Tag: Semi-precious
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If opal doesn’t take your fancy, why not consider tourmaline? It’s the newer version of October’s birthstone and is available in a wide variety of colours. Considered a semi-precious gemstone, tourmaline is a semi-occurs in various shades of almost every hue. Tourmaline is mined in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Mozambique, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S.A. Paraíba…
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Aquamarine is a timeless gemstone, and with its palette of blue hues, the colour of water and sky, is believed to embody eternal life. As the birthstone for March, it symbolises youth, hope, health and fidelity, and aquamarine’s soothing influence on married couples has made it a popular anniversary gift. Often, aquamarine is light in…
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With Valentine’s Day falling in the middle of this month, February is traditionally celebrated as the month of love. And, with rich, velvety purple hues, amethyst is the perfect birthstone for February. Purple is considered the most regal of colours and so, over time, amethyst has appeared frequently in royal and religious jewellery. Indeed, the…
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“Garnets are such a boring birthstone”, lamented my January-born cousin, Amy, recently. Thinking I knew what she had in mind, I asked “What colour is garnet?”. “Dirty red-brown”, replied Amy, saying exactly what I’d expected her to say. Like most people, Amy had no idea that garnet was available in a wide range of colours,…
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November babies are lucky enough to have two gemstones to choose from as their birthstone. Citrine and topaz are both November birthstones and are both equally beautiful and unique. Let’s take a closer look at each of these gems and find out what makes them special. November birthstone 1: Citrine Citrine is a variety of…
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If you had to ask most people to name a green gemstone, emerald would probably be the first gem that comes to mind. Some may mention tourmaline, some may even mention peridot. Very few, however, would name “Tsavorite”, a great pity as it ranks as one of the most spectacular green gemstones around. Tsavorite is…
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At Katannuta Diamonds, our main priorities are honesty, integrity and consumer education. We’re not afraid to call a spade a spade and we’ll happily cut through the marketing blurb that the jewellery industry is famous for. It might make us unpopular, it might seem to go against the grain of the rest of the industry,…
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There’s a new gemstone taking the world by storm. It’s pink, it’s pretty and, if you’re on Pinterest, you’ll have seen thousands of antique rose-gold designs featuring this gem. Morganite is a relatively new addition to the list of recognized gemstones and as more and more retail jewelers start promoting it, it’s only natural that…
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August’s birthstone, peridot, is the gem quality variety of the common mineral olivine. In geological terms, olivine is a mantle-mineral, brought to the surface of the earth by volcanic eruptions. In Hawaiian folklore, peridot symbolizes the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controls the flow of lava on the islands. Peridot has…
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When you think of blue gemstones, the first one that springs to mind for most people is sapphire. Tanzanite is a popular blue gemstone (albeit with a violet tint) and semi-precious gems such as topaz, apatite, lapis lazuli and turquoise are all relatively well known. But what of Kyanite, a gem that you may perhaps have never heard…