There have been approximately 4,000 gemstones identified, however there are less than 100 of these which are of any importance in jewellery. The most commonly used gemstones are: Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Aquamarine, Sunstone, Labradorite, Moonstone, Jade, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Opal, Pearl, Spinel, Quartz (all types), Topaz, Turquoise, Tourmalines and Zircon. All gemstones are mined in their raw state and undergo a wide variety of processes, being tumbled, shaped, faceted and finally polished to arrive at the desired shape and size for their design of setting.    Skillfully faceting gemstones is the most effective way of showing the beauty and transparency of any gemstone. By cutting many angled flat surfaces into the gemstone, faceting will reflect the light and enhance your piece of jewellery with brilliance and translucency making it shine and sparkle. Faceted gemstones are generally more expensive than non faceted gemstones.   
There are many other ways that gemstones can display their beauty as with labradorite and moonstone. Light enters the gemstone and is refracted or scattered across the many structures within reflecting back and forth to re emerge often as a different colour. This is referred to as the schiller effect as with the blue flash of rainbow moonstone. Alternatively when light enters catseye gemstone it reflects off tube like structures within the stone emiting a strip of light like a cats eye or in some cases a star shape light. This is referred to as chatoyance. There are many shapes which gemstones are cut into, each with it's own discriptive name such as baguette, marquise, cushion, table, scissor, pendeloque, round, octagonal, oval, square and mixed. Even the types of faceting are given their own names for example step cut, cushion mixed cut and brilliant cut etc. Surface shapes are also named for instance cabochon and pebble to name just a few. Birth StonesWe have researched and found that birthstone associations with the months of the year vary in different countries and cultures. Some believe that gemstones have healing qualities and have balancing effects on the mind and body. Folklore, myth and legend all refere to the influences of gemstones in various ways. We have therefore selected a more modern European set of birth month associations for you here: Although not strictly gemstones, amber and pearl are highly sought after in jewellery as are shells with beautiful and colourful detailing. These are organic materials and have been used for centuries to make objects of stunning beauty.
|
