March 20, 2021
The title of “Gemologist” carries more than just knowledge and skills, it also suggests a person who is perpetually intrigued by the marvels of minerals and delicacy of crystallography and, I’d say, a fascination with the universe in general. Rocks and minerals leak a story of the past. As we study these million to billion-year-old specimens we can relive some of the conditions our planet has seen. More specifically, the microscopic investigation of inclusions in g...
Read More March 20, 2021
The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite is the largest observed meteorite fall in modern history. It is estimated that over 23,000kg fell that morning leaving behind 120 craters, the largest measuring 6 x 26 metres, with debris covering an elliptical area of 1.62km. The pre-atmospheric size of meteorite body was suggested to weigh over 1000 tonnes and more than 70 tonnes estimated to have reach the Earth’s surface. From this, 8,500 specimens have been collected, the largest wei...
Read More March 20, 2021
Kind of like a big-time celebrity who is notoriously private out of the public eye, Sapphire is one of those stones that absolutely everyone has heard about, but no one really knows anything about. “They’re the blue one’s, yeah?” Obviously not private in a Kardashian way, more like a Beyoncé situation. Yes, I just compared sapphires to Beyoncé; perhaps Kate (the Duchess of Cambridge) is more appropriate Bey is an Emerald girl after all.
Read More March 17, 2021
You don’t need to be a ‘jewellery person’ to admire and appreciate the beauty of Rutilated Quartz. This gem is a fine specimen of nature’s powerful abilities and always manages to astonish even the most jaded eyes. Known for its ability to repel negative energies, this stone is also believed to bring wealth and abundance. Are you sold yet?
Read More March 17, 2021
Also referred to as “Black Malachite” Psilomelane (pronounced si-loh’-mi-lane) shares certain visual characteristics with Malachite, such as swills and bands, but is of a very different chemical make-up to the green copper carbonate gem.
Read More March 17, 2021
Prehnite is well known across Australia and a stone we like to claim as our own. It was the first gem to be named after a person but not after an Australian. Used as a talisman for protection, today it is known as the stone for dreaming or, in my case daydreaming…
Read More March 17, 2021
Tourmaline is one of those magical gemstones (aren’t they all?) but when it comes to colour this beauty ‘has it all’ and by ‘all’ I mean unrivalled array of colours and colour combinations seen in the one group of minerals.
Read More March 17, 2021
“Although Pietersite can come in a small variety of colours and combinations, the blue hues from a light grey tone through to a deep midnight navy, that are mined from Namibia, are most prized and desired by our customers”, Bunny explains. “When found with patches of golden brown the contrast can be a stunning display which visually increases the intensity of the blue.”
Read More March 17, 2021
Peridot is a standard stone for most jewellers, but most wouldn’t imagine that it could be found in outer space! Pallasites with their remarkable otherworldly beauty are positively enchanting in our rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets and challenge our perception of peridot as a common stone.
Read More March 11, 2021
It’s easy to let your mind wander when thinking about gemstone jewellery. On the one hand you might fantasise about opulent jewels and crystals with impossible clarity but then there’s the other side of what the Earth has ensured over time in order to produce such wondrous gems. It’s important to remind ourselves of the amazingness of it all and appreciate the little things… like our Tektite rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets. We have an amazing range of unise...
Read More March 11, 2021
A relatively rare gem mineral that can be a particularly vivid violet shade, Sugilite always commands attention. First described by Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi in 1944 who first noted an occurrence in Japan, the deposits there were a brownish-yellowy grain and not the violet material we know today. Found in a small handful of localities across the globe, it is the manganese rich deposits of massive Sugilite from Wessels mine South Africa that has produced th...
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