the gems

ABALONE
Mother of pearl (nacre) from the Paua shell (abalone) mollusc displays a beautiful blue/green iridescence.  Found off the coast of the United States, South Africa and New Zealand.

AMBER
Amber is the fossilised resin of pine trees and can contain ancient seeds and insects.  Most commercial amber is now found around the Baltic coasts of Poland and Russia.  Colours range from pale yellow through to deep cherry red.

AMETHYST, CITRINE, ROSE AND SMOKEY QUARTZ
Transparent rock crystal is the purest form of quartz.  Other types of quartz: amethyst, citrine, rose and smokey quartz all are caused by the presence of chemical impurities, such as iron (amethyst, citrine).  Natural yellow/golden citrine is rare and most commercial citrine has been made by heat-treating amethyst.  Smokey quartz can be found in a range of soft colours from yellowish-brown to dark charcoal brown, nearly black.  In the UK it is also known as Cairngorm or Morion, named after the mining areas in Scotland from which this stone is sourced.

CARNELIAN
Carnelian or cornelian is a variety of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) with a range of colours, from hot bright orange reds to softer browns.  High quality material is semi-transparent and seems to ‘glow’.

CORAL
Corals are small marine animals called polyps.  Living in colonies, they build on the calcified remains of their dead, and form tree-like structures.  Coral branches are found in a variety of colours depending on the coral type, its location and the depth of the water.  In recent times, coral’s popularity has varied as concerns about environmental issues have made jewellery buyers opt for a different stone.  Environmental laws now control the harvesting of coral, protecting reefs from long-term damage.  The threat to varieties of coral which are at risk, come primarily from the fishing industry, global warming (the rise in water temperature) and deep sea oil and gas development, and do not come from the jewellery industry.  Sponge coral is colourful and lightweight, occurring naturally in reds/oranges, yellows and purples.

FRESHWATER PEARLS
Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason that saltwater pearls occur in oysters. Foreign material, usually a sharp object or parasite, enters a mussel and cannot be expelled. To reduce irritation, the mollusc coats the intruder with the same secretion it uses for shell-building, nacre, and a pearl is formed.  Cultured pearls are produced when the irritant, a piece of mother of pearl, is introduced by hand.

GARNET
A silicate gemstone best known for being a deep red color similar to that of a pomegranate seed for which it is named. The birthstone for January.

GOLDSTONE
Goldstone has been used for centuries and is actually a manmade gemstone having been produces by Monks in Northern Italy since around 1590.  Goldstone is a glass containing flecks of copper, which give it its ‘sparkling’ appearance.

JASPER – APACHE, SAFARI, PICASSO…
Jasper is an opaque variety of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz).  It is often strongly marked with interesting patterns that offer excellent design opportunities for jewellery making.

LABRADORITE
Labradorite can display the most wonderful iridescence.  When viewed from different angles the most beautiful gemstones display striking peacock blue flashes or more unusually a rainbow of colours.  This is where minute intergrowths within the feldspar stone scatter and reflect light.  The best labradorite comes from Canada, Labrador and Finland, where it is called spectrolite.

MOONSTONE
Like labradorite, moonstone is a feldspar gemstone and can display a wonderful play of light, creating the characteristic schiller effect.  This is a milky white stone with a beautiful blue flash when viewed from certain angles.

ONYX
Onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). Commonly, specimens of onyx available contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. Pure black onyx is common, and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as onyx with banded colors.

PERIDOT
A rich ‘oily’ green gemstone, derived from the mineral olivine.

SEA OPAL
A synthetic opalized glass used in jewellery - also known as opalite.

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL
Swarovski crystal is one of the finest crystals produced in the world today and is noted for its purity, brilliance and reflective qualities. It is a synthetic crystal produced in Austria using a formula perfected by Daniel Swarovski and his sons at the end of the 19th century. What sets Swarovski crystals apart from other imitations is the superior quality of the cutting and polishing used in the finished product.

TURQUOISE
Turquoise was one of the first gemstones to be mined – over 6000 years ago.  From the earliest times demand has outstripped supply; imitation turquoise has been used since 4000 b.c.

Today turquoise remains highly valued.  As with the majority of coloured stones, most turquoise undergoes various enhancement processes, often to stabilize the material. Some methods are accepted, others are seen as deceptive, all are common practices to improve lower-quality stones.

Turquoise is relatively soft with a waxy lustre.  It is also porous and friable and can deteriorate in contact with perfume/skin oils or dry out.  To prevent this turquoise is usually ‘colour stabilised’ and made more durable by bonding with plastic resins or silica.

Cheaper alternatives to natural/stabilised turquoise include ‘reconstituted’ turquoise - pulverized turquoise rock, mixed with resin, which is injected into a mould to form a solid brick, and then shaped.  Several stones can be dyed to look like turquoise, including howlite, magnesite and dolomite.

I use only natural turquoise, which has been stabilised to prevent crumbling and fading when worn as jewellery.