Topaz, the birthstone for November

Actually, it’s not entirely accurate to call topaz the birthstone for November, as there are in fact two birthstones for this chilly, damp month – topaz and citrine. In which case we ought perhaps to say topaz is a birthstone for November. Both are golden sunny stones of course, but both have different histories and different meanings.

If you want to learn more about the citrine, we wrote about this fabulous golden gemstone once before and you can read it here.

In this post we’re going to talk about the topaz.

Topaz and citrine look remarkably similar, but aren’t related at all. Unlike citrine, topaz is actually available in many colours, from smokey grey to blush pink, although over the millennia pretty much every yellow gemstone was called a topaz, until the progress of science allowed us to understand that different gemstones have different structures and indeed that not all topaz’s are yellow!

In fact, pure topaz is without any colour, but it can become stained by impurities to take on any colour of the rainbow. The colour that is most prized is known as Imperial topaz, which has a rich orange hue with pink or red undertones. It is thought that the name of this shade of topaz originated with the Russian royal family’s insistence on keeping the finest colours of stones mined in their own Ural Mountains exclusively for their own use. Blue topaz is also highly prized but is rare in its natural form, meaning that most blue topaz you will find has been heat treated to achieve the desired colour.

The power of topaz

As with all gemstones known from ancient times, this birthstone for November has many powers attributed to it. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. During the late middle ages it was thought to be able to prevent magic spells and dispel anger. The November birthstone was also believed to have curative powers; used to treat weak eyesight. Hmmm, well, I guess the proof of its efficacy would be easy to see…

If you’re seeking fine jewellery showcasing your own birthstone, then you’ve a fabulous choice when it comes to topaz; you’re not restricted to yellow, of course, but then, that’s not really an issue, surely? Not when it’s this gorgeous.

birthstone topaz

Carnelian – An alternative birthstone for July

July is well served by birthstones. As well as the ruby, the most well-known birthstone for July, there is Carnelian. This is a semi-precious gemstone that comes in an array of dazzling orange reds, sometimes striped with white. Very pretty!

Carnelian is not a stone that can be sharply faceted, like a diamond or a ruby, as its crystalline structure is very fine – it is in fact a micro-crystalline form of quartz, with the white translucent stone given colour by iron impurities within it. This often results in bands of colour across a pale stone, but fully red stones do occur and make fabulous pieces when polished or carved.

Vintage style carnelian

This is a very hard gemstone, meaning that it can be quite finely carved – making it a popular choice for signet rings with crests and similar adornments right back to Roman times. The carved design, if a crest, would often be done as a mirror image, to allow the ring to be used as an impression on a wax seal, on legal documents and letters, to prove the sender’s identity. These were particularly popular in the late 18th and early 19th century, a reflection of the resurgence of the neo-classical design style in architecture, interiors and jewellery; you can find examples of these elegant rings today, at specialist antique jewellers around the world. It was well known and loved in Ancient Egypt too, with its warm red tones often set against blue lapis and black onyx in collars and necklaces for royalty and the aristocracy.

Carnelian “The Singer’s Stone”

In the Middle Ages carnelian was believed to have healing properties and even today it is known as the Singer’s Stone, due to its associations with confidence and the power of true expression, so enhancing creativity and passion. In fact, the multi-award winning singer Adele, who has cited her belief in the power of crystals, wears a rather beautiful carnelian bracelet, made by couture fine jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels.

This warm and pretty stone clearly translates into quite stunning jewellery, carved or polished to a warm glow and sets beautifully into yellow or white gold and silver. Used by fine jewellers and fashion jewellers alike, the only limit is the designer’s imagination, which we know will never be an issue for Christopher Evans – fine, fine jeweller!

To date we have never actually been asked to create something using carnelian, which is a shame, but perhaps by drawing your attention to this pretty, perfectly priced to deliver serious pow for your pound, glowing red gemstone.

Bespoke carnelian jewellery

Just think…drop earrings in amber-orange polished carnelian in a surround of diamonds; delicately striped carnelian set in a rose gold tennis bracelet; a tangerine square of glowing carnelian in a yellow gold brushed over setting, with orange sapphires to each side…oh, you could get quite carried away you lucky, lucky July-born babies!

