the north-eastern part of the former Kingdom of Bohemia - small stones in a wonderful pomegranate colour traditionally used to decorate jewellery. Today garnets come mainly from African countries, also from India, Russia, Central and South America.
Amethyst
Purple has long been considered a royal colour so it is not surprising that amethyst has been so much in demand during history. Amethyst, transparent purple quartz, is the most important quartz variety used in jewellery. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.
The Greek work "amethystos" can be translated as "not drunken." Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it! The gemstone still symbolizes sobriety.
Amethyst ranges in colour from pale lilac to deep purple. The pale colours are sometimes called "Rose de France" and can be seen set in Victorian jewellery. The deep colours are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes. Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina, as well as in Zambia, Namibia and other African countries.
Aquamarine
From the light blue of the sky to the deep blue of the sea, aquamarines shine over an extraordinarily beautiful range of mainly light blue colours. Aquamarine is a fascinatingly beautiful gemstone. Its light blue arouses feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship. Feelings which are based on mutuality, and which prove their worth in lasting relationships. Its name is derived from the Latin aqua (water) and mare (sea). Brazil is among the countries where aquamarine is found.
Most of the raw crystals for the world market come from the gemstone mines of South American. Every now and then, large aquamarine crystals of immaculate transparency are also found with a magnificent colour, a combination which is very unusual in gemstones. However, aquamarines are also found in other countries, for example Nigeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Diamonds
"Diamonds are forever” is the phrase Debeers use to promote diamonds, as a diamond is the hardest and oldest thing you’ll ever own. Diamond is considered the King of Gems; it is referred to by many as the April birthstone, and is traditionally used in an engagement ring and for the 75th wedding anniversary. Diamond is formed in the earth's interior and shot to the surface by one of the most powerful forces on earth, the volcano. The quality of a diamond is determined by its clarity, colour, carat and cut. But its true beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Emeralds
Emeralds are fascinating gemstones. They have the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green that can possibly be imagined, and can be compared in value to that of a diamond. The name emerald comes from the Greek smaragdos via the Old French esmeralde, and translates as 'green gemstone'.
Written many centuries ago, the Vedas, the holy scriptures of the Indians, talk of emeralds and their healing properties. So it was no wonder that the treasure chests of Indian maharajas and maharanis contained wonderful emeralds.
The magnificent green of the emerald is a colour which conveys harmony, love of nature and elemental joie de vivre. Green is perceived as fresh and vivid, and in view of the fact that this colour always changes somewhat between the bright light of day and the artificial light of a lamp, emerald green retains its lively vigour in all its nuances.
Pearls
Pearls are an organic gem, created when an oyster covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre. Long ago, pearls were important financial assets, as thousands of oysters had to be searched for only one pearl. They were rare because they were created only by chance.
Today pearls are cultured by man: shell beads are placed inside an oyster and the oyster is returned to the water. When the pearls are later harvested, the oyster has covered the bead with layers of nacre. Most cultured pearls are produced in Japan. In the warmer waters of the South Pacific, larger oysters produce South Sea cultured pearls and Tahitian black cultured pearls, which are larger in size.
Freshwater pearls are cultured in freshwater mussels, mostly in China. The quality of pearls is judged by the orient, which is the soft iridescence caused by the refraction of light by the layers of nacre, and lustre, the reflectivity and shine of the surface. Fine pearls do not have any flaws or spots in the nacre: it has an even smooth texture.
Moonstone
Moonstone shows an almost magical play of light as its characteristic feature. It owes its name to this mysterious gleaming which appears different whenever the stone changes its position in movement. Experts call this the “adularescence”, and in earlier times the phases of waxing and waning moon were though to be discerned in this phenomenon.
Many mystical and magical connotations surround this stone. In several cultures, like for example in India, it is considered a sacred and magical gemstone. In Arab countries women often were Moonstone sewn into their garment, because there this gemstone is appreciated as a symbol of fertility. Moonstone symbolises a holistic view of man and woman. Its soft shine will support the emotional and dreamy tendencies of a person.
