Understanding stones

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The stones that are used in the jewellery on this website are semi-precious stones.   The only exception is cubic zirconia; we have jewellery with this man made diamond look-alike.   Please see below

Some stones may be heat treated or dyed to achieve the colour. It is now virtually impossible to obtain black onyx stones that are not dyed, and it is believed that 90% of amethysts are heat treated.

All the stones are cabachon or smooth finished unless described as facetted (cut).

 

Amber
Although not a stone amber is a valued gem because of its extreme age and beauty. Amber is actually the fossilized resin of ancient trees; most of the world's amber is in the range of 30-90 million years old.


 
Amethyst
Purple, violet, or pale red-violet, the amethyst is the most highly valued stone in the quartz group.
It is the birthstone of the month of February

   
Anyolite
Anyolite is one of the zoisite stones and is green with black viens. It's colorful variations has opaque rubies within the stone when it is usually called ruby zoisite


 
Black Onyx
This is an affordable black stone with a sophistocated appeal, and like carnelion, and sardonyx, onyx is a variety of chalcedony. (see below)
Since ancient times, onyx has been dyed to improve it's colour.


 
Black Star
A star gemstone will have a rayed star visible across the gemstone’s surface.


 
Blue Topaz
Topaz comes in the whole rainbow of colours; violet, blue, yellow, pink, brown, green and clear. The blue variety is a light blue-torquoise colour similar to aquarmine in colour but much less expensive.
It is the birthstone of the month of December


 
Chalcedony
Although this term is used by gemologists to cover all the cryptocrystalline quartzes, it is most commonly used for the opaque blueish-grey stone.

 

 
Carnelian
This opaque red-brown chalcedony was popular with the ancient Egyptians. When carnelian it is found in layers with one layer of milk-white chalcedony it is called sardonyx or carnelian onyx.
Sardonyx and peridot are both birthstones for the month of August

 

   
Citrine
Named from the French name for lemon, "citron", citrine is a golden quartz most often with a lemon colour.
Together with yellow topaz it is the birthstone of the month of November.

 

 
Garnet
The word 'Garnet' refers to a group of six minerals, so called because 'granatus' (Latin) means grain, and the crystals of garnets are rounded in shape. The most commonly known garnet is red in colour.
The garnet is the birthstone of the month of January.

 

   
Haematite
In mineralogy some varities of haematite are called iron luster. When haematite is polished it has a metallic shiny appearance.

 

 
Iolite
Also known as water sapphire because of it's colour is usually a blue to violet colored gemstone.
Because the birthstone colour for September is blue, iolite is often substituted for sapphire.

 

 
Labradorite
Labradorite's beauty as a gemstone is mainly because of its schiller or unusual lusterous metallic tints. Often blue and green this luster is called its 'fire'.

 

   
Lapis Lazuli
This opaque, deep blue gemstone with golden streaks was one of the first stones ever to be used and worn for jewellery; it was used in prehistoric times.
Lapis lazuli is an alternative stone for the month of December.

 

   
Peridot
Historical legend has it that this beautiful yellow-green gemstone was the favourite gemstone of Cleopatra. It is is the gem variety of olivine, and is also referred to as the 'evening emerald'.
It is the birthstone of the month of August.

 

 
Rainbow moonstone
Moonstone is a white opalescent, with a blue or scheen, resembling moonshine.
With pearl, and alexandrite moonstone is a birthstones of the month of June.

 

 
Rhodonite
This attractive rose pink stone with black veining is named after the Greek word for rose 
Rose quartz

Rose quartz, one of the most desirable varieties of quartz, is also called Roselle, and is is a pale pink gemstone. The powder pink to rose colour is unique, unlike any other pink mineral species and the stones can vary from transparent to translucent. The translucent quality of rose quartz is much more available.    This stone is ofen called the stone of love.

 

 
Torquoise
Turquoise has been loved and used for thousands of years by nearly every race on every continent around the world. It has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Turquoise varies in color from greenish to sky blue.
Turquoise is the birthstone for December.

 

 
Zircon and CZ
Zircon is a natural stone, Cubic Zirconia which looks similar is manmade.   Both stones can be a colorless stone, used to imitate diamonds. but zircon can also be blue, yellow, orange, red, brown and green whilst CZ can be made any colour. Because of public demand for a diamond lool-alike, colourless CZ is the only non natural product which Surya uses - coloured CZ is not used.
 
 
 



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