West Aussie Wedding

Di's sapphire

I'm very happy to see the official engagement photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton gives us a decent look at the famous sapphire and diamond ring.

Isn't it beautiful! And doesn't it look lovely on her hands!

  

If course, I'm biased.

 

emeralds

Such a beautiful stone with such a distinctive colour..  They are the most valuable gemstone from the Beryl Group, which also includes Aquamarine and Morganite.

They are coloured by the presence of Chromium, which is very stable against light and heat.

A lot of people are a bit unsure about using emeralds as a stone in their engagement ring.

They are a 7.5 on the MOH hardness scale so not particularly resistant to abrasion when compared with diamonds, sapphires or rubies. The stone is typically brittle and senstive to high heat pressure so must be worn with care!

The preferred cut is the 'step cut' (aka emerald cut) which is where all sharp edges and corners are cut off which not only increases the stones resistance to knocks and chips, but enhances the warm satiny hue of the stone.  They are often also bezel set which is added protection for the stone

 
image via Vogue Magazine UK

Virtually all emeralds have small surface fissures, internal inclusion and fractures.. it is the nature of their formation and a sign that they are naturally occuring, rather than synthetic. So almost all are oiled as part of the lapidary process to improve their clarity and soften their internal flaws. These are generally considered acceptable treatments, whereas the use of tinted oils or polymers is not, and should be disclosed as it will effect the value of the stone.

The most well known source of Emeralds is Columbia but Brazil is another important producer.

I think they look beautiful against the white of diamonds and are one of the most eye-catching coloured gemstones around.

sources: Secrets of the Gem Trade by Richard E Wise, Gemstones of the World by walter Schumann and Wikipedia

Calleija

I love the shape and balance of these earrings.

 
 

They are from Calleija, who seem to stock lots of fine coloured diamonds and gemstones.

The pink diamonds are from Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia and the attractive colour is actually caused by defects in the crystal lattice structure, affecting the way certain light wavelenths are absorbed and transmitted through the stone.
 

More Antique Jewellery

Ooh more goodies from Helen Badge Antique Jewellery

 

 

  
The first one is a pair on onyx and diamond and coral earrings. Onyx and diamond jewellery has really been on my radar lately.. like the gorgeous Canturi and Chanel rings and some of the more affordable cubic zirconia versions from Georgini. But I think its the addition of bright coral really makes these art deco earrings special and take the onyx and diamond combo to the next level! 

And how eye-catching is the second piece..? those bold colours side by side work so well! This gorgeous ring laughs in the face of the saying "Blue and green should never be seen" hohoho!

The third is my favourite and it is a Georgian Rose Cut diamond ring and I love that it is chunkier and bolder than what you would ever see from modern diamond designs. Rose Cut diamonds are style popular from the 1500s up until the 1900s and will be hard to find in contemporary jewellery. They are domed shape and don't have the sparkle caused by internal reflection of light we associate with the modern brilliant cut, instead the Rose Cut will enhance the stones clarity as the focus is on the surface of the stone.

I have admired other pieces from this antiques dealer here and here

sight for sore eyes

My eyes are feeling a bit red and scratchy today .

There must be lots of pollen in the air or something.

Thumbs down to hayfever. Boo to bloodshot eyes.

Yet I find these cool blue gems are having a soothing effect

 

image from Bride Magazine  

Ahhhhh... the stuff dreams are made of..

My favourite from this pretty little stack is the A.Jaffe  oval sapph surrounded by diamonds (5th one down in the middle) as it looks most like mine (hehe)

Also loving the Tacori diamond ring with the little sapphs on the side (3rd from the top).

Lovely! 

 

Helen Badge

Here are some lovely citrus toned gemstone rings from Melbourne Jeweller Helen Badge

 
  
I'm guessing the stones may be Citrines? Maybe the top one is a Chrysoberyl or golden sapphire?

They stock some really bautiful art deco, victorian and edwardian jewels

Penelope Cruz

ooh look who appears to have a sapphire engagement ring.. pretty...

I wish I could find a better pic. 
  
Thanks to FJW for drawing my attention to the lastest member of sapphire engagement ring club!

Bohemian Garnets

The word "Bohemian" gets bandied around a lot (by people like me!) and is usually used to refer to a style that is 'characterised by unconvential and artistic detail'.

If you delve into the history books (or Wikipedia) you'll find Bohemia was a historical kingdom in Central Europe, occuping mostly what is now the Czech Republic.

During Victorian times it was fahionable for people of means to adorn their clothes with gemstones, and garnets were at the height of popularity, particularly the Pyrope Garnets found in Bohemia; with their deep red colour (due to their Mg content) and light refraction, they were favoured by kings and queens.

The typical design for that time was for close-set gemstones dominating the setting, with minimal metal showing through. Ref Antique Gold & Jewels

So it is these characteristic clusters of Pyrope Garnets which are indicative of authentic Bohmeian Jewellery.

Which means.. if you want some genuine boho action you should get yourself something like these!

 

 

 

All images from Antique Jewelery Mall, except for the brooch in the second pic which is from Antique Gold & Jewels

That pair of earrings at the top are my favourites!

Garnet come in a few different colours..

The Pyrope garnets mentioned above owe their red colour to the Magnesium content.

Aldmandine garnets are the iron rich member and usually have a violet tint to their red hue.

Spessartite is coloured by Manganese and are a characterisitc orange to organge red.

Grossular Garnets range in colour from green to yellow to brown and have Calcium in their chemical compositon.

 

 

 

Alexandrite

This gemstone is actually another form of Chrysoberyl, which is a gem family I was talking about a few months ago, and its physical properties are very similar.

What sets it apart is the fact that it appears green in natural sunlight and red in incandescent light.. One of the most dramatic examples of colour change you will find in gems.

All stones are natural and available for sale from Tsarstone Collectors Guide

It was first discovered in Russia and named after Czar Alexander II. It is one of the rarest and gems of high quality are the most expensive of all the gemstones. (yes including diamonds)

2tone gem rings

I love these two-tone gemstone rings from Percy Marks. Like really love!

Especially that green one! I have no info on how much these bad boys cost or what the gemstones are.. but I'd love to own one.

diamond cuts

How do you like your diamonds cut?

 more gem stone cut illustrations here

Red Spinel

Spinel, the Gem Traders gemstone. Tough, durable, colourful, beautiful. Under-valued by most.

It forms under the same geological conditions as Ruby and the two stones are often found together.. infact the two have often been confused (eg the Black Princes Rudie in the English Crown is actually a Spinel, as is the 'Timur Ruby' in the English crown jewels).

It is an 8 on the Moh's scale of hardness.. so only marginally softer than rubies or sapphires.

Spinel comes in a wide spectrum of colours but it is the redish and pink tones for which the gem is best known..

 

 

 

 

 

 

images 1 & 4 from Secrets of the Gem Trade by Richard Wise, all other images from Wildfish Gems (thanks Audra), where you can purchase many of these stones are more, with the guarantee of all being untreated, non-enhanced natural gemstones.