Welcome to Greypuss Jewellery

Party Plan
We also do party plan to let you and your friends try on our jewellery. All hosteses get a thank-you gift of £50 to spend at their own party, irrespective of sales. Greypuss is happy to travel to parties, within the Scotland. If you want to book one please contact us on 01771-622878, and we'll arrange a mutually suitable date.

Designers

Linda Macdonald designs and hand-makes all her jewellery, with her team, in a workshop near Loch Lomond in Scotland.  She graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1996 and started her business the following year.  Her aim is to make contemporary jewellery that is fun for all ages - with some designs being quite “quirky” while other designs follow more simplistic lines. 

Arzu Karci

Arzu is a young silversmith, living and working in Istanbul in Turkey. Her career changed direction, in a relatively short time, from bank manager, to artist.

She has followed the traditions of generations of Turkish skilled artisans, giving a modern slant to traditional methods, using modern techniques in creating fabulous jewellery from silver and annealed glass.

Arzu, works with various coloured rods of glass, melting them into artistic shapes, then baking them in a kiln, to 'anneal' the glass, removing the impurities, thus strengthening the material. It will not shatter like a lot of the cheaper glass products presently on the market.

Once she has her 'annealed glass jewels,' she creates silver settings for them, producing highly original, eye-catching pieces. Every piece is a genuine, original, unique piece, as no two 'jewels' of annealed glass leave the kiln, matching each other.

She sells her unique designer jewellery under the label of 'Silver Loves Glass.'

Gem Information

• Do some of the more unusual gems puzzle you?
• What is the birthstone for September?
• What is Tanzanite?

Please look through the next part to find out more about the gems being sold by Greypussjewellery.com.
If you can't find the information you need, please contact us on info@greypussjewellery.com, and we'll do our best to answer your question.

Birthstones | Blue Opal Durability | Mineral Gemstones | Organic Gemstones | Precious Stones | Alexandrite | Amethyst
 Aquamarine | Chalcedony | Chrome Diopside | Citrine | Diamond | Emerald | Garnet | Ruby | Iolite | Kunzite  Lapis Lazuli
Moonstone | Morganite | Opal | Pearls | Peridot | Rose Quartz | Smoky Quartz | Spinel
Tanzanite | Tiger's eye | Topaz | Tourmaline |Tzavorite | Zircon

Birthstones
The following is the official birthstone list from the American National Association of Jewellers. Officially adopted in 1912, these gemstones represent the birthstones that are accepted today in the United States. The modern birthstone list includes: Garnet (January), Amethyst (February), Aquamarine (March), Diamond (April), Emerald (May), Pearl or Moonstone (June), Ruby (July), Peridot (August), Sapphire (September), Opal or Tourmaline (October), Yellow Topaz or Citrine (November) and Turquoise, Blue Topaz or Tanzanite (December). Tanzanite was added to December by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002.
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Blue Opal

Legend says the Blue Opal has soft relaxing energies. Also, that it softens the impact of stress from the outside world and can help the wearer to release the trauma of old wounds. It helps you to face the future with a tranquil healing nature. Opal is the October Birthstone. See our range of handmade silver jewellery set with stunning, intensely coloured blue opals.

