Garnet is a deep red stone associated with romance and passion. Along with being a favoured gemstone, garnet has multiple industrial uses due to its availability and versatility as a mineral. It makes a perfect gift for anyone born in January, or a second or sixth wedding anniversary. It is the traditional stone for these occasions.

Garnet is a collective term for a group of stones with similar chemical and physical properties. The main types of garnet include almandine, andradite, grossularite, pyrope, spessartine, and uvarovite.

Almandine is the most common type of garnet that includes reddish-brown gemstones. Pyrope garnets are blood red in colour and typically have higher clarity (fewer inclusions). Another popular variety of garnet is rhodolite, which is a purplish red pyrope and almandine mix.

Amethyst serves as February's birthstone, as well as the gemstone marking 6th & 17th wedding anniversaries. It rates a 7 on the Mohs scale, which means it is extremely scratch-resistant. 

Quartz, the mineral family for Amethyst may be the oldest gemstone known to man dating back to 20,000 BC. Amethyst is currently found in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Africa, United States, Siberia, Canada, Australia, France, Russia, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Zambia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

Amethyst can be light lavender, deep violet, and anywhere in between. Amethyst gets its purple colour from iron oxide in the quartz, and it has more iron than any other type of quartz. Natural radiation within the crystal irradiates the iron, turning it purple. This process allows for the variety of shades you will see in Amethyst.

It is easy to see why Aquamarine has always been associated with the sea. Used in jewellery since at least 500 BC, its tropical ocean blue tones effortlessly invoke images of landless skies and the waters below. Once believed to be the treasure of mermaids, it was often worn by sailors and travellers as a talisman to protect against being shipwrecked and to ward off sea sickness.

Aquamarine is also the official gemstone for the 19th wedding anniversary. It is mostly found and mined in Brazil and countries that fall along the Mozambique geological belt in Africa, though there are other sources. Darker shades of Aquamarine tend to be cloudier, whereas cleaner stones are often very light in hue. 

Although it is most famous for its glorious cool blue colour, Aquamarine is sometimes found with delicate greenish hues. In recent times, the bluer stones are considered more valuable, but as recently as the 19th century it was the sea green tone that was highly coveted by collectors.

Keep Aquamarine away from heat exposure, as it doesn't take much heat on an Aquamarine to begin to permanently change the colour.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend! Over the years, diamonds have remained one of the most beloved gemstones of all time. They are known as the ultimate symbol of love making it the ideal gift for anniversaries, birthdays and special celebrations, particularly for those born in April or celebrating a 60th Anniversary.

Today, natural diamonds are usually mined underground or undersea. However, the laboratory grown market is increasing in popularity- lab grown diamonds offer exceptional value, providing the same brilliance and durability as natural diamonds at a more accessible price. Chemically identical to mined diamonds, and visually identical to the naked eye they are a beautiful and sentimental option for your special moments.

Diamonds sit at 10 on the mohs hardness scale- another reason for their popularity in jewellery.

Emerald has been mined for around 4,000 years. From Ancient Egypt to the modern day, all those who have gazed on the intense vivid greens of the gem have fallen under its spell, and it can be found throughout time in some of the most stunning pieces of jewellery ever to have existed.

Emerald is the birthstone for May and the anniversary gemstone for the 20th, 35th and 55th year of marriage. It is the ideal birthstone for May as its deep bright greens perfectly reflect the new life and regeneration of spring.
The green in Emerald is caused by the presence of chromium, vanadium, or iron (or any combination of those three elements). Emerald is 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Scale.

Pearl, as the June birthstone, is believed to symbolise purity, clarity, and loyalty. Given its symbolic meaning and captivating beauty, Pearls are an especially great gift for anyone born in this month.
Despite being classified as a gemstone, Pearls differ significantly from all others due to the fact that they are the only gems to come from a living creature. Pearls come in an array of different shapes, including round, off-round, drop, and baroque.
There are four main Pearl types.

Freshwater Pearls- mainly cultivated across China. They are the most widely available Pearls and as a result, they are sold for an appealing price.

Japanese Akoya Pearls- saltwater Pearls with world renown. They feature spherical shapes with a beautiful lustre.

Tahitians Pearls – another saltwater variety cultivated in the islands of French Polynesia. Despite sometimes being referred to as black Pearls, they also come in beautiful shades of grey, blue, green, and purple.

South Sea pearls- the largest of all pearls in white, cream, and golden hues. They can be found in the waters of Australia and the Philippines.

The name Ruby comes from the Latin ‘ruber’ meaning red, but due to its rarity its very name inherently means ‘precious’. Indeed it is one of the most expensive gemstones as it rarer to find in exceptional quality.

