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December
January's Birthstone of the Month
Garnet derived its name from the Latin word granatus, meaning like a grain,
which refers to the mode of occurrence wherein crystals resemble grains or seeds
embedded in the matrix. Garnet is a family of minerals having
 similar
physical and crystalline properties. There are a number of trade and variety
names for garnet, most of these names are for particular colors of specie.
Hessonite is the variety name for a fine orange, cinnamon brown, or pinkish
variety of grossularite, while tsavorite is the trade name for fine dark green
grossularite.
Melanite is a black
titanium bearing variety of andradite and demantoid is a rich green variety.
Malaya is a trade name for a pyrope-spessartite that varies in color from red,
through shades of orange and brownish orange to peach and pink. Rhodolite is a
purplish red pyrope-almandite solid solution garnet. Fine-quality pyrope garnets
from Czechoslovakia are often called Bohemian garnets. Almandite and
almandite-pyrope solid solution garnets are the best abrasive types, but
andradite, grossularite, and pyrope also are used All species of garnet have
been used as gemstones.
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February's Birthstone of the Month
Amethyst, purple color gemstone. The legend of the origin of amethyst comes from
Greek myths. Dionysius, the god of intoxication, was angered one day by an
insult from a mere mortal and swore revenge on the next mortal that crossed his
path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wish. Along came unsuspecting
Amethyst, a beautiful
 young
maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. Diana turned Amethyst
into a stature of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws.
Dionysius wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the
beautiful statue. The god's tears stained the quartz purple, creating the gem we
know today. Purple color has long been considered a royal color so it is not
surprising that amethyst has been so popular through the history. Fine amethysts
are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine
the Great and Egyptian royalty. Amethyst, transparent purple quartz, is the most
important quartz variety used in jewelry. Amethyst was thought to encourage
celibacy. Because of that, amethyst was very important in the ornamentation of
churches in the Middle Ages. Bishops still often wear amethyst rings. In Tibet,
amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned
from it. The Greek work "amethystos" basically can be translated as "not
drunken." Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness,
which is why wine goblets were often carved from it! The gemstone still
symbolizes sobriety.
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March's Birthstone of the Month
Aquamarine, birthstone for March, derives its name from "sea water". Aqua
(water) sparkles like the sea and its color is light to medium blue, sometimes
with a slight greenish splash. According to some legends, it is the treasure of
mermaids, with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. Aquamarine is said to be a
particularly strong charm
 when
immersed in water (which is a good thing, since that is when sailors need its
power most!) Aquamarine was also said to have a soothing influence on land,
especially on married couples. Its power to help husbands and wives work out
their differences and ensure a long and happy marriage makes it a good
anniversary gift. Aquamarine also protects against the wiles of the devil. A
dream of aquamarine means that you will meet new friends.
Aquamarine is found
in Brazil, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria, and other countries. Aquamarine
is always a pastel blue but the darker the color, the more valued it is.
Professionals prefer a pure blue, with no green in it. Stones with a greenish
tone are less expensive. Because the color is generally pale, aquamarine should
have a good clarity. These stones are often cut in ovals and emerald cuts. More
saturated colors are unusual in small sizes: usually it takes some size for the
color to hold in a darker shade.
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April's Birthstone of the Month
Diamond was discovered in 500 B.C. in India. The name "diamond" comes from the
Greek
 word
"adamas" which means unconquerable-suggesting the eternity of love. Since
ancient Greece diamonds have been the traditional symbol of love. The ancients
believed
they were hardened dew drops, splinters from the stars or
crystallized lightening. A diamond - the hardest substance known to man is a
crystallized carbon which has unique powers of light reflection. Because it is
composed of a single element a diamond is the purest of all gemstones. Diamond
is a colorless stone. Some other occasional colors are, blue, yellow, amber,
red, green, pink.
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May's Birthstone of the Month
Emerald - gem of eternal spring. Is it the gem's incomparable, luxuriant green
color? Are you
 fascinated
by emerald's rich history, lore and tradition? Maybe it's a combination of those
sentiments. After all, emeralds have been cherished for as long as there has
been a written history - or so say archaeologists, which have traced the origins of the use of emerald to almost
3000 B.C. in both ancient Egypt and India. Cleopatra prized her emeralds more
than any other gem. The Romans also loved emeralds because, as ancient scholar
Pliny said, "nothing greens greener." The Moguls of India loved emeralds so much
they inscribed them with sacred text and wore them as talismans.