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Durability 
The twofold test of durability for a mineral is of hardness and toughness. One misconception is that these are the same thing. Hardness, however, refers to a mineral's resistance to scratching while toughness refers to its resistance to breaking. 
A diamond, for example, is the hardest of all minerals, but can be crushed with enough force. Jade, on the other hand, is quite susceptible to scratching, but is considered one of the toughest gemstones. 
The hardness of a gemstone is determined by the Mohs scale, which ranges from 1 to 10. Talc, which is 1 on the scale, is softest, while diamonds are the hardest at 10 . 
Other classifications of gemstones include crystal structure, optical characteristics, and specific gravity. 
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Mineral Gemstones 
Mineral gemstones are naturally growing rocks found in the earth's surface. There are 16 groups of mineral gemstones, including: Beryl, Chrysoberyl, Corundum, Diamond, Feldspar, Garnet, Jade, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Peridot, Quartz, Spinel, Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise, and Zircon. 
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Organic Gemstones
Organic gemstones are not as durable as gemstones from minerals, and consist of four groups. 
Amber, a fossil resin found in the sap of ancient tree pines, usually lacks a crystalline structure. It is most often brown or semi-transparent and mined. 
Coral is crafted when a small marine animal known as a coral polyp extracts calcium carbonate from the sea to build a protective home for itself. The result of gem coral ranges from semi-translucent to opaque and can be white, pink, orange, red, blue, violet, gold, or black. 
Pearl is formed inside an oyster, or any other mollusc that deposits substances inside of its housing. Molluscs creating pearls can be found in either fresh or salt water, but salt water pearls are often more sought after for use in earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Most pearls are white, but they also come in a variety of other colours, including black.
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Precious Stones 
Four particular stones were once referred to as precious stones primarily because of historical and ceremonial use while other stones were referred to as semiprecious stones. These precious are the stones, diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald, sometimes known as the ‘Big Four.’
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Alexandrite
This rare gemstone 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 colours of old Imperial Russia, it inevitably became the national stone of tsarist Russia.
The most sensational feature about this stone, however, is its surprising ability to change its colour. 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 a chrysoberyl, a mineral consisting of colourless or yellow transparent chrysoberyl, chrysoberyl cat’s eye and colour-changing alexandrite (also in cat’s eye varieties). It differs from other chrysoberyls in that it not only contains iron and titanium, but also chromium as a major impurity. And it is this very element which accounts for the spectacular colour change. Rarely, vanadium may also play a part.
Russia has remained the primary source of alexandrite since gems from the mines of the Urals became available on the market. When the Russian deposits were thought to have been exhausted, interest in the unique colour miracle decreased - especially since alexandrites from other mines hardly ever displayed the coveted colour change - . But the situation changed dramatically in 1987, when alexandrites were discovered in a place called Hematita in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Brazilian alexandrites showed both a distinctive colour change and good clarity and colour. Thus the somewhat dulled image of the miraculous stone received another boost. The colour of the Brazilian stones is admittedly not as strong a green as that of Russian alexandrite, but the colour change is clearly discernible. Today Hematita is one of the most important deposits of alexandrite in economic terms. Occasionally alexandrite with chatoyancy is discovered there, an effect which has not yet been observed in Russian alexandrite. Alexandrites are also recovered from sources in Sri Lanka, but the hue of these stones compares less than favourably with that of the Uralian alexandrites. They appear green in daylight and a brownish red in artificial light. The Tunduru area in southern Tanzania has also produced some outstanding specimens since the mid-1990’s. Alexandrites are also found in India, Burma, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. Although this stone is still considered a rarity, specialised gemstone dealers do stock it.
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Amethyst
Purple has long been considered a royal colour so it is not surprising that amethyst has been so much in demand during history. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favourite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethyst, transparent purple quartz, is the most important quartz variety used in jewellery. 
Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence. Amethyst ranges in colour from pale lilac to deep purple. The pale colours are sometimes called "Rose de France" and can be seen set in Victorian jewellery. The deep colours 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.
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Aquamarine
Aquamarine is one of our most popular and best-known gemstones, and distinguishes itself by many good qualities. It is almost as popular as the classics: ruby, sapphire and emerald. In fact it is related to the emerald, both belonging to the beryl family. The colour of aquamarine, however, is usually more even than that of the emerald. Much more often than its famous green cousin, aquamarine is almost entirely free of inclusions. Aquamarine has good hardness (7_ to 8 on the Mohs scale) and a wonderful shine. That hardness makes it very tough and protects it to a large extent from scratches. Iron is the substance which gives aquamarine its colour, a colour which ranges from an almost indiscernible pale blue to a strong sea-blue.

The more intense the colour of an aquamarine, the more value is put on it. Some aquamarines have a light, greenish shimmer; that too is a typical feature. However, it is a pure, clear blue that continues to epitomise the aquamarine, because it brings out so well the immaculate transparency and magnificent shine of this gemstone.
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Chalcedony
Quartz that is formed not of one single crystal but finely grained micro crystals is known as chalcedony. The variety of chalcedony is even greater than transparent quartz varieties because it includes crypto crystalline quartz with patterns as well as a wide range of solid colours. Agates are banded, bloodstone has red spots on a green ground, moss agate has a vegetal pattern. Jasper sometimes looks like a landscape painting. Another staple of the jewellery industry is black onyx, chalcedony quartz which owes its even black colour to an ancient dyeing process that is still used today. Carnelian, another chalcedony valued in the ancient world, has a vivid brownish orange colour and clear translucency that makes it popular for signet rings and seals. Chrysoprase, a bright apple green translucent chalcedony, is the most valued.
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Chrome Diopside
Chrome Diopside has an ugly name but is a beautiful gem. It has a beautiful rich green colour and an amazingly low price. It is the most affordable gemstone with a pure rich green colour.
There are a few drawbacks. The chrome diopside is most available in small sizes: in the rare large sizes, the colour becomes so rich it is too dark. But for bright green accent stones, chrome diopside is ideal. 
Chrome diopside is mostly mined in Yakutia and Siberia. Sometimes known as the 'Russian Emerald.'
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Citrine
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 colour.

Citrine includes yellow to gold to orange brown shades of transparent quartz. Sunny and affordable, citrine can brighten almost any jewellery style, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold.
In ancient times, citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.
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Diamond
Diamonds are remarkably simple in composition, yet stunning in its unique ability to reflect and refract light into vivid flashes of brilliant colour. The ancient Hindus called the Diamond "Vajra," meaning lightening, both because of the sparks of light thrown off by this gem as well as its invincible strength. The Diamond is harder than any other substance on earth. 
Diamonds have been revered throughout history. Used to embellish such items as crowns, swords and emblems as well as jewellery, they've even been part of national holidays. Queen Victoria declared the celebration of her 50th year of reign a "Diamond Jubilee." Diamonds have also been credited for having certain medicinal properties. During the middle ages, these gemstones were thought to heal illness, but only if the ailing person took the Diamond into bed to warm it up first! 
Formed deep within the earth where there is intense heat and pressure, Diamonds are simply crystallized carbon. Volcanic activity of centuries ago brought these gemstones to the earth's surface, where they are found either within volcanic rock formations or washed out into rivers. India is thought to be the first river-bed source of Diamond mining, but today these gemstones are found primarily in Australia, the Soviet Union, and Africa. 

