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Ammolite Gemstone Information

ammolite gemstone

Ammolite is celebrated globally for its naturally captivating rainbow colors and layers of vibrant iridescence. Ammolite originates from prehistoric marine fossils that date back 71-million years and received official gem status as recently as 1981 by the World Jewellery Confederation. Feng Shui experts believe its colorful display awakens positive energy and stimulates creativity, energy, wisdom, intellect and wealth. Wearers and collectors call ammolites “gems of enlightenment.” 

Color

Ammolite’s luminous qualities rival the black opal for color and fire. Ammolite reflects a rainbow’s worth of colors (red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple and more), and the luminous color spectrum in each gem is unique. Browse ammolite gemstone jewelry in our Jewelry Gallery.

Origins

To date the only source of ammolite is in Alberta, Canada.


Durability

Naturally, ammolite is a soft gemstone with a 3.5-4 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. A protective spinel crystal is often applied to protect the ammolite gem, increasing the hardness to 8.5.


Enhancements

Ammolites are not generally treated. It’s all-natural color is its most distinctive feature.


Care & Cleaning

  • As with most gemstone jewelry, you want to minimize scratching and wear, so store each piece of fine jewelry separately in a soft cloth or padded container.
  • Ammolite jewelry is best cleaned with warm, sudsy water and a tightly woven microfiber or other soft cloth. 
  • Most importantly, take all your fine jewelry to a professional jeweler, like a local Jewelers of America Member jewelry store, at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning and inspection.
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January Birthstone – Garnet

Garnet gemstones are among the most diverse of the gemstone groups, because it encompasses different species and varieties. Garnet varieties are extraordinarily diverse in color, and some rare varieties exhibit phenomenal characteristics, such as a star effect (aster-ism) or a color-change effect when viewed under different lighting. The deep, red varieties of garnet have been compared to pomegranate seeds, and in fact, garnet is a derivation of the word “pomegranate.” 

Garnet is the January birthstone and may be celebrated in its many varieties, providing an array of choices for gemstone enthusiasts. 

Garnet Facts

  • Garnet varieties and species come in a rainbow of colors, such as red, orange, yellow and green.
  • Tsavorite (green) garnet was named for the region where it is mined near Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Yellowish orange to bright orange spessartine garnet is named after Spessart, Germany, where it was discovered. Russia is an important source for demantoid garnet. Other sources of garnet include Brazil, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and the United States.
  • Nature also produces “collector” garnets. Star garnets are found in India, the U.S. state of Idaho, and Sri Lanka; a rare form of iridescent andradite garnet is found in Mexico; and garnets that change color in different light are found in Kenya, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.
  • Garnets have a hardness of 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.
  • Garnets can be faceted or carved as cabochons or beads.

Garnet Treatment

  • Garnets are rarely treated because of their natural clarity and color. Any treatments should be disclosed to the buyer.

Garnet Care & Cleaning

  • To minimize scratching and wear, store each piece of fine jewelry separately in a soft cloth or padded container.
  • Garnet jewelry is best cleaned with warm, sudsy water and a tightly woven microfiber or other soft cloth. Avoid steam cleaning.
  • Take all your fine jewelry to Gary’s Gem Garden at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning and inspection.
  • See our full guide to jewelry care and cleaning.
  • Information from Jewelers of America Website


Content © GIA. Image © Robert Weldon/GIA

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November Birthstone

Topaz-gia-600x300

Topaz gemstones are often confused with citrine or smoky quartz; however, the colors we appreciate topaz for have a wide range ­– from pink to orange, red, purple, brown, yellow and even colorless. The name for this gem dates to biblical times, and its meaning has evolved over time. Its name likely derived from the island of Topazos, in the Red Sea, where Romans found yellowish gems.

Topaz is the November birthstone, but those born in other months also take pleasure from its warmth and beauty.

Topaz Facts

  • Topaz is a mineral species that occurs naturally in a broad color range, including various reds, pinks, purples, yellows, oranges and browns. More rarely, blue material is found.
  • Brazil remains an important source for topaz. Other sources include Australia, Madagascar, Mexico, Burma (Myanmar), Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States.
  • Topaz is a fairly durable gemstone with a hardness of 8.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.
  • Topaz can be cut into many shapes and sizes, often as faceted gems or cabochons.

Topaz Treatment

  • Topaz is commonly heated to change some of the yellow and reddish brown topaz to create pink gems. The vast majority of blue topaz on the market is irradiated, and heated. Another form of treatment common to topaz is surface coating, which results in many colors. Any treatments should be disclosed to the buyer.

Topaz Care & Cleaning

  • To minimize scratching and wear, store each piece of fine jewelry separately in a soft cloth or padded container.
  • Avoid prolonged exposure to bright light as some stones may fade.
  • Avoid the use of ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
  • Topaz jewelry is best cleaned with warm, sudsy water and a tightly woven microfiber or other soft cloth.
  • Take all your fine jewelry to Gary’s Gem Garden at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning and inspection.
  • See our full guide to jewelry care and cleaning.

