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Garnet signifies eternal friendship and trust.
Garnet, derived from the word granatum, means seed, and is
called so because of the gemstone's resemblance to a pomegranate
seed. Egyptians used garnets as inlays jewelry as early as 3100 B.C.
Garnet actually comes in a rainbow of colors, with the most popular
being the deep red of the pyrope garnet and the vibrant green of tsavorite
garnet. Today, the most important sources for garnet are Africa, Sri
Lanka, and India. |
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Amethyst- is said to keep the wearer clear-headed and quick-witted.
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed the stone to ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus.
Throughout history, the gemstone has been associated with many myths, legends, religions, and
numerous cultures. Historically, the finest amethyst featured in royal European
jewelry. Amethyst is purple quartz and comes in various blends of violet and red that
can found in every corner of the earth. Today, while Brazil is the primary source of this
gemstone, amethyst can be found elsewhere, especially in Zambia. |
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Aquamarine's serene color is said to cool the temper, allowing the wearer to remain
calm and levelheaded.
The name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word aqua, meaning water, and
marina, meaning the sea. This gemstone was believed to protect
sailors, as well as to guarantee a safe voyage. Aquamarine is most often
light in tone and ranges from greenish blue to blue-green with more intense color usually
found in larger stones. This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but
also is also found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique. |
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Bloodstone is believed to have
healing powers — especially for blood disorders.
The second birthstone for March, bloodstone is a dark-green jasper flecked with vivid red spots of
iron oxide. This ancient stone was used by the Babylonians to make
seals and amulets. It is sometimes called the martyr's stone
as legend tells that it was created when drops of Christ's blood stained
some jasper at the foot of the cross. Generally found embedded in rocks
or in riverbeds as pebbles, primary sources for this stone are India,
Brazil, and Australia. |
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Diamond has been associated with invulnerability and protection.
Diamond comes from the
Greek adamao, transliterated as "adamao," "I tame"
or "I subdue." The adjective adamas was used to describe the hardest
substance known, and eventually became synonymous with diamond.
It is difficult to determine at what point in history the
hardest known substance become diamond. The first diamonds were
found in ancient times in India but now most of the
world's diamonds come from South Africa and Israel. |
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Emeralds are thought to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth.
Emerald, a symbol of rebirth, is derived from the word smaragdus,
meaning green in Greek, and was mined in Egypt as early as 330 B.C. Today, most
of the world’s emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Zambia. |
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Pearls symbolize innocence and a pure heart.
Pearls have been used as an
adornment for centuries. They were one of the favorite gems of the
Roman Empire and are unique as they are the only gems from
living sea creatures and require no faceting or polishing to reveal
their natural beauty. In the early 1900s,
the first successful commercial culturing of round saltwater pearls
began. Since the 1920s, cultured pearls have almost completely replaced
natural pearls in the market.
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Alexandrite
is said to enhance communication, mental clarity, memory, and
perception.
A relatively modern gem, Alexandrite was first discovered in Russia in
1831 during the reign of Czar Alexander II and is an extremely rare
chrysoberyl with chameleon-like qualities. Its color is a lovely green in
both daylight and fluorescent light; it changes color to a
purplish red in incandescent light. |
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Moonstone is believed to encapsulate a spirit whose purpose is to bring good fortune.
Moonstone was given its name by the Roman natural historian
Pliny, who wrote that its appearance altered with the phases of
the moon — a belief that held until well after the sixteenth century.
Moonstones show a floating play of light (called adularescence) and
sometimes show either a multirayed star or a cat's eye. Part of the
family of minerals called feldspar, moonstone occurs in many igneous
and metamorphic rocks and comes in a variety of colors such as green, blue,
peach, and champagne. The most prized moonstones are from Sri Lanka; India,
Australia, the United States, Mayanmar, and Madagascar are also sources. |
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Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagination,
and are said to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth and success in love.
Ruby is a variety of the gems species corundum. It is harder than any
natural gemstone except diamond, which means a ruby is durable enough for everyday wear.