The birthstone for March is also the bloodstone

Most months have two birthstones associated with them, and both are usually already well known. For March, there is the delightful pale blue aquamarine, but the birthstone for March is also the bloodstone, which is really not well known at all.

The bloodstone is a dark green stone flecked with spots and spatters of dark red – hence the name, not very original, we know! Bloodstone is also known as heliotrope, which in ancient Greek means ‘turns the sun’, which probably refers to the way the red veins and lines glow when in the sun’s light.

Bloodstone might not have the immediate and obvious beauty of aquamarine, but its dark charms are certainly worthy of a second look. In jewellery it is often used in pendants, or set into men’s signet rings or cufflinks. There aren’t many dramatically masculine birthstones, but this one is definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a special gift for your March-born man, or indeed any man, as let’s face it – how many men are remotely concerned about birthstones?!

The history of bloodstone

This lovely stone has been used in jewellery since the most ancient of times, when the facility to cut and polish the gemstones we consider jewellery-worthy today simply wasn’t there. Often found in pebble form in riverbanks, or embedded in rocks, bloodstone was used by the Babylonians to make carved seals and charms and was believed to have healing powers — especially for blood disorders.

In Medieval times it acquired the name the ‘martyr’s stone’, as people believed it was created when drops of Christ’s blood stained some jasper at the foot of the cross.

Even today it is believed by many to support mental clarity, boost creativity and increase energy levels in the wearer.

Bloodstone in jewellery

In colour, bloodstone can range from light to dark green, with few and subtle or many and prominent splatters or veins of deep or ferrous red. Bloodstone can range from quite translucent to nearly opaque. When cut and polished properly, it should have a beautiful shine, almost glossy, although the lustre is different than other gemstone and will generally appear smooth or waxy rather than sparkling.

Depending on the size of the stone, it might be cut with facets into traditional gemstone shapes or left in its natural shape and simply polished to a high shine. It can be carved too, hence its use as a seal or in signet rings. It works equally well set into silver or gold and in a filigree or a bold setting, it really is the most obliging of stones!

Sadly, we have yet to be asked to make any jewellery using bloodstone here at Christopher Evans, but we would love to do so!

birthstone bloodstone green gemstone

What is a birthstone?

We have often been asked, “what is a birthstone?” So we thought we’d have a little look into it!

Each month has had a precious or semi-precious gem allocated to it, which is considered our birthstone, but this is a relatively modern practice.

The notion of ‘birthstones’ actually ties back to the time when astronomy and astrology had significant cross-over and the regular patterns made by the stars in the skies were set into zodiac calendars. Astrologers linked particular gemstones to the key personality traits exhibited by people born within each zodiac calendar month.

From ancient times gemstones have been assumed to have mystical properties – the Greeks believed that wearing amethyst would prevent you from getting drunk for example and aquamarine would protect you from accidents at sea. Emeralds are associated with love and fertility and rubies offered power and protection from threat. People would wear gems (if they could afford to do do) that bolstered their personal need for support from a higher power.

In 1912, in an effort to standardise birthstones, the American National Association of Jewelers established a list to be used by all jewellers. This was updated in 1952 and again in 2002 and 2016. In the UK, the National Association of Goldsmiths created their own list of birthstones in 1937 and updated it in 2013.

As you can see, there is considerable cross-over with the ancient Zodiac birthstone list.