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June's Birthstone of the Month
The shimmering radiance of a strand of pearls has held the attention of brides
for millennia. The ancient Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote
marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying. During the Crusades in the
Middle Ages, pearls were the gift of choice for a knight to give to his lady.
During the 14th
 and
15th centuries, royal wedding scenes closely resembled a sea of pearls, with
everyone from the bride down to her male guests adorned with impressive arrays
of pearl jewelry. In modern times, cultured pearls have graced such 20th century
brides as Queen Elizabeth II, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Elizabeth
Taylor.
You may have seen
the term cultured" preceding the word pearls at your jewelry store. Cultured
pearls are pearls that are nudged to life when a worker surgically implants a
tiny bead into the oyster (that's the shellfish in which pearls grow). The host
oyster is then lowered back into the water and, if all goes well, it deposits
layer upon layer of a substance called nacre around the bead, eventually forming
a pearl large enough to harvest. Of course, some oysters continue to produce
pearls without any help, forming nacre around a natural irritant that gets
inside their shells. They are rare however. Culturing produces far more pearls
than nature could alone.
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July's Birthstone of the Month
Ruby - this gem of penetrating color, the Valentine color, the color of passion
and love with all the respect and reverence due it, has collected tore and
legends to match its almost universal appeal. Ruby's day is Tuesday, its season
summer, its apostle St. Matthew. The scarlet-colored gem, July's birthstone
under the sign of Cancer, is said to accord wearers wisdom, happiness and
health, and to bring particularly good luck to gamblers and lovers.
Rubies are more
than talismans or good-luck charms, not only historic and exotic but also
valuable. Value is a human set of conditions: gems must have rarity, durability
and beauty. Great rubies display all three hallmarks.
 Rubies
- especially fine rubies - are rarer than diamonds, emeralds or sapphires. The
beauty of their color is without peer. And their durability is often a surprise
to new buyers. On the famous Mohs hardness scale of 1 to 10, everyone knows that
a diamond, as the hardest natural substance on earth, rates a 10. Rubies, at
Mohs 9, are harder than any other material except diamonds. You may already have
noticed that rubies and sapphires are often paired. For good reason. They belong
to the same family, corundum, the crystal form of aluminum oxide.
Fine Rubies are the
most expensive of all gems (with the one exception - very rare colored diamonds,
such as red). It is safe to say that, outside of museums, most people never see
either large or fine rubies. Most of the material sold today is commercial
quality, usually small and heavily included. If you own rubies, it is good to
remember that hardness and susceptibility to breakage are not necessarily
related. Even though exceedingly hard, heavily included stones may crack or chip
when hit. Let common sense be your guide. Remove jewelry before doing heavy
work. Take care of your ruby by treating it gently and by keeping your gems and
jewelry clean. Lightly included stones usually go safely into ultrasonic
cleaners. Soaking rubies in alcohol (or vodka) overnight loosens stubborn
debris, which then can be rinsed and brushed away. Always use a soft brush but
no abrasives, not even toothpaste; such abrasives will not hurt rubies but will
scratch the softer gold or platinum settings.
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August's Birthstone of the Month
Peridot, the volcanic gem, is the best known gem variety of mineral olivine, a
specific name for a series of magnesium-iron rich silicate minerals. This bright
yellow-green to green gemstone has caught the fancy of humans for thousands of
years. Some historians even suspect that at least some of the "emeralds" worn by
Cleopatra were actually peridot.
The Romans called
peridot "evening emerald," since its green color did not darken at night
 but
was still visible by lamplight. Peridot later was also often used to decorate
medieval churches. Large peridots, close to 200 carats in size, decorate the
shrine of the three magi at the Cologne Cathedral.
Peridot was mined
in ancient Egypt on an island called Zeberget. Mining was done at night because
legend said that peridot could not be easily seen during the day. The island was
infested with serpents who made peridot mining a very dangerous occupation until
one Pharoh finally had them all driven into the sea.
