The gem blog
Where do gemstones come from?
We have a huge amount to be grateful for with this amazing planet that we are lucky enough to live on. Amongst all the more obvious things, I’m pretty chuffed that it’s formed us some amazing gemstones! The huge fluctuations in...
How do you assess a gemstone?
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Setting out
When I began making jewellery I was a bit clueless. I knew that I wanted to make lovely jewellery with gorgeous gemstones, but it was only once I started out that I realised that I knew next to nothing about gemstones. Yes, I...
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