Rainbow Moonstone

These stunning stones typically have no defining body colour.
However, they do have delicate ethereal qualities with soft lunar pastels, similar to the moon.

The Romans believed that Rainbow Moonstones were formed by drops falling from the moon and crystallising.

Rene Lalique, like many artists in the Art Noveau period, favoured this stone, using it frequently in his pieces.

Moonstones can show a play of colour called adularescence, which is the bluish sheen that rolls over the stones surface.

The special sheen that is found in Rainbow Moonstone is the result of a combination of two similar types of feldspar that separate slightly while the magma is cooling, which in turn causes them to reflect light differently.

Pretty Peridot

Peridots popularity spans centuries.
Its earliest known use was in the Egyptian times, 2000BC.
Legend says that Peridot, along with pearls, were one of the favorite gemstones of Cleopatra, and that some of the “Emeralds” worn by her were actually Peridot!

Peridot is one of the few gemstones to occur in a single colour, with its grassy green shades being caused by the presence of iron.
Even though Peridot is only 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs scale, you’ll find that it’s an easy stone to look after and that it’s fairly robust.

Opal

The first thing to note about opals is that they are all incredibly unique and individual. Most show flashes of colour called ‘play of colour’. However, if no flash is seen it is called ‘common opal’ and shows ‘opalescence’.

There are so many varieties in opals depending on…
Body colour i.e. black/white
Flash colour and pattern i.e. pinfire, harlequin
Locality of origin i.e. Ethiopian/Mexican
What the opal has formed in i.e. boulder/wood

With all these combinations it makes Opals truly distinctly unique.

Happy Christmas!

Here at Coleman Douglas Pearls we would like to Wish you a
Blessed Christmas and a
Joyous New Year!
We open again on the 5th January.
See you soon!

Labradorite

Labradorite was first found in 1770 on the Labrador Peninsula in Canada, an area from which it received its name. However, it is also found in Finland, Madagascar, Australia, Mexico, Norway, Russia and the USA.
Once discovered, it was taken back to Europe, where it was valued for its beauty.

This stone shows a stunning play of colour called labradorescence.

If not viewed from the best angle, its hidden beauty can be missed.
It is usually dark grey, but in the right angle of light, it displays a variety of bright colours, such as electric blue, olive green, golden, soft lavenders and pinks.

Labradorite is one of the most beautiful and fascinating minerals – with its coloured spectral glow which rolls over the surface.
This effect is not the result of any surface colour. Light internally reflects across partitions in the stone caused by differential cooling, creating this labradorescence. The colours seen on the surface vary depending on the angle of light hitting the stone.

We will be open from Monday to Saturday 11am – 7pm until Christmas Eve, which will be a shorter day 10am – 2pm.
Coleman Douglas Pearls will be resting with Santa until just before Epiphany on Thursday 5^th of January, when we resume our regular hours of 11am – 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

It’s all about the jewels!

This Tuesday, 13th December, one of the most impressive jewellery collections around will be going ‘under the hammer’ in America, and who you might be asking, owned this impressive collection? Why the gem connoisseur herself, Elizabeth Taylor.

Over the past few weeks we have looked at some of the stones that will be featured at this auction.
2 of the gems that you should keep your eye on are,
The Taylor-Burton Diamond
and
La Peregrina Pearl, pictured on the left, set onto a lavish diamond, ruby and pearl necklace.

Garnets!

The word Garnet automatically conjures up images of intense deep red gemstones typically used in Victorian jewellery. However there is more to this stone than meets the eye.

Despite being commonly believed to only form in this deep red colour Garnets occur in a wide and dazzling spectrum of colours, from fresh grassy green to a zesty orange, the only colour Garnet doesn’t offer is blue.
Each colour is named as a different species and the Garnet family has over 20 different species! The more well known deep red species is called ‘Pyrope Garnet’ whereas the less known but equally as spectacular vivid green is called ‘Demantoid Garnet’.

