October Blog The leaves are on the turn and it’s getting a bit nippy in the morning.  Evenings are drawing in and although its only just October, the temptation to put on the heating is getting ever stronger!  With the drop in temperature it’s time to take a look in the wardrobe and sort through all those clothes I thought I’d wear this summer and didn’t.  Then I need to take a serious look at what I have for Autumn.       I’ve no doubt that my Autumn wardrobe would benefit from a few new accessories and Autumn coloured jewels...

    This month’s birthstone is sapphire, one of our original precious gemstones, traditionally thought of as blue but it’s also available an array of fancy colours such as pink, yellow and also black.  Check out our black sapphire cat for an unusual gemstone in this cute design.   The season is on the change, so it’s time to take a critical look at the wardrobe…  it’s been such odd weather this summer and I’ve already transitioned into cropped trousers and long sleeved fine knits as it’s so chilly.  But let’s all cross our fingers and hope for an Indian...

August’s birthstones are both green – perfect to match the landscape during Summer. Jade is the most ancient of semi-precious stones, available in a variety of colours when dyed and of course its natural colour, which is the palest of greens.  Thought to bring the wearer luck, it is the Chinese stone for good fortune and makes a great birthday gift. Our 3 Blessings Jade Pendant and Jade Dragon Pendant are our most popular pendants across our whole range, and it’s not hard to see why.  The dragon is the Chinese symbol of good fortune and we could all do...

Ruby – July’s birthstone This much-loved precious gemstone is one of the few truly red stones. It does vary through pink and purple tones, but the finest rubies are vivid red and come from Myanmar. Rubies feature heavily in Indian wedding jewellery, as red is thought to bring good luck and the wedding saree is often a red one, emblazoned with gold threadwork – and very heavy to wear! We all know what a ruby looks like, but you may not have come across the much rarer Star Ruby.  This is an amazing stone which due to light refraction and...

June’s birthstone is pearl, representing purity and devotion and a firm favourite of the Royals from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II. In Elizabeth I’s day, the only pearls available were natural, found growing in oysters on the sea bed.  Nowadays, most pearls are farmed or ‘cultured’ to keep up with industry demand.  The bulk of pearls are freshwater cultured, which means they are farmed in freshwater rivers, in mussel shells.  It is intensive farming with each mussel having a small grain inserted with tweezers, usually with a spot of antiseptic.  The mussel naturally grows nacre around the grain to protect...