Sapphires have been ogled at for thousands of years. Those in ancient times simply adored them as much as we do today. They were also attributed magical powers that included protection from evil, cures for diseases, and the most popular use of protecting a ladies virtue. Hmmm…I’m curious exactly how that went down. And of […]

Picasso’s Gems: October’s Birthstones

“I want to know one thing,” the artist Pablo Picasso asked, “What is color?” I dare say the gemstones of October, which include opals and tourmalines, might very well hold the answer to Picasso’s burning question. Both are famous for their command of the language of color. So much so, it seems appropriate to give […]

Yellow Topaz vs. Citrine: Understanding November’s Birthstones

These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of.” Mary Ann Evans a.k.a. iconic Victorian novelist George Eliot wrote these words sometime in the mid-1800s. It’s very possible she may have been musing about the gemstones of November as both were very popular in Victorian times.

What is Diamond Fluorescence?

Even though it’s only been about a century that fluorescence in diamonds has been looked at seriously, fluorescence in nature has been catching our eye for quite a bit longer. It’s everywhere in the form of jellyfish, coral, butterflies, parrots, plants, crude oil, and minerals.