Drusy are these beautiful, glittering formations that are getting very popular in contemporary jewellery design right now, but what is it actually?

Many people think that ‘drusy’ is a specific gemstone, but it is rather the state of a gem than a specific stone. You will find amethyst drusy, uvarovite drusy, quartz drusy, pyrite drusy, onyx drusy etc. but also some man made drusy creations such as titanium drusy.

 Drusy  means “covered by a large number of  crystals”. The crystals can either appear on the surface of the mineral or are recessed into a crevice, both formations are called drusy.

The formation of drusy

When molten rock was being forced rapidly up to the surface, the heat and pressure changes caused gasses to expand and created cavities within solidifying rock. Later, water moved through the rock and deposited new minerals into these cavities. Cooling began to occur and the crystallization of these minerals formed on top of and inside the previously crystallized rock. This crystal formation is called Drusy.

If the above intrigues you and you have not seen any of these magic gems, then pop into our store in Kalk Bay and enjoy…

Prasiolite is a fairly new gem appearing in the semi-precious arena, but has made quite a showy entry. Prasiolite is a translucent gem displaying hues ranging from greyish green to  dark moss green that just work with most skin tones, outfits and it gets even better, suits most budgets.
Of course, the discussion rages whether it is completely natural or whether it is a type of amethyst that was heat treated to change colour. Some insist that the Montezuma deposits in Brazil are exposed to heat of 932 degrees F which elicits the green colour, others believe that the only natural occurrence is that at Farm Rooisand in the Gamsberg region in Namibia.
I am astonished why everybody worries so much about the authenticity of these gems, but nobody ever really mentions that tanzanite blue is a heat generated colour and tanzanite fetches rather high prices.
So lets give Prasiolite a break, enjoy its beautiful shades of green, its reasonable pricing and the fact that it will attract prosperity when worn…

Peridot with its olive green colour, ranging from yellow hues into the blues must be one of the most popular semi precious gemstones around. This trend seems to prevail not only in South Africa but around the globe as availability of good quality and size is scarce and prices are constantly on the rise.

So I am pleased as pie that we have sourced some outstanding quality, facetted peridot beads (drilled gemstones for earring and necklace designs)  from the Apache reservation in Arizona. They are close to flawless and offer the perfect olive green colour we all so look for in peridot. Several different shapes are available, including some unusual ones.I will soon turn them into some gorgeous jewellery designs. If you are interested in the beads as such or would want anything specific made, please contact us soon.

I have fallen head over heels in love with emeralds after I really ignored them for years and years.  I always associated them with South America and somehow never realized what stunning emeralds come from Africa.

Two Southern African countries produce astounding quality of emeralds, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Experienced gemologists can tell the gems apart. To be honest, I find that really hard. Both countries produce deep green emeralds in contrast to the more bluish green of Columbian emeralds.

Emeralds are fairly hard gems fetching a 7 to 7.5 on the Moh’s scale (e.g. tanzanites are a 6 to 6.5 on the Moh’s scale) , but are not a jeweller’s favorite material to work with.
Emeralds often are included or show stress fissures that can cause the gem to crack when being set into a ring etc., some goldsmiths refuse to touch emeralds for setting work and rather leave this delicate task to a specialist.

The good news here is that Zambian and Zimbabwean emeralds show a higher purity compared to their South American counterparts with way less problems when working with them.

Besides some cut stones, we have purchased some truly magical emerald beads for our necklace designs and they can tell me over and over that the lores and legends surrounding emeralds are a hoax – I keep circling around these gems, specifically the beads, touching them,  holding them, trying to keep a grip on myself to not whisper “my precious…”

In September 2007 I wrote a short article on concave cut gemstones which were quite a novelty to us at the time. It is quite amazing how this “sparkling beauties” have become a standard cut that we work with all the time and use in quite a few of our jewellery designs.

According to the cutter R. Homer: “One of the advantages of concave cutting is that it distributes light much more evenly through the length and breadth of the stone, giving the whole gem an interior glow that is very homogenous.”

We totally agree, but one should also mention that the specialized equipment and knowledge  required to create concave cut gems does add to the price tag.

Right now they are hugely popular which might also indicate a trend in jewellery design. High luster is in fashion and demand whereas cabochon cut stones are less featured. We definitely use less cabochon stones in our jewellery and often the cabochon cuts used are rare or special stones.

If you wish to view ready made pieces of jewellery with concave cut gems, you can log in to our online store or pay us a visit in Kalk Bay. Should you want to see a selection of loose concave cut stones, please ask any of the staff at the store and they will gladly assist you. Presently we offer a wide collection including prasiolite, blue topaz, amethyst, garnet, peridot, lemon quartz etc. etc.

Carnelian is a beautiful vibrant, orange gem that evokes images of sunshine, summer and definitely energises the wearer. Looking out of the window with the Cape Town winter in full blast, I decided to add a new category of jewellery to our online shop that focuses on carnelian.

Have a look and energise yourself…

We had quite a few requests for opals in the past, or that is Andreas’ excuse for having acquired a few Australian opals.

Anybody who is interested can have a look at them in Kalk Bay - Andreas will gladly show them to you and give you all the ins and outs…