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Chemical Formula: Be3Al₂SiO₆ Hardness: 7.5 - 8 Specific Gravity: 2.6 - 2.8

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Aquamarine is a transparent pale blue to light greenish blue variety of beryl used as a gemstone. A truly fascinating stone, Aquamarine is the source of inspiration for the artists for innovative cuts than from other stones. The distinct and appealing color arises emotions of sympathy, trust, harmony or friendship. As per the legend, the origin of Aquamarine is believed to be in the treasure chest of the legendary mermaids and is renowned to be a lucky stone for sailors. Its name has been derived from the Latin terms "aqua" meaning water, and "mare" or sea. Related to Emerald, Aquamarine belongs to the gemstone family of Beryls with the color being more evenly distributed in Aquamarine than in Emerald. Aquamarine is usually free of inclusions and possesses a superior brilliance. The more intense the color of an Aquamarine, the higher its value. The variety of shades of Aquamarine are known by their unique names: "Santa Maria" is the name for the rare Aquamarine found in the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil. Some other are denoted as "Santa Maria Africana" found in Aquamarine gemstone mines Mozambique, in Africa. Those from Brazil are given the name "Espirito Santo" from the state of Espirito Santo. Aquamarines are also found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan. With the divine and eternal color of the skies, the clear and transparent gemstone is often used for modern jewelry design with stylish and elegant cuts that makes it truly appealing and beautiful.

Amethyst is a stone of spirituality and contentment. It has the ability to absorb negative energy while emitting positive energy. It is considered a stone of wisdom as it increases ones psychic awareness. Amethyst is worn to enhance intuition, inspire creativity and encourage peace and stability.

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, Bolivia and Argentina, as well as in Zambia, Namibia and other African countries.

Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.

Amethyst is available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including many fancy shapes. Large fine stones may be sold in free sizes but generally amethyst is cut in standardized dimensions.

Blue topaz has become one of the most popular gemstones on the market today, due to its clarity, durability, availability and affordable cost. Yet it is a shade of topaz rarely found in nature. The stone's watery blue color is most often created through a combination of heat treatment and irradiation.

Topaz is one of the well-known pegmatite minerals that also includes beryl and tourmaline. Blue topaz is the birthstone for December - and is also the recommended gemstone for couples celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary.

Blue topaz has a definite, uniform color ranging from sky blue to Swiss blue. It is sometimes confused with the more costly aquamarine - yet whereas aquamarine sometimes has a greenish-blue or bluish-green tint, blue topaz will always look blue or bluish gray. The one exception is for surface-enhanced topaz, a process introduced in 1998 that enhances the stone's appearance and brings out colors such as blue to greenish-blue to emerald green.

Most blue topaz starts life as a colorless or slightly tinted topaz from places like Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and China. It is then irradiated (to incite the color change) and heated (to stabilize the change). The result is a permanent aqua shade. To get deep blue color out of topaz, treaters use neutron bombardment in a nuclear reactor and market the final product under the name "London blue." In fact, neutron bombardment is the only means by which to produce smaller calibrated stones with deep color.

Despite the stone's exposure to irradiation, experts say it poses no health hazard whatsoever to the wearer.

In addition to blue, the stone comes in a variety of colors, including golden yellow, orange-yellow, reddish-orange, sherry red, deep pink, honey brown, light green, and many shades in between.

Topaz holds the distinction of being the gemstone thought to have the widest rage of curative powers. According to legend, the stone can dispel enchantment and improve the eyesight. The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invisible in times of emergency. Topaz is also said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink. Throughout history, different cultures have believed that the stone could cure insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages; bring friendship; promote patience and a pleasant disposition, and ensure fidelity. To the ancients, it was also a symbol of love and affection and was even thought to ward off sudden death.

With a ranking of "8" on the Mohs scale of hardness, blue topaz is exceptionally strong and durable and well-suited to everyday wear. However, it should be protected against hard blows that can split, crack or chip it.

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.

Citrine does not hold negative energy, rather is dissipates and transmutes energy. Citrine is referred to as the “merchant stone” because it helps to acquire prosperity. It is great for problem solving as it energizes and strengthens the solar plexus. It is a stone of happiness, openness, light, optimism and fresh beginnings. It also helps with depression.

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 Ira’ mine produces an additional 100 kilos a month of hammered goods.

Chrome Diopside is colored green because it contains Chromium. Chromium is the Latin name for the element also denoted Cr on the periodic table of elements - element number 24. In French, the name is Chrome. Many gem names are taken from the French language -- but you'll notice that the name Chrome Diopside is not nearly as beautiful as some other gem names -- however, don't let that fool you because this gem is incredible.

