RUBELLITE TOURMALINE

When Tourmaline appears to look like a Ruby it is renamed Rubellite. However, just like the debate about when a dark Pink Sapphire becomes a Ruby, Tourmaline is only renamed Rubellite if its deep red colours are seen in both daylight and artificial light. If its hues are not profound under both lighting conditions, it is renamed Pink Tourmaline.

Rubellite’s name is derived from the Latin word “rubellus” which literally translates to “coming from red”.

Inclusions in Rubellite are fairly common, as the chemical structures responsible for its wonderful colour also create “jardin” (the French word for garden, and is used to describe Mother Nature’s inclusions).

The gem is a real treasure. It is far rarer than its closest rival Ruby and many people find it infinitely more attractive. However, as often happens in the gem world, it does not command such a high price as its competitor, due to it being less well-known.

RHODONITE

Just like Bette Davis, Rhodonite is the official gem of Massachusetts. Its name is derived from the Greek work “Rhodon” meaning rose. It was discovered in the 17th century and for several years it was considered the national stone of Russia.

Its uses vary from cameos to beautiful jewellery. Its pink body colour has a vitreous lustre and the gem is distinguished by black veins called dendrites, which form patterns across the main body. Very rarely, transparent Rhodonite is found which is exceedingly fragile and greatly prized by collectors.

As the stone is usually opaque, it is commonly cut as cabochons or into beads. It has also been claimed to have specific therapeutic qualities, promoting relaxation and the soothing of the nervous system. It is said to aid self-worth and imbue confidence in romantic matters.

As well as being discovered in Massachusetts and Russia, the gem has also been found in Sweden and Australia.

RHODOLITE GARNET

A blend of two parts Pyrope to one part Almandine, this rare Garnet is found in many wonderful shades of pink, red and occasionally lavender.
Named after the Greek “rhod” and “lithos”, which together translate as “rose stone”, this name was first used to describe a pink coloured Garnet from North Carolina, USA.
Rhodolite Garnet tends to be lighter in colour than most other red Garnets and has even been confused with Ruby due to their similarity in colour. Rhodolite is highly refractive which leads to its stunning brilliance.

As the gem is a fairly new member of the Garnet family, it does not have a lot of legends and folklore attached to it in its own right. That said, due to its similarity in colour to several other members of its family, it is believed that Indian tribes used the gem to enhance the potency of fire and placed it next to those who were sick in order to aid recovery.

PINK TOURMALINE

The name Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese word “turamali” which means “mixed precious stones”. In the gem trade (due to its almost electrifying colour) the pink variety of Tourmaline is often known as “Shocking Pink Tourmaline”.

This gem is often confused with other gems. Indeed, the Russian Crown Jewels were thought to contain beautiful large Rubies but they turned out to be dark Pink Tourmalines. Its sensual colour occurs because it is rich in lithium.

The Empress Dowager Tz’u, the last empress of China, loved Pink Tourmaline so much she went to rest eternally on a pillow carved from Pink Tourmaline.

When women wear Pink Tourmaline, it is said to empower; it also said to help in reaching one’s full potential.

PARAIBA TOURMALINE

This is one of the most sought after gemstones on the planet. The stunning Paraiba Tourmaline ranges from neon, swimming pool blue to an electric greenish blue. Its name is derived from the Paraiba State in Brazil, where it was first discovered.

What makes this gem so different to other Tourmalines is the presence of copper and, to a lesser extent, manganese. The copper within the gem is what makes it appear to glow and this almost neon effect is truly a delight to see.

Due to its range of intense colours, which are similar to that of a peacock, this most spectacular gem is known in the gem trade as the “Peacock Gem”.

Crystal Healers have already embraced this new gemstone and believe its powers are the greatest of all Tourmalines. Many state that the different hues have different abilities: these include promoting general wellbeing, increasing self-motivation and intensifying the desire to help and support others.

The Paraiba story would make a great film and would provide an even better sequel. Its original discovery was back in 1989, due to the work of Heitor Barbosa. This lone gem hunter was convinced that under a tiny little hill measuring no more than 400 by 200 metres and standing only 60 metres high lay a new gemstone waiting to be discovered. He told his close friends that he was not digging just to extract a quantity of gems which had already been discovered in this famous gem area of Brazil, but was going to make a new discovery.