Zodiac sign	Dates	Gemstone	Birth Month	UK List 2013
Aries	March 21 – April 19	Diamond	April	DiamondRock Crystal
Taurus	April 20 – May 20	Emerald	May	EmeraldChrysophase
Gemini	May 21 – June 21	Pearl	June	PearlMoonstone
Cancer	June 22 – July 22	Ruby	July	RubyCarnelian
Leo	July 23 –August 22	Peridot	August	PeridotSardonyx
Virgo	August 23 – September 22	Sapphire	September	SapphireLapis Lazuli
Libra	September 23 – October 22	Opal	October	Opal
Scorpio	October 23 – November 21	Topaz	November	TopazCitrine
Sagittarius	November 22 – December 21	Turquoise	December	TurquoiseTanzanite
Capricorn	December 22 – January 19	Garnet	January	Garnet
Aquarius	January 20 – February 18	Amethyst	February	Amethyst
Pisces	February 19 – March 20	Aquamarine	March	AquamarineBloodstone

If you are believer in astrology then you might be a little alarmed if you’ve given gifted a birthstone for your month, rather than your zodiac sign – Aries of course completes its cycle on 19 April, meaning those born towards the end of the month might prefer an emerald. Never fear, we’ve looked into this and are reliably informed you needn’t fret!

Experts say that even though wearing your own zodiac birthstone imbues you with the best energy for your personal potential, the birthstone attributed to the zodiac sign before yours is known as your ‘twelfth house gem’ and while wearing this gemstone may not give off the energy of who you are, it will help you tune into and respond to the positive energy of those around you.

Whatever your thoughts or beliefs, the gift of a birthstone is always a special thing, showing your thought and care for the lucky recipient, whenever their birthday falls.

birthstone

La Peregrina: the wanderer pearl

One of the birthstones for June is the pearl. Not technically a gemstone of course, still this beautiful work of nature adorns many women, coming as it does in many shapes, sizes, colours and prices! Perhaps the most famous, certainly in terms of longevity, is La Peregrina, the wanderer pearl.

First discovered in the middle of the sixteenth century, it was the largest pearl ever found, at 55.95 carats (11.2g).

Found by a slave on the island of Santa Margarita in the Gulf of Panama, it was given to the Spanish governor, who gave it to King Phillip II of Spain. Phillip then presented the pearl to his future wife, Mary I, Queen of England. You can see the pearl, worn as a pendant to a brooch, in several portraits of her.

On her death in 1558 La Peregrina returned to Spain, to the Spanish Crown Jewels, where it remained until 1813, when it was effectively stolen by Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, who had been placed on the Spanish throne with his aggressive little brother invaded the country in 1809. It was then that the pearl was given the name La Peregrina, meaning ‘the wanderer.’ When he died, he left the pearl to his nephew, the future Napoleon III of France. Despite taking France to new levels of international power through empire, modernising his country in terms of agriculture, transport, education and social reform, he ended his days as a refugee, here in Britain, after defeat by German Otto von Bismarck in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

Just three years later he died, after having sold the pearl to James Hamilton, Duke of Abercorn., who bought the pearl for his wife, Louisa. The pearl was very heavy and it fell out of its necklace’s setting on at least two occasions. The first time, the pearl got lost in a sofa in Windsor Castle; the second time, during a ball at Buckingham Palace. The Hamilton family owned the pearl until 1969 when they sold it at auction at Sotheby’s in London.

This is where the fame factor for this dazzling work of nature really kicks in, as the pearl was bought by Richard Burton for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, as a Valentine’s present. La Peregrina was clearly still keen to wander however, as Elizabeth Taylor also lost it on one memorable occasion, only to find it in the mouth of one of her puppies.

“…inside his mouth was the most perfect pearl in the world. It was—thank God—not scratched.’ Thank goodness he didn’t swallow it!^]

Ms Taylor chose to wear her fabulous pearl in the film Anne of a Thousand Days, starring her then husband. It was but a fleeting moment, and uncredited, and it’s slightly ironic that this Tudor pearl should appear in a Tudor story, yet worn by a courtesan and not a Queen.

Taylor commissioned Cartier to re-design the necklace, setting La Peregrina with pearls, diamonds, and rubies. This setting was inspired by, but is ultimately far more glitzy and glamorous than, the one that can be seen in the portraits of Mary I.

