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Turquoise is an opaque mineral that occurs in beautiful shades of blue, bluish green, green, and yellowish green. It has been treasured as a gemstone for thousands of years. Isolated from one another, the ancient people of Africa, Asia, South America, and North America independently made it one of their preferred materials for producing gemstones, inlay and small sculptures. The word itself is derived from an Old French word for “Turkish” traders who first brought the Persian turquoise to Europe. It has graced the halls and tombs of Aztec kings and Egyptian pharaohs, such as Tutankhamun, whose golden funeral mask...

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Greek bishop who was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries, so they wouldn’t become prostitutes… This was the start of the tradition of bringing gifts and later Christmas presents to good children and coal or 0 to the bad ones, the classic bribe to achieve well behaved kids! Father Christmas dates back to Henry the VIII in the 16th century and typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas bringing “peace, joy, good food, wine and revelry”. England no...

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is also called fool's gold. It's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue resembles gold, hence the well-known nickname of fool's gold. However, it can be easily distinguished from gold. Gold is very soft and will bend or dent with pin pressure, whereas the mineral is brittle, and thin pieces will break with pin pressure. Gold leaves a yellow streak, while pyrite's streak is greenish black. Gold also has a much higher specific gravity. A little careful testing will help you avoid the "Fool's Gold" problem. Jewellery Pyrite jewellery is typically costume and beaded jewellery....

The pearl, whose use for adornment has been lost in the mists of prehistory, is the traditional birthstone for June and one of the loveliest gems! The pearl has been fished for by Persian fisheries as far back as 300BC & has come a long way over its history! Three main types of cultured pearls today The akoya pearl 3mm – 10mm from the pinctada fucata oyster, is found in the hidden bays off the coast of Japan, in the cold saltwater of the Pacific Ocean. The Akoya pearl is known for its superb lustre, perfectly round shape & beautiful...

Pleochroism means “more colours.” Pleochroic gems show two or three colours when viewed from different angles. Trichroic gems show three colours. Tanzanite & Iolite are examples of a trichroic gems. Tanzanite – Moh’s Scale Hardness 6-7 (glass is 7) Tanzanite was only discovered in 1967. It has a striking blue/violet colour although there is a 3rd colour of yellow/brown. It is cut to produce the blue/violet through the top table facets. Tanzanite is uniquely trichroic and has since become the second most popular blue gem after sapphire. The name "tanzanite" was given because the world's only known tanzanite deposit of...