He first cut ground in 1981 and worked relentlessly for many years without success. Then, in the autumn of 1989, while he was at home recovering from an illness, a tiny amount of a new Tourmaline was discovered by his assistants. For several years after, the small hill (later renamed Paraiba Hill) was trawled in an attempt to find more Paraiba, but it was mainly unsuccessful.

The sequel took place in Nigeria in 2001, when a discovery of Tourmaline was found to exhibit the same optical beauty of Paraiba and after scientific examination was found to contain copper. Bingo! The plot then gathered pace and the gem industry ferociously debated whether the gem should be called Paraiba Tourmaline, or whether a new name should be given as it was found in a completely different continent. In the end, it was decided that because it is of the same chemical composition and therefore very difficult for gem experts to distinguish between the two, it would be simpler to allow it to take on the Paraiba title. The film thus came to an end, and as the camera drew back, we realise that these two films, both shot on location, on different continents, have been delicaely scripted to succinctly confirm the theory of continental drift.

MOONSTONE

Moonstones come in a variety of colours, ranging from colourless to white, grey brown, yellow, orange, green, or even pink. Clarity ranges from transparent to translucent and the traditional place of origin is Sri Lanka, where the Moonstones tend to be almost transparent with a bluish flicker.

This gem owes its name to its mysterious shimmer that bears resemblance in colour to the moon.
This silvery to bluish iridescence is caused by the intergrowth of two different types of Feldspar which have different refractive indexes. This always looks different when the stone is moved, and is known in the trade as ‘adularescence’.

Surrounded by mystery and magic, this gemstone has featured in different cultures for thousands of years. In India it is regarded as a magical and holy gemstone and is often used as a ‘dream stone’ bringing the wearer beautiful visions at night. In Arabian cultures Moonstone was often worn on female garments as they were viewed as a sign of fertility.

Moonstone was also extremely popular in Roman times, as they thought the gemstone was formed out of moonlight. Romans were setting the gemstone in their jewellery as early as 100AD, and in more recent times the gem was popular in the Art Nouveau period.

Many gemstone collectors find the most pleasing Moonstones have a blue sheen and a colourless body. Due o there being more demand than supply, today good quality blue Moonstones are becoming more and more of a rarity and have therefore risen sharply in price.

The gem is usually set in rings, pendants and earrings, with lesser-graded Moonstone used in beaded necklaces. Its healing ability is said to align your vertebrae, be a good digestive aid and also soothes and balances emotions. Moonstone’s mystical powers are said to protect women and babies. It’s also associated with the oceans and planting cycles. The gemstone is said to balance yin and yang as well as bringing god fortune to the wearer. Legend says that Moonstone is a highly prized gift for lovers as it arouses tender passion.

Along with Alexandrite and Pearls, Moonstone is one of the birthstones for June.

MALACHITE

Malachite is a gorgeous green gemstone, named after the Greek word “molochites” for “mallow”, a savoury green herb. Its light and dark green bands are very distinctive, making it one of the most easily recognisable of all gemstones.

Malachite was crushed and used as a green pigment in the Bronze Age and its use in jewellery can be traced back as early as 4000BC when it was worn by Egyptians. In the Middle Ages Malachite was worn to protect from black magic and sorcery. It is said that Malachite can be worn to detect impending danger and it is believed to lend extra energy and bring harmony into one’s life.

JET

How many phrases and descriptive words do we commonly use in conversation without knowing their origin? Have you ever described an item as Jet Black? Did you know that Jet is a gemstone that is as black as any gemstone can be? Along with Amber and Pearl, Jet is a member of a very exclusive club of gems that are created organically and not formed from minerals. It is not considered a mineral, as it is derived from an organic substance-wood!

A creation of decaying wood dating back millions of years held under pressure beneath the Earth’s surface has given us this fascinating, unusual and very brittle gemstone. Add salt water into the dreation process and the gemstone takes a slightly harder form, but still only achieves a maximum of 4 on the Mohs scale.

