AMETHYST According to Leonardo Da Vinci “Amethyst dissipates evil thoughts and quickens the intelligence.” Amethyst is a form of quartz with a hardness of 7 suitable for any type of fine jewelry and is February’s Birthstone.
AMETRINE Ametrine is a mixture of amethyst and citrine and occurs naturally in this type of quartz gemstone.
APATITE This gemstone occurs throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Namibia and Russia. Crystals weighing up to 485 lbs have been discovered. The name is derived from the Greek “apate” meaning deceit and referring to its similarity to crystals of other minerals such as aquamarine, amethyst, and olivine.
AQUAMARINE This is a type of Beryl, as is Emerald. It can be pale green to blue to sky blue and is found in the U.S., Brazil, Russia, and Asia. Aquamarine means “sea water” and is aptly named. In ancient times it was thought to protect sailors. It is March’s Birthstone.
CHALCEDONY This is an opaque waxy stone found in the U.S., Turkey, and other places around the world. It is often used in cameos and occasionally used in carvings.
CHROME DIOPSIDE It is a brilliant green form of diopside that naturally occurs and is colored by the presence of chromium. Some purple blue diopsides contain manganese. Diopside has also benn found in meteorites. It has a hardness of 6.
CITRINE This is yellow quartz and resembles yellow topaz in appearance but is not the same stone. Citrine has a harness of 7 and topaz is 8. It is found in Scotland, Russia, France, Brazil, Spain, and North Carolina.
CHRYSOBERYL It occurs in yellow, green, and golden brown. Alexandrite is a form of Chrysoberyl and is perhaps the rarest gemstone on earth. Other types of Chrsoberyl are quite common. Hardness of 8.
DIAMOND This is April’s Birthstone. It has a Hardness of 10 and is the stone all other gemstones are measured against. It has a Refractive Index of 2.42 (ability to sparkle). It is found primarily in Africa, Russia, Canada, and Australia.
EMERALD A type of Beryl. They are found in Columbia, Brazil, Russia and Africa with the finest ones still coming out of Columbia and now Zimbabwe. Stones of fine color are rre usually too dark or too light and slightly turbid in nature. Emerald is thought to be a symbol of fertility. It is May’s Birthstone.
FLOURITE Flourite is a soft gemstone with a hardness of 4. It has been used in carvings, such as cameos and art pieces, while some of the more transparent stones are fine to set in pendants or earrings.
GARNET This is January’s Birthstone. Garnets are widespread gemstones and their are 15 types of garnets most notably being, spessartite, pyrope, almandine, and rhodolite. They have an excellent hardness of 7-7.5 and a great Refractive Index of 1.76-1.83(ability to shine).
HEMATITE A spectacular black stone used for cabochons, faceted stones, and carvings. RI is 2.94-3.22 exceeding Diamond. Although most specimans are black, its streak is cherry red to red brown due to the iron content. It has a hardness of 5-6.
IOLITE Iolite is also called Cordierite or “water sapphire”. It is a beautiful violet color and is found in S.E. Asia, India, Africa, and Canada. It has a hardness of 7-7.5.
JADE Nephrite is the ideal carving stone because of its tough structure. It has been used in carvings for over 3000 years. Jadeite is more often used in jewelry for its finer qualities.
KUNZITE this is the same mineral as Spodumene and is a beautiful light pink gem highly prized for its vitreous luster and unmistakable color. Collectors prize this stone for its perfect cleavage. It can lose its color when exposed to sunlight and is often brittle.
LABRADORITE Contains a rich display of iridescent color. Hardness is 6-6.5 and is suitable for cabochons or cameos.
LAPIS LAZULI It is lazurite, pyrite, and calcite with a hardness of 5-5.5. It is used primarily in cabochons, cameos, and carvings. The edges should be protected to prevent chipping.
LARIMAR Named for the founders daughter Laura and the spanish term “la mar” meaning sea. It is a form of pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic. It is caribbean blue in color reminiscent of the sea that surrounds it.
OPAL Opal is an iridescent widespread stone located on nearly every continent. It occurs as white, black and fire opal and has a hardness of 5-6. It is Octobers Birthstone.
PEARL Pearls are produced by both saltwater oysters and freshwater clams. They are comprised mostly of aragonite. They are valued for their wonderful luster (nacre) and are June’s Birthstone.
PERIDOT A variety of olivene and prized for its beautiful yellow-green transparency. With a Hardness of 6.5-7 it is August’s Birthstone.
QUARTZ Hardness 7. It is a Class IV mineral of the oxide-hydroxide group. this class also includes chrysoberyl and corundum (sapphire), as well as, opal. It is a very common mineral and often associated with precious metals such as Gold.
RUBY Ruby is a type of corundum (sapphire). It is the king of precious stones and is used in fine jewelry for its unique purple-red to rose pink to blood red color. It can be transparent to opaque with asterism (star).
RUBY-ZOISITE Found only in Tanzania and composed of ruby and zoisite the same mineral in Tanzanite, it may also contain minute amounts of hornblende. It is opaque and is typically used in jewelry in the cabochon form.
SAPPHIRE This is Corundum and comes in all color including clear (white). Ruby is a sapphire. Asterism is a common trait of sapphires. They have a Hardness of 9 and are September’s Birthstone.
SPINEL With a Hardness of 7.5-8, they form octohedral crystals and the Latin name implies “little thorn” because of their sharpness. Many historic “rubies” are actually spinels. Spinel dates back to 100 BC with the most common colors being red and blue.
TANZANITE A lovely violet-blue stone often confused with sapphire but infinately more rare being found only in Tanzania and Pakistan. It has a Hardness of 6-7.
TOPAZ It comes in many colors, including “clear” that when brilliant cut could easily be confused with diamond. The sherry-yellow topaz from Brazil is very valuable as is the natural pink topaz. The Hardness is 8 and topaz is November’s Birthstone.
TOURMALINE Crystals of tourmaline are prismatic and are extremely dichroic (showing more than one color) hence “watermelon” tourmaline. It has a hardness of 7-7.5.
TURQUOISE Turquoise was one of the 1st gemstones to be mined dating back to 5000 BC in Mesopotamia (Iraq). It has been used in cabochon form for years to decorate everything from armor to jewelry.
ZIRCON One of the few stones to approach diamond in fire and brilliance. Zircons color range is clear, green, golden yellow and blue. It has a Hardness of 7.5.
