Tag Archives: traditional birthstone

Topaz – November Birthstone

Pink champagne. Summer apricots. Salmon orange. Baby blue. Purely colorless. And all of them internally flawless. Topaz is one of a very few gemstones that grow to extravagant sizes without sacrificing internal clarity. Most are at least loupe-clean. And there are topaz crystals that have been cut down to faceted gems of better than 20,000…

Continue Reading »

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…

Continue Reading »

May’s birthstone: the lovely emerald..green fire.

I first got turned on to emeralds in Munich, Germany, while walking through a museum housing some of the most fantastic pieces I had seen. I remember being in a short passage (lined with cases of incredible jewelry) and glancing to my left seeing green fire. The emerald in the collection was a square emerald…

Continue Reading »