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| Peridot |
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One gemstone is born in fire: peridot, the volcanic gem. Small
crystals of peridot are often found in the rocks created by volcanoes
and also can be found in meteors that fall to earth! A few samples
of extraterrestrial peridot have even been faceted into gems! The
Romans called peridot "evening emerald," since its green
color did not darken at night but was still visible by lamplight.
Peridot later was also often used to decorate medieval churches,
probably carried back to Europe by the Crusaders. Large peridots,
more than 200 carats in size, adorn the shrine of the three magi
at the Cologne Cathedral.
Peridot had the power to drive away evil spirits and the power was
considered to be even more intense when the stone was set in gold.
Peridot was also said to strengthen the power of any medicine drunk
from goblets carved from the gemstone. Perido is the birthstone
for those born in the month of August.
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| Garnet |
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Garnets - aren't these the wonderfully deep red gemstones
which are often found in antique jewellery? Well, this is only the
partial truth, as a warm and deep red is indeed the most frequently
occurring colour for Garnets. This gemstone family manages to keep
on providing new impulses for the jewellery events in our days. An
expert will understand "Garnet" as the denomination for
a group of over ten different gemstones with a similar chemical structure.
Garnets are gemstones which are in high demand and are often worked
into pieces of jewellery. Besides the realm of Garnets also possesses
rarities such as asterism or atones which change their colour from
daylight to artificial light. What else characterises this gemstone
family? First of all, there is the excellent hardness of 7 to 7.5
on the Mohs' scale. Another point in favour of Garnets is their high
refraction of light, the reason for the amazing brilliance of Garnets.
Garnet is the birthstone for those born in the month of January. |
| Aquamarine |
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From lightest sky-blue to the deep blue of the sea -
aquamarines show all these shades of an exceptionally beautiful range
of usually light blues. It is a truly fascinating stone. Its light
blue arises feelings such as sympathy, trust, harmony or friendship.
Aquamarine is one of our most popular and famous gemstones and is
characterised by many excellent features. It is almost as popular
as the classical stones Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. Aquamarine is
usually almost free of inclusions. It possesses a good hardness (7
_ to 7 _ on the Mohs' scale), and a breathtaking brilliance. Its good
hardness makes it quite robust and protects it generally from getting
scratched. But a really pure and clear blue is still cherished as
typical Aquamarine colour, as it best brings out the immaculate transparency
and high brilliance of this gemstone. Aquamarine is the birthstone
for those born in the month of March. |
| Topaz |
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The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden
glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet
that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz
with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Topaz sometimes has
the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and all the
beautiful warm browns and oranges inbetween. Some rare and exceptional
topaz are pale pink to a sherry red. Its mystical curative powers
waxed and waned with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia,
asthma, and hemorrhages. Today we also have blue topaz, which has
a pale to medium blue color created by irradiation. Topaz is the birthstone
for those born in the month of November. |
| Amethyst |
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Purple has long been considered a royal color so it
is not surprising that amethyst has been so much in demand during
history. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and
were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty.
Amethyst, transparent purple quartz, is the most important quartz
variety used in jewelry. Amethyst ranges in color from pale lilac
to deep purple. The pale colors are sometimes called "Rose de
France" and can be seen set in Victorian jewelry. The deep colors
are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes.
Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, Bolivia and Argentina,
as well as in Zambia, Namibia and other African countries. Amethyst
is the birthstone for those born in the month of February. |
| Citrine |
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Citrine is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks
to the durability and availability of this golden quartz. Named from
the French name for lemon,"citron," many citrines have a
juicy lemon color. Citrine includes yellow to gold to orange brown
shades of transparent quartz. Sunny and affordable, citrine can brighten
almost any jewelry style, blending especially well with the yellow
gleam of polished gold.Most citrine is mined in Brazil. Supply of
citrine is good from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly
from the Serra mine, which is producing 300 kilos a month of hammered
goods. The Iraa mine produces an additional 100 kilos a month of hammered
goods. |
| Iolite |
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The property that made iolite so valuable to the Vikings
is extreme pleochroism. Iolite has different colors in different directions
in the crystal. A cube cut from iolite will look a violetish blue
almost like sapphire from one side, clear as water from the other,
and a honey yellow from the top. This property led some people to
call iolite "water sapphire" in the past, a name that is
now obsolete.Iolite is readily available and surprisingly affordable.
The better and richer the blue, the better. It is mined in India,
Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Brazil. The Vikings probably
mined iolite from deposits in Norway and Greenland.Iolite is relatively
hard but should be protected from blows. With its attractive color
and reasonable price, it may become a jewelry staple in the future.
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