The crystal structure of chromium is a cubic body centered. The diopside chemical formula is CaMgSi2O6. With Chrome Diopside, the diopside is rich in chromium. Therefore, the chemical formula is CaMg (Fe,Cr)Si2O6 (The iron binds with the Chromium into the mineral content.) There are other varieties of diopside; however, chrome diopside is the rich-green color gem grade variety.

It has 2 cleavage angles and is prismatic. The specific gravity is 3.3-3.6.

The chrome rich variety comes from Siberia within Russia.

GARNET is one of the most versatile stones on the market. It comes in a rainbow of colors, from deep red to tangerine orange to lime green to pale pink, as well as purple, gold and brown.

Garnet is found all over the world, including Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Southeast Asia. There are garnets that change color in different light, translucent green garnets that look like jade, and garnets that display a faint four-rayed star. Even though this exciting gem has been mined for thousands of years, new deposits have been found in the last decade.

This stone is actually part of a family of gems with mineral and color differences that include Rhodolite, Malaya, Demantoid, Grossular, Hessonite, Spessartite, Almandine, Mandarin, and combinations of these varieties.

RED GARNET (Almandine), the most common type, is dark red to brownish red. Pyrope is blood red.

RHODOLITE, one of the most popular varieties, ranges from pink to purplish red and is mined in Africa, India and Sri Lanka.

TSAVORITE is bright yellow green to grass green and is also mined in Tanzania and Kenya.

HESSONITE & SPESSARITE mostly come in golds, oranges and browns.

As the most common types of garnet, almandine and pyrope are also the most affordable. But tsavorite and demantoid are quite rare and can cost several thousand dollars per carat depending on size and quality. Bright colors usually command higher prices than gems with light or dark hues. The stone also is available in a variety of sizes, depending on the type of garnet. Larger stones are available in the more common types and exceedingly scarce in more valuable tsavorites and demantoids.

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.

Pleochroism may have been helpful in navigation but it makes things difficult for a gem cutter. If iolite is not cut from exactly the right direction, no matter the shape of the rough, its color will not show to its best advantage.

Iolite is usually a purplish blue when cut properly, with a softness to the color that can be quite attractive.

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.

Iolite attracts friends and releases an energy of leadership and self-confidence. It helps the wearer to take charge of their life and broaden their perspective, leading to success in their endeavors. Iolite also helps to eliminate debt by encouraging the wearer to take responsibility on how to manage finances.

Peridot is an excellent stone for cleansing, healing and aligning the heart chakra. It releases energy of softness and warmth and is nurturing to the wearer.

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!

Peridot is the gem form of the mineral olivine. Because the iron which creates the color is an integral part of its structure, it is found only in green, ranging from a summery light yellowish green to a 7-up bottle green.

Peridot is the birthstone for August.

Peridot is mostly mined by Native Americans in Arizona on the San Carlos Reservation. Fine large peridot are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and peridot is also mined in China and Sri Lanka.

In 1994, an exciting new deposit of peridot was discovered in Pakistan, and these stones are among the finest ever seen. The new mine is located 15,000 feet above sea level in the Nanga Parbat region in the far west of the Himalaya Mountains in the Pakistanian part of Kashmir. Beautiful large crystals of peridot were found, some that cut magnificent large gemstones. One stone was more than 300 carats! This new discovery, combined with fashion's passion for lime green, has revived interest in peridot and increased the popularity of this gemstone.

Although peridot is treasured in Hawaii as the goddess Pele's tears, almost all of the peridot sold in Hawaii today is from Arizona, even though peridot is produced by Hawaii's volcanoes. The island of Oahu even has beaches made out of olivine grains but unfortunately they are much too small to cut into peridot!

Color: Pink or pinkish purple Mined: Can be found throughout the world, Rhodesia, Madagascar, North Carolina and Tanzania Moh's Hardness: 7-7.5 Birthstone: no Rhodolite Garnet is an extremely transparent stone that has been a top choice of our customers for a long time. "Rhodolite" originates from the two Greek words Rho'don (Rose) & Lithos (Stone). It's deep red interior comes from the Pyropenalmandine family and can be found in the United States, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Sri lanka.

Ruby has been the world's most valued gemstone for thousands of years. Ruby was said to be the most precious of the twelve stones God created when he created all things and this "lord of gems" was placed on Aaron's neck by God's command. The bible says that wisdom is "more precious than rubies," that is to say very valuable indeed. In the ancient language of Sanskrit, ruby is called ratnaraj, or "king of precious stones" and ratnanayaka, "leader of precious stones."

Rubies are today still more valuable and rare than even the top quality colorless diamonds

Top rubies are so rare even the world's top gem dealers must incessantly comb estate sales and auctions to find them. Sizes above five carats are particularly rare.

