Amethyst is the birthstone for February as well as the gem for the zodiac sign pisces. Amethyst is found in many locations, generally the lighter shades come from the “Americas” and the dark tones from African countries such as Zambia.

Amethyst is a balancing gem, it brings peace of mind and drives away enflamed passions and worries. Because of its calming mental effect, amethyst is a stone that can be used for over- worked, over -stressed, or overwhelmed mental states, and it gives protection to those who wear it. It is one of the best stones to use for tension or migraine headaches.

The birthstone determination is not at all straight forward. In Hebrew & Roman traditions October’s birthstone used to be aquamarine, according to the Hindu religion it is coral and in modern times we refer to opal and tourmaline.

Being a contemporary jewellery design company in South Africa, I settle for tourmaline and give you some more info on this beautiful Southern African gem:

Tourmaline has a special place in the hearts of mineral collectors as well as in that of gem and gemstone enthusiasts. Its nearly universal popularity is based upon two very important facts:
 

It is a bright and beautiful gemstone that can be found in just about any color;
Materials that are of acceptable quality are affordable to most purchasers.
The word “rainbow” is used figuratively to describe tourmaline. In reality, it is a well recognized fact that tourmaline’s diversity in color is not limited to the seven colors of the rainbow.
Tourmaline can be colorless to just about any color, hue, or tone known to man. And if range of colors among different tourmalines is not enough, individual crystals can vary in color along their length or in cross-section.
The variations in color along a crystal’s length give rise to the bicolor and tricolor tourmalines which have multitudes of color combinations.

ANPA stocks a selection of different tourmalines and tourmaline jewellery …

Fire appears to radiate from the vibrant green surface of the Peridot, this may be because this gem is formed as a result of volcanic activity. One of our clients told me that he finds Peridots walking on the beaches of Fuerteventura - one more reason to go there…

Maybe because of being found on beaches or the colour green, but Peridots were always regarded as a link to nature and they are regarded as a symbol for vitality, strength and growth.

The name Peridot comes from the Arabic word “faridat,” meaning gem. Peridot is a mineral named Olivine, which is found in a variety of greens, ranging from light yellowish green to a dark olive. Peridot is mined in Burma, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, the Congo, and in Arizona.

It was believed that the Peridot glowed with light even as darkness fell; great, I am going to tell my other half that in the future he must not bother buying camping torches for me anymore, I’l be happy with a Peridot instead…

A. Alexandrite
A magical stone due to its origin and the ability to change colour (red and green),  but also a gem that causes a lot of confusion.  It seems that a few naughty gem dealers from the city of Alexandria seized the opportunity to claim the gemstone as their own and sell synthetic alexandrites that are available since the 1920s. The gem actually comes from Russia and  is named after the Russian tsar Alexander II.
Unfortunately, a truth that we have to communicate to a number of people that come to ANPA to have an alexandrite evaluated. As a matter of fact real alexandrite is quite a collectors item by now and if you ask me not at that ‘WOW’ or beautiful, specifically when looking at the price tag it comes with.

B. Pearls
Rather have a look at the second birthstone option for June which is pearls. Not only are they in high fashion at the moment but also available in a multitude of shapes and colours as well as price tags, from inexpensive freshwater pearls to exclusive Tahitian and South Sea pearls.

For centuries  the pearl has been a symbol of perfection and one of the oldest known gems. Pearls are a symbol of the moon and are ascribed magical powers and in ancient time only persons above a certain rank were allowed to wear pearl jewellery. The Latin word for pearl means “unique”, attesting to the fact that no two pearls are identical.

Wearing pearls apparently holds us to be honest, pure and wise. Different colors of pearls bear different meanings, the above relates mostly to white pearls, gold or black pearls symbolize prosperity and riches, rose or pink pearls work well for our emotional state.

The Japanese have a lighter take on pearls and associate them with good luck and from my point of view they are simply stunning and that’s enough to make them my choice, not only as the birthstone for June.