Fine-quality ruby is extremely rare, and the color of the gem is most
important to its value. Light red, purple and orange rubies are
actually called a fancy-color sapphires. Rubies are found in many parts of Asia,
in several countries in Africa, and in Greenland |
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Peridot is said to host magical powers and healing properties to protect against nightmares and to bring the wearer power, influence, and a wonderful year.
As peridot is a gemstone that forms deep inside the Earth and brought to the surface by
volcanoes and in Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the tears of Pele, the goddess
of fire and volcanoes. Peridot ranges from yellowish green to brown, but
the most popular shades are the bright lime and olive greens.
Today, most of the peridot supply comes from Arizona; other sources are China,
Myanmar, and Pakistan. |
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Sardonyx is believed to bring courage and victory in battles.
Sardonyx is a form of onyx and is recognized by its layers of reddish brown
and white banding. It was popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans who
carried into battle talismans of sardonyx engraved with images of heroes such as Mars or
Hercules. The most attractive specimens of this gemstone are found in India, but it
is also is also mined in Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, and in the
United States. |
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Sapphire is said to protect your loved ones from envy and harm.
Medieval clergy wore
sapphires in the Middle Ages to symbolize heaven, while commoners
thought the gem attracted heavenly blessings. Sapphire is a variety of the gem species
corundum and
occurs in all colors of the rainbow: Pink, purple, green, orange, or
yellow and blue corundum are known by their color (pink sapphire, green
sapphire). Ruby is the deep red variety of corundum. Sapphires are found in many parts of
Asia, in several countries in Africa, and in Greenland |
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Tourmalines are credited with the power to enhance one's understanding, increase self-confidence, and aid in
concentration and communication.
The name tourmaline comes from a Singhalese word, touramalli, meaning "mixed colored stones"
and was originally applied to an assortment of colored stones
consisting mainly of zircons. Tourmaline is available in a wide variety of colors,
often displayed in the same gemstone. These bi-color or
tri-color gems are formed in many combinations; gemstones with
clear color distinctions are highly prized. Tourmaline is found in many localities including Brazil, Afghanistan,
East Africa, and the USA. |
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Opal is
believed to give to the wearer the power of foresight and protection from disease.
The name opal derives from the Greek
Opallos, meaning "to see a change (of color)." Opals range in
color from milky white to black with flashes of yellow, orange, green,
red, and blue. An opal's beauty is the product of contrast between its
color play and its background. Opal is a formation of non-crystalline
silica gel that seeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata and
hardened over time. The opal is composed of particles packed together in a regular pattern,
creating a
three-dimensional array of spaces that give opal its
radiance. Most of today's opal is mined in Australia. |
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Topaz is believed to have the power to increase
the wearer’s strength.
Topaz is available in a rainbow of colors. Often confused
with citrine quartz and smoky quartz, quartz and topaz are separate
and unrelated mineral species. Topaz comes in yellow, pink, purple, orange,
and the many popular blue tones. The most important source for topaz
is Brazil, with some topaz mined in the United States, North Pakistan and Russia. |
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Citrine is known as the healing quartz and is said to support vitality and health while encouraging hope
and energy within the wearer.
Citrine can be found in a variety of
shades ranging from pastel yellow to dark brownish orange. It is one of
the most affordable of gemstones and is plentiful in nature. It is
found most frequently in Brazil, Bolivia, and Spain. |
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Tanzanite is a talisman of new beginnings and transformation.
Discovered in the late 1960s in Tanzania,
and found exclusively in this tiny area of the world. It was
introduced to the jewelry industry by Tiffany & co. Colors
range from blue to purple and emit several hues at once.
As tanzanite can be less expensive than sapphire, it often
was purchased as an alternative. |
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Turquoise was widely thought to prevent injury and was a representation of happiness.
The name turquoisefrom the French expression Pierre tourques or Turkish stone,
originated in the thirteenth century and describes one of the
oldest known gemstones. Turquoise varies in color from greenish
blue, through robin's egg-blue, to sky blue shades and
its transparency ranges from translucent to opaque. Today, turquoise
is mined in Iran, the United States, India, Tibet, China, Eygpt, Chile, Russia, and Australia. |
