Weekly Obsession: Hidden Gemstones

So much is written about diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires that we often think of them as the totality of gemstones, especially when it comes to fine jewellery. While we aren't suggesting that this is an error, what we are suggesting is that there are what we would call "hidden gems" which are often overlooked and are magnificent in fine jewellery. It may surprise you to find out that rubies and sapphires (mostly known as deep blue) are of the same mineral species, corundum. Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, due to it being rarer than the blue variety. However, sapphires come in all colours of the rainbow. Many jewellers such as Myriam Soseilos, will use white or black sapphires in her jewellery rather than diamonds because they can give the same look and beauty at a lower price. There are so many other rare and wonderful gemstones to learn about, so we thought we offer up some of our favourites.

Alexandrite - Green in sunlight. Red in lamplight. Colour-changing alexandrite is nature’s magic trick.
Spinel - For centuries, spinel, the great imposter, masqueraded as ruby in Europe’s crown jewels.
Morganite - is the pink to orange-pink variety of beryl, a mineral that includes emerald and aquamarine.
Zircon - a colourful gem with high refraction and fire that’s unfairly confused with cubic zirconia. Optical properties make it bright and lustrous. Best known for its brilliant blue hues, it also comes in warm autumnal yellows and reddish browns, as well as red and green hues
Moonstone - A ghostly sheen moves under the surface of this feldspar, like moonlight glowing in water.
Tourmaline - Tourmalines have a variety of exciting colours with one of the widest colour ranges of any gem. This stone comes in many colours, including the remarkable intense violet-to-blue gems particular to Paraíba, Brazil, and similar blues from Africa. It is a favourite of mineral collectors.
Sunstone - its phenomenal varieties show a distinct and lively glitter called aventurescence. Sunstone, a member of the feldspar group, can be an orthoclase feldspar or a plagioclase feldspar, depending on chemistry. Both can show aventurescence. “Sunstone” applies to the gem’s appearance.
Peridot - Found in lava, meteorites and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem. Most gems are coloured by impurities such as iron. Peridot's colour is intrinsically yellow-green. Higher-quality stones have an intense colour.
Lapis Lazuli - From ancient times to the present, many civilisations have prized lapis lazuli for its exquisite deep blue colour.
Topaz - Honey yellow. Fiery orange. Cyclamen pink. Icy blue. In warm or cool tones, topaz is a lustrous and brilliant gem. Colourless topaz treated to blue is a mass-market gem. Fine pink-to-red, purple or orange gems are one-of-a-kind pieces.
Heliodor - is a member of the beryl family. This stone is known for its range of yellow colors — from pale yellow, greenish yellow, orange-yellow, to a deep golden orange. Heliodor can be faceted for jewelry use
Sphene - is one of those magical gems that can really enchant you—the best faceted examples display brilliant fire and flash three different colours.
Chalcedony - is the form of Quartz that is compact and microcrystalline. It occurs in many different forms, colors, and patterns, and many varieties have been used as gemstones since antiquity.
Tsavorite garnet - An emerald-green variety of grossular garnet, tsavorite is one of the most popular and expensive varieties of garnet. Suitable for any type of jewelry, tsavorites can be faceted into many design