No more notable it its uncut state than a plain pebble upon the beach, the true beauty of the Diamond was not revealed until the 16th century, when gemstone cutting and polishing techniques were perfected. Prior to this time, it was considered taboo to modify the original state of a Diamond. Today, the value and appeal of this stone depends largely upon how skilfully it is cut and faceted. 
A gift of a Diamond is symbolic of everlasting love. There is no more convincing a promise of an enduring relationship than the brilliant gemstone that has endured in people's hearts throughout the ages. 
It is now possible to buy fancy coloured diamonds. These are genuine, mined diamonds, which have been heat treated to achieve a permanent colour, e.g. blue, black, canary yellow, orange, green, purple.
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Emerald
Often, in an emerald, there are tiny fractures or inclusions, which the French call "jardin," or garden, because of their resemblance to foliage. The Egyptians were known to engrave emeralds with the symbol for foliage to represent eternal youth, and to bury these jewels with their dead. The ancient Romans associated this gemstone with fertility and rebirth, and dedicated it to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. 
The Ancient Egyptians mined emeralds in the eastern desert region 2,000 years before Cleopatra’s birth, braving extreme heat, scorpions and snakes to search for the beautiful crystals. During Cleopatra’s reign, she claimed the emerald mines as her own, as this was her favourite gem. She often wore lavish emerald jewelry, and it is said that she bestowed visiting dignitaries with large emeralds carved with her likeness when they departed Egypt. 
In the sixteenth century, the Spanish Conquistadors were amazed to find the native people wearing Emeralds larger and more magnificent than any they had ever seen. Although the natives attempted to hide their Emerald mines, the Spaniards soon discovered and conquered most of them. But it took twenty years before they found the abundant mining operation held by the Muzo Indians, and another thirty years to overtake this aggressive tribe. The Muzo mine was in the area known today as Colombia, and it remains the source of the most prized Emerald specimens. Other sources of Emeralds are Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Russia. 
The emerald is a member of the beryl family of minerals. The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the rock, making large Emeralds rare and costly. Although this gemstone is relatively hard and durable, it must be protected from blows because the inclusions found within make it susceptible to breaking. 

Some people believe that wearing an Emerald brings wisdom, growth, and patience. And as any couple in a long-term relationship would agree, all of these qualities are essential for a successful and lasting love. This may explain why a gift of Emerald for an anniversary -- or anytime -- is considered symbolic of love and fidelity.
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Garnet
Garnets - aren’t these the wonderfully deep red gemstones which are often found in antique jewellery? Well, this is only the partial truth, as a warm and deep red is indeed the most frequently occurring colour for Garnets. But unfortunately only few people know that the realm of Garnets holds many more bright and beautiful colours. The traditional image of Garnet has been brightly transformed by spectacular finds, mainly from Africa. Although red remains the major colour, Garnets today easily adapt to any new colour trend in fashion due to the rich range available. And because of the new finds, there are reliable sources for steady supply in these fancy colours. All this explains why this very gemstone family manages to keep on providing new impulses for the jewellery events today.
Possibly the most famous green Garnet is Tsavorith or Tsavolith, often called Tsavorite, another Grossularite. Tiffany’s in New York re-named the stone which had been discovered in 1967 by British geologist Campbell R. Bridges in North-East Tanzania. The emerald-green stone was named after its occurrence near the famous game park Tsavo-National Park. Tsavorite is of a vivid light to velvety deep green and, like all other Garnets, of strikingly high brilliance.
The star among green Garnets is rare Demantoid, a gemstone for connoisseurs and lovers. It shows enormous brilliance, higher even than that of Diamond. Russia’s leading court jeweller Carl Fabergé loved the brilliant green Garnet from the Urals more than any other stone, and liked to use it in his creations. Nowadays Demantoid turns up more often in the gemstone market because of the new finds in Namibia. Demantoids from Namibia show good colour and brilliance, however, they lack minor characteristic: the so-called "horsetail-inclusions”, fine bushy-shaped inclusions which are the characteristic birthmark identifying Russian Demantoids.
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Green Tourmaline
Green Tourmaline : Tourmaline is a virtually unique colour miracle : this gemstone exists in red and green, blue and yellow, and even in colourless and black respectively. Often there are even two or more colours displayed in one and the same Tourmaline crystal. Highly coveted rarities are colour changing Tourmalines or chattoyant ones. However, the classical colour for Tourmaline is green. And if you ask gemstone dealers for Tourmaline, the green variety will almost inevitably be the first one to come to their minds.
Nevertheless, even the green Tourmalines come in a wide range of shades. Some are very light, others are so dark that the green colour is only discernible when light is shone through the stone. There are green Tourmalines in fine leek-green shades, but there are also intensely coloured yellow-green, olive-green and brownish-green stones. And especially the colour range from blue-green to darkest bottle-green is covered spectacularly by wonderful Tourmalines, for these colours are the best for these stones. They are rare and highly coveted. Tourmaline is loved as a perfect jewellery stone by many women, but it has also come to be preferred nowadays by quite a few men.
Sometimes Tourmalines are offered by traders with an additional byname, which at first sight seems to explain the stone’s origin. For example, bottle-green Tourmaline might also be offered as "Brazilian Tourmaline”. Here it should be noted that this does not necessary imply that the stone was actually mined in Brazil. In the past it was considered a rigid fact that all bottle-green Tourmalines came almost exclusively from Brazil, while blue-green to green shades were usually found in Africa. Today things have changed, but the trade names have been kept so that bottle-green Tourmalines are still called "Brazilian” and bluish-green ones "African” Tourmalines, irrespective of the actual place of origin. Another rarely used name which is generally applied only among experts is the term "Verdelith". It has been composed from the Latin word "viridis” for "green” and the Greek suffix "lith” meaning "stone”. But in general we talk about green Tourmaline.
Mines: The most important deposits of Green Tourmaline are in Sri Lanka Lanka, Malgaxe Republic, Brazil, Namibia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Care of your Green Tourmaline : It is recommended that you remove your jewelryl for activities which may damage your ring etc.
Curiosities: Green Tourmalines can be cut in many different variations. However, this demands a high degree of craftsmanship and expertise, since most Tourmalines show a varied colour satiation throughout the crystal depending on the axis of growth. Therefore, then, dark stones have to be cut in such a way that the table will be parallel to the main axis. In contrast to this, for lighter coloured stones the table should be parallel to the longitudinal axis in order to achieve a deeper colour. The cutter has to keep this characteristic well in mind when planning and executing the cut, since otherwise the colour of the cut stone might end up too dark or to pale. And that would be a real shame, because you need not be a gemstone expert in order to appreciate the fascination of green Tourmalines. The colours are wonderfully harmonic and pleasant, almost spiritual. Green Tourmalines are an epitome of life, encompassing all its facets of vivid individuality.
Month: October 
Symbolizes:Prosperity
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Iolite
When Leif Eriksson and the other legendary Viking explorers ventured far out into the Atlantic Ocean, away from any coastline that could help them determine position, they had a secret gem weapon: iolite. The Viking mariners used thin pieces of iolite as the world's first polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, they could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely to the new world and back.
The property that made iolite so valuable to the Vikings is extreme pleochroism. Iolite has different colours in different directions in the crystal. A cube cut from iolite will look a violet 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.
The name iolite comes from the Greek ios, which means violet. Iolite is usually a purplish blue when cut properly, with a softness to the colour that can be quite attractive.
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Kunzite
Kunzite is still a very young gemstone. It was not until 1902 that the New York jeweller and gemstone specialist George Frederick Kunz (1856 – 1932) became the first person to give a comprehensive description of this stone, which had just been discovered in California. Since newly discovered gemstones are usually given the name of their discoverer or patron, this new pale pink discovery was called 'kunzite'. 

