Fay Cullen » Birthstones

Celebrate her Rareity in June with an Alexandrite!

Fay Cullen — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:58:42 +0000

June is the month for the Alexandrite birthstone, named after the Russian tsar Alexander. The first crystals were discovered way back in 1834 in the emerald mines of the Ural Mountains but their rarity and value doesn’t prevent you from owning one or even offering one to someone special who fits the bill in June!

Take a look at the color change that these unique stones offer with varying sources of light;

May Birthstone or Green Wedding, Emerald Fits The Bill

Fay Cullen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:18:32 +0000

Art Deco GIA Certified 17.38ct Emerald & 6.00ct Diamond Engagement Ring

Art Deco 18k Vivid Grass-Green 0.99ct Zambian Emerald & Diamond Engagement Ring

18k Vivid Grass-Green Zambian Emerald Engagement Ring

18k 1.75ct Emerald & Diamond Engagement Ring

10 Reasons to Accept an March Proposal

Fay Cullen — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:30:20 +0000

Since March is the birthstone month of the aquamarine, take a look at these intricate and unique aquamarine engagement rings and ask yourself, since you were born in March, if you could possibly wear anything else! Mounted in platinum or mounted with a rare and exceptionally beautiful Santa Maria aquamarine from the Itabira mine in Brazil, this is your opportunity to purchase a one of a kind engagement ring from the largest online collection of Santa Maria engagement rings.

18k Santa Maria Aquamarine Engagement Ring

18k Art Deco Santa Maria Aqua Engagement Ring

Estate Platinum Aquamarine Engagement Ring

Edwardian Aquamarine Engagement Ring

18k Art Nouveau Aquamarine Engagement Ring

18k Art Deco Aquamarine & Sapphire Engagement Ring

18k Edwardian Aquamarine Engagement Ring

Santa Maria Aquamarine Engagement Ring

18k Santa Maria Aquamarine Engagement Ring

Vintage Platinum Aquamarine Ring

Emerald – Twenty Times Rarer Than Diamonds

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:57:36 +0000

Those beautiful, bottle-green, evenly colored, well-cut emeralds from Zambia are soon to be in short supply. Gemfields chief executive Ian Harebottle, is determined to make Zambian rough a premium brand over next couple of years, stating that “The demand for emerald has been increasing by 20 percent. Our mines are making up for about 20 percent of the global supply of emeralds. Twenty times rarer than diamonds, emeralds will be slated as both sexier and funkier, just like Apple products. Gemfields owns Kagem mine in Zambia which is spread across 45 square kilometers and presently contributes 15 percent of the world’s total production of emeralds. The other emerald producing countries are Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ruby: Where Did you get that Chrome Color Girl?

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:56:26 +0000

The main element inherent in the structure of ruby is chrome, which is both the coloring ingredient and paradoxically, also responsible for the scarcity of ruby.
Millions of years ago, as gemstones were being created deep inside the core of the Earth, chrome gave the ruby its vivacious red color, but simultaneously caused a multitude of fissures and cracks inside the crystals. Thus only a few ruby crystals enjoyed the conditions necessary for sizable growth with adequate crystallization.

Peridot, Chrysolite & Olivine

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:49:29 +0000

The August Birthstone has in fact no fewer than three names: ‘peridot’, ‘Chrysolite’, (derived from Greek, meaning ‘gold stone’) and ‘Olivine’, the latter being the family of minerals of which peridot is a member, and encompasses opaque or semi-translucent gems.

Peridot is composed of magnesium and iron found in basaltic igneous rocks, and one of the few gemstones which come in one color only: a rich green with a slight tinge of gold caused by extremely fine traces of iron. Depending on the amount of iron in its composition, peridot can be a fine, rich olive-green, tending towards green-brown, with the presence of a larger amount of iron, or shaded to a yellow-green if the ratio of magnesium is superior to that of iron. The vivid green color of peridot, with a slight of gold, is the ideal gemstone color to match a light summer wardrobe.

June Birthstones; Moonstone, Alexandrite & Pearl

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:49:10 +0000

Throughout history, innumerable traditional birthstones have been used, corresponding to the Zodiac signs as opposed to the calendar months, historically used as amulets and charms, believed to possess special powers and mystical properties.

The commonly accepted history of birthstones dates back to the Breastplate of Aaron, a ceremonial religious garment from Biblical times. The twelve gemstones on the plate represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and corresponded with the 12 signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year.

The gemstones representing each month of the year have varied throughout centuries, and even today we can find the commonly accepted birthstones according to Hebrew, Roman, Arabic, Italian, Russian, Hindu and Polish traditions.

