The birthstone for November is the citrine

Citrine: the birthstone for NovemberThe clue is in the title.  The citrine, the birthstone for November, is named for its golden citrus tones, ranging from bright lemon yellow to warm Autumnal red-gold.  The alternative birthstone for November, the topaz, is also found in shades of yellow and gold, just like the leaves that fall around us during this month of change.

There aren’t many yellow gemstones.  Yellow diamonds, of course, and sapphires, but these are both expensive with not a lot of bang for your buck.  The citrine delivers in both colour, durability and price, making it perfect for a real ‘look at me!’ dress ring or pendant.

A long history

The Ancient Greeks connected the citrine to Demeter, Goddess of agriculture, fertility and the harvest; its bright golden tones bringing the life-giving sun to earth.  The Romans revered the yellow gemstone for its colour and its rarity – and although the citrine is no longer a rare gemstone, its colour remains just as bewitching.

Also known as the Merchant Stone, it was believed in medieval times that wearing citrine enhanced your success and prosperity, with merchants popping one in their shop or cashbox.  

In modern times the citrine grew massively in popularity in the Art Deco period, between the wars, when large citrines (delivering serious bang for their buck!) were set into dramatic and high impact pieces, including elaborate jewellery made for Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, and more recently in the simply fabulous self-designed pendant worn by Angelina Jolie, the very epitome of feminine sophistication and glamour.

Today this vibrant, yellow gemstone that brings a kiss of sunshine on a chill November day is used in fabulous jewellery where significant impact can be delivered for no significant outlay.  Go big, à la Jolie, or choose something more delicate – the glory of this stone is that it is delightfully eyecatching however you wear it.

The more we see of this stone, with its fabulous shades of lemon and gold, the more we love it.

The birthstone for October is the opal

 

Wood opal | Tree opal with Diamonds | the birthstone for October is the opal

The birthstone for October is the opal – and what an extraordinary stone of infinite variety this is.

What is an opal?

The national stone of Australia, the opal is a form of silica and can contain anywhere from 6 to 21 per cent water, by weight.  It is formed by being deposited in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, at relatively low temperatures.  Some opals, known as wood opals, are in fact formed from deposits that have sunk into trees laid down in prehistoric times.  These are rare and simply stunning stones from which jewellery of astonishing beauty can be made. as you can see here!

Large Crystal Opal & Dia Pendant LRThe most common form of precious opal is the white opal.  This type of opal increases in value the greater the play of fire within, in vibrant shades of green, blue, orange and pink.  The rarest is the black opal, a dark hued stone from which the flashes of fiery colour spring most dramatically.

How to choose the right opal

Take care when buying opals that you know what you are getting.  For use in fine jewellery, most opals are cut and polished as cabochon stones,  oval or round with a soft curve rather than facets. ‘Solid’ opal refers to polished stones that consist completely of opal.  Opals too thin to produce a ‘solid’, or too milky to throw much fire, may be combined with other materials to form a pretty gem for use in fashion or costume jewellery: an opal ‘doublet’ is made from a relatively thin layer of opal, set on top of a layer of a dark-coloured mineral, most commonly ironstone, dark ‘common opal’ (called potch, by opal miners, which shows no play of colour) or obsidian. The dark backing emphasizes any play of colour in the top stone.  An opal triplet is similar to a doublet, but has a third layer, a domed cap of clear quartz or even plastic on the top.  The top layer works to magnify the colour play of the opal beneath.  Pretty, but not precious.

Black Opal & Dia Pendant LR

Why is the opal seen as unlucky?

The myth that the opal is an unlucky gemstone is just that – a myth.  Utter nonsense in fact!  This myth came about due solely to a novel by Sir Walter Scott.  In Scott’s story, the Baroness of Arnheim wears an opal with supernatural powers. When a drop of holy water falls on it, the opal turns into a colourless stone and the Baroness dies.  Not such a lucky magic stone for her! Due to the popularity of Scott’s novel people soon began to associate opals with bad luck and death. Within a year of the publishing of Scott’s novel in 1829, the sale of opals in Europe dropped by 50%.  Ouch!

Oh how we wish we’d been around then to pick up some lovely bargains!

Today, the opal is chosen by those seeking to make something quite extraordinary and a real talking point – and we’re happy to oblige!

The birthstone for September is the sapphire

00104681 18W Natural Sapph & Dia Ring 1 the birthstone for September is the sapphireThe birthstone for September is the sapphire.

Over the millennia the sapphire has come to symbolise honour, sincerity and faithfulness and has for centuries been associated with royalty and romance.  Just think of the buzz that surrounded the engagement ring chosen for Diana by Charles, the Prince of Wales, in 1981 and then again when Prince William presented the same ring to his true love, Kate.