Above all, the appeal of this gemstone lies in its clarity and its fine delicate pink nuances which often display a hint of violet. 
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Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli, also known as just lapis, is a stone with one of the longest traditions of being considered a gem, with a history stretching back to 5000 BC. Deep blue in color and opaque, this gemstone was highly prized by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, as can be seen by its prominent use in many of the treasures recovered from pharaonic tombs.For over 50,000 years, the best rough stones have beenmined in the rough Hindukush Mountains of Afghanistan. Forcefully extracted from the rocks, the blue stone nodes are transported on donkeys from the rough mountain ranges in Northeast Afghanistan down to the valleys in the summer months. Other occurrences have been provided by Nature in Russia, west of Lake Baikal, and in the Andes in Chile, where the blue stones are often veined with white or grey chalk. Lapis lazuli is also found in smaller amounts in Italy, Mongolia, the USA and Canada, in Myanmar and in Pakistan. In really good qualities, however, it is rare everywhere. Lapis lazuli jewellery is therefore available in widely differing price ranges, from luxurious to affordable. The price demanded for the gemstone depends mainly on the stone’s beauty and intensity of colour. The most favoured colour is a deep and intensive blue. Finely distributed crystals resembling glimmer, from golden Pyrite, will increase the value of the gemstone, while an irregular, pronounced or spotty patterning will reduce it. It is still extremely popular today. The first part of the name is the Latin lapis, meaning stone. The second part, lazuli, is the genitive form of the medieval Latin lazulum, a loanword adapted from the Arabic (al-)lazward, itself a borrowed word from the Persian lazhward. This was originally a place-name, but soon came to mean blue because of its association with the stone. English azure, Spanish azul, Italian azur also derives from this source. Taken as a whole, lapis lazuli means stone of azure.

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Moonstone
Moonstone shows an almost magical play of light as its characteristic feature. It owes its name to this mysterious gleaming which appears different whenever the stone changes its position in movement. Experts call this the “adularescence”, and in earlier times the phases of waxing and waning moon were though to be discerned in this phenomenon.
Moonstone from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin for Moonstone, shimmers pale blue on almost transparent ground. Specimen from India shoe cloudlike plays of light and shade on beige brown, green, orange or simple brown background. These subdued colours in combination with the fine shine make Moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensuous and feminine character. This gemstone was once before extremely popular, about a hundred years ago in the times of Art Nouveau. It used to decorate a striking amount of pieces of jewellery created by the famous French Master Goldsmith Lalique and by his contemporaries. These pieces are usually only found in a museum or in collections nowadays.