Ruby is the gem quality of the mineral corundum, one of the most durable minerals which exists, a crystalline form of aluminium oxide. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and is also extremely tough. In its common form, it is even used as an abrasive.

SAPPHIRE is a are part of the corundum family, one of the strongest minerals on earth. The stone is mined in many parts of the world, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Kashmir, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Sapphires from Kashmir and Myanmar are rarest and most prized because of their vivid blue, velvety look.

Although sapphire is virtually synonymous with blue, the stone also comes in a variety of fancy colors that includes colorless/white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green and many shades in between (except red, because a red sapphire would be called a ruby). Some sapphires that are cut into a cabochon (dome) shape even display a six-rayed white star. These are called star sapphires, and the ancients regarded them as powerful talismans that protected travelers.

Sapphire is readily available in sizes of up to 2 carats, but gems of 5-10 carats are not unusual. The stone is most often cut in a cushion shape - a rounded rectangle - or an oval. But smaller stones are available in round brilliant cuts and a variety of fancy shapes, such as triangle, square, emerald, marquise, pear, baguette, cabochon and others.

With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is harder than any other gemstone except a diamond. This quality makes it extremely durable for everyday jewelry pieces subject to repeated impact, such as rings and bracelets. In general, sapphire can be cleaned with soapy water or commercial solvent and a brush.

It is estimated that about 90% of sapphires on the market today have been heated to maximize their color and clarity. This process is permanent and completely stable. Perfect natural, untreated gems are exceptionally rare and very expensive. Some colorless or pale stones are treated with chemicals (diffusion treated), which improves the surface color only. This could create a problem if the stone is ever chipped or nicked and needs to be recut or repolished. In addition, some fancy colored sapphire is irradiated to give it a more intense shade. These effects are temporary and can fade in light or heat. Smokey Quartz is a stone that helps to ground and connect the wearer to the earth, allowing them to keep their feet on the ground and remain balanced. It assists in removing mental and emotional blockages, relieving pain and dispersing negativity from the body. It is worn for emotional support and helps to dissolve anger and resentment.

Chemistry: Mn3Al2(SiO4)3 Manganese aluminum silicate (var. garnet) Mined: USA, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Madagascar Sri Lanka. Moh's Hardness: 7-7.5 Spessartite Garnets, also known as Spessartite, are the orange to red orange variety, often referred to as "root beer" colored Garnets. The name is derived from Spessart, Germany, where this variety was first discovered. Today, Brazil, Madagascar and Sri Lanka are the primary locations where this orange variety of Garnet is mined.

Tourmaline balances female and male energies within the body. It is a powerful healer that helps to let go of pain and uncertainty by assisting in balancing the heart chakra.

Ranging in a never ending spectrum of colors from electric reds to neon blue-greens to glowing pinks to outrageous mixed two and three-tone colors and unusual yet fascinating watermelon effects, tourmalines have a visual charm that make them extremely popular and highly prized. Perhaps color-wise the most diverse of all the gem groups, tourmaline’s large crystal sizes and relatively low prices make them the perfect gem type for colorfully strong, large eye-catching gem set jewelry …

First discovered in Kenya in 1968 Tsavorite was the first Green Garnet the world had known since small Russian deposits of Demantoid Garnet had run out in the late 19th century. Today Tsavorite's gorgeous bright green shades are rapidly growing in popularity as new digs in both Kenya and Tanzania turn up fabulous new sources.

Named for the Tsavo National Park - one of the world's largest wildlife sanctuaries, where hippos and crocodiles luxuriate in the Mzima Springs while snakes and man-eating lions do their utmost to scare gem-miners away!

Tsavorite is a green variant of grossular garnet (Ca3Al2(SiO4)3) which gets its coloring from vanadium &/or chromium impurities. Tsavorite is a robust gem suitable for all jewelry types. Refractive Index : 1.74 Specific Gravity : 3.60-3.68 Moh's Scale of Hardness : 7-7.5

Garnets are a group of related minerals, containing cubic crystalline structure with slight variations in their chemical compositions. In all, there are 7 major types of Garnets, which include Almandine, Pyrope, Spessartine, Grossular, Andradite, Rhodolite and Malaia.

Tsavorite ranges from light green to very dark. The finest stones are eye clean with an intense medium green color. Tsavorite has grown tremendously in popularity in recent years as more stable supplies have reached the world market.

When evaluating all types of Garnets, color is the most important characteristic. The color must be intense and uniform with a tone that is not too light or too dark. Fine Garnets should be eye clean with minimal inclusions under magnification. Size is also a very critical determinant of the stone's value.