Tag Archives: jewellery consultant

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, March 2023

Posted on 03/26/2023 | Comments Off

Why Collectors Love Kyanite

Never heard of Kyanite? You’re not alone. This gorgeous gem is a rare species and usually reserved for collectors alone. In its best qualities, it closely resembles Blue Sapphire. However, it is available in a wide range of light to dark blue colours and can also form in shades of yellow, green and brown, and, like Sapphires, can also be colourless. The name Kyanite even comes from its signature shade, as “kyanos” is the Greek word for dark blue.

Chemically, Kyanite is composed of aluminum, silicon and oxygen, which makes it a close relative of Andalusite. As is with Sapphires, Kyanite gets its beautiful blue hues from trace amounts of titanium and iron, and can sometimes display colour zoning (concentrated bands of colour) or a colour-change effect, showing a reddish to reddish violet hue under incandescent light. Kyanite is scarce, but can be found in Brazil, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Pakistan, Switzerland, Russia and the United States. While this lovely gem is not easy to find in jewellery, it does have the benefit of not often being colour treated.

One of Kyanite’s most unique traits is that it has two different hardness levels along its length and width. Along its length, it ranks at about a 5 on the Mohs hardness scale, while it is a 7 across the width of the crystal. In comparison, this range is similar to Lapis Lazuli or Turquoise through to Amethyst. While wearable everyday, it’s important to treat Kyanite with care and as the rare and delicate precious gem that it is. Avoid wearing it while being especially active, including cleaning, sports, etc. and be especially careful to avoid hard wear when showing it off in a ring. Overall, this lush blue gemstone is a highly unique jewel which is a pleasure and honour to have in your collection and a fantastic conversation piece for any jewellery lover.

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Posted in Branding, Katherine James Jewellery, Uncategorized

Tagged blue gemstones, coloured gemstones, Custom Content, Email Newsletter, jewellery, jewellery consultant, jewellery writer, Jewelry, Kyanite

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, December 2022

Posted on 12/06/2022 | Comments Off

Stellar Spinel

This little-known gem has been mistaken for Ruby for centuries but is a truly special treasure in its own right.

Spinel is such an intriguing gemstone, which has managed to be both strongly undervalued and fly under the radar for decades. Even some of the most famous Spinels in the world, including the Timur Ruby, which is over 350 carats, and the Black Prince’s Ruby, which sits atop the Imperial State Crown, were thought to be Rubies for most of their life. Spinel wasn’t even classified as its own mineral species until the 1800s—before then it was simply known as “Balas Ruby.”

One of the most special attributes of gem-quality Spinel is that it’s part of the cubic crystal system, along with Diamond and Garnet. This means its singly refractive and can exhibit wonderful light reflection and sparkle. Similarly to Garnet, Spinel has the immense benefits of often growing in large crystal sizes with strong, saturated colours and relatively few inclusions. In fact, they can be so naturally perfect that they are often included in jewellery designs without even being cut or polished first. Spinel also comes in a wide variety of lush colours, including intense blue, green, violet, grey, orange, pink, and of course, red.

Red and Pink Spinel are some of the most valuable and many are found in the same metamorphic deposits as Ruby, including Myanmar and Vietnam, where they famously grow in marble. Their strong hues are also caused by the same ultra-rare trace element—chromium. Blue Spinel is created by trace amounts of iron, however iron alone tends to create greyish-blue hues. For Blue Spinel to have bright, saturated colours that can compete with Sapphire, traces of cobalt with lower iron content tend to be preferred. These stones are often sought-after in similar sources to Sapphire, including Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Pakistan. Also, similar to Sapphire, it’s possible to find both Star Spinel and colour-change Spinel, however they are much less common.

Since Spinel is still not widely known about, it can offer amazing value benefits. While a bright red Spinel might easily be mistaken for Ruby in both colour and quality, a sizeable carat weight will often sell for a fraction of the price as a Ruby of the same size. However, highly saturated, nearly neon-coloured Pink Spinel is slowly becoming more in-demand, and its rarity has made it more expensive. Some Pink, Red and Blue Spinel can sometimes be treated to improve their colour, however most Spinel are generally left untreated.

