01/09/2021
• Mikaelah Egan
Opal is famous for the incredible array of colours displayed, from vibrant reds – the most prized – to velvety purples and everything in between.
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03/08/2021
• Mikaelah Egan
Diaspore derives its name from the Greek word diaspora – meaning ‘to scatter’. The prized colour-change varieties may be better known as Csarite or, formerly, Zultanite.
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15/07/2021
• Arabella Roden • Editor
As the jewellery trade continues to evolve, so too do the tools and equipment used by its workforce, writes ARABELLA RODEN.
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14/07/2021
• Mikaelah Egan
Apatite derives its name from the Greek word apate, meaning to deceive – referring to how this gemstone is often confused with other minerals, including the striking Parai´ba tourmaline.
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09/06/2021
• Mikaelah Egan
Kunzite, a variety of spodumene, is a relatively lesser-known gem in the world of jewellery – yet its beautiful pink-to- violet colouring, owed to the presence of manganese, continues to attract a growing number of admirers and collectors.
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11/05/2021
• Mikaelah Egan
The aptly named moonstone has been associated with the moon across various cultures throughout history. In Hindu mythology, moonstone is believed to be made of solidified moonbeams.
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09/03/2021
• Kathryn Wyatt
Morganite is a pinkish form of beryl. The beryl group of gemstones contains some of the most highly desired and more expensive of the coloured gems – the most famous of which is emerald – with a wide variety of colours represented, ranging from colourless to black.
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04/02/2021
• Arabella Roden • Editor
Arabella Roden explores antique and vintage jewellery to discover what makes this category so compelling – for consumers, collectors, and curators alike.
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27/01/2021
• Kathryn Wyatt
Turquoise has been used as jewellery material for thousands of years and is one of the best-known ornamental gemstones. Finds in archaeological digs in Egypt date back 7,500 years and examples of carved turquoise can be found from 3,000 years ago in China, making it likely one of the first gemstones ever mined.
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02/12/2020
• Susan Hartwig
Lapis lazuli, often shortened to lapis, gained its name from Latin and Persian origins – lazhuward meaning ‘blue’ in Persian and lapis meaning ‘stone’ in Latin. The gem has been highly prized for thousands of years, being used in jewellery, carvings, seals and decorative items.
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05/11/2020
• Susan Hartwig
In part one of the jade series, we noted that the name ‘jade’ is a commercial term used for two minerals: jadeite and nephrite. Last month we focused on jadeite; this month, we focus on nephrite.
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09/04/2020
• Susan Hartwig
Synthetic moissanite is marketed by the jewellery industry as an affordable diamond alternative. Named after Nobel Prize winner and French chemist Henri Moissan, moissanite in its natural form is a rare mineral, silicon carbide.
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16/03/2020
• Susan Hartwig
Chrysoprase is the green variant, and most valuable form, of chalcedony. Its name comes to us from the Greek language, with chrysos being the word for gold and prasinon for green.
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06/02/2020
• Susan Hartwig
The beauty of gemstones resides in the optical properties associated with light, be it light reflected within the body of the gem or from the gem’s surface.
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04/11/2019
• Susan Hartwig
In part two of the Garnet: Gem of Many Colours series, key members of the garnet family will be discussed, together with garnet history – in the jewellery sense – and garnet lore.
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