Tag Archive for: Design

June Birthstone: Pearl

Our featured birthstone for the month of June is Pearl. June also has two other birthstones – Moonstone and Alexandrite.

The Pearl is a precious and classic birthstone, which originates from oceans, lakes and rivers around the world. Pearls are very special and they have been wildly popular in jewellery for centuries because of their natural, timeless beauty.

Pearls are unique among gemstones because they don’t originate from within the Earth but from the sea. They require no special cutting or polishing to maximise their lustrous beauty, which has been treasured since ancient times and ensures that Pearl jewellery, is always in style.

Pearls are organic gems that can be found inside the tissue of living saltwater or freshwater molluscs.

Pearls have long been associated with purity, humility and innocence. These gems suggest chastity, modesty, and stable marriages and relationships. They have been symbols of purity for centuries.

Therefore, Pearls were traditionally given as a wedding gift. It has also been said that Pearls bestow long life and prosperity and are worn to calm a restless mind and to control anger.

Below are some of our Pearl favourites, which make ideal birthday gifts for your loved ones in June, or sentimental wedding gifts. They are available on-line and in store:

Seed Pearl Choker

5 Pearl Hanging Necklace

Clam Shell with Pearl Necklace

Spirit Stone Necklace – Pearl

Charlotte Bracelet – Seed Pearl

Pearl Hoop Earrings

Raindrop and Pearl Earrings

May Birthstone: Emerald

If you are born in May, you have an incredibly beautiful birthstone which has long symbolized love and rebirth. The stone, Emerald, is green in colour. Another interesting fact about this stone is, as the gem of Venus, it was also considered to aid in fertility.

To dig a little bit deeper in history – Cleopatra, Egypt’s tempestuous female monarch was as famous for wearing Emeralds in her time as Liz Taylor is for wearing diamonds in our time. Ancient Egyptian mummies were often buried with an Emerald carved with the symbol of verdure – flourishing greenness – on their necks to symbolize eternal youth.

To determine the value of the Emerald, the deeper and more vivid the colour of green, the more valuable the stone. The most valuable and beautiful Emeralds exhibit an intense bluish hue in addition to their basic bold green colour. Emeralds, among the rarest of gems, are almost always found with birthmarks, known as inclusions. Some inclusions are expected and do not detract from the value of the stone as much as with other gemstones.

Although we don’t have a large variety of jewellery that features Emerald, due to it being a very expensive stone and usually being set in real gold – you will be able to find a few special items in store – long chains with multiple stones, some stud earrings as well as a few rings. So pop in store to see if there’s something that you fall in love with.

The mind behind the design.

When it comes to the designing and buying of materials, I do all of it myself. I love to travel abroad for inspiration and to source our wide variety of stones for our range.

I travel to Hong Kong and Bangkok each year to get inspiration at the International Jewellery Shows, which bring together jewellery makers from all over the world.  Each year I spend days at the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl show where I hand pick each of our unique stones from thousands of suppliers.

I originally found myself falling in love with stones and beads many years ago when my daughter was born and I was studying Jewellery making in Egypt.   I would frequently venture out to visit the vibrant Khan Al-Khalili market in Cairo and was mesmerized by the beauty I found in the vast quantity of gemstones I found there.