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Morganite
Although it came into existence millions of years ago, Morganite found its name less than a hundred years ago. To be precise, only in 1911, for before this the gemmologists considered "Pink Beryl” simply a variety of Beryl in general, and not as an individual stone. However, it is not only people but also stones who sometimes change their names. Thus in the year 1911 New York gemstone expert G.F. Kunz suggested to give Pink Beryl the status and standing of an individual kind of gemstone, and it was named in honour of banker and minerals collector John Pierport Morgan, thus receiving its current name - Morganite.
The gem comes in many fine shades of pink. Some are clearly pink, others tend more towards purple. Even a slight orange hue may be sometimes found.

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Opal
The group of fine Opals includes quite a number of wonderful gemstones, which share one characteristic: they shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colours full of fantasy, which experts describe as “opalising”. Depending on the kind, place of occurrence, and colour of the main body, we differentiate Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland – the so-called “picture stones“, and also Mexican and Fire Opal.
Opal variations are practically unlimited. They all show in their own special way that unique play of colours – except for Fire Opal, which due to its transparency, however, is nevertheless also considered a Fine Opal specimen. If Opals are lacking the typical play of colours, they are simply named “Common Opal”.
Opals have had the reputation of being ‘unlucky.’ This is untrue. It comes from their relative softness caused by being porous, so when set in a ring, the wearer shouldn’t immerse their hands wearing the ring, s the gemstone will absorb the water, and eventually it will crack. 
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Pearls
Pearls are an organic gem, created when an oyster covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre. Long ago, pearls were important financial assets, comparable in price to real estate, as thousands of oysters had to be searched for only one pearl. They were rare because they were created only by chance.

Today pearls are cultured by man: shell beads are placed inside an oyster and the oyster is returned to the water. When the pearls are later harvested, the oyster has covered the bead with layers of nacre. Most cultured pearls are produced in Japan. In the warmer waters of the South Pacific, larger oysters produce South Sea cultured pearls and Tahitian black cultured pearls, which are larger in size. Freshwater pearls are cultured in freshwater mussels, mostly in China.
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Peridot
The vivid, slightly golden shimmering green of Peridot is the ideal gemstone colour to complement a light summertime outfit. 
Peridot is an ancient and yet currently very popular gemstone. It is so old that it can be found even in Egyptian jewellery from the early second millennium BC. The stones used in those days came from an occurrence on a little volcanic island in the Red Sea, about 70 km off the Egyptian coast, off Assuan, which was rediscovered only around 1900 and has been completely exploited since. Peridot, however, is also a very modern stone, for only a few years ago Peridot occurrences were discovered in the Kashmir region, and the stones from there show a unique beauty of colour and transparency, so that the image of the stone, which was somewhat dulled over the ages, has received an efficient polishing.
The ancient Romans were already quite fond of the gemstone and coveted the brilliant green sparkle, which does not change either in artificial light. They already named the stone “Evening Emerald”.

Suddenly, around the middle of the 1990s, Peridot was the great sensation on the Gemstone Trade Fairs all around the world. The reason: In Pakistan there had been found a sensationally rich occurrence of finest Peridot on a rough mountainside, in about 4,000 m height. The extremely hard climatic conditions only allowed mining to go on through the summer months, and yet the unusually large and fine crystals and rocks were brought down into the valley. These stones were of finer quality than anything else ever seen before, and the occurrence proved so rich that the high demand can be met without problems at present.
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Ruby

Ruby is the red variety of the corundum mineral, one of the hardest minerals on Earth which also includes Sapphire. Pure corundum is colourless. Slight traces of the colour creating elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are responsible for the colour. These gemstones show an excellent hardness.

On the Mohs Scale they achieve a hardness of 9, second only to diamonds. And only red corundum may be called Ruby, any other colour is denominate as Sapphires. The close relationship of Ruby and Sapphire has been known since the beginning of the 19th century. Up to that time, also red Garnets or Spinels were thought to be Rubies – and due to this misclassification the so-called "Black Ruby” as well as the "Timur Ruby” decorating the British Crown Jewels are probably actually not Rubies at all, but Spinels.
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Sapphire

Pink is one of the many hues of the coloured gem called sapphire. All sapphires are of the corundum variety (aluminum oxide composition) of mineral. Corundum comes in many colours including blue, red, violet, pink, green, yellow, orange, grey, white, colorless, and black. Red corundum is called Ruby due to history. Historically the chemical composition and crystal structures of the colored gems were not known, and ruby has stuck as the name for red corundum. Different traces of elements in the crystal structure change the color of the gem. Colour is the light which is not absorbed that is collected by the eye.

When a colour is not specified, "sapphire" is taken to be the blue to violet colour of corundum. Pink sapphires are one of the other favourite colours of sapphires, considered to be in the class of connoisseur gems. Buying pink sapphires and other colored gems has certain things in common with buying diamonds.The value of pink sapphires and other coloured gems is not always exactly equal to the value of its Four C's, however these aspects of the stones will guide you in your purchasing pink sapphire.
The four C's of coloured gem stones
Diamonds have their four C's: Cut, Carat, Clarity and Colour. The coloured gemstones also have their four C's:

• Cut,

• Carat,

• Clarity,

• Colour.

• Added to these is the factor of Enhancement, whether the gem has been treated in some way to enhance its colour.