The classical, bluish and almost transparent Moonstones traditionally came from Sri Lanka. But they are also found in the USA, in Brazil, Australia, Myanmar, and Madagascar. Since blue Moonstones in fine qualities have become more and more scarce in recent time, the prices have increased accordingly.
Ruby
The colour red is spontaneously associated with love and vividness, passion and power. Red is also the colour of Ruby, the “King” of gemstones. For thousands of years Ruby has been considered on of the most valuable gemstones of our Earth. It has got all it takes for a precious stone: a wonderful colour, excellent hardness and an overwhelming brilliance.
Ruby is the red variety of the corundum mineral, one of the hardest minerals on Earth which also includes Sapphire. Pure corundum is colourless. Slight traces of the colour creating elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are responsible for the colour. And only red corundum may be called Ruby, any other colour is denominate as Sapphires.
The close relationship of Ruby and Sapphire has been known since the beginning of the 19th century. Gemstone experts talk about the Burmese Ruby to indicate an excellent quality Ruby. However, it does not necessary follow that the stone has to be of Burmese origin. It is basically an indication of the fact that the colour of a Burmese Ruby is the typical shade originally shown by stones from the famous occurrences in Burma (nowadays called Myanmar) a satiated red with a slightly bluish hue.
Peridot
The vivid, slightly golden shimmering green of Peridot is the ideal gemstone colour to complement a light summertime outfit. Peridot is an ancient and yet currently very popular gemstone. It is so old that it can be found even in Egyptian jewellery from the early second millennium BC.
The stones used in those days came from an occurrence on a little volcanic island in the Red Sea, about 70 km off the Egyptian coast, off Assuan, which was rediscovered only around 1900 and has been completely exploited since. Peridot, however, is also a very modern stone, for only a few years ago Peridot occurrences were discovered in the Cashmere region, and the stones from there show a unique beauty of colour and transparency, so that the image of the stone, which was somewhat dulled over the ages, has received an efficient polishing.
The colour as such can come in any variation from yellow-green and olive to brownish green. Peridot is not especially hard, yet it is easy to care for and is quite robust. The most beautiful stones come from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Peridot as gemstone does also exist in Myanmar, China, the USA, Africa and Australia.
Sapphire
Sapphires exist in all the shades of blue skies, from the deep blue of evening skies to the bright and deep blue of a clear and beautiful summer sky. Blue is strongly associated with emotions such as sympathy and harmony, friendship and loyalty. These emotions belong to features which are permanent and reliable – emotions where overwhelming and fiery passion is not the main element, but rather composure, mutual understanding and unshakeable trust.
Sapphire blue has thus become a colour related to anything permanent and reliable, and is one of the reasons why women in many countries settle on Sapphire for their engagement rings. Sapphire symbolises loyalty and faithfulness, while at the same time expressing love and yearning.
Sapphire belongs to the corundum group which is set apart from other gemstones by their very good hardness (second only to diamonds). Because of their excellent harness, sapphires are easy to care for as gemstones. Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. The oldest Sapphire mines are situated in Ceylon, today called Sri Lanka, where gemstones were mined in ancient times.
Tourmalines
Tourmalines are precious stones displaying a unique splendour of colours. According to an ancient Egyptian legend this is the result of the fact that on the long way from the Earth’s heart up towards the sun, Tourmaline travelled along a rainbow.
And on its way it collected all the colours of the rainbow. This is why nowadays it is called the "Rainbow gemstone”. However, the name "Tourmaline” has been derived from the Singhalese expression "tura mali”, which translates as "stone of mixed colours.” The very name already refers to the unique spectrum of colours displayed by this gemstone, which is second to none in the realm of precious stones.
