November 21, 2017
TANZANITE Tanzanite is the blue to violet to purple variety of the mineral zoisite. It is mined commercially only in one area of the world: the […]
October 21, 2017
CITRINE People have used quartz in jewelry for thousands of years. Egyptians gathered ornately striped agates from the shore and used them as talismans, the ancient […]
September 21, 2017
OPAL Opal is the product of seasonal rains that drenched dry ground in regions such as Australia’s semi-desert “outback.” The showers soaked deep into ancient underground […]
August 21, 2017
Blue sapphire belongs to the mineral species corundum. It can be a pure blue but ranges from greenish blue to violetish blue. The name “sapphire” can […]
July 21, 2017
PERIDOT Peridot has always been associated with light. In fact, the Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Some believed that it protected its owner […]
July 15, 2017
In 2014, the International Gem Society (IGS) held an essay contest. Members were asked to write short pieces promoting awareness of colored gemstones. The following essay […]
July 12, 2017
June 22, 2017
Red is the color of our most intense emotions—love and anger, passion and fury. It’s associated with objects of power and desire—like fast cars and red […]
June 21, 2017
People have coveted natural pearls as symbols of wealth and status for thousands of years. A Chinese historian recorded the oldest written mention of natural pearls […]