Blue Sapphire Stones

There is something about the color blue that makes it the most favored color in the world. Psychologists say that there is something calming about the color as it reminds us of the sky on a clear day or the crystal clear depths of the ocean. Without knowing anything about blue sapphire stones from a gemologist’s point of view, they are among the most popular stones simply because of their color. However, in terms of a gemstone, sapphires are second only to diamonds in their hardness, coming in at 9 on the Mohs scale which makes them durable and easy to care for, and of course quite valuable.

What Exactly Is a Blue Sapphire?

The ‘funny’ thing about a blue sapphire is that you could say it is the same stone as a ruby only it is blue and not red! Both are gemstones of the corundum family of minerals but a blue sapphire gets its color from both titanium and iron impurities being present in the crystal while rubies derive their vivid red color from chromium. A sapphire then is any member of the corundum family that is colored anything but ruby red, and blue sapphire stones are not only the most beautiful, they are the most valuable. Going a step further, cornflower blue from gems mined in Kashmir is actually the most valuable of all the blues. Sapphires are only found in a few locations around the world, the most notable being Kashmir (India), Burma, Australia, Thailand, …

GiftDecember 18, 2019December 18, 2019

Amethyst Jewelry

Amethyst is a gemstone that is used in various types of jewelry. The actual word Amethyst is derived from the Greek word amethystos, which has a literal translation of “remedy against drunkenness”. Amethysts, and all gemstone for that matter, are graded in the exact same way as diamonds. They are graded by their color, clarity, cut and carat weight. Amethysts are known as a variety of crystallized quartz, and are a member of the Quartz family, or to give them their scientific name, silicon dioxide. You will typically find that the crystal structure of an Amethyst is hexagonal.

Amethyst jewelry comes in a wide variety of natural shades and colors. These include purple, bluish-purple and reddish-purple. However, with that said, amethysts in their purest form are actually colorless. An amethyst will produce color due to the absorption of certain wavelengths of light. The color will consist of three separate components which are the hue, which is the initial impression of color. The tone, which is the term given for the lightness or darkness of color and the saturation, which measures the intensity of an Amethyst’s color.

The amethyst is also known as a birthstone for the month of February. It covers the zodiac sign for Aquarius which is known as the water bearer. Amethyst is also a wedding anniversary gemstone that is typically presented for the fourth and sixth year of married life. The amethyst as a birthstone also has certain properties that are associated with the zodiac …

DiamondDecember 6, 2019December 6, 2019

Black Diamonds

Black diamonds are also called carbonado and they date back billions of years to mediaeval times. They are known to be extremely rare and are difficult to cut. They are immensely popular and have traditionally been used as a setting for men’s rings. Black diamonds are believed to have pushed their way to the Earth’s surface approximately 1 million years ago through a series of volcanic eruptions. They are, in fact, regarded as a fairly young clear diamonds, although they were initially formed over 4 billion years ago.

Black diamonds are opaque and are typically full of scratch marks that contain sulphide deposits. They are most abundant in Brazil and are just as hard as the vast majority of clear diamonds. Black diamonds will generally appear to be grey or dark grey, although they do not commonly have a uniformed color. Black diamonds are considered to be extremely tough to cut and this is mainly due to the surface of them being pitted.

There are various myths about Black Diamonds that seem to conflict with each other. Black diamonds are regarded as a curse and a sign of death in India as they are believed to closely resemble the eyes of spiders and snakes. However, with that said, in Italy it is believed that a couple is able to save their marriage simply by touching a black diamond. This action of touching the stone would force your troubles to leave you and then enter the diamond. The world’s largest cut …