Overall, this bright and sparkling gem, which is also considered a birthstone for August, offers incredible attributes for such a little-known variety and is a delightful choice you’ll never regret.

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Tagged coloured gemstones, Custom Content, Email Newsletter, jewellery, jewellery consultant, jewellery writing, spinel

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, May 2022

Posted on 05/26/2022 | Comments Off

What are Ceylon Sapphires?

The island of Sri Lanka continues to be one of the world’s most important sources of Blue and Fancy-Coloured Sapphires.

Sri Lanka, Island of Gems

Ceylon is an old name for the South Asian island now known as Sri Lanka. Located in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is a small pear-shaped country with a population of approximately 22 million people. It’s a primarily Buddhist nation with a rich cultural heritage which includes being part of the ancient Silk Road. Extraordinarily, it has long been known as the “island of gems,” as it enjoys ideal geological conditions that has led to it being incredibly abundant in high quality jewels. In fact, the island is one of the world’s richest concentrations of gems, including 40 different mineral species.

Source is important when it comes to gemstones because it can add historical context, the idea of scarcity, and the specific geological conditions of each location often affect the most important characteristic of a jewel, which is colour. Since Sapphires are found in more places in the world that the rest of the “big three,” which also includes Emeralds and Rubies, you’ll sometimes see source listed with Sapphires more often as a way of distinguishing their value, as well as describing their colour.

500 to 600 years ago, Sri Lanka was actually located in the middle of an ancient supercontinent. While seemingly the plot of a movie, this true slice of its history means that millions of years ago, perfect levels of pressure and heat ensured Sri Lanka would be rich in metamorphic gems for millions of years. Due to erosion, most of Sri Lanka’s gems are found in alluvial deposits, which refers to locations that are away from their original rock formation, such as riverbeds and streams.

What makes Ceylon Sapphires so special?

Sri Lanka has been supplying the world with fine quality Sapphires for over 2000 years, and some historians believe it is actually the world’s very first source of Blue Sapphire on earth. Along with Kashmir (which is no longer in operation) and Myanmar (also referred to as Burma), Sri Lanka is known for producing some of the world’s finest qualities of Sapphires in every colour. (A certain famous Blue Sapphire and Diamond halo engagement ring features a 12 carat Blue Ceylon Sapphire.)

Similar to Rubies, Sapphires that are sourced from metamorphic rock tend to be the most prized because their environments are low in Iron, which allows the gems to maintain a vibrant, bright hue. Iron is generally more prolific in basalt rock conditions, such as those in Australia, and tends to give Sapphires a darker tone and greenish tint.

Which colours are Ceylon Sapphires available in?

While gemstones can vary in tone and colour regardless of where they’re sourced, Blue Ceylon Sapphires are generally thought of as having an ideal violet-blue to blue colour, often referred to as “cornflower blue,” which is lighter and brighter than most. Any Sapphire which isn’t blue is considered a “fancy-coloured Sapphire” in the trade and Sri Lanka is famously considered a producer of the widest range of fancy colours in the world, including top quality Yellow, Pink and Purple varieties. It is particularly famous for Star Sapphires and Padparadscha Sapphires, a pinky-orange variety which gets its name in part from the Sinhalese word for lotus flower.

While there are tests that can be performed by a gemologist and organizations such as the GIA to determine the geographic source of a gem, keep in mind that one of the many unique traits of coloured stones versus Diamonds is how they are mined. Coloured gems are often sourced in a much more independent and artisanal manner, versus having large corporate structures behind them which track their every move. So, by their very nature, coloured gems, including Sapphires of every colour, tend to pass through many hands, sometimes even in border towns, and pinpointing the exact, original source can be tough for anyone to 100% guarantee. While geographic terms need to be used as accurately as possible, it’s important not to lean on them too heavily, and instead, use them to further inspire your love of jewellery, its history, and the stunning variety of colours they possess.

