Stone Guide
Garnet
Red in one of its purest, darkest hues
Gemstone Family
Garnet
Colour
A purple red
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Russia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 6.5 - 7.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Long thought of as the traveller's stone, ancient religious texts describe a single large garnet as being used to navigate Noah's ark at night.
Amethyst
Restrained, yet regal
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Violet, Purple
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal: hexagonal prism
Origin
Brazil, Russia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, USA
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
In medieval times, royal crowns and bishops' rings were studded with amethyst. The British royal scepter boasts a huge road amethyst, set for the coronation of James II (1633-1701), and another surmounts the sovereign orb.
Aquamarine
Clean, without embellishment.
Gemstone Family
Beryl
Colour
Ranging from deep to pale blue due to iron or aluminium impurities.
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal: hexagonal prism
Origin
Brazil, Russia, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Madagscar
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.5 - 8
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
The word "aquamarine" originates from two Latin words, meaning "water" and "sea". In 500-300BC, sailors wore aquamarine amulets as they were believed to protect the wearer from dangers at sea, especially if the stone was engraved with Poseidon.
Ruby
Casual luxury.
Gemstone Family
Corundum
Colour
Ranging from oxblood red to pale rose red.
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 9
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
A popular Middle Ages belief was that ruby could warn its owner of impending danger by becoming dull and dark. The first wife of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) allegedly predicted her own disgrace by the blackening of her ruby.
Peridot
Combines distinction with subtlety.
Gemstone Family
Minerals
Colour
Ranges from yellow-green to olive green, depending iron impurities.
Crystal symmetry
Orthorhombic
Origin
China, Pakistan, United States, Myanmar, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 6.5 - 7
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
An early Greek belief was that peridot had the ability to ward off evil spirits. However in order for it to do so, the stone needed to be pierced, threaded on the hair of an ass, and tied around the left arm of the wearer.
Blue Sapphire
An established favourite, giving the wearer a broad scope.
Gemstone Family
Corundum
Colour
Blue
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 9
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
In the beginning of the eleventh century, sapphire became a favourite stone for the rings of priests and clergymen, having previously been a preferred gem for the jewellery of medieval European kings.
White Sapphire
A celebration of the absence of colour.
Gemstone Family
Corundum
Colour
White to colourless
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 9
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
Currently the most popular gemstone for engagement rings, sapphire was worn by royalty throughout the ages as these stones signified wealth, wisdom and virtue.
Tsavorite
A recent discovery.
Gemstone Family
Garnet
Colour
Light to dark green
Crystal symmetry
Cubic
Origin
Kenya, Tanzania
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7 - 7.5
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
British geologist Campbell R. Bridge was exploring the mountains in the North East of Tanzania for gemstones, when he found some odd, potato-like clusters of rock. Inside these nodules were the gemstone we know as tsavorite.
Fire Opal
A stone with a distinct personality, enhanced by its firey undercurrents.
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Red
Crystal symmetry
Amorphous
Origin
Australia, Brazil, Slovakia, Mexico, South Africa, United States
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 5.5 - 6.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
The Mayans and Aztecs called fire opal "quetzalitzlipyollitli", which means the "stone of the bird of paradise". This gemstone was used frequently in mosaics and rituals of the time.
Emerald
An enduring stone.
Gemstone Family
Beryl
Colour
Grass green
Crystal symmetry
Hexagonal
Origin
Columbia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Brazil, Egypt
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.5 - 8
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
In Roman times, emerald symbolised the reproductive forces of nature and the goddess Venus. Much later in 1609, Belgian physician and mineralogist Anselmus de Boodt praised emerald as a powerful amulet with the potential to prevent panic & epilepsy, cease bleeding, and cure fever and dysentery.
Pink Tourmaline
Effortlessly lighthearted.
Gemstone Family
Tourmaline
Colour
Pink
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Brazil, Africa, United States, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Russia
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7 - 7.5
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
As this gemstone was fairly recently introduced into popular jewellery as an alternate birth stone for October compared to other stones, tourmaline has become a choice stone for New Age devotees, who believe that the mineral produces great swathes of psychic energy and neutralises negative energy.
Hot Pink Sapphire
A rich and saturated pink.
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Pink
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 9
Care
Clean with warm water and a mild soap.
History
Throughout the middle ages, sapphire was used in medicine, as the gemstone was believed to have the ability to cure diseases of the eyes.
Rose Quartz
A tender, blushing stone.
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Varying rosy pink tones.
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Brazil, South Africa, India, Madagscar, Namibia and South Dakota (US)
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.0
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Known as the ‘love stone’, rose quartz was used in the healing potions of the Middle Ages.
Green Amethyst
Natural and cleansing
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Golden green hues.
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Brazil, Poland and Canada
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.0
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Also known as prasiolite, descending from the Greek word for ‘leek’, due to the stone’s similarity in colour to this vegetable.
Peach Moonstone
Gently luminescent.
Gemstone Family
Feldspar
Colour
A pale, shimmering coral.
Crystal symmetry
Monoclinic
Origin
Armenia, Mexico, Australia, the Austrian Alps, Norway, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 6.0-6.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
The Romans believed moonstone was created from solidified beams of moonlight. They held that Diana, goddess of the moon, could be seen within the stone.
Black Onyx
A silky dark stone
Gemstone Family
Chalcedony
Colour
Deep black, marbled with parallel bands of colour
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
China, Brazil, Pakistan, Yemen, Uruguay, Canada, Czech Republic, Indonesia, the US and the UK
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 6.0-6.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
English midwives traditionally used onyx stones to ease childbirth, believing the stone to bestow courage.
Lapis Lazuli
Intense and richly historical
Gemstone Family
Lapis Lazuli
Colour
A signature blue scattered with flecks of golden pyrites
Crystal symmetry
Cubic hexagonal
Origin
Afghanistan, Russia, Chile, Italy, Mongolia, the US and Canada
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 5.0-5.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Historians believe that Cleopatra used powdered lapis for eye shadow.
Chalcedony
Warm and illustrious
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Warm tones of burnt amber
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Australia, Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.0
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Chalcedony is considered to be sacred by Native American tribes and is used in their ceremonial gatherings to strengthen bonds between communities.
Rhodonite
Rare and dynamic
Gemstone Family
Silicate
Colour
A vibrant raspberry
Crystal symmetry
Triclinic
Origin
Sweden, Peru, Russia, Australia, Canada and the US
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.0
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Rhodonite is a highly-valued stone in Russia. Tsar Alexander II had a slab of the grave of his spouse made of rhodonite which was polished by hand, taking 16 years.
Dendrite
Intricately threaded with one-of-a-kind markings
Gemstone Family
Quartz
Colour
Pale grey with rippled, fern-like markings
Crystal symmetry
Trigonal
Origin
Brazil, India, Madagascar, the US, Mexico and Kazakhstan.
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 7.0
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Dendritic agate has a fabled history of divine images appearing within its natural veining with icons such as the Virgin Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist appearing throughout the years, displayed in churches around the world.
Labradorite
Quietly serene
Gemstone Family
Silicates
Colour
A warm grey-brown colour, enlivened with iridescent flickers of colour
Crystal symmetry
Triclinic
Origin
Finland, Ukraine, Madagascar, Australia and the US
Durability
Mohs Hardness: 6.0-6.5
Care
Clean using soapy water and a soft cloth.
History
Mythologised to have be borne from fallen aurora borealis, Labradorite is famed for its iridescent beauty.