Cut
Pink Sapphires, like all mineral gems, can have inclusions and flaws. Additionally, the colour of a pink sapphire can range from pale to "hot pink" to almost red. A high quality cut will show the most even color through the pink sapphire and expose the fewest inclusions. Some inclusions in certain sapphires are actually valued highly and prized for the way the inclusions enrich the gem's appearance, such as star sapphires and certain Kashmir sapphires. However, pink sapphires are generally valued higher with a lack of inclusions.
well Pink sapphire should allow the most light to pass through the stone in its setting. Symmetry and polish are important in the final value of the gem. In general, shallow cuts best accent darker coloured gems and deep cuts bring out the best facets of a lighter coloured gem. ith diamonds, there are many styles of cuts, such as round, heart, princess, briollette and more. No one or another style adds to the value so long as it highlights the stone's brilliance.

Carat, or Size
Pink sapphires generally are sold based upon weight in carats also. A carat is equal to 200 milligrams (.007 ounces, or 1/5 of a gram). The relationship of carat to size differs for gemstones. Diamonds have a very defined density or specific gravity of 3.5. Sapphires range from 3.9 to 4.1 specific gravity. That means a pink sapphire is in general more dense than a diamond, so the same carat value will be a somewhat smaller gem than the same carat weight diamond.

Clarity
Pink sapphires are generally more valuable with higher clarity. Natural sapphires typically have some degree of inclusions, so those which are flawless are very rare and very expensive. Unlike diamonds, the natural color of gemstones can mask inclusions. Thus inclusions are more accepted by the gem industry, especially when the inclusion doesn't show in the face-up position of the cut gemstone. There is no standardised grading system for clarity in gems as there is for diamonds. Paler pink sapphires will show inclusions more, so clarity for pink sapphires will be reflected in the price. Generally you will see "Eye Clean" as a very acceptable clarity rating for pink sapphires.

Colour
Pink. This is the color of pink sapphires, correct? Well, the colour of pink ranges from a very pale pink to almost red. Remember, if it's red, it's called a ruby, even though it's all corundum. The "hot" pink is currently the most popular colour, and thus valued higher in price.

Pink sapphires are a less expensive gemstone than the popular pink diamonds.

Enhancements
Heat treatment is a common treatment of sapphires to enhance their colour permanently without effecting the crystal structure. Heat treatment may also remove tiny inner inclusions. Heat treatment rarely effects the price of the sapphire, and presently around 90 percent of the sapphires in the jewellery market have been heated to ensure that they have reached the best colour and clarity.

Notes on Pink Sapphires
Sapphires have a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale (1-10). This makes sapphires second only to diamonds in their hardness. Like diamonds, this makes them durable and valuable in jewellery. Also like diamonds, pink sapphires must be cared for and handled properly to avoid damage. Pink sapphires and diamonds together make lovely jewellery that lasts and increases in value.
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Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. The oldest Sapphire mines are situated in Ceylon, today called Sri Lanka, where gemstones were mined in ancient times. The expert recognises Ceylon sapphires from the luminosity and brilliance of their light to medium blue colour. Most blue Sapphires, however, come from Thailand or Australia. In the gemstone trade any non-blue Sapphire is termed "fancy”. When talking about fancy sapphires, we talk about yellow, purple, pink, green or white Sapphire, etc.
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Rose Quartz
The pale pink colour of quartz, which can range from transparent to translucent, is known as rose quartz. The colour is a very pale and delicate powder pink. Transparent rose quartz is very rare and is usually so pale that it does not show very much colour except in large sizes. The translucent quality of rose quartz is much more available and is used for beads, cabochons, carvings, and architectural purposes.
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Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz is a brown transparent quartz that is sometimes used for unusual faceted cuts. The commercial market is limited due to the limited demand for brown gemstones. This variety was sometimes known as smoky topaz in the past, which is incorrect and misleading, since the mineral variety is quartz, not topaz.
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Spinel
Spinel is the great impostor of gemstone history: many famous rubies in crown jewels around the world are actually spinel. The most famous is the Black Prince's Ruby, a magnificent 170-carat red spinel that currently adorns the Imperial State Crown in the British Crown Jewels after a long history: Henry V even wore it on his battle helmet! The Timur Ruby, a 352-carat red spinel now owned by Queen Elizabeth, has the names of some of the Mughal emperors who previously owned it engraved on its face.
In Burma (Myanmar), where some of the most beautiful colours are mined, spinel was recognized as a separate gem species as early as 1587. In other countries the masquerade lasted for hundreds of years after that. Spinels were most often referred to as "balas rubies" which may have referred to colour or to country of origin.
Spinel can be found in a range of beautiful pastel shades of pink and purple. Of particular interest is a vivid hot pink with a tinge of orange that is mined in Burma that is one of the most spectacular gemstone colours in any gem species. Spinel also comes in beautiful blues which are sometimes called cobalt spinel, but these are very rare.
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Tanzanite
Tanzanite, was enthusiastically celebrated after its discovery in 1967 as the "Gemstone of the 20th Century” The gemstone experts literally held their breaths when they were shown the first deep blue crystals mined in the Merelani Hills near Arusha in the north of Tanzania. Millions of years ago, metamorphous slates, gneiss stone and quarzites shaped impressive flat insular mountains on the wide planes near Mount Kilimanjaro.
It was first discovered in Tanzania in 1967, and was named after its country of origin, Tanzania, by the famous New York jeweller, Louis Tiffany.
Tanzanite has what many would consider the finest blue hue in the world of gemstones, a colour which often the finest sapphires are lacking.