In December 2011 La Peregrina was sold at Christies in New York, as part of Elizabeth Taylor’s collection, auctioned after her death. It was sold mounted on the diamond Cartier necklace reached an astonishing $10.5 million, purchased by an unknown Asian buyer. We think this is really rather sad: this pearl has decorated the throats of beautiful women for almost 500 years, portraits of whom (on oils and celluloid) depict La Peregrina’s wanderings across the world, and now…now it’s hidden from sight.

birthstone Elizabeth Taylor June La Peregrina pearl

The birthstone for June is the moonstone

Ask what the birthstone for June is and you may hear three different answers. The June birthstone is often listed as the moonstone, the pearl and Alexandrite.

Here at Christopher Evans in Cheshire we love the moonstone. Its mysterious silver glimmer looks utterly beautiful set alone, with white diamonds or with soft coloured gems such as rose pink tourmalines and lilac sapphires.

Why is it called moonstone?

Moonstones are believed to be named for the bluish white spots within them: When the stone is moved back and forth, silvery rays glint like moonbeams over water. This is called adularescence and sometimes shows as a multi-rayed star or cat’s eye, rather than the more common single ray.

Pliny, one of ancient Rome’s most studied natural historians said that the moonstone changed in appearance with the phases of the moon, a romantic if false belief that persisted until the sixteenth century. Those superstitious ancient Romans also believed that the image of Diana, their Goddess of the moon and the hunt, was enclosed within it – if you only knew how to look.

What does the moonstone mean for those who own one?

Over the millennia, the moonstone has come to mean many things to many people, but we rather love the romantic belief that if you give your lover a moonstone necklace when the moon is full you will always have passion for one another.

It’s also been said to bring good fortune and is used by mystics to help foretell the future. As it’s also believed to enhance intuition and promote inspiration, it’s no surprise perhaps that fortune tellers of ancient times would gaze into this stone to help them predict their customer’s future.

Part of the family of minerals called feldspar, moonstone actually comes in a variety of colours such as soft green, gentle blue, peach and champagne, though the cool silvery grey is an eternal favourite. The most prized moonstones come from Sri Lanka. They are also found in India, Australia, the United States, Myanmar and Madagascar.

The birthstone for June is the moonstone, a stone for the most romantic of lovers…and we love it.

birthstone June love moonstone passion

A diamond is…

The concept of a diamond engagement ring, the glowing solitaire proudly displayed for friends and family to gasp over, is a relatively new one, in jewellery terms.

In fact, it’s probably one of the most successful marketing stories of all time. Positively genius, we say would say.

A diamond is not a rare gemstone. The intrinsic value of a diamond doesn’t increase in time (unless it’s a super-rare carat weight or colour) Diamonds are not rare, they’ve not been rare gemstones since 1870, when vast diamond mines were discovered in South Africa.

It was however this very discovery that led to the decision to plant the concept of the emotional value of diamonds in the public conscious, encouraging us to overlook the financial one.

The money-men behind the diamond mining operations in South Africa needed to make two things happen.

First, they needed to control the flow of diamonds into the world markets, to maintain their financial value as a trade-able commodity. They did this by taking ownership and control of the world diamond trade, establishing De Beers Consolidated. They stockpiled and strategically managed the flow of diamonds around the world – the perfect example of utilising the old ‘supply and demand’ model.

However, to make this really work, they needed to both control supply and engineer demand for their product.

During this period the world was entering into a period of huge upheaval and war, significantly denting the demand for diamonds, especially in Europe. As a result of the European crises, it was decided to focus on the American market and in 1938 De Beers appointed Philadelphia based advertising agency N W Ayer & Son. Remember, this is all pre-Mad Men era, when advertising was still at a very basic standard. What happened next was the start of something very clever indeed.

The agency knew that they needed make a diamond’s value something apart from its financial worth – and the emotional pull of love and marriage was where they aimed their energies. They started by using celebrities in the media. They released stories to the press celebrity proposals with diamond rings and had fashion designers talk about the new diamond trend on radio shows. Dorothy Dignam, a publicist for De Beers at N.W. Ayer, said: “The big ones sell the little ones,” and they spent a lot of time detailing the size and cut of these ‘celebrity diamonds’ (some things don’t change!)

They built an entire story around the diamond itself, with no actual brand to connect it to. It was all about the product, not at all about going to a specific place to buy this product.