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Tagged ceylon sapphires, coloured gemstones, Custom Content, Email Newsletter, Gemologist, GIA, jewellery consultant, jewellery history, jewellery writer, padparadscha sapphire, sapphires, Sri Lanka

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, September 2021

Posted on 09/05/2021 | Comments Off

The Grandeur of Garnets

Red Garnets grace museums around the world as priceless artifacts, they’ve been buried with Egyptian pharaohs, carved in the signet rings of ancient Rome, and decorated the nobility and clergymen of the middle ages. Now, they’re just as popular as ever, especially for those with January birthdays. Red Garnets are arguably the most well-known to the public, especially since they can be sourced on almost every continent. The name Garnet is derived from the latin word for grain/seed – Granatus, likely a reference to pomegranate seeds, which can be very similar in size and colour to Garnet crystals, however, this special gem actually comes in a wide variety of highly sought-after colours, a few of which are some of Earth’s rarest minerals.

Similar to Tourmalines, Garnets are actually an entire group of minerals, (rather than a species such as corundum, which is Sapphire) so they are quite an intricate gemstone, with a large variety of chemical compositions and species. They are so complex, in fact, that many Garnets, such as the gorgeous raspberry red Rhodolite variety, are actually a combination of multiple species.

Like Diamonds and Spinels, the Garnet group quite uniquely belong to the cubic crystal system, which means their crystals form in cube-like structures and that they are singly-refractive. The latter helps some Garnet species reflect light in a way which allows them to sparkle in a stunning way, very comparable to the alluring fire of Diamonds.

Why are Green Garnets so Valuable?

Green Garnets, also known as the Tsavorite and Demantoid varieties, are some of the most valuable and sought-after green gems in the world. Demantoid Garnets were first found in Russia in the 1800s and became very popular with the Royal family as a personal favourite of Czar Nicholas II. They were also used often in the creations made by Faberge at that time. Demantoid Garnets famously owe their lovely green colour to trace amounts of Chromium, just like Emeralds. However, they also contain traces of Iron, which is what gives them their trademark yellowish tint. Demantoid Garnet’s most notable trait is their incredible dispersion, which gives them amazing fire and sparkle, similar to Diamonds. They range from yellowish to brownish green, but their most valuable colour is a true, intense green, very similar to Emerald. They are also the only gem with the potential to show “horsetail” inclusions—a fan like group of wispy inclusions, which can greatly increase their rarity and already very considerable value. Dementoid Garnets are still found in Russia, as well as Namibia, Italy, Iran, Mexico and Greece. However, their sources are far and few between, which of course ensures their prices remain incredibly high.

In contrast, Tsavorite Garnets weren’t actually discovered until the 1960s. Equally beautiful, Tsavorite Garnets get their green hue from Vanadium (also similar to some Emeralds), and can also range from a yellowish green to bluish green, with the most sought-after hues being in the bluish green to true green range. When green Garnet doesn’t possess enough saturation to be truly labelled a Tsavorite, it is sometimes referred to as a “Grossular Garnet.” While some Tsavorites are found in Pakistan, the most popular source is East Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar.

Both Demantoid and Tsavorite Garnets are highly rare in large, eye-clean sizes, especially over three carats. Therefore, they are most often used as small accent stones or in pave-style designs. They remain extremely valuable in any size, and are most valued for their strongly saturated colour and incredible Diamond-like sparkle.

What are Orange Garnets?

Orange Garnets, which get their colour from Manganese and trace Iron, are known as Spessartine Garnets. Their beautiful and lively colour range is as broad as the hues of a flame: from a light yellowish-orange to bright orange, fiery red, and dark brownish red. However, the most valuable (by a mile) are those with an intense, reddish-orange hue with medium to medium-dark tone. While Spessartine Garnets used to be considered rare, collector’s only gems, new discoveries in Africa including in Nigeria, Madagascar, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia, have made them much more accessible to the public in recent years. Other sources also include California, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Brazil. While they’ve become more accessible, prices for large, high-quality stones still remain at a premium and the interest in this gorgeous and uniquely-hued stone remain high, especially since orange gemstones remain more unconventional in the gem world.

