April Birthstone: Diamond

Diamonds are traditionally linked to love, and both endure forever
because of diamond's eternal strength. The name diamond is derived
from the Greek adamas, which means invincible. Traditionally diamond is accepted as the 10th and 60th wedding anniversary presentations.

Diamonds are as popular as ever, and as it is the April birthstone, if you are considering buying one, here are some important facts you should know before whipping out the credit card:



The 4 C's:  Because diamonds (and other gemstones) are so valuable, it is important to have a universal grading system to compare the quality of each stone.

Carat:  One carat is equal to 0.2 grams.  Diamonds plus all other gemstones are weighed in carats.  1 Carat is 100 pts, so a half carat diamond is 50 points.

Colour: Diamonds with less colour have a higher value, the more colourless a diamond is, the more valuable it is. The colour scale starts at D which is colourless and goes all the way to Z.  Coloured diamonds are currently very popular with black, pink and yellow diamonds seen at all the major fashion and celebrity awards in 2010 and 2011.

Cut: There is traditionally 58 facets in a round brilliant cut diamond.  You can buy other fancy shapes like oval, pear, square, marquise, baguette, octagon etc.  The distance from the bottom of the girdle to the culet is the pavilion depth. A pavilion depth that’s too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape through the sides or the bottom of the stone. A well-cut diamond will direct more light through the crown.

Clarity: Because diamonds and other gemstones are made deep within the earth under extreme heat, they often contain flaws or inclusions which are similar to 'birthmarks' and which are unique to each gemstone.  The clarity grading scale ranges from flawless (FL) to diamonds with obvious  inclusions (I3).  Most inclusions are not visible to the naked eye and in many instances add character to the gemstone.

If diamonds are just too expensive, there are a lot of other white/clear gemstones which can make great alternatives:

White Topaz

This naturally occurring colourless variety of Topaz has enjoyed tremendous interest in the past five years. As a natural, semi precious alternative to Diamond or White Sapphire, this stone is a cost effective alternative in everyday jewellery where a white stone is required.

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic Zirconia is a diamond simulant,  rather than being a synthetic diamond. The latter are real diamonds (though produced in a laboratory rather than naturally occurring, by such companies as General Electric and Mitsubishi). A simulant, simply put is a natural or in the case of Cubic Zirconia a synthetic material that can imitate a natural diamond.

White Sapphire

White sapphire is the purest form of sapphire being composed of only AL2O3 (Alumium Oxide).  Sapphires are found in a multitude of colours resulting from the minute inclusions of the crystal lattice. While sapphire is easy to manufacture in sterile laborary conditions, the earth's crust has a habit of adding something in the vast majority of sapphire deposits resulting in displays of colour.  This more than any other factor affects both the prices and scarcity of white natural sapphire.

Our Easter Promotion during the month of April is  20% off all cabochon gemstones on our website. 

Happy gem hunting

March Birthstone: Aquamarine & Bloodstone

Aquamarine has lovely attributes of good health, love, youthfulness, and hope. Sailors believe in its protection. Generally chosen as a 19th anniversary gift, this stone is in the beryl family, the same as emerald. Bloodstone is the astrological alternative.

AQUAMARINE

Aquamarine 14x14 Trillion, 8.24 carats

R 5,825.40

The name Aquamarine is derived from the Latin word for seawater. Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family, which includes Emerald and is known for its delicate blue or blue green colouring. Its association with the sea extends to being a good luck talisman for all seafarers. Aquamarine is the birthstone for March, and  is a popular gemstone having a bright vibrant luster, coupled with a good degree of hardness.

The causal colour agent or pigment in Aquamarine is iron, producing like seawater a vast array of subtle shades, from a deep blue to a green blue colour depending on its concentration. The more saturated or intense the colour, the higher the value, though almost all aquamarine has a light body tone, upon which the saturation is overlaid.
Purchasing Aquamarine

Aquamarine as mentioned is coloured by trace amounts of iron that find their way into the crystal lattice, the total concentration of this element is a determining factor in the intensity or saturation of the stone.  A highly saturated blue is the most desired colour. Lower qualities can however  be enhance by heating to reveal a richer or deeper colour.

Aquamarines of the best quality are eye clean, transparent gems. Some gems can feature  inclusions of long, hollow rods, a Beryl family trademark which can reflect light. Asterism a cat's eye or star effect can occur by the aligning of traces of foreign minerals within the stone. A  rare feature, this manifests itself in translucent examples of the stones as a six rayed star  in a vivid sheen. These rare examples of Aquamarine usually command premium prices.

While Aquamarines can be cut in almost any shape desired, the favored cuts are the simple emerald (step) cut  with long or rectangular shapes and the round brilliant cut. Lower quality stones with a high level of translucency are typically cut en- cabochon.
Mineable Deposits

Most, but not all aquamarines are heat-treated to produce the popular blue-green colours from less desirable yellow or pale stones. Lower quality stones are typically heated to 725-850 degrees F (400-450 degrees C) in order to change the colour in favor of the desired, permanent Aquamarine blue.
Important & Famous Aquamarine

While there have been huge finds of Aquamarine with weights of several tons or more, these have always been of non gem quality material  due to the weak, gray or opaque colour of the deposits. The largest single  find of cuttable quality Aquamarine was made in 1910 in Minas Gerais (Brazil). The stone in question was 243 lb (110.5 kg), 18 inch (48.5 cm) long and 15.5 inch in diameter and  was eventually cut into numerous gems of a total weight of more than 100,000 ct.

According to the maritime legend,  Aquamarine originated in the treasure chest of  mermaids, and since ancient times has as such been regarded as the sailors' lucky stone. Aquamarine is the birthstone for those born in March.

   

BLOODSTONE

Bloodstone 14x7.5mm Cushion Cabochon, 1.089 carats

R 17.67

This opaque dark green Chalcedony is also known as Heliotrope from the Greek word for sun turner. During the middle ages magical powers were ascribed to this interesting gemstone, stemming from the myth that the red spots were drops of the Blood of Christ.

Bloodstone was the original birthstone  for March, but since 1912, has been replaced by Aquamarine. However,  it is still regarded as the astrological gem for Aries.

The green color forming the body of Bloodstone is due to the presence of particles of Chlorite or included hornblende needles in a quartz matrix. The red spots are caused by iron oxide, and not by Red Jasper, as is commonly though. The color is somewhat variable and some specimens of Bloodstone  have very little or no red spots

The classic colour for Bloodstone is Green Chalcedony with red spots of Iron Oxide.  Bloodstone is a daylight stone; under artificial light the subtle flashed of red are not  well displayed.  Although this stone is always opaque it is however commonly cut in many facetted shapes such as rounds and pears, in addition to the expected en cabochon cut.

There are no know treatments for Bloodstone.  There are many myths and legend surrounding Bloodstone. One myths tells that the red spots were drops of the Blood of Christ. In the Middle Ages many believed it was able to stop hemorrhages by merely touching the stone to the effected part. It was also believed to be able to improved circulation.