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Semi-Precious Stones Includes all gems outside the range of diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, which are still highly priced when set in precious metals for fine jewelry. They have appeal, as well as commercial value, but they are not as expensive or as rare as precious stones. There are exceptions to this rule; Tanzanite is not considered a precious gem, but it is rarer by far than a diamond and therefore highly sought after. Other exceptions are opals, certain garnets, and alexandrite. Each variety of stone is known for it's individual properties and color. We are very demanding when choosing stones for our clients, and again we never use synthetic or lab created stones.
Unlike precious stones, some semi-precious stones do have inclusions, others are very few or none sometimes. Stones such as tourmalines, tanzanites, alexandrite and spessartite garnets generally do have a bit more inclusions. While other semi-precious stones such as rhodolite garnets, amethysts, aquamarines, peridots, opals, citrines and topaz have very, very slight inclusions, that are not visible to the naked eye.
Garnets are the birthstone for the month of January. They are very popular and versatile gems for jewelry on the market today. Garnet comes in many different variety of colors, ranging from brownish red to tangerine orange to deep wine red, lime green to deep bright green, as well as color changing garnets, it changes color under different light, it range from translucent green to pale brown and to green jade color similar to alexandrite. Garnets have a wide range of calibrated sizes and all shapes, larger size stones are rare which normally are cut in its own free style shape with more fancy facets. Garnets are mined thousands of years ago and found all over the world, including Africa, Australia, North/South America, Southeast Asia and others. It has a 6.5 to 7.5 hardness on the Mohs' scale and can be mount on fine jewelry. Amethysts are the birthstone for month of February. Like garnets, amethysts are extremely popular gems for jewelry because of the variety of colors ranging from pale lilac to rich deep purple, wide range of calibrated many sizes and available in all shapes including fancy and free style, and still very affordable. Amethysts are mined in many part of the world, like Brazil, Australia, Bolivia, Argentina, Namibia and other part of Africa. Occasionally, amethysts that are found with the combination of citrine in its to combined into a single stone will considered ametrine. And it has a 7 hardness on the Mohs' scale which still durable for your everyday beautiful jewelry.
Aquamarines are the birthstone for the month of March. It is one of the mineral beryl, derives its name from the Latin term for water of the sea. Emeralds are mined in many exotic places around the world, including Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Russia, Zimbabwe, Southeast Asia and others. But most of the emeralds available in the market today come from Brazil. Aquamarines have many shades of blue, ranging from pale pastel to greenish blue and to deep sky blue. And golden beryl is also called yellow aquamarine. Its color ranging from lemon-yellow to golden-yellow. But the best and most highly sought after color is deeper, purer, sky blue, with no tints of greenish or yellowish cast. Deeper colors are usually in larger size stones, calibrated sizes and shapes are multifarious in the market, but most common shape aquamarines are rectangle, also called emerald cut. And it has a 7.5-8 hardness on the Mohs' scale, a very substantial gemstones for all your beautiful jewelry.
Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April. Diamonds are the most precious gems and the highest prized substances on earth for thousands of years. It is the only known gemstone that has a 10 hardness on the Mohs' scale. With its exceptional brilliancy, elegantly, ravishingly, attractively, and absolutely durability. Diamond has been mysteriously captivated the imagination of our entire endless enlightenment. Therefore, it has come to symbolize the ultimate gift of true love and romance.
Pearls are one of the birthstone for the month of June. They have been seen as a symbol of wealth and power throughout history. Natural pearls and cultured pearls can be found in a wide variety of colors from white to cream, light pink cast, silver, or gray color. These colors are seen as the most common among the various colors, but there are also other colors such as the black pearl. This rare pearl can only be found off the shores of Tahiti and no where else in the entire world. Colors can often vary from light gray or peacock to black. Also referred to as Tahitian pearls, these beautiful black pearls are often imitated by pearls which are dyed to duplicate the rare black color. Tahitian pearls come no smaller than 9mm and larger. Any smaller pearl is not a Tahitian pearl and is merely an imitation.
Natural Pearls: Websters dictionary defines a pearl as a dense variously colored and usually lustrous concretion formed of concentric layers of nacre as an abnormal growth within the shell of some mollusks and used as a gem. Natural pearls once were prized possession and were abundant. Now due to economic change, over fishing, and pollution, they have virtually disappeared.
Cultured Pearls: All culture pearls differ from natural pearls because they are real pearls created with human assistance in laboratories. Technicians insert a nuclei into a mollusks which triggers it to secret nacre around the nuclei. The pearls are then harvested after at least eighteen months. But the longer the pearl stays inside the mollusks, the thicker its outside layer becomes which gives it a gorgeous luster. This ultimately creates a cultured pearl. The differences between a cultured and a natural pearl are extremely difficult to tell, but with laboratory testing it is possible to distinguish the two. Also, cultured pearls acquire a more spherical shape than a natural pearl. There are different types of cultured pearls include South Sea, Tahitian, freshwater, mabé, blister, and baroque pearls. All pearls have 2.5 - 4.5 hardness on the Mohs' scale, will make gorgeous jewelry for all time.