In some cases, birthstones from each age and region are similar in color while in others, little relationship exists between the ancient historic stones and today’s modern birthstones, adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912.

On the current list of modern birthstones adopted in 1912, some calendar months possess ‘alternate birthstones’, such as the month of June, represented by Moonstone as the month’s birthstone and Alexandrite and Pearl as ‘alternate birthstones’ which facilitate the design of coordinated jewelry with multiple gemstones to allow for different taste preferences.

Scorpio Birthstone – Coral

admin — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:31:07 +0000

Romans used powdered coral to cure stomach ache so I deemed it an appropriate stone to ward off the effects of the tightening economy. Please enjoy our Salmon Coral Earrings fabulous photography as you discover why a pair of salmon coral earrings can give lasting protection to you!.
With its distinct fascination, coral is a conglomeration of tiny marine invertebrates which settled in enormous quantities in warm sea depths long ago.. These polyps, surrounded by a fleshy skin, excrete a carbonic substance which attaches itself to rocks and other objects, growing like trees and branches.

These branches can at times attain a length of sixteen inches although the actual branches seldom exceed one and a half inches in length.
In its natural state, coral is matt and porous, filled with holes, cracks, blotches and striations, lesser quality coral being filled with colored wax to improve its appearance.
Traditionally, fragile coral trees were uprooted from ocean depths with trawl nets but since high quality coral become harder to find and a great deal more valuable, divers are now deployed in the less destructive process of coral branch harvesting, in so doing, leaving the roots intact. Once harvested, coral branches are cleaned, sorted and processed using saws, knives, files or drills.

Amongst the existing varieties of coral, the precious ‘coralium nobile’ is of special interest to jewelers and collectors. Its color ranges from pinkish white to salmon and blood-red, and it is found in tropical and subtropical oceans along the coasts of Algeria, Morocco and Corsica, at a depth of approximately fifty feet. The pink variety of coral termed appropriately ‘peau d’ange’ or ‘angel-skin, is extremely rare, consequently highly sought after. Other well known colors of coral are the rich-red Japanese Moro coral, the pale pink ‘Boke’ and the red ‘Sardegna’ coral.
Other varieties of coral have been found in depths of up to three thousand meters in the seas around Japan, Taiwan and the Malayan Archipelago, in the Red Sea, the Biscayne Gulf and around the Canary Islands. Just as pearls are a product of water, so is coral, both consisting of over 90% carbonic lime. It is an interesting phenomenon to note that nature uses the same dull material to create fiery red coral as well as beautiful white pearls!

Root or foam coral is lighter and more reasonably priced than precious coral. Root coral is actually a distinctly different coral species of their own, a special kind of coral growth sometimes confused with foam coral. Foam coral derives from parts of Japanese Momo coral which remains attached to the sand or mud and forms the transition from the foot of the coral to the main artery. It is heavier than root coral and somewhat more expensive. Both kinds find their way into the trade in large quantities from China and Japan. Due to their size and relatively low weight, they are popular wherever color and volume are in demand at low prices.

The blue and ‘sponge’ coral is less compact in structure than their pink and red relatives, their texture being rough and porous and difficult to polish. The natural colors range from pinkish-red with brownish patches to gray-blue, frequently dyed to enhance their color and/or resin impregnated to enhance their durability.
Black and golden coral belongs to the group of coral with tough and keratin-like proteins that adopt a durable finish with a high polish, maintaining remarkable beauty. Golden colored coral is highly prized and can be naturally colored.

Bamboo or Sea Bamboo Coral has a distinct structure inherent in its name. The skeletons consist of branch-like calcium carbonate material, interspersed with protein ‘joints’. The natural color is creamy white with brownish or black joints. The harder sections are dried and used for beads or cabochons while larger pieces are cared into ornamental objects.
In vogue throughout the Victorian era, coral from the Bay of Naples in Italy was carved into cameos or incorporated into necklaces and brooches to be sold throughout Europe.

The origin of the word coral remain the subject of controversy amongst etymologists. Whereas some consider ‘koraillon’ to be the Greek derivation referring to the calcareous skeleton of the coral animal, or ‘kura-halos’ denoting ‘mermaid’ due to the fact that the fine coral branches sometimes resemble small figures, while others believe the name derives from the Hebrew word ‘goral’.