Tourmaline is supposed to be an especially powerful influence on love and friendship, lending them permanence and stability. The different shades of colour have been assigned different names in the trade. For example, deep red Tourmaline is named "Rubellite”, provided it shows the same fine ruby-red shade in daylight and in artificial light. Should the colour change when the source of light changes, the stone will be called a "Pink Tourmaline”.
There are important occurrences in Brazil, in Sri Lanka and South and Southwest Africa. Other occurrences are situated in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tourmalines are also found in the USA, first of all in Maine and Utah. But although there are rich occurrences of Tourmalines all over the world, good qualities and fine colours are only rarely offered on the market. Therefore, then, the price range achieved by Tourmaline almost matches its wide range of colours.
Opals
All of Nature’s splendour seems to be reflected in the manifold opulence of fine Opals: fire and lightning’s, all the colours of the rainbow and the soft shine of far seas. Australia is the classical country of origin. Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts. The remaining five per cent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil’s north, also in the US states of Idaho and Nevada, but recently the stones have also been found in Ethiopia and in the West African country of Mali.
Numerous legends and tales surround this colourful gemstone, which can be traced back in its origins to a time long before our memory, to the ancient dream time of the Australian aborigines. It is reported in their legends that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring the message of peace to all the humans. And at the very spot, where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow.
Opal variations are practically unlimited, and include Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland – the so-called “picture stones“, and also Mexican and Fire Opal. They all show in their own special way that unique play of colours – except for Fire Opal, which due to its transparency, however, is nevertheless also considered a Fine Opal specimen.
Citrine
Citrine (from the French “citron” or lemon) is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks to the durability and availability of this golden quartz. Citrine includes yellow to gold to orange brown shades of transparent quartz. Sunny and affordable, citrine can brighten almost any jewellery style, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold. In ancient times, citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.
Although the darker, orange colours of citrine, sometimes called Madeira citrine after the colour of the wine, has generally been the most valued colour, in modern times, many people prefer the bright lemony shades which mix better with pastel colours. Citrine is generally more inexpensive than amethyst and is also available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including very large sizes.
Sometimes you will hear citrine referred to as topaz quartz, which is incorrect. This name was used in the past in reference to the colour, which is sometimes similar to the colour of topaz. Since topaz is a separate mineral, this type of name can be confusing and should not be used.
Turquoise
Turquoise is an ancient gemstone, yet it always at the height of current fashion. In many cultures of the Old and New World this gemstone has for thousands of years been appreciated as a holy stone, a good-luck-charm or a talisman. The oldest proof for this lies in Egypt, where in tombs from the period around 3000 B.C. there were found artefacts set with Turquoise.
Turquoises were loved as ornaments decorating turbans, often set in a border of pearls, in order to protect the wearer from the "evil eye”. They were used as talismans decorating daggers, scimitars or the horses’ bridles. Turquoise came to Europe only during the time of the crusades. And from this period comes the name "Turquoise”, meaning simply "Turkish stone”.
The bright and happy colour is supposed to lend self-confidence to subdued personalities, and it is also very popular as a token of friendship, since Turquoise is reputed to be responsible for faithfulness and reliable relationships. Turquoise is a copper aluminium phosphate achieving hardness six, thus considerably softer than quartz.
Only the best quality Turquoises show the real turquoise colour, which in ordinary stones is normally rather pale, blue-green or greenish. The blue colour is caused by copper, while the green colour is caused by iron or chromium. Often the material is veined or shows spots, which depending on the respective occurrence are brown, light grey or even black.
Topaz
The Egyptians said that topaz was collared with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and all the beautiful warm browns and oranges inbetween. Some rare and exceptional topaz are pale pink to a sherry red. Wear topaz only if you wish to be clear-sighted: legend has it that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight as well!
The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invincible in times of emergency. Its mystical curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and haemorrhages.
Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia. Today we also have blue topaz, which has a pale to medium blue colour created by irradiation. Pale topaz which is enhanced to become blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and China.