October Birthstone - Opal & Pink Tourmaline

October Birthstone Opal

Birthstone: Opal
Moh's hardness: 5 1/2- 6 1/2
Specific Gravity: 2.50
Color: All colors, partially play-of-color Chemical Composition: SiO2, nH2O, hydrous silcon dioxide

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The Opal treats the eye to an explosion of shimmering colors, not unlike those of a magnificent rainbow following a summer rain. The Opal derives its name from the Latin word "opalus," meaning precious jewel. Prized for its unique ability to refract and reflect specific wavelengths of light, the Opal was called "Cupid Paederos" by the Romans, meaning a child beautiful as love. One Legendary explanation for this gemstone's origin is that it fell from heaven in a flash of fiery lightning.

Opal dates back to prehistoric times. It is a non-crystallized silica, which is a mineral found near the earth's surface in areas where ancient geothermal hot springs once existed. As the hot springs dried up, layers of the silica combined with water, were deposited into cracks and cavities of bedrock, forming Opal. This gemstone actually contains up to 30% water, so it must be protected from heat or harsh chemicals, both of which will cause drying and may lead to cracking or loss of iridescence. Opal must also be guarded from blows, since it is relatively soft and breaks easily.

A gift of Opal is symbolic of faithfulness and confidence. The powerful energy radiating from this fiery gemstone will surely illuminate any occasion.

October Alternate Birthstone: Pink Tourmaline

Birthstone: Pink Tourmaline
Moh's hardness: 7-71/2
Specific Gravity: 3.32
Color: Pink

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Pink Tourmaline has the seemingly magical property of pyroelectricity.
Scientifically speaking, this means that when heated, the gem takes on a static electric charge, making it capable of attracting lightweight objects. No wonder this gemstone was revered for it's mystical properties centuries ago. Considered the "stone of the muse," it is believed to stimulate the creative process of it's wearer.

Pink varieties of Tourmaline range in color from pastel pink to ruby red and are mined in Brazil, Afghanistan, Burma, and India. A gift of this stone is symbolic of hope.

Facts you should know about GOLD

Gold, recognizable by its yellowish cast, is one of the oldest metals used by humans. As far back as the Neolithic period, humans have collected gold from stream beds, and the actual mining of gold can be traced as far back as 3500 B.C., when early Egyptians (the Sumerian culture of Mesopotamia) used mined gold to craft elaborate jewelry, religious artifacts, and utensils such as goblets.

Golds aesthetic properties combined with its physical properties have long made it a valuable metal. Throughout history, gold has often been the cause of both conflict and adventure, the destruction of both the Aztec and Inca civilizations, for instance, and the early American gold rushes to Georgia, California, and Alaska.

About 65 percent of processed gold is used in the arts industry, mainly to make jewelry. Besides jewelry, gold is also used int the electrical, electronic, and ceramics industries. These industrial applications have grown in recent years and now occupy an estimated 25 percent of the gold market. The remaining percentage of mined gold is used to make a type of ruby colored glass called purple of Cassius, which is applied to office building windows to reduce the heat in the summer, and to mirrors used in space and in electroscopy so that they reflect the infrared spectrum.

Golds one drawback for use in industry is that it is a relatively soft metal. To combat this weakness, gold is usually alloyed with another member of the metal family such as silver, copper, platinum, or nickel. Gold alloys are measured by karats. A karat is a unit of equal to 1/24 part of pure gold in an alloy. Thus,24 karat (24k) gold is pure gold, while 18 karat (18K) is 18 parts pure gold to 6 parts other metal, 14 karat (14k)is 14 parts pure gold to 10 parts other metal, and 10 karat (10K) is 10 parts pure gold to 14 parts other metal. The less gold in jewelry the stronger the piece of jewelry is.

June Birthstones - Pearl & Alexandrite

Pearl & Alexandrite Education - June Birthstone

Birthstone: Pearl
Moh's hardness: 2 1/2 - 4 1/2
Color: White, pink, silver, cream, golden- colored, green, blue, black
Chemical Composition: Calcium carbonate,organic substances and water.

