PERIDOT GEMSTONE
Peridot is the birthstone for August and the 15th anniversary gemstone.
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The ancient Egyptians mined peridot on the Red Sea island of Zabargad, the source for many large fine peridots in the world’s museums. The Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Today this gem is still prized for its restful yellowish green hues and long history. Large strongly-colored, examples can be spectacular, and attractive smaller gems are available for jewelry at all price points.
Why We Love This Gemstone:
Extraterrestrial - Peridot crystals are found in meteorites: some rare extraterrestrial crystals are even big enough to facet as cut gemstones.
Iron Gem - Most gems are colored by impurities such as iron. Peridot's color is intrinsically yellow-green. Higher-quality stones have an intense color.
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Seeing Double - Peridot has extremely high double refraction: when you look closely through the gem, you can see two of each pavilion facet.
AQUAMARINE BIRTHSTONE
Aquamarine is not only the birthstone for March, but the gem is also given as a present on the 19th wedding anniversary
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Aquamarine’s name comes from the Latin for seawater, and ancient mariners claimed the gem would calm waves and keep sailors safe at sea. This March birthstone was also thought to bring happiness in marriage.
Aquamarine’s preferred color is a moderately strong dark blue to slightly greenish blue.
With a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale, this March birthstone is durable enough for everyday wear.
Why We Love This Gemstone:
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BEAUTIFUL CRYSTALS - Aquamarine grows in beautiful six-sided prismatic crystals that on rare occasions can be more than a foot long.
TRANSPARENCY - Faceted aquamarine is often exceptionally transparent with vitreous luster, so it really sparkles.
DICHROIC- Using a dichroscope, you can see aquamarine is near colorless and stronger blue in different crystal directions.
EMERALD BIRTHSTONE
As the gem of spring, emerald is the perfect choice as the birthstone for the month of May. It's also the the gem of the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.
Emerald has been the standard for green colored stones for millennia. The most desirable emerald colors are bluish green to pure green, with vivid color saturation. Due to the crystal shape emeralds are commonly cut as rectangular step cuts called emerald cuts. Because its density is lower, a one-carat emerald will appear larger in size than a one-carat diamond.
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Why we Love This Gemstone:
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History's most ancient treasures - The oldest emeralds date back almost three billion years. However, they were first mined in Egypt around 1500BC, where it was believed that emeralds stood for fertility and rebirth.
Emeralds are rarer and often more expensive than diamonds - emeralds are more than 20 times rarer than diamonds and, therefore, often command a higher price.
AMETHYST BIRTHSTONE
Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the gem for the 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries.
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Amethyst was as expensive as ruby and emerald until the 19th Century, when Brazil’s large deposits were discovered. It was believed to prevent intoxication—amethystos means “not drunk” in ancient Greek. Today, as the most valued quartz variety, amethyst is in demand for designer pieces and mass-market jewelry alike, and its purple to pastel hues retain wide consumer appeal.
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Why We Love This Gemstone:
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GEODES - In gem localities like Brazil, amethyst sometimes forms in hollow, crystal-lined geodes so big you can stand in them.
AFFORDABLE - Even fine amethyst has a modest price tag. Large gems remain affordable as price per carat does not rise dramatically with larger size.
AMETRINE - In Bolivia, amethyst and citrine occur in the same crystal. The unique gems, called ametrine, are half purple and half yellow.
TANZANITE BIRTHSTONE
Tanzanite is a birthstone for December, along with zircon, turquoise, and blue topaz. Tanzanite is also the gem for a 24th anniversary.
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Found in just one place on earth, tanzanite is a relatively recent discovery. Tiffany & Co named this blue-violet variety of zoisite in honor of Tanzania, where it was first unearthed in 1967.
The instant popularity of this transparent blue-to-violet gem was tied to its vivid color, high clarity, and potential for large cut stones.
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Why We Love This Gemstone:
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PLEOCHROIC - Tanzanite is pleochroic, showing three different colors when viewed from different directions.
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ONE PLACE ON EARTH - Commercially mined in only one place, tanzanite is rarer than diamond.
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RICH BLUE - Tanzanite's rich blue-to-violet hues can be exceptionally beautiful.
