Tag Archives: birthstone

Citrine – November Birthstone

It’s quite true that an overwhelming majority of commercial grade citrine is heated to either weak, watery, or garish, obviously unnatural colors. Darker colors of citrine are produced by heat treatment of amethyst and smoky quartz, and red undertones are usually – but not always – evidence of this treatment. Fine, natural citrine, however, is…

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Tourmaline – October Birthstone

If garnets and sapphires naturally come in every color of the rainbow, it may be said that tourmaline naturally comes in almost every shade of every color of the rainbow. Outside of possibly fluorite, which is not the best choice for setting in jewelry, tourmaline is the single most colorful mineral on the planet when…

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Peridot – August Birthstone

In the public eye, peridot has developed a bad rap as a commercial-grade gemstone you only find in cheap birthstone jewelry. Brownish yellows, watery, desaturated greens, or briny olive greens are what many people picture when they think of peridot. If you feel that way about peridot, I’d like help you perhaps reassess your opinion,…

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Carnelian

Carnelian is the trade name for chalcedony with warm primary colors. While carnelian is traditionally a solid shade of red or orange, “carnelian” has become an encompassing term in the trade that can include sardonyx, which is banded red, orange, yellow, and white chalcedony, and sard: a loose term from Antiquity usually denoting a darker,…

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Mother’s Jewelry – Custom designs in time for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is coming up. Don’t believe me? Check your calendar. May 11th is two months away. That may seem a little far in advance to make dinner reservations, but it’s just about right to start a custom jewelry design. Mother’s jewelry (rings, pendants, bracelets, etc.) has been dumbed down and commercialized for years, and…

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Aquamarine – March Birthstone

In the last thirty years, aquamarine has developed a somewhat generic reputation for being washed out, uninteresting, or not living up to its name. And while the majority of commercial-grade aqua certainly fits such a description perfectly, I prefer to set the bar a little higher. My sales staff will gladly show you the difference…

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Amethyst – February

The Ancient Greeks once believed that if you kept an amethyst in your mouth, you could drink as much alcohol as you wanted and not become intoxicated; in fact, “amethyst” finds its roots in the Greek word “amethystos:” quite literally, “not drunk.” Of course, this was totally erroneous, and people would die because they choked…

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The wondrous opal – October’s radiant birthstone

Those born in October have the most gorgeous and unique of gem stones to honor their birth month; the opal, a personal favorite of mine. If October is your birth month, you are in luck! Opals are said to symbolize healing, success, confidence and passion. The name “opal” is derived from the Greek word opallos,…

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Sapphires Rule September

September’s birthstone, the beautiful blue sapphire, provides a royal and historied theme for this month’s birthstone. Second only to the diamond in hardness, sapphires are a durable gem stone for setting into jewelry. If you think today’s sapphires must be dark and muddy blue, you haven’t seen my collection. A variety of the mineral corundum,…

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