Gemset

Vibrant gemstone jewellery can bring your outfit to life. With precious gemstones you can be sure to find a piece that you can treasure.

There are so many gem stones, some with multiple natural colours. We have listed the most popular ones below with some information about the stones.  Pop into store to take a look at the stunning gem set jewellery and find your perfect piece

Garnet is the birthstone for January

Garnet has popularity dating back over 5,000 years to ancient Egypt, where the gems were worked into beads or set into hand wrought jewellery. Jewellery set with dark red garnet from Czechoslovakia was extremely popular in the nineteenth century. Pieces set with these Bohemian garnets are still in high demand today for their beauty and uniqueness. Today’s gemstone collectors know that garnet offers a myriad of colour choices in every shade imaginable, except blue.

garnet group
amathyst

Amethyst is the birthstone for February

Amethyst has been a popular gemstone for centuries, and with good reason. It is beautiful, durable and affordable. Amethyst is a variety of the mineral species quartz. It displays a majestic hue of purple, moving from very light to very dark. With purple being the chosen colour of royalty, amethyst has enjoyed an unwavering popularity dating back thousands of years. The finest quality amethyst exhibits a high degree of transparency and a rich deep purple colour enhanced by flashes of burgundy or rose.

Aquamarine is the birthstone for March

Aquamarine holds its place securely among the world’s most desirable gems. The Greeks proclaimed this highly prized, light blue gem aquamarine, because it sparkles like the sea touched by the sun. Ranging in tone from very light to medium blue, many aquamarines exhibit a slight tint of green in their body colour. Generally the darker shades are more valued, but many people prefer the lively brightness of lighter hues. Aquamarine is readily available in larger sizes over 5 carats. In fact, gem quality aquamarine crystals weighing several hundred pounds have been discovered.

aquamarine1 (1)
diamonds

Diamond is the birthstone for April 

Diamonds are the most coveted of all gemstones. They are nearly 100% carbon, and are created deep in the earth’s upper mantle under intense heat and pressure. Diamonds rise through the earth’s crust in blue-tinged volcanic rock called kimberlites. They are the hardest natural stone, and can only be scratched by another diamond. In 1905 the largest diamond discovered was found in South Africa. Called the Cullinan, the diamond weighed 3106 carats, translating to 1.33 pounds! The stone was given to King Edward of England, and later was cut into 109 separate stones. Nine of these were quite large. The tower of London is now the home to three of the largest of these stones. While white is the most common colours for diamonds, you can also find diamonds in an array of colours, including yellow, green, blue, pink and even the rarest color of all, red.

Emerald is the birthstone for May.

Emerald is translucent to transparent. It is generally thought of as green in colour. But with a closer look, you’ll discover subtle but important differences in tones and hues. Some of the world’s finest emeralds are described as slightly bluish green in colour and medium in tone. Pure green emeralds are also highly desirable. Emerald is part of the mineral family called beryl. If a gem is too light in tone it is no longer considered an emerald, but is referred to as green beryl. Common in many emeralds are a wide variety of internal characteristics or inclusions, often described collectively as a garden. Many feel that this garden adds interest and individuality to an emerald. Emeralds without these internal features are very rare and valuable.

emerald
pearl

Pearl is the birthstone for June

Cultured pearls are formed when a small piece of mantle tissue, a bead, or both is implanted into an oyster. Implanted material encourages the oyster to begin producing a rich and luxurious material, called nacre, that creates the pearl’s lustrous outer glow. Cultivated in both fresh and salt water, cultured pearls come in many different shapes and colours. The most popular shapes have traditionally been round, but more unusual shapes like baroque and button are also available. Colours range from white and cream, to gray and black, as well as rich purples, golds and yellows.

Ruby is the birthstone for July

Ruby possesses a color like no other red gemstone. At its finest, the purity of its burning crimson hue inspires us with love and desire. Rubies come in a variety of colours ranging from purplish red to orangey red. Ruby belongs to the same mineral family as sapphire, but if a gem is too light in tone or too purple or orange in hue, it is called a fancy sapphire and not a ruby. The most sought after rubies are pure red or red with a very slight pinkish undertone. Very fine quality rubies, especially in sizes over 3 carats, are incredibly rare and valuable-much rarer than top quality colourless diamonds.

Very high resolution 3d rendering of a ruby isolated over white.

Peridot is the birthstone for August

Though peridot is widely recognised by its brilliant lime green glow, the origin of this gem’s name is unclear. Most scholars agree that the word “peridot” is derived from the Arabic faridat which means “gem,” but some believe it’s rooted in the Greek word peridona, meaning “giving plenty.” Perhaps that’s why peridot is associated with prosperity and good fortune. 

Most of the world’s peridot supply comes from the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona. Other sources are China, Myanmar, Pakistan and Africa.

Sapphire is the birthstone for September

Sapphire, the celestial gemstone long associated with the sky and the heavens, has been revered by humanity for thousands of years. Symbolizing truth, honesty and faithfulness, sapphire is an excellent choice for an engagement ring or any piece of jewelry given as a gift of love. As with most gemstones, the finest sapphires, no matter their colour, are a vibrant hue with a medium tone. Extremely dark, almost black sapphires and extremely pale sapphires are among the most affordable. When shopping for a sapphire, let your own personal taste guide you.

sapphires

Tourmaline or Opal is the October birthstone

October also has two birthstones; Tourmaline and Opal. Tourmaline is a favourite gemstone for many because it’s available in a rainbow of beautiful colours. Opal gemstones are truly unique because each individual gem is adorned with a one-of-a-kind colour combination.

Tourmaline is available in a spectrum of colours and colour combinations, Tourmaline lives up to its name, which means “mixed stone”. With a rainbow of colours, Tourmaline can easily enhance any jewellery collection. Cranberry red, hot magenta, bubblegum pink, peach and orange, canary yellow, mint, grass and forest green, ocean blue, violet: Tourmaline is all of these and more.

The Opal was known as the Queen of Gems because it encompassed the colours of all other gems. Each Opal is truly one-of-a-kind; as unique as our fingerprints. Some prefer the calming flashes of blues and greens; others love the bright reds and yellows. With its rainbow of colours, as you turn and move the Opal the colour plays and shifts, giving you a gem that can be worn with a plethora of ensembles.

Topaz is the November birthstone

Topaz owes its long-lasting popularity to many things, but chief among these is its remarkable combination of beauty and affordability. Egyptians said that topaz was coloured with the golden light of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. Some of the first topaz discoveries from Brazil had colours ranging from rich reddish cognac colours to vivid pinks. Topaz was also said to change colour in the presence of poisoned food or drink. Found in many different colours and sizes; topaz continues today to be one of the world’s most desirable and sought after gemstones.

topaz1
tanzanite

Tanzanite is the alternate birthstone for December

Tanzanite is the “new kid on the block” of the gemstone kingdom. It is a very rare and extraordinary gemstone. Tanzanite was first discovered in 1967 by the Maasai. The only known source of Tanzanite is a five square mile hilltop at Merelani, ten miles south of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, where the chief deposit is almost exhausted. It was named in honour of the country it was discovered. Tanzanite’s deep violet blue is one of the most extravagant, mysterious colours available in any gemstone. It symbolises immaculate but unusual elegance.