Morganite was founded and named by the world-famous gemologist George Frederick Kunz in honour of his good friend and avid gemstone collector, J. Pierpont Morgan. Popularly, Morgan was the founder of the now Financial Partnership Company J.P.Morgan Chase. As Kunz was undergoing an expedition in Madagascar in 1910, he discovered the rose-pink stone. His previous discovery of kunzite in 1902 came into his mind, due to the similarity of colour.
(more…)
The Gem of the Sea; the alluring aquamarine is a stunning gemstone from the beryl(Be3Al2Si6O18) family, with an ancient lineage. The name of this sparkling wonder is of Latin origin with, the Latin words for sea water, “mare aquam” directly translating into the sea water coloured aquamarine. The birthstone of March is also popular all around the world, with many famous pieces of jewellery adorning this beautiful aqua-coloured stone.
(more…)
Zircons, chemically known as ZrSiO4, is the oldest mineral of the earth originating from all three different rock types: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. Zircons also have an immense variety of facts such as: being in the tetragonal crystal system, being doubly refractive and having a high birefringence. Despite these facts, the most important piece of history concerning the Zircon was its use as an imitation of diamond in the 1900s. Some people’s brilliant cut diamonds in rings during those periods were, in fact, a colourless zircon, which has a profound sparkle similar to the diamond(caused by the high refractive index). It is unfortunate in the current day and age where the previous notoriety of the stone has overshadowed the beauty, colour range and value which the stone has. Therefore, aiming to build the reputation of Zircons in a new light, this publication presents the Zeal of Zircons.
(more…)
Garnets in the gem-world are the most under rated gemstone, with the general population’s perception skewing due to the use of garnets to imitate other gemstones, yet being not as valuable. However, Garnets also have a certain to the beauty to them, allowing them to don some of the world’s most famous pieces of jewellery such as The Winter Egg.
(more…)
Tourmalines are a type of gemstone from a group composed of boron-silicate minerals, coming in a variety of different colours. It also contains different elements such as magnesium, sodium, aluminium, iron, potassium and lithium. The individual minerals have different chemical compositions but share a common crystal structure, allowing for the aforementioned wide range in colour.
(more…)
Ceylon was initially known as Ceilão, a name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese colony in 1505. The British then re-colonised the land in 1798, changing Ceilão into English as Ceylon. Sapphires found in Ceylon were originally famous because of the vibrant medium blue hues. However, there is more to the opinion of the populace and the demand of the people.
(more…)