Both rubies and sapphires are gems of the mineral family corundum; a full rainbow of shades is possible within this family, but the presence of chromium causes the beautiful vivid red colour for ruby.

Burmese rubies have a deep blood-red hue with a tinge of blue and are very rare, so Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa are also important sources.

Rubies are a very hard gemstone measuring 9 on Moh’s hardness scale, and are second only to diamonds. They are said to shield against negative energy and promote strength, courage and joy.

Peridot is derived the French word ‘peritot’ meaning gold as the mineral can vary towards this colour; although the finest stones are prized for their ‘oily’ green tone which is caused by the presence of iron. 

Peridot is the national gem of Egypt who knew it as the ‘Gem of the Sun’. Legend says it was Cleopatra's favourite gemstone, and historians now believe that many of the “emeralds” she wore were actually peridot as it was mined for over 3,500 years on St John’s Island in the red sea.

Today, the gemstones are still appreciated for their beauty and associated embodiment of protection, positive power, healing and good health.
As the birthstone for August it is also by association the birthstone for star sign Leo. Their characteristics are said to be dramatic, outgoing, fiery and self-assured.

Sapphire is also a traditional gift for those celebrating a 5th or 45th anniversary! Sapphire is a very desirable gemstone due to its excellent colour, hardness, durability, and lustre. Sapphires score a 9 out of 10 on the mohs hardness scale. The durability of Sapphires makes them an excellent choice for engagement rings.

When you think of Sapphires, you probably think of a rich blue colour, but sapphires actually come in almost every colour of the rainbow including pink, peach, orange, yellow, green, teal, and purple.

The most famous royal Sapphire today is the engagement ring given by Prince Charles to Lady Diana in 1981, and is now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. It features a 12-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Sapphire engagement rings certainly aren’t only for royals. Before the twentieth century, blue sapphires were the favoured gemstones for engagement rings. Sapphires were quite popular in Victorian engagement rings when they were often surrounded by smaller diamonds to create floral designs.

Opal is one of the most beautiful and precious gemstones there is, made up of water and silica (the main component in glass). Occurring in most varieties of rock, the vast majority of opals are mined in Australia (about 95%), with other Opals found in United States, Mexico, Peru and Brazil.

Depending on the conditions in which it formed, Opal may be transparent, translucent or opaque and the background colour may be white, black or nearly any colour of the visual spectrum. Black opal is considered to be the rarest, whereas white, grey and green are the most common.
The value of each individual Opal differs greatly depending on the unique qualities of the Opal. There are many determining factors, including body tone, play of colour, colours present, brilliance, pattern, and size.

Opal is softer than most other gemstones. Because of that Opal is best suited for use in earrings, brooches and other pieces of jewellery that rarely encounter scuffs and impacts.

Topaz is the designated gemstone for the 4th and 23rd anniversaries- blue topaz and imperial topaz respectively. Topaz is also the birthstone for November birthdays.

One of the most well-known topaz gemstones is a 1680 carat colourless topaz that resides in the Portuguese crown. The gemstone was originally thought to be the largest diamond ever found until its true identity was discovered as a colourless Topaz. Topaz is also available in a wide range of other colours including yellow, orange, red, pink, violet and green.

The majority of Topaz can be found in Brazil. Some other notable locations for this gemstone include Russia, Germany, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria. The origin of the name Topaz has some mystery surrounding it- theories include the sanskrit word 'tapas' which means fire, and the small island in the Red Sea called Topazios although this island never actually produced any topaz, but instead produced peridot. In fact, before modern mineral detection methods were invented, topaz was often confused with Peridot.

Topaz has a rating of 8 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it a durable gemstone that can be worn daily without too much risk of damage.

Tanzanite is named after the world's only known tanzanite deposit of commercial importance in northern Tanzania. The name reflects the gem’s limited geographic origin. The mines are all located in an area of about eight square miles in the Merelani Hills, near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro and the city of Arusha.

Tanzanite was not discovered in commercial quantities until the 1960s. It has rapidly risen in popularity thanks to Tiffany’s promotion and its beautiful blue colour. Because of its growing popularity, Tanzanite was designated as a modern birthstone for the month of December in 2002.

Tanzanite with a vivid blue, purplish blue and violet-blue colour is the most valuable, although most tanzanite has a light to medium tone and low to medium saturation.

Tanzanite is best suited for earrings, pendants, and other jewellery items that will not encounter abrasion and impact due to it only being a 6.5 on the mohs scale. This hardness is low enough that the gem is vulnerable to being scratched during normal wear if it is used in a ring.