There is only one tanzanite mine in the world, and it is fast running out. Purchasing a tanzanite is a sound investment for the future as prices will escalate, the closer the mine gets to the end of its working life.
Tanzanite is in fact the blue variety of Zoisite gemstone. However, the hydrated calcium aluminium silicate mineral achieves only hardness 6.5 to 7 on the Moh’s scale, and is thus not very resistant. Therefore it should be worn with care, never be cleaned by ultrasonic method and never come into contact with acids.
When New York Jeweller Company Tiffany was presented with the first Tanzanites right after they had been discovered, they were immediately convinced: this gemstone is a sensation! However, they recommended finding a new name for the blue beauty, since the gemologically correct denomination "blue Zoisite" reminded unfortunately of the word "suicide". So Tiffany's suggested the name Tanzanite instead, derived from the place of occurrence, and the new name quickly became established on the market. And it was in fact the firm of Tiffany’s who introduced the stone to the public in a spectacular promotional campaign two years after it had been discovered. Spectacular and magnificent is the deep blue of Tanzanite, ranging from ultramarine to a light purplish blue. The most coveted colour is a blue which shows a purplish hue shimmering around it, which is extremely spectacular in sizes above ten carats. Typical for Tanzanite is the appearance of several colours in one and the same stone: depending on the perspective, the stone appears blue, purple, or dun yellow. Most rough crystals, however, show a disturbingly large proportion of brownish-yellow, but the cutter may cure this by carefully heating the stone in an oven to about 500°C. In the course of this heating , great care is needed to mark the moment when the colour turns blue. Heating is therefore a treatment which is generally accepted in the trade, however, the rough stone has to be as free of inclusions as possible, as otherwise the process will lead to fissures in the stone.
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Tiger's Eye
Tiger's Eye quartz contains brown iron which produces its golden-yellow colour. Cabochon cut stones of this variety show the chatoyancy (small ray of light on the surface) that resembles the feline eye of a tiger. The most important deposit is in South Africa, though Tiger's eye is also found in Western Australia, Burma (Myanmar), India and the U.S. (California).
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Topaz
Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia.
Today, there is also blue topaz, which has a pale to medium blue colour created by irradiation. Pale topaz which is enhanced to become blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and China. In early 1998, a new type of enhanced topaz made its appearance, the surface-enhanced topaz, with colours described as blue to greenish-blue or emerald green.
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Tourmaline
In order to understand this multitude of colours you will have to polish up your knowledge of gemmology: Tourmalines are mixed crystals of complex aluminium-borosilicate varying in their composition. The slightest changes in composition will result in completely different colours. In fact, crystals showing one colour only are quite rare; generally one and the same crystal displays several shades and colours. Not only the wide range of colours characterises this gemstone, it also shows a remarkable dichroism. Depending on the angle of view the colour will be different or at least show different intensity. The deepest colour always appears along the main axis, a fact that the gemstone cutter has to keep in mind when cutting the stone. This gemstone is excellently suited for wearing and is uncomplicated to care for, since all Tourmalines show a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale. Thus Tourmaline is an interesting gemstone in many aspects indeed.
The different shades of colour have been assigned different names in the trade. For example, deep red Tourmaline is named "Rubellite”, provided it shows the same fine ruby-red shade in daylight and in artificial light. Should the colour change when the source of light changes, the stone will be called a "Pink Tourmaline”. Blue Tourmalines are called "Indigolith”, "Dravite” is a golden-brown to dark brown Tourmaline, and black Tourmalines are known as "Schorl”. The latter stone is mainly used for engravings and in esotericism, where it is highly cherished because it is reputed to ward off harmful radiation from its wearer.
Very popular is "Verdelith”, the green Tourmaline, however, if its fine emerald-like green is caused by traces of chromium, the stone is named "Chromium-Tourmaline.” But the outstanding highlight among Tourmalines is of course Paraiba Tourmaline, a gemstone showing a vivid deep blue to bluish green, found for the first time in1987 in the mines of the Brazilian state of Paraiba. In good qualities these stones are much coveted treasures. Since yellow Tourmalines from Malawi of brilliant colour have been offered on the market, the formerly missing colour yellow has been added in excellent quality to the apparently unlimited range of colours shown by the "Rainbow Gemstone.”
Tourmaline has been given many names. There are there are bi-coloured and multi-coloured Tourmalines Very popular are also slices cut as cross-sections through Tourmalines, as these will render the full splendour of colours embedded in a specific Tourmaline. For example, such slices taken from Tourmalines with red heart and green border are called a "Watermelon-Tourmaline”; slices with a clear heart and a black border are called "Moor’s head –Tourmaline”
Tourmalines are mined everywhere in the world. There are important deposits in Brazil, in Sri Lanka and South and Southwest Africa. Other deposits are in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tourmalines are also found in the USA, first of all in Maine and Utah. But although there are rich occurrences of Tourmalines all over the world, good qualities and fine colours are only rarely offered on the market. Therefore, then, the price range achieved by Tourmaline almost matches its wide range of colours.
Historical Note
Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) was partly responsible for Tourmaline's first appearance in Europe when Tourmaline gems were sold to Dutch traders who imported them to the West in the 1600s.