Much of its recent
popularity can be explained by its currently being recognized as the birthstone
for the month of August, people wear the stone because it is supposed to bring
the wearer success, peace, and good luck. The United States was for many years
the largest producer of peridot, the value of production in 1999 was estimated
to be about $1.5 million, according to the USBM. The United States is getting
major Competition from China and Pakistan for the title of the world's largest
producer.
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September's Birthstone of the Month
The throne of celestial judgment rests on a sapphire, according to ancient
legend. Asian tradition held that
sapphire was the guiding gem that could ward off evil omens and bring good
fortune to its owner. Sapphire is the blue variety of corundum, the same gem
family as ruby. It ranges from pale, sky blue to the deep midnight color of the
sky.
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October's Birthstone of the Month
Opal is brittle, heat sensitive, and breaks and scratches easily. Some varieties
self- destruct through the loss of water. Even with these drawbacks, opal still
is a premier gemstone. Opal's name evolved from the Roman word opalus from the
Greek word opallios - "to see a change of color." The Greek word was a
modification of the ancient Indian Sanskrit name for opal, upala, which meant
"precious stone." If one spoke in mixed tongues, then opal would be opallios
upala, "to see a change of color precious stone."
As
indicated by the derivation of its name, opal has centuries of history as a
treasured gemstone. Historically, beliefs associated with the wearing of opal
have varied. The early Greeks thought that opals gave their owners the powers of
foresight and prophecy. Romans adored it as a token of hope and purity. Eastern
people regarded it as sacred. Arabs believed it fell from heaven. In the
nineteenth century, superstitions grew about the bad luck or fate that could
befall one for wearing opal if it were not the wearer's birthstone. Today, these
superstitions have diminished, but some people still believe it is bad luck to
wear opals.
Opal has over one
hundred variety and trade names, but the list of accepted or commonly used names
is much shorter. The most important and most widely known opal is the precious
opal. Precious opal may be subdivided further by color modifiers, white, black,
pinks, and blue, which describe the body color of the opal. Australia is famous
for its white and black precious opal. Fire opal, the bright red,
reddish-yellow, orange body colored opal is the second most important opal
commercially. Until recently, the best fire opal came from Mexico.
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November's Birthstone of the Month
Topaz is the birthstone of November. Blue Topaz is the anniversary gemstone for
the 4th year of marriage For the Egyptians topaz was a very powerful amulet
against harm, because they believed that topaz was a gemstone colored with the
golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter,
who also is the god of the sun. Legend has it that it dispels all enchantment
and helps to improve eyesight.
The ancient Greeks
believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer
 invisible
in times of emergency. Topaz was also said to change color in the presence of
poisoned food or drink. It was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and hemorrhages.
Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and
all the beautiful warm browns and oranges inbetween. Some rare and exceptional
topaz are pale pink to a sherry red. The most famous topaz is a giant specimen
set in the Portuguese Crown, the Braganza. There is also a beautiful topaz set
in the Green Vault in Dresden, one of the world's important gem collections.
Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri
Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia. Today we also have blue
topaz,which has a pale to medium blue color 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. Blue topaz has become a popular alternative in recent years for
those who prefer faceted stones. Topaz is a very hard gemstone. But, because it
can be split with a single blow like diamond, it should be protected from hard
knocks.
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December's Birthstone of the Month
Zircon has long had a supporting role to more well-known gemstones, replacing
them when they were unavailable. In the middle ages, zircon was said to aid
sleep, bring prosperity, and promote honor and wisdom in its owner. The name
probably comes from the Persian word zargun which means "gold-colored," although
zircon comes in a wide range of different colors .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 colors but for many years, the most popular was the colorless
variety which looks more like diamond than any other natural stone due to its
brilliance and dispersion. Today the most popular color 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 color. 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 jewelry 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. The wide variety of colors of zircon, its
rarity, and its relatively low cost make it a popular collector's stone.
Collectors enjoy the search for all possible colors and variations.
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For More Information Contact:
Quicksilver Fine Jewelry & Gifts
29 Lafayette Road, Route 1, North Hampton, NH 03862
Tel: (603) 964-6541
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