As we mentioned in our recent blog, we’re always excited to see the latest gem finds displayed at the upcoming Tucson gem shows. In recent decades Africa has been the biggest producer of wonderful new gemstones and gem materials.
The heavily mineralized Great Rift valley along the eastern side of the continent was one of the [...]
Yes, they are all garnets. The January birthstone is usually thought of as a dark red gemstone, but like the sapphire, garnet occurs in colors we don’t expect to see. In fact, garnets can be purple, red, orange, yellow, colorless or green, almost all the colors but true blue. There is even a garnet that [...]
What makes opal such a fascinating gemstone? When asked what opal looks like, most people would probably first think of the typical white base opal with little sprinkles and twinkles of color.
This unique display of color is a phenomenon correctly known as play of color, not fire as it is sometimes referred to. Any opal [...]
A jeweler in Cabo San Lucas sold this Mexican matrix opal pendant to my client. He was very proud of the “Madonna” within the precious opal center. The white rhyolite matrix even has a “halo” or “glory” hovering over the figure!
I was very interested in the inclusions, never having seen “fish scales” in opal before. [...]
We recently had the privilege to work with this wonderful group of gem opals in the 7 to 10 carat category. The top row are opals from Mexico, including the orange red Fire Opal, and the others from Australia’s famous Lightning Ridge and Coober Pedy fields.
The term Fire Opal refers specifically to those Mexican opals [...]
Blue, the color of sky, ocean, peace and tranquility has long been associated with purity and wisdom. Blue colors dominate many forms of spiritual art. Cardinals of the Catholic Church, exemplars of chastity and celestial purity, often wore rings of blue sapphire.
Blue has always been an important color for mankind, so when we ask what [...]
We published this article last February with good response. Since Sapphire is the stone for September, we thought it appropriate to republish, with minor additions, editing, new pricing information and larger pictures.
Early in my career as a gemologist, while working the gem identification counter at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory in Santa Monica, I [...]
Blue sapphires are found in many countries worldwide. The geological conditions in which they form determine the quality of the sapphire crystals. Some locales are known to produce exceptionally fine crystals, yielding extra fine gems. Each locale produces a range of gem material that shares common characteristics that are directly related to its unique geology. [...]
The characteristics of any gemstone are directly related to the crystal from which it is cut, so it’s important to understand how the physical nature of the crystal influences the color of the gem. In the case of blue sapphire, one of the more common crystal forms is an elongated six sided dipyramidal form, as [...]
Our clients often ask “What is the best color blue sapphire?” There are two answers– the obvious is that personal preference should dictate your color choice. Every person has unique abilities to perceive color, based on such things as age, health, culture and genetic gifts. Some people prefer light pastel colors, others prefer rich intense [...]