In only four years diamond sales in America went up by 55%.

However, their masterstroke came in 1948, when they came up with what has to be the best slogan of all time: ‘A diamond is forever.’

This slogan crystallised the whole aim of De Beer’s marketing: a diamond – like your marriage – is forever. Not only would this encourage engagement ring purchases, but make sure nobody then sold their diamonds and disrupt their monopoly!

Like we said: genius.

April birthstone diamond

The 5 most fabulous diamonds in the world

Just because it’s big it doesn’t mean it’s the best, so here’s our list of what we believe to be the 5 most fabulous diamonds in the world today – as yet discovered, that is…

The Great Star of Africa

At 530.20 carats, the Cullinan I – or Great Star of Africa – diamond is the largest cut colourless diamond in the world. Pear shaped, with 74 facets, it is set in the British Royal Sceptre and kept in the Tower of London. It was cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan, the largest raw diamond ever found, discovered in South Africa in 1905. Can you imagine?!

It was the largest cut diamond of any colour until 1985, when (in the same mine!) the Golden Jubilee Diamond was discovered, which when cut achieved 545.67 carats. This incredible brown-orange diamond is now the largest cut diamond in the world, and is owned by the King of Thailand.

The Orlov

This colourless, or white, diamond may only be 190 carats, but it has a romantic history we find quite bewitching. It’s unusual cut is also quite arresting. Known as the ‘mogul cut’, it has been cut for size, with multiple facets and scant regard for symmetry or brilliance. This is the oldest form of cutting, before globally recognised shapes such as Princess, Cushion or Emerald.

Its history is a little myterious: it is rumoured to have been set into the statue of Vishnu in the Hindu temple at Srinagar, before being stolen in the seventeenth century by a French soldier. He sold the stone to an Englishman in Madras and it eventually arrived in Amsterdam, where it was bought by the Russian Count Orlov and presented to Empress Catherine the Great. She had it set in her Sceptre. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, the Russians hid the diamond in a priest’s tomb (rather than just taking it with them, obviously) and allegedly Napoleon learned of its location and went to retrieve it. Once there, he was met by the ghost of the priest and promptly turned tail and ran – for the first time, but not the last, in Russia! Later research has shown that in fact Orlov did not purchase the diamond himself, but was simply the front man for Catherine. The Empress had a bit of a passion for diamonds, and REALLY wanted this stone, but knew it would cause a scandal at court should she be seen to be buying it -and there was quite enough scandal surrounding this lady already! Again, the Orlov is cut in the old style, to maximise the size, giving it a flat bottom, known as a rose cut today.

The Spirit of de Grosogono

This incredible stone is the world’s largest cut black diamond and the world’s fifth largest diamond overall. Starting at an uncut weight of 587 carats (117.4 g), it was discovered in western Central African Republic and cut by Swiss jeweller De Grisogono.

The resulting mogul-cut diamond weighs 312.24 carats and is set in a white gold ring with 702 smaller white diamonds totalling 36.69 carats.

Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor (meaning Mountain of Light) comes in at 105.60 Carats and is an oval cut gem, now set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the centre of the front cross. It has a history dating back to 1304 and, as you can imagine, has had a very exciting life. Legend says it may have been set in the famous Peacock Throne made for Moghul Emperor Shah Jehan, before travelling to Afghanistan with a bodyguard of Nadir Shah, who fled with the stone when the Shah was murdered (rather an occupational hazard) and was later offered to Ranjit Singh of the Punjab in exchange for military help (which was never delivered). After fighting broke out between the Sikhs and the British, The East India Company took the diamond in reparations and presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850. A snatch and run in any other name…

The Taylor-Burton

At just 68 carats this is the smallest diamond on our list, but is one that cannot be ignored.