In ancient times it was believed that that blue sapphires protected their owners from envy and harm, making it very popular with rulers and despots of all kinds: rather a lot of those same rulers were assassinated over the years however, so it’s unlikely the blue gemstone was much use other than decorative.  Unless the assassin was wearing a ruby of course, to bring success in his career…   I digress, back to the birthstone for September, the sapphire!

The sapphire has always been associated with the colour blue and indeed its name comes from the Greek word sappheiros, which probably actually referred to the blue gemstone lapis lazuli.  However, quite delightfully, sapphires come in many, many colours.

Sapphires, in all their shades, form the corundum family.  As well as the blue sapphire we all know so well, they come in pink, violet, lilac, green, yellow, orange, purple and even grey, black, or brown.

00104683-Padrashana-Sapphire-Cluster-1-400x400 the birthstone for September

When is a sapphire not a sapphire?

One colour you won’t find in a sapphire however is red – as the red corundum stone is called a ruby, and is the rarest colour of all.  Ooh – those rubies again!  Maybe in the world of gemstone mystical powers ruby trumps sapphire…

Another sapphire has been given the honour of its own name too, the simply gorgeous padparadscha sapphire.  This means ‘lotus flower’ in Sinhalese, the language spoken in Sri Lanka, where these beautiful stones were first found.  Their pinky-orange colour is impossible to describe in mere words, but trust us when we say it’s unforgettably beautiful.

As well as being the birthstone for September, the sapphire is of course the gemstone chosen to celebrate the 45th wedding anniversary.

Sapphire and diamond Elephant Hawk Moth bespoke jewelled necklaceBespoke sapphire jewellery

We love working with sapphires here at Christopher Evans and have created some breathtaking pieces over the years.  As well as the rings you see here, we’ve worked on countless engagement rings, brooches, earrings and pendants.

We even designed and crafted a stunning brooch using multiple sapphires in varied shades of lilac, pink and green – an Elephant Hawk Moth, for a lovely lady who just adored this colourful creature.

To learn more about this beautiful gemstone, and how we can create the perfect piece for you, call in or call us!

August’s birthstone is the peridot

Peridot-Yellow-Sapphire-Pendant cAugust’s birthstone is the Peridot (pronounced perry-dot, not perry-doh).  Said to be a stone of healing powers, ancient beliefs link it to the heart chakra and imbue it with the power to strengthen the heart in compassion and in relationships, but particularly in marriage and is associated with love, harmony and dignity.

The splendid vivid green of this glorious stone makes it the perfect birthstone for August: the ideal shade is leaf green with a hint of gold.  Unlike many precious gems, peridot comes in one colour only, though the depth and intensity of the colour can vary from yellowish green to dark olive and even to a brownish green.

The peridot was adored by the ancients; it has been found in Egyptian jewellery from as early as 2,000BC. The ancient Romans loved this captivating green gemstone too and celebrated the fact that its radiant green-gold shine doesn’t change even in artificial light, for which reason they nicknamed it the ’emerald of the evening’.

Peridot was popular in the middle ages and is in many medieval churches across  Europe, where it adorns many a treasure. During the baroque period, the rich green gemstone once again enjoyed a brief popularit and then it somehow lost its fashionable status.

Its recent resurgence in popularity (and not just with the summer-born)  is due in great part to the discovery, in the mid ‘90s, of significant peridot deposits in the Kashmir region. The stones from those deposits have an incomparably beautiful colour and transparency.

Peridot

The most beautiful stones come from the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the peridot as a gemstone also exists in Myanmar, China, the USA, Africa and Australia. Stones from East Burma, now known as Myanmar, have a vivid light green and fine inclusions with a silky shine to them. Peridot from Arizona, where it is popularly used in native American jewellery, often has somewhat yellowish or gold-brown nuances.

All this means that anybody seeking to celebrate their August birthday with their August birthstone can find a stone to suit their demands, from colour to carat weight to cut.

Here at Christopher Evans we love working with beautiful stones and have a precious gem collection open to choose from, or can source the perfect stone to meet your needs.

 

The birthstone for July is the ruby

00102907 Ruby & Diamond Cluster 1The birthstone for July is the ruby, as stated in this poem, published by Tiffany & Co in 1870, although nobody knows who wrote it and when.

The glowing ruby shall adorn,
Those who in July are born;
Then they’ll be exempt and free
From love’s doubts and anxiety.
 

Power and protection

The ruby was the gemstone of choice for tribal kings and warriors, as it was believed to offer power and protection.  This beautiful red gem has always been associated with passion, this, allied with its associations with wisdom, good fortune and success also made the ruby the stone of love.   The wearer of the ruby need have none of the anxieties and concerns most lovers feel, as they have made the right choice in matters of the heart!

