Hello, and welcome to a chilly  February’s blog, and some interesting information about this month’s birthstone, which is Amethyst, which is also the zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces.

Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral Quartz, and is a popular gemstone. If it were not for its widespread availability, Amethyst would be very expensive. The name “Amethyst” comes from the Greek, and means   “not drunken”. This was perhaps due to a belief that Amethyst would ward off the effects of alcohol, but most likely the Greeks were referring to the almost wine-like colour of some stones that they may have encountered.

Although it must always be purple to be Amethyst, it can have a wide range of different shades. Amethyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have a six sided pyramid at either end, or can form as druzes that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations. As a mineral specimen, Amethyst is popular for its colour and nice crystal shapes that produce a handsome purple sparkling cluster. However, different localities can produce a unique Amethyst to that particular region or even to a particular mine.

The following is a list of some localities and the attributes that characterize the Amethyst’s found there.

Vera Cruz, Mexico–very pale clear crystals

Guerrero,Mexico–dark, deep purple crystals, some of the most valuable.

Naraba, Brazil–large crystal’s of a pale to medium colour.

Ural Mountains,Russia–a clear and dark variety, that are cut for  fine expensive gemstones, natural uncut clusters are a rarity on the market.

Hi everyone,

A little info about Novembers tradittional birthstone, which is Citrine.

Citrine is any quartz crystal that is yellow or orange in colour. Although often cut as a gemstone, citrine is actualyy somewhat rare in nature. Most citrines on the market have been heat treated. Specimins of low grade ie;  smokey quartz are often cooked at high temperatures to produce the desired colour. Citrines whose colours have been produced by artifiicial means tend to have much more of an orange or reddish cast than those found in nature, which are usually a pale yellow. Much of the natural citrine may have started out as amethyst but heat from nearby magmatic bodies may have caused the change to citrine.

Interestingly, a popular gemstone on the market is a mixture of half amethyst and half citrine and is given the name ametrine. The manufacturer takes an amethyst stone and heats it, which converts it to citrine.

Unfortunately for citrine it is often confused with the more expensive orange yellow topaz, which is the alternative birthstone for November. It is a common gemstone that has been used for centuries in jewellery. The blue topaz that is often confused with aquamarine is rarely natural and is produced by irradiating and then heatingclear crystals.

Topaz is the hardest silicate mineral, and one of the hardest minerals in nature and can reach incredible sizes, sometimes several hundred pounds.

With Christmas fast approaching browse through my stock and pick out a nice quality piece of jewellery for your loved one.

Lindsey

Hi there,

October’s birthstone is Opal, check out my fantastic stock of Opal jewellery and treat yourself.

Opal is a mineral consisting of crystalline to amorphous silica, the water content is quite variable but uasully ranges from 3% to 10%. Common opal is usually colourless or white, but it may be grey, brown, yellow or red. The colour is due to fine grained impurities. Opal is formed at low temperatures from silica bearing waters and can occur in fissures and cavities of any rock type. Precious or gem, opal has a rich iridescence and remarable play of changing colours,usually in red, green and blue. This is the result of a specific internal structure consisting of regularly packed uniform spheres of amorphous silica, a few tenths of a micron in diameter; sphere diameter and refractive index determine the range of colours displayed. The greater part of the world’s supply of precious opal comes from the Coober Pedy and Andamooka fields in South Australia. The original source, known in Roman times,  was in what is now Eastern Slovakia. Precious opal has also been mined in Honduras, Mexico, and the Virgin Valley in Nevada. Fire opal is a bright red transparent or translucent opal that may or may not show its display of colour.

Hi and welcome,

A new month and a different birthstone, July’s stone is Ruby.

Ruby is a precious gemstone, and is a transparent variety of corundum, found mainly in Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is classified among the most valuable of gems. The Myanmarese stones are blood red, the most valued being the “pigeon’s blood” tint. The Thai stones are darker and the Sri Lankan stones lighter than the Myanmarese  specimins. Star Rubies (those that show an internal star-shaped formation when cut in cabochon) are quite rare.

Synthetic Rubies are manufactured by the fusion of pure aluminium oxide. Chromium oxide is added to provide the appropriate colour.

More Ruby facts.

Ruby Dee, (Ruby Ann Wallace) actress, born 27th Oct 1924, Cleveland, Ohio.

Jack Ruby, Assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Ruby Nanette Fabares, actress and singer born October, San Diego.

CHECK OUT OUR FANTASTICE RANGE OF RUBY JEWELLERY.

Linzi

Another Hello from 7th heaven jewellery, and a special welcome this time. I have just launched my new site and would like to let you know a little about myself. I started in the jewellery industry as an apprentice  and have always been in touch with the growing trends of the business - it’s in my blood!

I successfully ran my own business in Yorkshire and some of you will remember me as Lindsey Ball Jewellery Design. I have always insisted on excellent quality for my customers, therefore I am sure you will be delighted with the items of jewellery on this new site.

Have a browse, enjoy and let me know what you think.

Linzi

A little bit about June’s birthstone, Pearl. Pearl derived from the latin word pirum, which means pear, which is reflected in the true shape of the pearl. The pearl is formed naturaly inside the shell of a mollusk, such as an oyster or clam. Natural pearls are either saltwater, found in gulf’s, bays, sea’s and ocean’s, or freshwater, found in rivers and lakes. Cultured pearls are formed when humans have introduced a grain of something such as sand, into the oyster or mussel and then harvested from their environments.

Welcome to 7th heaven jewellery,

A little bit of info about May’s birthstone, emerald.

Emerald is a variety of the gemstone called beryl, which has a hardness of 7.5 to8, compared with 10 for diamond and 8 for topaz.

Emeralds can range vastly in price depending on their quality and clarity. Many people believe darker emeralds are better quality, but as in most gem’s the medium colour is the more expensive and the best quality.

Check out our bracelet and ring sections for a fantastic selection of gem set jewellery. We are always adding new unusual jewellery every week.

Linzi.

Welcome to 7th Heaven Jewellery, the home of quality, stylish jewellery for both ladies and men at affordable prices.

Our unique collection of gold, silver and rhodium plated jewellery features inspired designs and shapes to suit any occasion