Our jewellers are here to provide you with tips on all things related to your precious jewellery purchases. From designing and making your engagement and wedding rings to stone identification.
PEARLS by Colleen Brennan from Salt, Water & Fire Because I have been involved in most aspects of the pearl industry for many years, I have been asked to write a blog about pearls and I am thrilled to pass on some of my knowledge. Pearls are wondrous gems, they may not sparkle like gemstones […]
EMERALD: Emerald is the sign of spring is regarded as one of the most desirable gemstones, Gemstone Group- Beryl Chemical Composition- Beryl is a silicate of beryllium and aluminium with the formula of Be3A12(SiO3)6. The fine intense green is caused by a trace of chromium and/or vanadium replacing the aluminium in the beryl structure. Emerald […]
DIAMOND: Diamonds composition is Carbon, C Diamonds are formed deep in the earth’s mantle under high pressure and high temperature in a carbon rich environment under cratons at depths of 200km’s below the earth’s surface. Diamonds then undergo a brutal journey to the earth’s crust from the earth’s mantle. They travel from 100-600 km’s from […]
AQUAMARINE: Gemstone Group-Beryl Aquamarine is part of the beryl group of gemstones, and these Pale Blue gems are some of the most favoured and more expensive of the coloured gemstones. A wide variety of colours are represented right through from colourless to black and the stones obtained are often large in size and free from flaws. […]
Amethyst, is part of the quartz family of semi-precious gemstones, in its purple iteration. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals and it has been estimated that quartz constitutes about 12% of the earth’s crust. Its chemical composition is SiO2 (silicon dioxide). Colour Importance Purple has been considered Regal since ancient times, as purple […]
Fine silver is considered pure silver and is identified by the hallmark stamp .999. It’s not alloyed with any other metal. Fine silver is very soft and malleable. Because it scratches and dents so easily, fine silver is less commonly used in jewellery pieces that will experience hard wear such as rings, it is more […]
INTERNATIONAL RING SIZE GUIDE Have you ever tried to work out your ring size? Have you tried googling rings sizes and found lots of conflicting information? We are here to set you on the right path. The International guide for rings sizes is called ISO 8653:2016 Jewellery — Ring-sizes — Definition, measurement and designation The […]
by Rowena Mitchel Ruby (red variety) is a variety of mineral from the family corundum, Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire (blue corrundum). All other coloured corundum is called a sapphire proceeded by its colour, ie orange sapphire, blue sapphire, yellow sapphire, pink sapphire. The […]
Pearls a brief guide Have you ever wondered about pearls? The history or how to tell the different types of Pearls apart? It’s helpful to get the names correct for starters. Broadly, there are three types of Pearls: Natural, Cultured and Imitation. Brief Pearl History 13th Century– first attempts to grow pearls as a […]