The ruby is the hardest of the precious gemstones, meaning that it is ideal for everyday wear.  It’s value lies in its colour: rubies are available in a range of red hues from purplish and bluish red to orange-red. The brightest and most valuable colour for a ruby is  known as a ‘Burmese Ruby’ or ‘Pigeon Blood Red’  – this does not refer to the blood of a pigeon, but in fact to the colour of a white, or albino, pigeon’s eye.  The term ‘Burmese Ruby’ reflects the fact that the best rubies come from Burma (now called Myanmar) dug from the Mogok Valley mines.

star ruby

Blue cousin

Fascinatingly, the ruby is part of the Corundum family, the only other member of which is the sapphire.  Sapphires come in a whole rainbow of colours, except red.  Red sapphires are claimed as rubies.  Red Corundum gems that don’t have the correct red hue are simply called sapphires.  The true red gemstone is very rare and its rarity gives it the value it has carried for millennia.

Rubies can be cut as faceted stones or cabochon, as shown here.  Often these stones will display an asterism – or  six-pointed star, giving them the name Star Rubies.  This mysterious, fascinating stone, if also demonstrating real clarity, is highly sought after and exceedingly valuable.

 

Bought it myself: the right hand ring

Tourmaline and diamond ringWhat does ‘right hand ring’ really mean?

There are a few myths and misunderstandings about the right hand ring, the greatest one being that these are rings bought for a woman by a man who does’t want to commit to the finality of marriage, but wants to put his symbol of ownership on you.  What utter rubbish!  It’s been our experience that the right hand ring is chosen and paid for as often by the woman herself as by a man.

We all know that left-hand ring fingers are traditionally given over only to an engagement ring or wedding band, but that doesn’t mean that right ring fingers need to remain unadorned. In fact, many women enjoy their right-hand rings even more than traditional engagement rings because they can be a true reflection of their taste and style.  No need to stick with a solitaire diamond on this hand, rev up the right hand ring bling factor and make a statement about your own personal style!

Our personal favourite was the lovely lady who came in an announced, loud and proud, that she worked long hard hours in a demanding job with a bad tempered boss, kept house and cared for a husband and family and if anybody thought she was going to spend her bonus on anybody but herself, they could think again.  You go girl!

Finding a right-hand ring that works for you

The beauty of the right-hand ring is that there are no rules for its design. You can opt for a simple and inexpensive one, or you can blow your entire life savings on a ruby to die for.   Here are some thoughts to get you started:

  1. CitrineBirthstones:  Consider a ring that features your birthstone.  Birthstones convey meanings that run deeper than the often very pretty colour and are a definite talking point.
  2. Cocktail rings:  Using  less well-known and less pricey coloured gemstones you can create a piece that will speak volumes for who you are. The ring shown above has a blue tourmaline as a centre stone.  This is a glorious gemstone that comes in all shades of the rainbow and delivers some serious bang for your buck.
  3. Shout about it!  Done something amazing? Celebrate your achievement with a special gift to yourself.  Run a marathon for Cancer Research? What about a pink sapphire?  New job and a pay rise?  Choose a citrine (shown here) which is often called the success stone (also known as the money stone, so perhaps a citrine first, the promotion after?!)
  4. Celebrating singleness.  Don’t wait for a man to put a ring on it!  Independent women know what they want and are perfectly capable of choosing their own ring, thank you very much!

Whatever your reasons for choosing a right hand ring, choose something you love.   You might know exactly what you want, but if you’re seeking inspiration, then ask to see one of our jewellery designers who will open up a whole world of precious and semi-precious gemstones for you in a range of colours and cuts you hadn’t even dreamed existed.

 

The birthstone for April is the diamond

White diamondThe birthstone for April is the diamond.  Diamonds are crystal – the ultimate example of symmetry in nature.  In their natural form, diamonds are actually pretty unimpressive, but when cut and polished by skilled craftsmen in a pattern that reflects and refracts the light among its facets to reveal the hidden beauty of the stone, they are irresistible.

The ancient Romans and Greeks placed the diamond at the centre of their mythology, not least in their belief that diamonds were the tears of the gods, or splinters of stars that had fallen to earth.  The ancient Romans believed that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds – possibly the earliest linking of diamonds to romance.

The Hindus, who were known to use diamonds in the eyes of their statues, believed that diamonds were created when bolts of lightning struck rocks and in Persian culture there exists a myth that God had no need for diamonds, gold, or any other precious metals or gems when he created the world. Satan, however spotted that Eve loved the brightly coloured flowers in the Garden of Eden and so it was he who created gemstones, in the same hues as our favourite blooms, to tempt humans.  He did a great job – who isn’t drawn towards the fire and ice, rich hues and sparkle of a beautiful white diamond!