Jet can be found in several locations around the world and one of the best sources for Jet is the small town of Whitby on the east coast of England. It became a very fashionable gemstone during the reign of Queen Victoria and, because of its sombre colour, formed part of the jewellery she wore with her mourning dress. During the 1920’s, Jet was heavily used in long beaded necklaces upon which the wearer would wear multiple strands.

Just like Diamonds, Jet is Made from carbon. Furthermore, with a look similar to that of a Black Diamond with high lustre, combined with its unusual source of origin and its unusual electrical properties (Jet has the ability to generate a small electric charge if rubbed) there has recently been an increasing amount of interest in this curious British gemstone.

HOWLITE

Howlite is famed for imitating other minerals, such as Turquoise. It is naturally white or grey, but due to the texture of the stone can very easily be dyed a turquoise blue.

It forms in nodules that look like cauliflower heads displaying black veins throughout the gemstone, and although this mineral is not very hard it still has a distinct toughness.

It is said that Howlite can eliminate anger and offensive behaviour. Healers consider it an important gemstone to cleanse auras and purify the blood.

Found in the beautiful tourist destination of Nova Scotia, Canada, this stone is named after its discoverer: the geologist Henry How. Due to its softness, the gem is seldom set into jewellery these days.

FLUORITE

Fluorite is rarely faceted due to this variety of gem being too soft; however, highly polished cabochons can be found. Interestingly, the most famous location for this amazing gem is Castleton in Derbyshire, England. This is where the famous Blue John is found and is highly prized as an ornamental stone. The English miners used to call the crystals ‘ore flowers’ and collectors have called fluorite ‘the most colourful mineral in the world’.

Its name is derived from the Latin word “fluere”, which means “to flow” and refers to the gem’s low melting point. At a hardness of just 4 on the Mohs scale, the gem is not often set in jewellery.

As mentioned under fluorescence, the household fluorescent tube owes the “fluorescent” part of its name to this gemstone.

As well as being discovered in the UK (where it is of gem-quality), Fluorite is also mined in various states in the USA, including Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Arizona and even New York. Other countries that mine Fluorite include Germany, Switzerland, Mexico and Canada.

ELBAITE

Like many gem families, Tourmalines are split into several groups. Most Tourmalines fall into the Elbaite group. Its name is derived from the small island of Elba, Italy, where the first gem was discovere in 1913.

All Elbaites are strongly pleochroic (different colours can be seen when viewing the gem from different angles) and its members include Rubellite which is Red, Achroite-colourless, Siberite-lilac to violet, Paraiba-neon blue to green and Indicolite-blue.

DIOPSIDE

Not a particularly well known gemstone, Diopside was first described in the early 1800’s and derives its name from the Greek words “dis and “opse”, meaning “two faced”, in reference to the two ways of orienting the gem before cutting (Diopside is unusual in that it has perfect cleavage in two directions).

Due to the presence of iron, the colours of the gem vary from yellow to pale green to dark bottle green. Two of the most popular varieties are Black Star Diopside (normally cabochon cut if the gem demonstrates chatoyancy or asterism) and Chrome Diopside which, as the name suggests, gets its vivid green colours from chromium.

DANBURITE

First discovered in Danbury, south-east Connecticut, USA in 1839, Danburite is normally white or clear; however, some small deposits have also heralded grey, yellow, pink and even brown Danburite. This precious gemstone is ideal for setting in jewellery, and although the extreme clarity of the colourless variety is highly sought after, it is also very sublime when found in light pink.

When colourless, on a visual inspection this gemstone can easily be mistaken for a Diamond, due to its high refractive index. Its crystal structure is very similar to Topaz, and when found in its rough state generally appears prismatic with a diamond-shaped cross section. As the gem is a relatively recent discovery, there is yet little folklore or legend surrounding it. That said, crystal healers believe that the gem has strong healing capabilities. Danburiteoccursmostly in metamorphic limestone and in addition to Danbury, Connecticut, the gem has also been found in Japan, Burma, Switzerland, Madagascar, and Cornwall in England. The finding of these new deposits is great news for Danburite fanatics, including myself, as the original mines in Danbury are now covered by town houses!