The Popularity of Red Garnets

While deep red Garnets have been gracing jewellery boxes for thousands of years, we now know that not all red Garnets are created equal. For example, the finest raspberry-coloured Rhodolite Garnet can easily pass for a stunning Rubellite Tourmaline, or even Ruby. While the range of their colour can include a light reddish-purple to a deep berry red, these gems are most valuable when they have an intensely saturated hue, but are still bright and sparkle with reflected light. Garnets with areas of “extinction,” which are dark, nearly black, shadowy areas in the gemstone which aren’t able to reflect light, are common but certainly not considered the finest example of this lovely stone. These very deep red Garnets are technically a combination of the Pyrope and Almandine species, but are most commonly referred to as simply Almandine Garnets. Since they could often look so close to black, they were very popular in Victorian-style jewellery. While red Garnets were first discovered in North Carolina in the late 1800s, they are now most commonly found in East Africa, including in Tanzania and Madagascar, as well as India and Sri Lanka.

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Tagged almandine, coloured gemstones, Custom Content, demantoid, Email Newsletter, Garnets, green garnets, Grossular garnet, jewellery, jewellery consultant, red garnets, spessartine garnet, Toronto gemolgist, tsavorite

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, May 2021

Posted on 05/27/2021 | Comments Off

How to Choose an Engagement Ring

Whether it’s a surprise or a shared decision, here’s how to choose an engagement ring which will stand the test of time.

Consider Your Partner’s Other Design Choices

While most people focus on the centre stone of their ring, the truth is, the setting is what will truly set the tone for your new, important jewel. Once you feel confident about the style of setting you’re looking for, everything else will fall into place. So, is your partner one for antiques or do they love sleek, contemporary looks? Keep in mind, that if they have a very active lifestyle or one that requires them to be a bit tougher on their hands, something modern (even if it’s an antique reproduction) might fit their daily life best.

If you don’t automatically know which aesthetic suits, don’t sweat it. Instead, look to the design details they’ve chosen in other parts of their life, such as their choices in furniture, tableware, other housewares, favourite clothes, etc. If they tend to love frilly, romantic details with pretty prints, florals, lots of colour and sweet touches, chances are similar details in their engagement ring will light them up. Antique styles with engraving, fanciful prongs, fancy-cut gems, and even some colour are all great features you can consider.

On the flip side, if their home, wardrobe and other favourite items look streamlined with a simple colour scheme, and modern and sophisticated details (think: colour blocking and stripes) something very refined, simple and elegant is likely more their speed. Consider a monotone colour palette, bezel settings, subtle Art Deco styles, and slick, contemporary details. Of course, these may feel like two extremes and there is plenty of room in between which can allow you to find the perfect combination of varying details which will fit your beloved to a tee.

Keep in mind, when it comes to clothing and other jewellery your partner may have, everyone likes to change it up and try new styles and looks, so these can be a bit misleading when trying to find their true personal style. An engagement ring is something they’ll potentially wear every single day, and needs to be quite classic in some ways, so it will complement their other wardrobe pieces. For the best idea, think of what their absolute favourite items of clothing are, the things they wear the most, and the stores they love to visit and even window shop at. Taking a sneaky peek at their Pinterest page, if they have one, can also be a great way to help you capture their true, overall taste.

Take a Colour Cue

Choosing a coloured gemstone as the centre stone or accent stones can be a really special way to make an engagement ring feel extra personal and customized to your partner and your relationship. There’s a chance they may have mentioned that this is their preference, or that a standard Diamond is not their style. Of course, that will certainly make it easier, but if not, you can consider the above style hints, again. If you partner is super classic and loves really glamourous details, an all-Diamond design might be best. If they’re more fanciful, artistic or even traditional, something with a bit of colour will likely make them feel extra special.