As time moved on diamonds became associated with steadfast, enduring love, probably due to their unmatched strength and bewitching beauty – and unsurprisingly has become the classic choice for an engagement ring.

The first recorded diamond engagement ring was given by Archduke Maximillian of Austria in 1477, to Mary of Burgundy. This sparked a trend for diamond rings among European aristocracy and nobility.

Victorian Posey RingThe sentimental Victorians popularised ornate engagement ring designs that mixed diamonds with other gemstones, precious metals and enamels.  Often these rings were crafted in the shapes of flowers and were dubbed “posey rings.” Diamond rings crafted during the Edwardian era continued the tradition of pairing diamonds with other jewels, commonly mounted in filigree settings.

Diamonds were far beyond the reach of anyone but the very rich until the discovery of African diamond mines in the 1870s, run solely by the De Beers Company.  In 1947, De Beers launched its now classic slogan, ‘A Diamond is Forever’ which worked brilliantly.  A diamond’s strength, purity and sparkle have now become symbols of commitment in virtually all corners of the world.

The birthstone for March is the Aquamarine

00102055 Aqua & Diamond Ring 1The birthstone for March is the aquamarine. This delicate blue gemstone has an ancient lineage, with a history going back to classical Greece or beyond.

Named for the sea, inspired by colours in which it is found, aquamarine is believed to have been worn by sailors to help prevent sea-sickness.  Both the Greeks and the Romans believed that wearing aquamarines would ensure a safe journey across the sea and that it would render soldiers invincible.  I have to ask – surely this belief would have become immediately apparent as misplaced?!

The gemstone of romance

Aquamarine is also a gemstone of romance. Roman bridegrooms gave the gem to their new brides, in the belief that the stone would absorb the atmosphere of their young love and carry it into their relationship for the rest of their lives.

This belief that the aquamarine was imbued with love carried through into the Middle Ages, when couples seeking to re-ignite their romance would wear the gemstone.  Larger stones would often be cut into crystal balls as it was believed to help focus the mind of those who sought to see the future.

00102722 Aqua & Diamond Ring 3The stone’s popularity as a healing crystal was strengthened by the belief that wearing the stone would endow the owner with foresight, courage, intelligence and youthfulness.

We’re not sure about all that, but we do know it makes the most beautiful jewellery and as the birthstone for March, is quite a popular choice at this time of year!

Aquamarine has a variety of shades

This fabulous gemstone comes in a range of shades from an almost colourless pale blue to a deep, rich tropical sea-green.  In previous centuries, the most sought-after colour was sea green, though today it is the tropical sea-blue that is most desired.

00100483 Leo Wittwer Aquamarine & Diamond Ring 3Most aquamarines are cut to sparkle, some are polished to create a  cabochon, and this can lead to the gemstone displaying the cat’s eye effect.  This shows as what seems to be a living star, buried just below the surface of the gem, flashing and dashing as you move it around.  This unusual effects is quite captivating and can bewitch you for hours.

If this is your birthstone, you’re very lucky indeed, as it is without doubt one of our favourite stones to work with and, as you can see here, we have had the joy of creating some beautiful and unusual rings.

If you think an aquamarine all of your very own is something you really need to do, call us or call in, we’re reasy and able to inspire and delight.

A list of birthstones in the UK

star rubyEvery month has its own stone, precious or semi-precious, that by ancient wisdom give an indication of the wearer’s personality.

Our goldsmiths, working from our stores in Cheshire, have created some fabulous bespoke pieces using birthstones and you don’t need to spend a fortune to create something truly unique that will be treasured forever.

Many of the stones listed here actually occur naturally in a dazzling rainbow of different colours, so if your birth month is September, but a blue sapphire just doesn’t appeal – choose one in pink, or orange, or green!

Each stone is also, according to ancient belief, imbued with mystical powers that transfer to its wearer, so, whether or not the Aquamarine is your birthstone, by wearing it you are channelling its ability to boost your happiness and courage.  Load of nonsense?  Bit of fun? Whatever…it’s still a lovely stone.

Whatever your colour preference and whatever your budget, our goldsmiths can design and create the perfect piece of jewellery for you, just ask!

So, what’s your stone?

January: Garnet, faith and loyalty

February: Amethyst, sincerity and wittiness

March: Aquamarine, happiness and courage

April: Diamond or Rock Crystal, eternity and love

May: Emerald or Chrysophase, fidelity and fertility

June: Pearl or Moonstone, purity and nobility

July: Ruby or Carnelian, strength and beauty

August: Peridot or Sardonyx, protection and success

September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli, serenity and wisdom

October: Opal, hope and creativity

November:  Topaz or Citrine, friendship and healing

December:  Tanzanite or Turquoise, trust and luck