CHAMPAGNE QUARTZ

Champagne Quartz is a reasonably unknown member of the family: its rich champagne colour sets it apart from the darker Smoker Quartz.

Champagne Quartz has amazing clarity and the fascinating pale brown shade makes this a true collector’s piece. Its appearance can often resemble that of a Cognac Diamond and it looks stunning set into white gold rings and pendants.

CHALCEDONY

It has been suggested that Chalcedony was one of the earliest materials used by man. Not only has the stone been mentioned as one of the twelve gems in the breastplate of Aaron, there is reference to its use in creating the foundation of the city walls of the ‘New Jerusalem’. In the 7th century BC, it was used to make eylindrical seals in the area of Mesopotamia.

Over time, as well as being set in jewellery and carvings, Chalcedony has been shaped into knives and tools. In particular it is used to carve attractive cameos, and is one of the gemstones used in commesso; a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly coloured gemstones (extremely popular in the 16th century in Florence, Italy).

The name derives from Chalkedon (an old Greek town) and the generic name ‘Chalcedony’ is also the name for all fine-grained Quartzes.

Chalcedony comes in an array of colours including hues such as milky blue, creamy white and soft grey. The gem is usually semi-transparent or translucent and its waxy lustre gives it an almost migical look.

This bewitching stone is thought to drive out dread, hysterics, melancholy, mental illness, and to reduce fever and prevent depression. Wearing Chalcedony promotes tranquility and harmony, and is also said to stimulate creativity.

Chalcedony is still a very popular gem today and even inspirational jewellery brands such as Boodles and Lorique set cabochon cut Chalcedony gems in 18k gold.
The gem is mined in various parts of the world including Brazil, Madagascar and Sri Lanka and is normally located in volcanic and sedimentary rocks.

BLUE TOURMALINE

Although Tourmaline is available in a wider spectrum of colours than almost any other gem variety, not all are so frequently found. Pure Blue Tourmalines are incredibly rare and more often than not tend to be a greenish blue. In some gem circles the dark blue variety is renamed Indicolite. Don’t expect to see these in high street shop windows, as they really are only discovered as one-off pieces!

BLUE SAPPHIRE

Blues are still amongst the most popular and sought after type of Sapphire and have been the prized possessions of emperors, kings, queens and collectors for thousands of years, Of all the coloured gemstones it is possibly the most renowned and demanded. Royalty have been known to give Sapphires over Diamonds as engagement rings because they are known to be far rarer than the latter. The most notable producer of fine Blue Sapphires is Sri Lanka and it is often referred to by its previous name Ceylon Sapphire.

As Sapphire is renowned for being, when the word is used without a colour prefix, it is assumed that one is talking about Blue Sapphire. All other colours are regarded as “fancy Sapphires” and should be prefixed with their colour. Just as in the wine world it is improper to say Chardonnay Chablis, it would be equally wrong to say Blue Sapphire when describing the Blue variety: being politically correct you simply say Sapphire.

BLUE DIAMOND

Natural fancy-coloured Diamonds are amongst the most expensive and valuable of all gemstones. Coloured Diamonds, especially Blue Diamonds, are becoming increasingly popular with collectors and celebrities.

Nothing quite matches a Blue Diamond in colour: being comparable to a crossbreed of the deepest London Blue Topaz and darkest Santa Maria Aquamarine, it really does have a uniqueness all of its own. Highly prized, Blue Diamonds are exceptionally rare and historically could cost up to 20 times more than white Diamonds of the same clarity and carat weight. Today, some colourless Diamonds have the ability to be turned blue through treatments.

The most famous Blue Diamond of all time is the Hope Diamond.

BLOODSTONE

Treasured in ancient times, Bloodstone (also know as Heliotrope) served as the birthstone for March, until it was replaced in 1912 by Aquamarine. Once referred to as the martyr’s stone, medieval Christians often carved Bloodstone into scenes of the crucifixion. According to legend, the origin of this gemstone formed when Christ’s blood fell to the foot of the cross, staining Jasper below. A fine example of carved Bloodstone can be found in the Louvre featuring a seal of the German Emperor Rudolf II.

