May day! May day! After the long winter of 2013-14, we need to be rescued by the warmth of spring and the sweet flashes of green. Whether it’s the first leaves emerging on the trees or a bit of emerald sparkling on your finger, the May birthstone bursts with that bit of life we all […]

  By all accounts, the world first fell in love with diamonds that hailed from India. Gathered there from the country’s rivers and streams, some historians estimate that the Indian diamond trade dates from the fourth century BC. Diamonds traveled the trade routes to Western Europe and by the 15th century became the crowning gems […]

The deliciously refreshing pool blue of the March birthstone invites you to dive right into this variety from the Beryl mineral species. Aquamarine’s preferred color is a dark blue to slightly greenish blue with moderate intensity. As discussed in last month’s blog, the mineral beryl is aquamarine’s species, and varieties of beryl include aquamarine and […]

For you love birds out there, here’s a bit of birthstone lore for February. It is said that St. Valentine wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid. Legend tells that this ring signaled Roman soldiers of Valentine’s willingness to perform Christian wedding ceremonies. Another tale shares that Leonardo Da Vinci thought that […]

     Favored by the ancient Egyptians and Romans, prized by nobility and clergy, the grand family of garnet has a  long history. Holding gems of every hue, garnet colors include fiery red, vibrant orange and rare intense-green. One green garnet, called tsavorite, is rare and needs rarer rock chemistries and conditions to form. The gem […]

Into the silvery winter slips a bit of blue sparkle! Just in time for those celebrating December birthdays, we have unwrapped some wonderful blue topaz pieces. If you are following the blog regularly, you will know that we covered the aspects of topaz in November. The golden-brown variety is the stone of choice for that […]