It became famous when Richard Burton paid £1.1m dollars for it in 1969. He initially lost the stone to Cartier, after setting a limit of £1,000,000 when it went to auction. Upon learning of the loss, he went into a rage and insisted that his lawyer buy the diamond from Cartier, whatever it cost. Afterwards he said: “I was going to get that diamond if it cost me my life or 2 million dollars whichever was the greater.” and: “I wanted that diamond because it is incomparably lovely…and it should be on the loveliest woman in the world. I would have had a fit if it went to Jackie Kennedy or Sophia Loren or Mrs. Huntingdon Misfit of Dallas, Texas”.

Now, that’s exactly the kind of passion a diamond should inspire, don’t you agree?

April birthstone diamonds

The gorgeous garnet – the birthstone for January

The birthstone for January is the garnet, a gemstone that is full of surprises

When you think of garnets you probably think of the red semi-precious stone often used instead of the far rarer ruby. You’re right…but that’s most certainly not all that a garnet is. The birthstone for January, the garnet comes in a rich range of colours from leafy green to honey gold to satsuma orange, sunset pink, plum purple and even shades of blue.

The red garnet is the most common of all the colours in the palette and the green garnet, known as the Tsavorite garnet, is very much rarer.

The garnet is not only the birthstone for January, it is also the gemstone linked to the second wedding anniversary and it is believed that its name came from the Latin for seed, granate, due to its similarity to the colour of a pomegranate seed.

For those who believe in the healing power of precious stones, the garnet is linked to regeneration and energising. In medieval times the garnet was believed to relieve depression and prevent the owner from having bad dreams. In ancient Greece, the garnet was associated with lovers being parted and given to ensure a quick return. This stems from the story of Persephone and Hades: the God of the Underworld didn’t want Persephone to leave him, so he gave her a pomegranate, from which she ate six seeds, so dooming herself to spend six months with him every year and six months above on Earth.

Garnets have been treasured by those lucky enough to own one for millennia. A garnet necklace was found around the neck of a young man in a grave that dates back 5,000 years; Plato had his portrait engraved on a garnet by a Roman goldsmith and in Bohemia (now part of Czechoslovakia) where garnets were mined, churches, castles and the homes of the very wealthy often had magnificent interiors decorated with garnets.

Indeed, the term Bohemian Garnets is still in used today, referencing jewellery where the red stones are set in a tightly packed fashion, much like the interior of a pomegranate.

Whether you love the Bohemian ‘packed in like pomegranate seeds’ design style, or prefer something a little more contemporary, the gorgeous garnet is a marvellously versatile gemstone and delivers considerable bang for its buck!

birthstone garnet January

Tanzanite, the birthstone for December

Tanzanite, the birthstone for December.

The tanzanite is a rare and beautiful gemstone highly coveted by collectors. It is a form of blue zoisite (no, we don’t expect you to remember that) and when it was first discovered this is what it was called, but those clever people at Tiffany & Co had other ideas, believing that naming it Tanzanite would generate more interest in the gemstone. Why?

Well, that’s because this stunning violet blue gemstone is found in only one place on our planet, the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

First discovered in 1967, its only known source in the world is a 5-km strip of land near Mount Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania. This single, limited source renders tanzanite at least 1000 times rarer than diamonds. Gulp!

Because of their limited availability and dazzling shade, untreated tanzanites are understandably expensive and so attract the attentions of gemstone collectors as well as jewellers and seekers of the unusual and uncommon. It was discovered however that heat treating some some naturally brown or green zoisite could change its colour into the beautiful blue hued tanzanite. Heat treated stones have a lower value than the natural gems

For those who subscribe to crystal healing beliefs, is thought to inspire compassion, to encourage a sense of calm and to facilitate communication and problem solving. In traditional Hindu beliefs, tanzanite is associated with the throat chakra, the brow chakra and the crown chakra. The colour of tanzanite ties it to loyalty, faith, sincerity and respect. According to Chinese feng shui, blue tanzanite carries water energy whilst violet tanzanite carries fire energy.

In Africa, these fabulous blue gemstones are said to bring luck. The Masai tribespeople say they bring good fortune to those who wear them. For those couples seeking a really unusual engagement ring, this dazzling stone offers something that the more usual diamond cannot – rarity value, bestowing on its owner the aura of unconventional elegance and style.

birthstone December tanzanite