Goral stems and branches were used to cast an oracle both in Palestine and around the Mediterranean, where this organic gem has held a special significance since ancient times. In the ancient Chinese civilization, coral was supposed to represent a tree called ‘Tieb shu’ which grew on the ocean floor only once a century, and symbolized longevity. The Romans powdered coral and ingested it to soothe aching stomachs. The same powder was burned and used in ointments, to remedy ulcers and sore eyes. The Roman scholar Pliny wrote at length on the powers that people of his time ascribed to coral, such as protecting the wearer from lightening, tornados and tempests. Women in Rome wore coral necklaces as charms against sterility.

The ancient Greeks believed coral to have the power to baffle witchcraft and to protect against poisons and storms and practiced grinding coral into a powder, mixing it with seed-corn and spreading it about their fields to guard against locusts, thunderstorms, and blight.
In India, coral was coveted as having numerous sacred properties and as in China and Japan, it was very popular for use in rosaries, believing to prevent cholera and epidemics.

Coral, they further believed, would; change color to indicate the presence of poison or impending sickness, quicken the senses, strengthen mental faculties and preserve eyesight by preventing gradual loss of energy to the optic nerve. The Navajo Indians of the nineteenth century esteemed coral as one of the eighteen sacred objects and used it for both jewelry and ornamentation. Even into late nineteenth century, a diluted powder of coral was prescribed by physicians to cure whooping cough. As M. Teste wrote, coral was used ‘for a chronic convulsive cough, it is like water thrown upon fire’.

In vogue throughout the Victorian era, coral from the Bay of Naples was carved in Italy and used for cameos or, in naturalistic forms, incorporated into necklaces and brooches to be sold throughout Europe

Pearls; Man Implants Cultured Irritant – Japanese Nucleation

admin — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:09:45 +0000

Cultured pearls share the same properties of natural pearls and are formed in oysters in an almost identical fashion. The only difference lies in the fact that the irritant in the oyster is implanted by man, rather than by Nature. In both cases, however, it is left to Nature to create its miracle. In the past pearl cultivation depended entirely on wild oysters. While this has persisted partly to the present, scientists in Japan have isolated strains of oysters possessing superior pearl-producing qualities. The process is referred to as ‘nucleation’ and the ‘nucleus’ is a mother of pearl bead made from freshwater mussels.

June’s Alternative Birthstone: Pearl

admin — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:01:11 +0000

Calcium Carbonate Particles & Parasites

The scientific explanation for natural pearls is almost as mystifying as folklore. This organic gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance is composed entirely of calcium carbonate particles assembled in overlapping layers and bound together with organic material by oysters, which are members of the mollusk family of sea creatures. When an irritating foreign particle which could be a piece of sand, or a parasite enters the oyster, the creature responds by covering the irritant with smooth layers of body material and an iridescent layer called ‘nacre’ which builds up in layers to become a pearl. Gem quality pearls are produced by a variety of saltwater, non-edible oysters and freshwater oysters.

Grains & Grams of Oriental Pearls

Unlike other gems, pearls are measured by weight in a unit called a ‘grain’, and by size in millimeters. There are four grains in a carat and 20 grains in a gram. Pearls are differentiated on the basis of origin. Completely oyster-made pearls are referred to as ‘natural’, and ‘Oriental’ pearls are natural saltwater pearls from the Persian Gulf which, until a century ago, was the primary source of pearls in the world and ‘seed-pearls’ measure just 2 millimeters or less in diameter.

The term ‘French pearl’ was adopted to identify irregular pieces of oyster shell possessing certain characteristics of natural pearl. ‘Freshwater pearls’ come from oysters living in rivers and ‘cultured pearls’ are made with the help of mankind, by means of introducing a carefully placed and precisely designed foreign particle to sea-living oysters.

Pears, Buttons, Tears & Rounds

Round or perfectly regular pearls are the most widely known and commercially most valuable of all, but only one of the many natural shapes which include pear, egg, tear-drop, button and Baroque.

Black, Grey, Blue, Green, Bronze & Pink Pearls

The colors of pearls vary from light to dark in a wide range of body colors and a variety of overtones. Light pearls manifest soft shades of pink, white or cream and overtones of blue, green, red, pink and gray. Dark pearls, referred to collectively as ‘black pearls’ encompass silver gray, dark blue, purple, blue-green, green and bronze, with and without metallic overtones. In general, colors are more common in freshwater than in saltwater pearls.

Middle Age Natural Phenomena

In the Middle Ages, when so much explanation of life was ascribed to natural phenomena, the colors of pearl gained particular meaning and significance:
Gold pearl was an emblem of wealth
White was an emblem of idealism
Black was an emblem of philosophy
Pink was an emblem of beauty
Red was an emblem of health and energy
Gray was an emblem of thought…