The world-famous Swarovski company has been making high quality lead glass crystal for over 100 years. It all began back in 1895, when along with financial backers Franz Weis and Armand Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski founded the business. Mr. Swarovski had previously served a two-year apprenticeship working alongside his father as a glass and crystal cutter, and in 1892 had invented his own electri...

Gold is both desirable and expensive, and has long been a symbol of wealth and power. In this article we look at how it has remained such a coveted metal for many centuries. The mining and production of gold was halted for almost 1,000 years following the fall of the Roman Empire, but resumed when the Spanish discovered America in 1492. Since then a number of wars have been fought over it and fort...

Today we look at the story of Nina and Susan Barker, a mother and daughter team from New Hampshire who re-ignited a family jewelry business, and have shown that as fashions change, so can your fortunes. Susan Barker began crafting silver jewelry in the 1970’s, but her bracelets struggled to sell in her New Hampshire hometown, and after the birth of her daughter Nina she was eventually forced...

Opal is the most colorful of all gems and possesses a fascinating structure. As this structure is not truly crystalline however, the gem is actually considered a mineraloid, and is made of hardened silica gel. The play of colors witnessed in Precious opals means it is said that in them you can see all of nature’s splendor, including flashes of fire and lightning, rainbows and seas. Opals can ra...

A symbol of beauty and splendor, topaz is a silicate mineral of fluorine and aluminum, and a gemstone that has been around for many centuries. Its high luster, wide variety of vibrant colors and well-formed crystals combine to make topaz an attractive gemstone that is popular in many items of jewelry. Background and Types of Topaz  Topaz has been known for over 2,000 years, and is named as ...

Tourmaline is known as the ‘gemstone of the rainbow’, due to the huge of array of colors which it can be found in. As a result, no two tourmalines are exactly the same, making for a unique and popular stone that can also bring many believed therapeutic benefits. Background and Types of Tourmaline   Tourmalines are found all over the world, with major deposits existing in Brazil, S...

Zircon is a mineral belonging to the nesosilicates group. Although colorless varieties are often considered a diamond alternative, the beauty and vibrancy of other natural colors of Zircon make it a desirable gem in its own right. This broad spectrum of colors makes Zircon popular with collectors, with blue being the most desirable hue. Background and Types of Zircon Zircons is the most ancient ma...

Garnets are a related group of minerals that have been used as gemstones since the Bronze Age. Although many people associate garnet with a deep-red color, there are in fact many more colorful varieties. This broad range of colors has kept garnets popular throughout the decades, as different colors can match different clothing and trends of the time. Background and Types of Garnet The term ‘...

Ever fancied trying your hand at mining for your own gemstones? Well if you happen to be in the vicinity of Philipsburg, Montana this summer you can do just that, at Gem Mountain – one of the most abundant sources of sapphires in North America. Gem Mountain was first established back in 1890, and has since produced over 180 million carats of Montana sapphires of every known color available, incl...

This week, Jamaican-born jewelry artist Anna Ruth Henriques announced the release of her latest piece, a “Mini Heart” pendant which quite literally takes the form of a mini human heart. The stunningly unique piece, crafted from sterling silver, 18-karat gold and small inset rubies, is aimed at raising funds for the charity Doctors Without Borders, and is part of a campaign aptly named ...

Amethyst is a violet (or purple) variety of the mineral quartz, the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s continental crust. Also amethyst has been found all over the world, extremely large cuts are rare. This is primarily due to its unconventional crystal structure, which is unlike any other variety of quartz. Background The purple color of amethyst was originally attributed to the ...

A ruby is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, and is highly recognizable due to its blood red or pink color. Other colors and varieties of corundum are known as sapphires, and it is rubies and sapphires - along with emeralds and diamonds - that make up the four precious stones. Background Historically, rubies have been mined in Thailand, Cambodia and Afghanistan. Newer deposits were discov...