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GEMSTONE GUIDE

CHAMPAGNE DIAMOND

MINERAL - DIAMOND

COLOUR - LIGHT BROWN TO DARK BROWN WITH YELLOW UNDERTONES

MOH's HARDNESS - 10

BIRTHSTONE - APRIL

ANNIVERSARY - 60TH

MEANING -It's believed that these diamonds connect the wearer with the earth and nature. Champagne diamonds are also said to symbolise order, stability and clarity.

Champagne diamonds get their colour from stress and the presence of nitrogen deep inside the earth millions of years ago. This changes the diamond’s crystal lattice and forms a unique texture called ‘graining’. The crystal lattice changes the way the diamond reflects light. The diamond crystal then absorbs many wavelengths of light which allow our eyes to see it as champagne. 

GRADING -Usually, diamond colour is graded on a scale from D to Z, where D represents colourless and Z a slight yellow hue. Champagne diamonds are graded differently as the colour intensity is more rare and valued, it requires a different colour grading scheme. Champagne diamonds have a separate diamond colour grading method. The GIA laboratory will only describe a Champagne diamond as fancy light yellow-brown, or yellowish brown. However, the Argyle Mine has set up their own diamond grading system for these fancy colour diamonds, which ranges from C1 all the way to C7, where C1 is a light champagne colour and C7 a dark colour bordering Cognac diamonds.

The clarity of a Champagne diamonds is graded the same way as white stones, from Flawless to Included. Clarity refers to the level of blemishes or inclusions in the stone. Of course, the fewer the flaws, the more valuable the stone. With champagne diamonds, we recommend opting for ‘eye clean’ – meaning there are no flaws visible to the naked eye. There are very few flawless champagne diamonds, and the highest clarity grades are generally not worth the splurge. Depending on the shape, you can usually find an eye-clean diamond in the VS range. And with brilliant cuts, you can even find eye-clean diamonds in the SI range


AUSTRALIAN PARTI SAPPHIRE

MINERAL - CORUNDUM

COLOUR - BLUE, GREEN & YELLOW

MOH's HARDNESS - 9

BIRTHSTONE - SEPTEMBER

ANNIVERSARY - 5TH, 45TH, & 65TH

MEANING - The Parti Sapphire, in all its celestial hues, is a stone of wisdom and royalty, of prophecy and Divine favor.

Parti Sapphires (short for partition) is a stone that contains two colours due to a natural blending. Parti Sapphires cannot be manufactured, so you’re assured of a precious, one-off piece when you choose this type of stone.

GRADING - Parti sapphires are graded like other sapphires in terms of carat, cut and clarity, but it is the colour that sets them apart. As the crystal is forming, different colours appear depending on the trace elements present, creating different zoning of blues, greens and yellows. Sometimes only two of these colours appear, whereas other stones display all three. For this reason they can also be known as bi-coloured or polychrome sapphire.

When inspecting a parti sapphire, be sure to move the stone and view it via different angles, this way you can best assess its colour. The best gem cutters will work very carefully to maximise the raw crystal and colour zoning to highlight these colours.


AUSTRALIAN INK BLUE SAPPHIRE

    MINERAL - CORUNDUM

    COLOUR - DARK BLUE

    MOH's HARDNESS - 9

    BIRTHSTONE - SEPTEMBER

    ANNIVERSARY - 5TH, 45TH, & 65TH

    MEANING - Sapphires signify the height of celestial hope and faith, and was believed to bring protection, good fortune and spiritual insight.

    Sapphire is the mineral corundum and is only second in hardness to diamond on the Moh’s scale, making it a great choice for a ring or piece of jewellery that will be frequently worn. These gems are formed as the result of volcanic activity, sometimes described as basalt hosted. Stones are recovered from both secondary deposits along current or previous watercourses, and primary or reworked pyroclastic flows or volcanic mudflows (lahars).

    GRADING - Colour is the major factor when grading sapphire. Composed of aluminium and oxygen, trace elements like iron and titanium cause their colour. Due to the high iron content in Australian sapphires, they are typically dark blue and sometimes close to a black colour. However, some brighter blues can also be found, as well as yellows, greens, and parti coloured stones that show a combination of colour like green and yellow, or blue and yellow.

    Sapphires come in all kinds of cuts and sizes, from small calibrated gems to large outstanding collector's items. Most sapphires are cut to maximise their colour, so they tend to be deeper in cut than white diamonds. 


    CEYLON PEACH SAPPHIRE

      MINERAL - CORUNDUM

      COLOUR - PINKISH ORANGE

      MOH's HARDNESS - 9

      BIRTHSTONE - SEPTEMBER

      ANNIVERSARY - 5TH, 45TH, & 65TH

      MEANING -The peach sapphire, also known as the champagne sapphire glimmers in all types of light. Peach sapphires are also known to symbolize emotions of love, creativity, and acceptance.

