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Aquamarine, 19th Wedding Anniversary

A deep blue cushion shaped aquamarine tops an irridescent blue Australian South Sea Pearl. View this lovely pendant here by clicking on the image.

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Sapphire, September Birthstone, Gem of the 5th and 45th anniversaries

Besides blue sapphire and ruby, the corundum family also includes “fancy sapphires.” They come in violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. Some stones exhibit the phenomenon known as color change, most often going from blue in daylight or fluorescent lighting to purple under incandescent light. Sapphires can even be gray, brown, black, or white.

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Peridot, August Birthstone

Most gems are colored by impurities in the crystal. Peridot’s yellow-green is due to the presence of iron. Higher quality stones have an intense color. The best peridot is pure grass green. Most of the stones with the finest color come from Myanmar and Pakistan. Peridot has extremely high double refraction: when you look closely through the gem, you can see two of each pavilion facets.

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Pearl, a lustrous object

A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell, it is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, called nacre, which has been deposited in concentric layers produced by the mollusk. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur. The finest quality of natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. Because of this, the pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.

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Emerald Ear Studs

These bright and lively emeralds are from Zambia. They are 5.3mm, 1.18ct total weight, and are beautifully set in 18K yellow gold double wire basket settings with large backs. We have several other pairs of emeralds available for custom made earrings. Call for more information.

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Emerald Necklace

Care for Emeralds:

Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner on emerald jewelry. Rather, scrub with a soft toothbrush and lukewarm water with a mild dish-washing soap. Use the brush to get into those hard-to-reach areas and clean them thoroughly. Rinse and dry the jewelry with a soft clean micro-fiber cloth.

Never wear your emeralds while showering, swimming or sleeping. Always put your jewelry on after you’ve applied make-up, hairspray or perfume, or the chemicals may damage the emeralds. Emerald jewelry can be easily scratched, so be sure to store it separately from other gemstones.

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Emerald, Gem of Spring

Emerald is a gemstone known for its bright green color and is the birthstone for May. It also marks a couple’s 35th wedding anniversary.

Emerald is a member of the beryl family colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryls have a hardness of 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, but most emeralds are highly included so their toughness is classified as generally poor. Emerald is the rarest of all gemstones and so is valued accordingly. They are mined all over the world, primarily in Central & South America and Africa.