Birthstones are a great place to start, and again, this can be used as a centre stone or accent stones in a three-stone ring or a halo or on a band. You can also combine your birthstones for a very romantic touch, or even use the stone of the month that you met or will be engaged (or married – if you know that already!) for an extra-creative touch. Of course, if your beloved has a favourite colour, such as Pink, Yellow or Green, or always mentions how much they love a certain ring, such as the Duchess of Cambridge’s epic Blue Sapphire, that is a perfect jumping off point, as well.

Colour also extends to the metal you’ll choose for the setting. While some gems look particularly ravishing in certain metals, choose the style you think suits the above hints, once again. If you’re going for a goes-with-everything monotone look, Diamonds set in Platinum or White Gold are a no-brainer. If you’re looking for something more unique, coloured gems set in an antique Yellow Gold setting can be extra luxe and romantic looking. If you’re not sure, a setting which combines both has been a major ring trend, and will guarantee the ring will match whichever other jewellery your partner owns or will choose in future.

Be Open to Hints

If you’re hoping for a proposal which is a total surprise, you may feel a bit paranoid about giving off even the slightest of hints. However, looking for important clues at this point can make all the difference, and you’ll be surprised what you can pick up on once you start trying to pay extra attention to everything your partner likes and dislikes. Your fiancé-to-be may just be dropping hints of their own which you hadn’t picked up on before! Things to pay attention to: comments they make while shopping, remarks about jewellery or rings of friends, family or celebrities, how they react to proposal or wedding scenes in movies or on TV. Making an effort to be more receptive to their comments can open up a whole new world of details for you. Also, when they do make comments, use the opportunity to ask subtle questions about the details so you can best understand what they are trying to communicate. You won’t be giving anything anyway. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re both picking out other items, such as housewares, to understand why they like or dislike certain looks.

Friends and family can also be a great resource. If your partner is particularly close to a certain friend, cousin or sibling, they may have even shared what their ‘dream’ ring would look like. They may also help you in clarifying the personal style of your partner. Before you go down this road, just beware of sharing your secret (you may want to spare the specific details of the timeline etc.) if you’re not totally sure they won’t spill the beans. Also, they naturally may impart their own personal style when offering their opinions on various ring looks, so you many want to take their input with a grain of salt!

Lastly, it goes without saying that you don’t want to invade your partner’s privacy. However, there’s a chance they may have chosen rings they love on their Pinterest board, or even saved some pictures to a file on their computer. Investigate these avenues as much as possible without getting too personal (or caught red-handed!)

When in Doubt, Use a Placeholder (and Don’t Panic)

If you just can’t land on a design that makes you feel confident, don’t sweat it: you still have plenty of options. You can propose with a stand-in ring, such as one of these Moissanite options, and allow your future partner to choose their own forever piece later. Another option which can still be very meaningful, is to propose with a band, either streamlined or set with Diamonds or coloured gemstones, which he or she can still wear later as their wedding band.

When it comes to sizing the ring, you can try asking friends or family, or try to secretly trace the inner circumference of a ring your partner already owns and match it up with one of our complimentary ring sizers. As a last resort, an N ½ is one of the popular ring sizes, and nearly every ring can be re-sized later, if need be.

Just remember that many rings can take at least a couple of weeks to arrive, and custom orders can also take up to eight weeks, so plan ahead if you’re trying to meet a special date. At the end of the day, the love and sincerity behind your proposal is what will mean the most to your partner and if all else fails, any ring can be exchanged or returned at KJJ! We’re always here to help you through your decision making process, contact us here to get started.

Comments Off on Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, May 2021

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Tagged coloured gemstones, Custom Content, Diamonds, Email Newsletter, engagement rings, Gemologist, jewellery consultant, jewellery editor, jewellery writer

Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, January 2021

Posted on 01/12/2021 | Comments Off

Purple Reign

How Amethyst evolved from an elitist status symbol to one of the world’s most popular coloured gems.

