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Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, India and the USA all produce Garnets; however the bulk of today's Garnet gemstone supplies come from Africa. The name "Garnet" is said to derive from the fruit "pomegranate" with its red, "Garnet colored" seeds.
As with many other gemstones, color is the most important characteristic
of the Garnet. The color should be intense and uniform with a rich color
not too light or too dark. Fine Garnets should be eye clean with minimal,
if any, inclusions. Size also contributes a determinant of the stone's
value. While a rich red is the color most associated with the Garnet,
Garnets come in a variety of colors including various shades of red,
orange, green and the lovely pink to red violet Rhodolite Garnet. The
Rhodolite was named after the flower and is mined in Sri Lanka, Tanzania
and Zimbabwe.
Properly pronounced "pair-ee-doh", this lovely deep lime and grass green colored gemstone is the birthstone for August. Ancient Egyptians referred to the Peridot as the "gem of the sun" and it is said to have been a favorite of Cleopatra.
The Peridot's popularity may be due to its affordability. This lovely gemstone offers an excellent and highly affordable substitute for the scarce and expensive emerald, and offers the consumer an unbeatable value for money. The Peridot's color comes from the iron which is an intrinsic part of the stone's composition. Therefore, unlike many other gemstones, Peridots rarely need treatment for enhancement of color. Some say the most valued color is the rich grass-like green; however many peridots with slight yellowish lime hues can still command premium prices.
Burma and Pakistan are regarded as the sources of choice for quality Peridots, though they can also be found in other locations include the U.S. and China.
The ruby gemstone (part of the corundum group, an aluminum oxide with a hardness of 9) contains the same properties as Sapphires, with the difference in coloration dependant on the amounts of Chrome or Chrome and Iron in the stone. In Latin, the word ruby translates to red rubber.
The best rubies are thought to come from Burma, India and Thailand with the first rubies being reportedly from Sri Lanka. The quality ruby gemstone fetches the highest per carat price, even over that of the diamond.
The most important factor dictating the value of a ruby is in the color. Traditionally bright crimson red is the most sought after ruby color. Yet a gemologist or jewelry may well tell you that the dark red or the light pinkish colored rubies now hold the best value for the consumer. As the scarcity of the quality crimson ruby grows, so does the price to the consumer.
Currently any ruby above 5 carats is considered an extreme rarity and valued considerably higher per carat than ruby stones of 3 to 4 carats. The higher the carat of a ruby the higher the price per carat. For example a 3 carat ruby is far greater in price than 3 one carat ruby stones. The cut of the ruby also determines price. Round cut rubies carry a slight premium over other shaped ruby stones.
Burmese Rubies from Burma, India also seem to carry a premium based on their historical quality. Rubies can also be found in Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam.
The sapphire, closely related and with the same properties of the
ruby, is a blue corundum and like the ruby is second in hardness of
all gemstones with Diamond taking the lead. The Sapphire comes in a
variety of colors, though many think of it only as blue due to its
name which means blue in Greek. Sapphires are found in Africa, India,
the USA and Southeast Asia.
The Tanzanite gem stone comes from the Merelani Hills of Tanzania in the foothills below Mount Kilimanjaro. This wonderful purple blue gem was reportedly first found in the mid 1960's and continues to be a favorite. By viewing this stone at different angles, note the beautiful golds, purples and blues; each seen based on the angle the gemstone is viewed.
When removed from the earth, the Tanzanite stone exhibits its gold tones. As the stone is gently heated in the gemstone process, the blues and purples deepen within the stone.
The country of Tanzania struggles with political and technological updates but meanwhile the government began passing regulations to protect one of Tanzania's strongest assets, mining of these precious Tanzanite stones. Only about 10% of the Tanzanite stones coming out the mines equates to what is termed as a high quality stone. And as demand for these high quality stones jumped more than 40% in the 1990s, so does the threat to the supply.
A recent illegal tap into a legal Tanzanite mine threatened the lives of legal Tanzanite miners as an explosion was triggered by a purposely set trap by the illegal miners. This one incident demonstrates both the increasing desirability of the Tanzanite stone and the need for careful, controlled and legal production of this asset.
Ring Size Chart It is best to purchase a ring within two sizes (smaller or larger) of the ring wearer's size.
Rings are frequently only made in sizes 6, 7 and 8 and must be resized to fit the ring wearer.
Have a question? Please be sure to contact us! We will answer your questions to the best of our ability.