September! This month often evokes a lot of things; the end of summer, the beginning of a new school year, fall foliage, sweater weather and SAPPHIRES! Lucky Virgos and Libras born in this month have a birthstone that needs little introduction. Sapphires have been recognized for centuries for their rarity and intrinsic beauty. In fact the root of the word can be traced back to the ancients, derived from the… Read More »SELECTING A SAPPHIRE – COLOR IS KEY
As spinels are now considered an August birthstone, followed by sapphires in September, we wanted to take a moment to highlight and compare the amazing characteristics of both stones. Both gemstones are incredibly popular, but their wide ranging color palette is becoming increasingly recognized to jewelry lovers and collectors. Although blue sapphires are more often associated with September, in reality all fancy sapphires serve as the birthstone for this month.… Read More »A MYRIAD OF COLORS – SPINEL & FANCY SAPPHIRE
Grandidierite is one of the rarest minerals on earth. It was first discovered in 1902 in southern Madagascar and named in honor of French explorer Alfred Grandidier (1836–1912) who studied the natural history of Madagascar. The original discovery of the stone was located in a small pegmatite outcrop in the cliffs of Andrahomana, which is on the southern coast of Madagascar. Alfred Grandidier, French Naturalist, 1836-1921 Since its initial discovery, specimens of… Read More »WHAT IS GRANDIDIERITE? – A MUST-SEE RARITY
Pliny the Elder, wrote in his Natural History (Naturalis historia) during the first century A.D., “There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald – all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil.” Pliny… Read More »CELEBRATING OPALS – A COLORFUL HISTORY
Of all gemstones, none seem to have as storied of a history as the legendary emerald. Cleopatra used them to display Egypt’s might before Julius Caesar and the Romans. In fact, the emerald mines in Egypt date back to at least 330 BCE, their dazzling green color symbolizing the prosperity of the Egyptian kingdom for generations. That is, until Caesar’s nephew, Augustus, seized Egypt and her mines and used the… Read More »EMERALDS & THEIR MYSTICAL BEAUTY