Alexandrite is one of the original birthstone for the month of June. It is one of the world‘s most fascinating, unique, and most expensive semi-precious gems throughout history, rarest as well. It is a variety of Chrysoberyl mineral family, that created a manifest natural color. The color itself changes depending on the angle and under different lights. The colors can range anywhere from blue to green, to red, to purple. But the stone will naturally darken when out of direct sunlight because it takes in most colors of the spectrum. The origin of most alexandrites is primarily from Russia, but has been found in a few other places as well. It has a hardness of 8.5 on Mohs' scale. Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August. Most peridots today are mostly mined in Arizona by Native Americans. Some are from Brazil, Hawaii, Italy, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and many other places in the world. They are prized for their elegant lime color. But they can also be found in different shades of lime hues ranging from yellow-green to olive-green to brownish-green. This stone is very popular because of its affordable prices when compared to emerald, while still having a beautiful green hue. Sizes and shapes that are under 3.00ct are calibrated and very affordable, but above 3.00ct are rare and quiet costly. It has a hardness of 6.5-7mm, still very durable for beautiful jewelry. Opal is one of the birthstone for the month of October. The vast majority of the world's opal today comes from Australia. Black opal is the rarest variety and therefore the most valuable. White opal is also mined in Brazil. Fire and crystal opals can be found in the United States (Nevada) and Mexico. Brilliance of color and color pattern are critical in determining the value of opal. Opals with strong flashes of red fire are generally the most prized and desirable. Opal occurs in many different colors ranging from white to yellow, to orange, to red, blue and green. Opal has it own unique rainbow color changes as the light hit depending upon the individual silica spheres alignment. It has a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 on Mohs' scale.
Tourmaline is an alternate birthstone for the month of October. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious gemstone, one of the most expensive and rarest. This remarkable gem comes in a wide variety of colors, it's ranging from pale pink to red, olive green to deep, dark green, and to vivid blue. Sometimes, Mother Nature combines bi-colored tourmaline that may be green at one end and pink at the other, or green on the outside and pink at the inside: this type is called watermelon tourmaline, extremely rare and costly. Most of the watermelon tourmalines are not calibrated sizes, they belong to the triangular or rectangular crystal system and they occur as long, slender, and elongated of the emerald cut stones. All other tourmalines like pink, red, and etc. are available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes. Tourmalines are mined chiefly in Brazil, Africa, United States, and many other exotic places in the world. It has a 7-7.5 hardness on Mohs' scale, still a very durability for all beautiful jewelry.
Citrine is the birthstone for the month of November. Most citrines in the market today are mined in Brazil. Citrines are the most affordable of all the earth-toned gemstones in recent years because of its bright lemony hues that mix better with pastel colors. It's ranging from golden hues lemon to sun yellow to gold, as well as oranges, browns, and deep madeira red. And it is also available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including very large sizes. As with other stones, citrine in very large sizes (above five carats) in rich, deep colors has always been rare and therefore the most valuable form of the gem. Although this stone's dark orange and red shades traditionally have been the most prized. Occasionally, Mother Nature combines the colors of amethyst and citrine into a single gemstone called ametrine. Citrine has 7 hardness on Mohs' scale, which makes it very durable for all fine jewelry.
Blue Topaz is the birthstone for the month of December. Blue topaz is extremely popular today due to its color, clarity, durability, and availability. It's a great demand substitution for aquamarine. Topaz is mined mainly in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Southeast Asia. Blue topaz has a definite, uniform color ranging from sky blue to Swiss blue and to London blue. Imperial shades are the rarest and therefore, the most valuable. 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, as well as orange-yellow, red, honey-brown, light green, blue and pink. Topaz has 8 hardness on the Mohs' scale, it is exceptionally strong and durable and well-suited to everyday wear jewelry.
Tanzanite is one of the most well known, expensive and extremely rare gems known in the jewelry world. This rare, exotic gem was first discovered in Tanzania, Africa in 1967. It is absolutely the only known location mining site for tanzanites in the world. The stone was named after its country of origin by Tiffany & Co. in New York. The world-renowned jeweler first introduced tanzanite to the market in 1969 and began to aggressively market it to the public in the 1980s. Tanzanite, a variety of the mineral zoisite, manifest in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colors. No pure blue, the gem mostly displays signature overtones of purple. In smaller sizes, it tends toward lighter tones, with lavender the most common. In larger sizes, the gem typically displays deeper, richer blues and purples with red flashes. With this mesmerizing saturation of color that has made tanzanite the number one sought after of all gemstones. In 1998 and 1999, it was proclaimed the number one colored gemstone sold worldwide. Although supply shortages in recent years have caused price fluctuations and hampered productions. Tanzanite has a 6.5 to 7 hardness on Mohs' scale, still very durable for beautiful jewelry. And because of its many, many more demand in the market, this unbelievable magnificent gem continues to grow throughtout the entire jewelry world.
Maintaining Lustrous Pearls:
To take care of your pearls, remember that there are a few tips to keep in mind.
1. First of all, never use an ultrasonic to clean your pearls.
2. Keep pearls away from steam and other liquid cleaners or dangerous chemicals.
3. Avoid using hair spray, perfume, and liquid cosmetics around your pearls.
4. Pearls are sensitive and even too much perspiration can damage them.
5. Clean pearls with a soft clean cloth after wearing.
6. Last but not least, do not forget to restring them at least once a year if worn frequently.
Most semi-precious and some precious stones you see today, everywhere are received some sort of enhancements such as irradiating, heating, or treating. These measures are considered safe and are endorsed by the American and International Association of Jewelers.
Moh's Scale of Hardness: Amethyst: 7 Peridot: 6.5 - 7 Aquamarine: 7.5 - 8 Ruby: 9
Citrine: 7 Sapphire: 9 Diamond: 10 Tanzanite: 6.5 - 7 Emerald: 7.5 - 8 Topaz: 8 Garnet: 6.5 - 7.5 Tourmaline: 7 - 7.5
Opal: 5.5 - 6.5 Pearl: 2.5 - 4.5
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