Content © GIA. Image © Robert Weldon/GIA

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Colored Gemstones

Colored Gemstones
Beauty. Rarity. Durability. These attributes attract us to colored gemstones for personal adornment and make gemstones valuable and precious. Colored gemstones provide the opportunity for uniquely personal expression.

Beauty.     Most colored gemstones derive their beauty from their color purples, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, reds. In certain colored gemstones color occurs naturally. Satisfying hues are intrinsic in some garnets, for example. In other colored gemstones, the final color occurs with assistance. For nearly as long as people have worn rubies, we have known how to treat a rough ruby with heat to obtain a desirable red color. Not all rubies are heat treated, but the vast majority are.

Gem cutters work to achieve a pleasing and affordable mix of color, weight (measured in carats), and a safe shape for mounting. During creation, a gemstones size is constrained by nature. For example, while large and beautiful amethysts are readily available, an alexandrite of large size is extremely rare.

Sparkle adds to the beauty of a well-cut colored gemstone. The cut of a colored gemstone describes its shape and how it is fashioned. Some gemstones, such as opal, are suited to a smooth, rounded surface. Others, such as sapphire, are more frequently shaped with a precise series of flat, symmetrical planes, called facets, which make the most pleasing illumination of the gems color. Some cutters today may also use convex or concave facets, shaping colored gemstone like small sculptures.

The clarity of colored gemstones contributes to their beauty. Unless a gemstone is opaque and blocks all light, how light moves through the gemstone affects its beauty. Some gemstones have few internal inclusions to interrupt the passage of light, as is the case with most pieces of Tanzanite. Others have characteristic inclusions. For example, some emerald has a jardine (garden), which makes each gem truly unique.

Rarity.   Across time and cultures, people have adorned themselves with rare gem materials. From pearls and corals plucked from the seas, to bright colored pebbles found in the soils settling at the mouths of rivers; from the collection of gemstones mounted in the breastplate of Aaron as accounted in ancient scripture, to the historic gemstones mounted in the crown jewels of European monarchs, we let ourselves be known through the gemstones we choose to wear. These gemstones are precious because they are rare.

Because of their rarity, gemstones in which color is naturally occurring are generally more valuable. Many gemstones are treated or enhanced in some way, such as with heat or safe irradiation, to achieve the beautiful colors or clarity we desire in the sizes we desire. These gems, which are less rare, can also be very valuable. Some jewelers make synthetic colored gemstones available. Synthetic colored gemstones have all the optical, physical and chemical properties of naturally occurring gemstones, but they are created in a laboratory rather than occurring in nature. For some budgets, these synthetic materials are an acceptable choice. Continue reading Colored Gemstones

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Aquamarine

aquamarine-gia-600x300

Aquamarine
 gemstones evoke the colors of the sea. Aquamarine can be blue, very slightly greenish blue, greenish blue, very strongly greenish blue, or green-blue. Aquamarine gemstones are often free from inclusions and clear as water too, symbolizing purity of spirit and soul. They make fantastic gemstones for evening wear because they glitter and gleam even under muted light conditions. During the day or in bright light, they exhibit a soothing coolness.

Aquamarines are found on most continents. Aquamarine is the March birthstone, but anyone can wear and delight in the optical qualities of this gemstone.

Aquamarine Facts

  • Aquamarine belongs to the beryl species of mineral and is closely related to emerald, morganite and golden beryl, among others.
  • Brazil is an important source for aquamarine. Other sources include Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), China, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Ukraine and the United States.
  • Aquamarine is a fairly durable gemstone with a hardness of 7.5-8.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.
  • Aquamarine gemstones can be cut into many shapes and sizes. Some are cut as cabochons or fashioned into beads. Larger specimens may be carved into gem sculptures.
  • Nature produces a variety known as cat’s-eye aquamarine, a rare, highly collectible, phenomenal variety. Microscopic growth tube inclusions cause the cat’s-eye effect.

Aquamarine Treatment

  • Aquamarines are almost always heat-treated to lessen the subtle yellow color that occurs in some of them. Any treatments should be disclosed to buyers.

Synthetic Aquamarine

  • Aquamarine can also be man-made, meaning it is manufactured in a lab rather than mined, but it is more often imitated by treated blue topaz, glass and synthetic blue spinel. This should be understood by the seller and clearly disclosed to the buyer.

Aquamarine Care and Cleaning

  • To minimize scratching and wear, store each piece of fine jewelry separately in a soft cloth or padded container.
  • Aquamarine jewelry is best cleaned with warm, sudsy water and a tightly woven microfiber or other soft cloth.
  • Take all your fine jewelry to a professional jeweler at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning and inspection.
  • See our full guide to jewelry care and cleaning.

Content © GIA. Image © Robert Weldon/GIA Written by Jewelers of America.