May symbolises new beginnings (spring) for the northern hemisphere and as many gem traditions have their roots in these parts of the world it is not surprising that a bright green stone was chosen as the birthstone for May. I wonder whether it would be appropriate for Southern Africa to modify the rule and either select an African green gemstone such as tourmaline or a different colour tourmaline in tune with the autumn period. 

Emerald also enhances knowledge and wisdom and that is definitely needed for a lasting marriage, hence emerald is also the gem dedicated to the 20^th and 35^th wedding anniversary. Personally I would recommend any size as a birthstone and a minimum of 3 carat for an anniversary present! Some people really tend to exaggerate and in 2001, Christie’s of London auctioned the legendary ‘Mogul Emerald’ weighing 217,80 carats. The stone fetched a whooping 2.2 million $ - an anniversary present of note?!? 

Most of these marvellous gems are mined in South America, especially in Colombia that still supplies top quality gems, but the oldest emeralds come from Zimbabwe and I can assure you that they are spectacular – obviously ANPA stocks a few of those jewels….  And maybe the Zimbabwean deposits will challenge South America in the future. Here a newspaper clipping, dated from 2007:  Massive emerald rush in Zim
05/01/2007 18:32  - (SA)   Harare - At least 3 000 people have joined a new rush for emeralds in eastern Zimbabwe, a few months after diamonds were discovered in the area, it was reported on Friday. In July, villagers in impoverished Marange district discovered diamonds and sparked a massive diamond rush, which brought untold wealth to dozens of previously-poor households. Now suspected emerald fields have been found at three sites in Buhera district Chishanyi, Svongwa and Jori and about 3 000 people have joined the latest rush, reports the state-controlled Manica Post newspaper.  

 Certain gems have more vibration power for people because they are associated with the time of their birth; Diamond is the main  birthstone for April and I think it is not hard to vibrate with that. If you are not born in April, don’t despair, you can still get your diamond for other reasons. The name “diamond” comes from the Greek word “adamas” meaning unconquerable, suggesting the eternity of love and with that diamonds are primarily used in engagement rings ( it is the only gem that will not wear over time) and are  the accepted anniversary gem for the 10th and 60th years of marriage.

But the gods also have mercy on the purse and according to ancient mythology, any white or clear stone signifies integrity, innocence and happiness and can be used as a birthstone for April.

In some texts coral is also mentioned, but that must have vanished by the time the de Beers group started their diamond marketing campaign

Coral instils courage in its user. It also helps in curing blood related diseases. The colour red denotes matters of the heart. Red on a man indicates command and nobility; for a woman, pride or tenacity.

Coral ensures material happiness which I can well believe after saving all that money not buying this diamond…

Actually there are two gems: the one is aquamarine, the other bloodstone. I am not a big fan of bloodstone (sorry!!), so I will focus on aquamarine in this post. It is also the accepted anniversary gem for the 19th year of marriage.

The name aquamarine was derived by the Romans, “aqua” meaning water and “mare” meaning sea, because it looked like sea water. They were considered sacred to Neptune, god of the sea. This association with and safe voyages as well as protection against perils and monsters of the sea.

The aquamarine was believed to possess medicinal and healing powers - the association with water led to the belief that the Aquamarine was particularly powerful when immersed. Water in which this gemstone had been submerged was used in ancient times to heal a variety of illnesses of the heart, liver, stomach, mouth and throat. Aquamarines were also used to reverse poisoning and to aid in fortune telling.
Aquamarines were thought to be the source of power for soothsayers, who called it the “magic mirror”, and used it for telling fortunes and answering questions about the future. It is said that Emperor Nero used it as an eyeglass 2,000 years ago, and much later, aquamarines were used as glasses in Germany to correct shortsightedness. In fact, the German name for eyeglasses today is “brille”, derived from the mineral beryl.

Aquamarines vary in color from deep blue to blue-green of different intensities, caused by traces of iron. Naturally occurring deep blue stones are the most prized because they are rare and expensive. However, yellow beryl stones can be heated to change them to blue aquamarines. Aquamarine is mined primarily in Brazil, Nigeria and Zambia.