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From one of the humblest of life forms, the mollusk, comes the Pearl, a gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance. Ancient civilizations had many stories to explain the origin of June's birthstone, such as the Greek belief was that Pearls were the hardened tears of joy that the goddess of love shook from her eyes. According to Arab legend, pearls were formed when oysters were lured from the depths of the ocean by the beautiful moon and then swallowed moonlit dewdrops, and the Ancient Chinese thought that these gems originated from the brains of dragons.

The scientific explanation for natural pearls is almost as mystifying as folklore.
When an irritant, such as a small parasite or a fish lodges in the flesh of the oyster, mussel, or clam, a protective substance called "nacre" is produced.
Over years, layer upon layer of shimmering nacre coats the intruder, creating a lustrous pearl. Natural pearls are relatively rare, so a process evolved in which a piece of shell or bead was placed inside the mollusk to stimulate the production of nacre. This results in a cultured pearl, which accounts for about 90 percent of the pearl industry.

Pearls have been a passion and even an obsession of people throughout the ages. They have been ground up and used in cosmetics and as medicine to treat heart and stomach conditions. Some cultures swear by pearls as an aphrodisiac. These gems have adorned crowns, clothing, and temples, and where said to be a favorite of Cleopatra.

June Birthstone Alternate: Alexandrite

Birthstone: Alexandrite
Moh's hardness: 8 1/2
Specific Gravity: 3.78
Color: Color changing stone from, green
to red, blue-green, to purplish-red
Chemical Composition: BeAl2o4 beryllium
aluminum oxide

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Alexandrite is one of the rarest gemstones. It is named after the Russian tsar Alexander II (1818-1881) the very first crystals having been discovered in April 1834 in the emerald mines near the Tokovaya River in the Urals.
The discovery was made on the day the future tsar came of age. Although Alexandrite is a relatively young gemstone, it certainly has a noble history.
Since it shows both red and green, the principal colors of old Imperial Russia, it inevitably became the national stone of tsarist Russia.

Beautiful Alexandrite in top quality, however, is very rare indeed and hardly ever used in modern jewelry. In antique Russian jewelry you may come across it with a little luck, since Russian master jewelers loved this stone. Tiffany's master gemologist George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) was also fascinated by Alexandrite, and the jeweler's firm produced some beautiful series of rings and platinum ensembles at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Smaller Alexandrites were occasionally also used in Victorian jewelry from England.

The most sensational feature about this stone, however is its surprising ability to change color. Green or bluish-green in daylight, Alexandrite turns a soft shade of red, purplish-red or raspberry red in incandescent light. This unique optical characteristic makes it one of the most valuable gemstones of all, especially in fine qualities.

Alexandrite is very scarce, this is due to its chemical composition. It is basically Chrysoberyl, a mineral consisting of colorless or yellow transparent Chrysoberyl.

Emerald Education - May Birthstone

May Birthstone Emerald

Birthstone: Emerald
Moh's hardness: 7.5-8
Specific Gravity: 2.78
Color: Emerald green, green, slightly
yellowish-green
Chemical Composition: Al2,Be3,Si6,O18,
aluminum beryllium sillcate

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The name Emerald derives from Greek smaragdos. It means "green stone" and, in ancient times, referred not only to Emeralds but also probably to most green stones.

Emerald is the most precious stone in the beryl group. Often the Emerald is clouded by inclusions. These are not necessarily classified as faults, but are evidence as to the genuineness of the stone as compared with synthetic and other imitations. The experts refers to these inclusions as jardin ( French---garden)

Emeralds are always green, if the stone has too much blue in it, then it is Aquamarine. Pink beryl is Morganite, yellow beryl is Golden Beryl, yellow-green beryl is Heliodor. There is also a rare red beryl. An Emerald of the right shade of green can be more valuable than a Diamond.

Folklore has it that Emerald can help heal the physical heart as well as love. Emerald will help backaches when worn on the index finger of the left hand. Some cultures thought the Emerald would heal any disease of the eye, and others thought that the Emerald was a stone of great harmony, wisdom and love. Giving your lover an Emerald will bring the lover closer if the givers motives are pure love.

