How do you assess a gemstone?
One of the questions that I puzzled over when I started making jewellery was how do I go about assessing a gemstone? How could I tell if what I was looking at was worth the price tag? Well, it’s complicated, but there are a few tips that I wanted to share with you...
What is an ethical gemstone?
Many companies will describe their gemstone jewellery as “ethical”, but have you ever stopped to consider what this really means? The more I find out about gems and gem mining, the more I realise that this is an incredibly complex area. There is an...
Will my gemstone last?
One of the mistakes I made when I started making jewellery was not really understanding that different gemstones have very different properties, particularly with respect to durability. This means that some gems are fantastic for using in jewellery as they will...
Can I identify my gemstone by its colour?
I wondered this too, when I was starting out. As far as I was aware, purple meant amethyst. Didn’t it? Well, as ever the answer is that it’s not quite as straightforward as that. Certainly some gems do have characteristic colours, and that can be very helpful in...
Gemstone or crystal?
Many people refer to gemstones as crystals, and when I started learning about gemmology I wasn’t quite sure what was meant by a crystal. During my Foundation course I learnt all about the seven crystal systems that describe how gems grow, and the different forms that...
Using your eyes
When you imagine a gemmologist, you may think of someone peering closely at a gem, trying to uncover its secrets. It’s true that the first tool that most gemmologists turn to is their loupe. An eyeglass that magnifies by a factor of 10, the hand held loupe is probably...