Sapphire and Tanzanite may both occur in purple, but there is no doubt that Amethyst has the market cornered when it comes to Violet-hued gemstones. In fact, its attractive colour, wide availability, and affordable price point have all helped to secure its status as one of the most popular coloured gemstones, period.

The colour purple alone has quite a rich history. It was once considered a magical occurrence that could turn heads and drop jaws. It was so obscenely difficult and expensive to recreate out of nature, that the pigment (usually made from sea mollusks) was reserved solely for the clothing dye of royal or religious figures. That all changed when a chemist accidentally created a purple pigment in 1856, which was eventually named “Mauveine.” This new invention brought Mauveine to the masses, and soon the colour purple was the must-have hue for everyone. Its popularity among the masses couldn’t even deter the who’s who of the day from wearing it. Instead, Queen Victoria and Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) were seen wearing Mauveine dresses at major society events. But, which jewels should one wear with their new purple wardrobe? Amethysts, of course!

Coincidently, around this same time, Amethysts had their own change of fortune. Until the 19^th century, Russia remained the major global source of Amethyst, making it scarce and extremely valuable, along with Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds and Sapphires. The allure of its unique purple colour and rarity made it a focal point of religious and royal crown jewels for ages. However, in the 1800s, a massive deposit discovered in Brazil lead to Amethysts flooding the market, which caused them to lose a touch of their aura and status in the upper echelons of society. The rest of the world, however, fell in love with the unique purple stone they once could only admire from afar, and Amethysts became a major feature in Victorian-era jewels, all at the height of Mauveine madness!

The name Amethyst comes from the ancient Greek word for “not intoxicated.” Revered by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, the stone is said to have gotten its trademark hue from the grapes of Bacchus, God of Wine. Believing the magic stone could prevent overindulgence and intoxication, among other medicinal properties, both the Greeks and Romans placed the stones in their wine goblets before indulging, while some really posh citizens actually drank their wine from goblets made of Amethyst.

Today, Amethyst deposits can be found all over the world, including Canada, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the United States. However, the most prolific sources remain Brazil, and other parts of South America, and Zambia, and other parts of Africa. Amethyst is a quartz, made of silicone and oxygen, which grows in large, single or twinned crystals, similarly to other gem-quality quartz, including Citrine, Rose, Rock and Smoky Quartz.

Generally found in large geodes (which have a market all their own), Amethyst quartz actually gets its violet hue from trace amounts of Iron (sorry, Bacchus), which causes a colour centre in the gem. The colour centre often causes the gem to grow with a saturated purple tip, which eventually fades to colourless Rock Crystal further down the crystal. This makes gems with a vivid and strongly saturated violet-purple to reddish-purple colour the most valuable. However, more pastel and pinkish-lavender shades have also become popular in recent years, and are sometimes called Rose de France Amethysts.

Regardless of saturation, Amethysts should always be eye-clean at any size, and without any brown or greyish tint, and with an even colour saturation. They are also sometimes colour-zoned with other shades, including yellow Citrine, which is called Ametrine. Most Amethysts are heat treated to achieve their ideal hue, including green Amethysts, which rarely occur naturally and are most often the result of heat treatment in several stages.

While they may be much easier to acquire now than when they were considered the height of Royal fashion and status, Amethysts, which are the birthstone of February and also specifically represent the zodiac symbol of Aquarius (regardless of birthdate), are a stunning, much sought-after gemstone with an exclusive and unparalleled colour which continues to speak for itself.

Comments Off on Katherine James Jewellery Custom Content, January 2021

Posted in Branding, Katherine James Jewellery

Tagged Amethyst, Ametrine, citrine, coloured gemstones, Custom Content, Email Newsletter, Gemologist, jewellery, jewellery consultant, jewellery writer, purple gemstones, Victorian jewellery