Not only are Garnets varied and beautiful but also durable with a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
With all these merits it’s hardly surprising that Garnets have adorned the necks of nobility and historical figures throughout centuries past.
In Roman times Garnets were the stone of choice to be set within the butter yellow gold signet rings, used to stamp important documents.
More recently in the Middle Ages it was the most favoured stone of nobility and the clergy.

Garnets have retained an important place within society and continue to be a much-loved gemstone by gem connoisseurs and aficionados. A combination of all their merits, but especially their vast spectrum of colour can keep up with the ever shifting fashions.

So, if you love the warm pure tones of  autumnal colour then Garnet is the stone for you!

Emerald

Historically its use in jewellery can be dated back to Egyptian times, where apparently this stone was a favourite of Pharaohs and the famous Cleopatra.

The most highly sought after shade of emerald is the strong saturated green with as few visible flaws as possible. However, these emeralds are very rare.

Unlike most gemstones flaws in emeralds are tolerated much more, as long as they don’t overpower the true beauty of the stone. Flaws, affectionately called ‘Jardin’ (French for garden) are tolerated only because they are a common feature.

So colour is king! Not clarity!!

A small emerald with good saturated colour but fine inclusions would be more valuable than a larger flawless but pale emerald.

Emeralds belong to a large group of gemstones called Beryls. This group includes the pastel pink Morganite, the baby blue Aquamarine, the colourless Goshenite and the sunny yellow Heliodor, similar in colour to Citrine.

Put a Sparkle into Christmas!

The name Diamond comes from the Greek word Adamas which means unconquerable.
This seems rather fitting as diamonds are the hardest gemstone with a solid 10 on the mohs scale of hardness.
Now I’m sure you know or at least have heard of the 4 C’s.
Carat
Cut
Clarity
Colour


Carat simply means the weight of the diamond. One carat is equal to a fifth of a gram or 200 milligrams.

There are several popular cuts such as Princess, Heart, Pendeloque/Pear, Marquis, Cushion, Baguette, Asscher, Radiant, Trillion, Shield, etc. However, diamonds are typically and historically cut in a ‘Round Brilliant Cut’.

Clarity takes into account the size, shape, relief, position and number of inclusions in a diamond. The clarity charts start at:

Flawless
Internally flawless
Very very slightly included 1, 2
Very slightly included 1, 2
Slightly included 1, 2
Included 1, 2, 3


Colour chats start at D (colourless), before then progressing down the chart with the amount of colour tint increasing.
Colour tint is caused by trace elements within the crystal lattice. Depending on the colour and how deep the colour is, will affect price.
The colourless (D) or a strong colour called ‘‘fancy colours ‘’such as pink, yellow, blue… etc, are the most desired colours.

Colour Cool Citrine

Citrine, named after the French for Lemon, is the yellow variety of varied gemstone species called Quartz.

Quartz is one of the most popular gemstones in jewellery from past to present times, combining the attractive with the durable as it has a hardness of 7 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness – making it perfect for everyday wear!

Citrine can occur in a variety of shades of yellow, some embodying a pure sunny yellow whereas other gemstones may be an intense and rich sherry colour. This distinctive colour is produced from traces of the element Iron being present within the stone.

This fresh yet warm tonal gemstone is perfect for those who are looking for a stone that is not only attractive but also versatile and practical.

Aquamarine… ethereal resilience!

Aquamarine is a very popular and well-known gemstone.

Its name derives from the Latin for Aqua – water, and Mare – sea.

Typically it has an even saturated colour, ranging from shimmering tropical sea green to lucid sky blue. With this in mind it is hardly surprising that legends tell of this stone originating from the treasure chests of mermaids!

The most valuable colour found in an aquamarine is a strong intense blue. This colour is caused by trace amounts of Iron.

Aquamarine as well as being beautiful also has a solid 7.5 on the mohs scale of hardness, making it a practical and resilient stone with the added attraction of looking ethereal.