The virtues ascribed to this gem are that it is good for circulation of both energy and blood in the body. It is said to aid in the removal of energy blocks, and placing several pieces of this gemstone in the home is suggested to enhance the flow of life energy.

Bloodstone is a member of the Chalcedony group of gems, who in turn belong to the cryptocrystalline family of Quartz. The gem is mined in the USA, Brazil, China, India and Australia.

BLACK DIAMOND

Black Diamonds are a stunning and very fashionable variety of Diamond. Although it lacks dispersion and the internal brilliance of its colourless sister, a quality Black Diamond has the ability to display an intense surface lustre, with an almost metallic shimmer.

Natural Black Diamonds are extremely hard and beautiful, and are found predominantly in Africa. As with all Diamonds, they were formed in the earth many millions of years ago and have been pushed to the Earth’s surface by volcanic eruptions.

Black Diamonds have become increasingly popular in recent years. Although not strictly black, they contain numerous dark inclusions that give this Diamond its characteristic black look. Many Black Diamonds undergo treatment to intensify the blackness of their colour.

BIXBITE

Also know as Red Emerald and Scarlet Emerald, Bixbite is regarded by many as the rarest member of the Beryl family of gemstones. The gem is named in honour of the legendary mineralogist Maynard Bixby (1853-1935) of Utah, America, who was believed to have first discovered the gem in 1904.

Many gems marketed as Bixbite are in fact a different gem known as Pezzottaite. The confusion arises as both their chemical construction and appearance are almost identical. Bixbite, however, is currently only
Mined in two locations on the planet: the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah, America and also in the Catron and Sierra Counties within New Mexico. Pezzottaite, on the other hand, was first discovered in Madagascar in 2002, although the mines are now said to be depleted; luckily there has been a recent discovery in Afghanistan.

The gem’s stunning red appearance is due to the presence of manganese, and even though the gem is normally heavily included and at best translucent, many collectors regard the gem as a greater acquisition than Ruby.

APATITE

Although Apatite is really a family of gemstones, as the individual members have very long and difficult-to-pronounce names, the jewellery industry tends to use Apatite as the generic name. Historically, because the gem was often confused with other gemstones, its name is derived from the Greek meaning “to deceive”.

The more common colours for Apatite are similar to Pariba Tourmaline, with swimming pool blues through to lively light greens. That said, other colours occasionally occur: colourless to white, brownish-yellow, greyish-green and one known as the “Asparagus stone” due to its resemblance to the vegetable.

Apatite has been associated with namy healing properties and a gemstone often combined with other gems to further its healing powers. It is also thought to be an aid to seeing the truth about oneself. When you combine Rose Quartz with Apatite it is meant to draw and give unconditional love; if you pair it with colourless Quartz it can help you see the changes that need to occur in your life; and when combined with Aquamarine it is believed to help you make those changes.

For such a beautiful gemstone, with almost a neon glow, it is difficult to comprehend how many Apatites are created from fossilised dinosaur bones! At just 5 on the Mohs scale, Apatite is one of the softest gems to be set in jewellery, but treated respectably its alluring and luscious glow will keep its owner entranced for many years.

Deposits have been found in several locations including Cornwall in England, Canada, Norway, Russia and Sweden.

ANDALUSITE

Discovered in blue, green and brown colours, Andalusite is a transparent to translucent gem that derives its name from Andalusia in Spain where it was first discovered. The gem is actually a polymorph of two gem varieties: Sillimanite and the hugely popular Kyanite.

There is little folklore and legend surrounding Andalusite, as it was often mistaken for Smokey Quartz, Chrysoberyl or Tourmaline. However, the gemstone benefits from a very distinet and attractive pleochroism, which Lapidarists try and highlight when faceting the gem and which is often used by gemmologists in identifying it.

Andalusite registers 7.5 on the Mohs scale, and in addition to Spain has been discovered in Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Mozambique and the USA.