All about birthstones - part 3

Bring it on! It's still about birthstones, part 3...enjoy, s'il vous plait... :)


Sapphire: The Jewel of the Sky
Sapphire has been sought after for thousands of years as the ultimate blue gemstone.
The gem has long symbolized faith, remembrance, and enduring commitment. According to tradition, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it the most sacred stone. This supposed "divine favor" is why sapphires often were the gem of choice for kings and high priests throughout history. In fact, the British Crown Jewels contain a number of notable sapphires. Prince Charles even gave Princess Diana a sapphire engagement ring. Sapphire is the birthstone for September. It is also the recommended gem for couples celebrating their fifth and 45th wedding anniversaries. Although sapphire is virtually synonymous with blue, the stone also comes in a variety of fancy colors that includes colorless/white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green and many shades in between (except red, because a red sapphire would be called a ruby). Some sapphires that are cut into a cabochon (dome) shape even display a six-rayed white star. s a rule, the most valuable sapphires have a medium intense, pure vivid blue color and hold the brightness of their color under any type of lighting. Any color undertones - usually black, gray or green - will reduce a stone's value. Although a pastel stone would be less valued than a deeper blue one, it would be more valuable than a stone considered too dark. The stone is mined in many parts of the world, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Kashmir, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Sapphires from Kashmir and Myanmar are rarest and most prized because of their vivid blue, velvety look.

Opal: The Queen of Gems
Opal, the birthstone for October, is one of nature's most prized gems. The stone - which also happens to be the recommended jewelry gift for couples celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary - was mined by eastern Europeans, the Aztecs and the ancient tribes of Central Africa. Worshipped by the Romans as a symbol of hope, fidelity, purity and good luck, opal is sometimes called the "queen of gems" because the stone can flash patterns of color representing every hue of the rainbow. This "play of color" is one of opal's signature characteristics. The gem is found in a range of hues, including white opal (the most common); black opal; "boulder" opal (black opal with iron oxide); crystal or water opal, which is transparent; and fire opal, which has a yellow to orange to red body color. The vast majority of the world's opal supply comes from Australia. Black opal is the rarest variety and therefore the most valuable. White opal is also mined in Brazil. Fire and crystal opal can be found in the United States (Nevada) and Mexico. Brilliance of color and color pattern are critical in determining the value of opal. Opals with strong flashes of red fire are generally the most prized. Stones with blue or green flashes are more common and subsequently less valuable. Stone size also helps determine price, since the gem is very rare in larger sizes.

Citrine: Versatile, Affordable and Golden Yellow
Citrine is the most affordable of all the earth-toned gemstones, thanks to its durability and availability. It has become increasingly popular with budget-minded women looking to expand their work and leisure jewelry wardrobes. It is available in a range of golden hues from lemon to straw to sun yellow to gold, as well as oranges, browns, and deep madeira red. It is generally more inexpensive than amethyst and is also available in a wide range of calibrated sizes and shapes, including very large sizes. As with other stones, citrine in very large sizes (above three carats) in rich, deep colors has always been rare and therefore the most valuable form of the gem. Although this stone's dark orange and red shades traditionally have been the most prized, its bright lemony hues have become very popular in recent years because they mix better with pastel colors. Citrine is the birthstone for November, as well as recommended jewelry gift for couples celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary. Most citrine is mined in Brazil. Supplies are most plentiful in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly from the Serra mine. The Ira' mine also produces large quantities of the gem. Sometimes citrine is referred to as topaz quartz, which is incorrect. The name refers to the color, which is sometimes similar to topaz. But since topaz is a separate mineral, the name could be confusing and should not be used. Occasionally, Mother Nature combines the colors of amethyst and citrine into a single gemstone called ametrine.

Blue Topaz: Birthday Blue
Topaz is one of the well-known pegmatite minerals that also includes beryl and tourmaline. Blue topaz is the birthstone for December - and is also the recommended gemstone for couples celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary. Blue topaz has a definite, uniform color ranging from sky blue to Swiss blue. It is sometimes confused with the more costly aquamarine - yet whereas aquamarine sometimes has a greenish-blue or bluish-green tint, blue topaz will always look blue or bluish gray. Most blue topaz starts life as a colorless or slightly tinted topaz from places like Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and China. In addition to blue, the stone comes in a variety of colors, including golden yellow, orange-yellow, reddish-orange, sherry red, deep pink, honey brown, light green, and many shades in between.

This article is taken from http://www.gems-gallery.com