The Dutch, aside from admiring Tourmaline for its beauty, first discovered that the gem possessed a unique property. Tourmaline when heated or rubbed creates an electrical charge, similiar to amber, becoming a magnet that attracts lightweight objects.
The Dutch used these Tourmaline magnets to clean pipes as their magnetic properties attracted ash, and renamed Tourmaline "Aschentrekkers", literally meaning 'one who treks through ashes'.
Today, Tourmalines special property, known as piezoelectricity, has been incorporated into modern technologies such as computers, musical keyboards, cellular phones and other hi-tech devices.
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Tzavorite
Contrary to other gemstones, Tzavorites are not heated or oiled. This is not necessary for this gemstone. Like all other Garnets it is genuinely natural. It is very robust. Although showing a hardness similar to Emerald - around 7.5 on the Mohs´Scale, it is far less sensitive in its handling. This is not only important for cutting and setting the stone, but also for wearing. Tzavorite is less likely to become damaged or to splinter even as consequence of abrupt or incautious impact. It is excellently suited for the favoured style of "invisible setting", where stones are set closely joined, and which cannot be recommended for Emeralds. Due to its high brilliance, Tzavorite here is an equal match for the classical stones like Diamond, Ruby an Sapphire.
Why is it called Tzavorite or Tzavolith?
Naming gemstones is performed according to certain rules. Modern mineralogical nomenclature demands that gemstones are given a name ending in "ite". To honour the Tzavo National Game Park and the Tzavo river running through this area, Henry Platt , the former president of Tifany & Co, who was responsible for the gemstone's rise to popularity, suggested the name Tzavorite. Sometimes, however, Tzavolith is used but both denote the same stone. The ending "lith? is simply the Greek word for "stone?.
What makes Tzavorite so desirable?
First of all there is its vividly brilliant green. The colour scale shown by Tzavorite ranges from spring-like pale green via intensely bluish green, to deep forest green, colours which have an invigorating and fresh effect on the senses. The gemstone is also coveted because of its high brilliance. Like all other Garnets, it enjoys an especially high light refraction index (1.734/ 44). It is understandable that old legends claimed garnets were difficult to hide. Their sparkling light was reported to be visible even through clothes.
Mines: Its native country is the bushland along the frontier between Kenya and Tanzania.
History: In 1967, the British geologist Campbell R. Brides was prospecting for gemstones in the north-eastern part of Tanzania. Suddenly he came across some very odd, potato-shaped stone objects. As in a fairy tale, he found breathtakingly beautiful green grains and crystal pieces inside these weird objects. Gemmological tests showed that he had discovered green grossularite, a mineral which had up to then been considered very rare, part of the colourful Garnet family. The stones were very beautiful and of high transparency, so that his find, made experts sit up and take notice. Even Tiffany & Co. in New York expressed their interest in the newly discovered green jewel. But in spite of all efforts it was impossible in those days to get an export licence for taking the stones out of Tanzania. Campbell Bridges, however, did not admit defeat. As a geologist he knew that those layers in the soil which carry gemstones are generally not limited to just one spot, but usually stretch out over vast areas, and he believed he had encountered such a layer. After all, the stone belt which accommodates most of East Africa's gemstone mines is truly ancient. It was created many millions of years ago, when the continents where still moving around a lot. In those times the region in question had been part of the bottom of the sea. The sedimental residue was compacted, folded and thus shaped by the movements of the earth plates. The extremely high pressure and high temperatures effected changes in the originally existing stones. Thus new and amazingly beautiful gemstones were created, among them also Tzavorite. But the gigantic forces of Nature involved in the process of creation had already damaged most of the crystals so that we usually only find grains and pieces of them today.
Campbell R. Bridges stubbornly continued his search.
His theory that the gemstone loaded vein might even extend into the Kenyan territory finally set him on the right track. In the year 1971 he discovered the brilliantly green gemstone for a second time, this time in Kenya, where he could officially register his find and could start exploiting the occurrence. This was the beginning of a new adventure: in order to protect himself from wild animals Bridges lived in a tree house at first. And as he ddi not want his treasure to be stolen, he cunningly employed the workers' fear of snakes and had the rough stones guarded by a python snake. It was a beautiful find indeed. Unfortunately, however, the stone was only known to experts. This changed quickly when in 1974 when Tiffany's started a special promotion campaign making Tzavorite well-known in all the USA in only a short time. Other promotion campaigns in other countries followed, and soon Tzavorite was a name known everywhere.
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Zircon
Natural zircon today suffers for the similarity of its name to cubic zirconia, the laboratory-grown diamond imitation. Some don't realize that there is a beautiful natural gemstone called zircon.
Zircon occurs in a wide range of colours but for many years, the most popular was the colourless variety which looks more like diamond than any other natural stone due to its brilliance and dispersion.
Today the most popular colour is blue zircon. Most blue zircon, which is considered an alternate birthstone for December, is a pastel blue, but some exceptional gems have a bright blue colour. Zircon is also available in green, dark red, yellow, brown, and orange.
Zircon is mined in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, and other countries.
Zircon is one of the heaviest gemstones, which means that it will look smaller than other varieties of the same weight. Zircon jewellery should be stored carefully because although zircon is relatively hard, it can abrade and facets can chip. Dealers often wrap zircons in individual twists of paper so that they will not knock against each other in a parcel.
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