April Birthstone - Diamond

April Birthstone Diamond

Birthstone: Diamond
Moh's hardness: 10
Specific Gravity: 4.1
Color: Colorless, yellow,orange, brown, black
rarely red, blue, green, pink and purple
Chemical Composition: C, crystallized carbon

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Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. They are more brilliant than any other natural gem. Their fire, durability, and rarity make them the most prized of gems.

The most popular diamonds are colorless. However, most diamonds have a light tint, usually yellowish or brownish. Yellow diamonds as of recently have gained popularity and are commonly available. Perfectly clear diamonds are much more valuable than tinted diamonds. Very rarely, diamond occurs in deep hues of red, blue, and green. Such diamonds, known as "fancies", are extremely valuable.

Only 20 percent of mined diamonds are used in jewelry, as most are unsuitable.
A flawless diamond is exceptional, even diamonds used as gems contain flaws.
A grading system instituted by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), was implemented to evaluate diamonds based on their clarity. Three additional evaluation systems were devised by the GIA. This leads to the four attributes, known as "the four C's", in which diamonds are evaluated. The four C's are, Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat weight.

Many gems resemble diamond. However, only few have a luster and fire similar to diamond. The closest to the Diamond is the created Moissanite.

Amethyst Education - February Birthstone

February Birthstone Amethyst

Birthstone: Amethyst
Moh's hardness: 7
Specific Gravity: 2.65
Color: Various shades of Purple
Chemical Composition: Si02, silicon dioxide

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Amethyst is the purple variety of the quartz family, and the most valued member of of the quartz family. It must be purple to be Amethyst, but it can display a range of shades including deep purple, light lilac, lavender, and mauve. Top quality Amethyst is a deep medium purple with rose-colored flashes. It's purple color made it a stone of royalty for many thousands of years.

Amethyst can occur as crystals that are six sided on either end. It also forms as drusy which are crystalline crusts covering the host rock. It is found inside geodes and in allucial deposits all around the world and occurs in both crystalline or massive forms.
When manganese is present in clear quartz Amethyst is produced, while the amount of iron contained in the specimen accounts for the depth of purple.

Most Amethyst gemstones on the marked today are heat treated to produce a deeper color. Heat treating is permanent and these stones will not fade over time. Unless otherwise stated assume that any Amethyst you purchase today has been heat treated to increase the depth of color. Also note that most Citrine available on the market today is actually heat treated Amethyst.

Folklore has it that Amethyst has been used to guard against drunkenness and is thought to be helpful in overcoming addiction. It has been used for hearing disorders, insomnia, headaches and other pain. Some sources suggest it is used to stabilize mental disorders.

Citrine Education - November Birthstone

Birthstone: November
Moh's hardness: 7
Specific Gravity: 2.65
Color: Light yellow to dark yellow
golden brown, brownish red
Chemical Composition: SI02,silicon dioxide Refractive Index: 1.544-1.553

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The name Citrine comes from an old French word, "citrin", meaning lemon.
Citrine is as warm as a Van Gogh painting of Sunflowers, it is one of the more rare forms of quartz. This gemstone ranges in color from the palest yellow to a dark amber named Madeira because of its resemblance to the red wine.

The Romans were thought to be the first to wear the yellow quartz, crafting it into cabochon, or highly polished but unfaceted cuts of stone set into jewelry. Citrine became more popular during the Romantic Period, when artisans often favored these warm colored gems to enhance gold jewelry.

Citrine, like all forms of quartz, was believed to have magical powers.
Folklore has been said that Citrine is believed to help the heart, kidney, digestive tract, liver and muscles. It was also said that Citrine promotes creativity, helps personal clarity and eliminates self destructive tendencies .

Most Citrine is heat treated to bring out the color. Natural colored Citrines are found in Brazil, Madagascar,Spain and Scotland. Well colored Citrine are used as stones for rings and pendants, less attractive stones are made into necklaces or ornaments.