      Peach Sapphires are very unique in that no two are alike. Hue, saturation, cut, clarity and carat weight all play a role in quality and value of peach sapphires. Within the “Peach Sapphire” category the colors range from those with an even mix of orange and pink others with less of one of those colours. Gems with less pink are coined ‘peach champagne’ colour, and those with more pink which we refer to as ‘blush peach’. Another option within the peach sapphire colour family is the highly coveted ; the most prized of the “fancy sapphire” family. A Padparadscha is a natural sapphire that ranges in colour from a delicate orange to deep pastel pink hue. The name Padparadscha is derived from the Sinhalese word “padmaragaya” which translates to lotus bloom or lotus colour.

      GRADING - Unlike colourless diamonds, minor clarity difference does not always devalue a coloured gemstone. Coloured gemstones including sapphires do not have an internationally recognised clarity grading system. GIA (Gemological Institute of America) divides coloured gemstones into three types based on the relative tendency of birthmarks. Corundum (Sapphires) falls under Type II. Premium quality Type II stones have inclusions that can be seen under 10x magnification. White November sapphires are graded at eye level under natural sunlight 


      WHITE SAPPHIRE

        MINERAL - CORUNDUM

        COLOUR - COLOURLESS

        MOH's HARDNESS - 9

        BIRTHSTONE - SEPTEMBER

        ANNIVERSARY - 5TH, 45TH, & 65TH

        MEANING - White sapphire meaning is connected with the planet of Venus which embodies love, beauty, and partnership. 

        Although blue is the most popular (and expensive) sapphire colour, white sapphires have become popular alternatives to diamonds for engagement ring stones. White sapphires are much less expensive than diamonds at any given carat size.  Therefore, for the same bite out of your engagement ring budget, you can get a much bigger white sapphire than a diamond.

        GRADING -Many white sapphires have a milky or cloudy appearance. This goes beyond their characteristic soft, white glow. For an engagement ring, we choose the most transparent stone possible. All sapphires typically contain inclusions — tiny mineral crystals or fractures that formed within these gemstones. We always try to find a white sapphire that appears eye-clean. 


        EMERALD

        MINERAL - BERYL

        COLOUR - BRIGHT GREEN 

        MOH's HARDNESS - 7.5

        BIRTHSTONE - MAY

        ANNIVERSARY - 20TH

        MEANING - Emerald is a life-affirming stone and one of infinite patience. It is known as the stone of successful love and represents great loyalty and integrity.

        GRADING - The first and foremost property emeralds are judged by is their colour. A highly saturated emerald will out price larger emeralds with less appealing colour consistently, despite the rarity of larger gem sizes. Colour is also not as complicated in emeralds as it is in other gems because emerald green is a very limited range from slightly yellowish green to bluish green. An ideal bluish green is typically the most desirable colour, though everyone has their own preferences. Emeralds are known for being included. They are a Type III gemstone, which means they almost always show inclusions. The scarce few emeralds that do not show any go for double to triple the price ones with similar colour and weight do.


        RAINBOW MOONSTONE

          MINERAL - FELDSPAR

          COLOUR - COLOURLESS, YELLOW, PALE SHEEN

          MOH's HARDNESS - 6.5

          BIRTHSTONE - JUNE

          ANNIVERSARY - 13TH

          MEANING - Since earliest times, Moonstone has been a tangible connection to the magic of the moon - an amulet of protection for travelers, a gift of lovers for passion, a channel for prophecy, and a path to wisdom.

          The name "moonstone" was coined by the ancient Greeks to describe gemstones that displayed the moon's ethereal silvery light.

          GRADING - When selecting moonstones, we look for three key factors: bodycolor (background color) and color and orientation of the sheen. Moonstones range in appearance from semitransparent to opaque and colorless to white, with a blue, silver, or white adularescent effect. Moonstone bodycolors vary widely. They can be green, yellow to brown, or gray to nearly black. Along with adularescence, some moonstones show chatoyancy, also called the cat’s-eye effect. A few show four-rayed stars in an effect called asterism.


          ROSE QUARTZ

            MINERAL - QUARTZ

            COLOUR - OPAQUE TO TRANSLUCENT PINK TO ROSE RED

            MOH's HARDNESS - 7

            BIRTHSTONE - JANUARY

            ANNIVERSARY - 5TH

            MEANING - Since earliest times, Rose quartz is often called the "Love Stone." It's energetic hallmark is that of unconditional love that opens the heart chakra.

            GRADING - Tiny inclusions are responsible for the translucent appearance of most rose quartz. Finest-quality rose quartz is often transparent, so it’s usually faceted. The inclusions in rose quartz can create a display of asterism when the gem is cut as a cabochon.

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