Demantoid

The demantoid is one of the most brilliant gemstones that exist, yet until recently it was little known except among collectors and gemstone lovers. Strictly speaking it is a green garnet, or rather the star of the green garnets. Not without reason does it bear a name which means 'diamond-like'. The name comes from the Dutch and makes reference to the outstanding quality of this gem, its incomparable brilliance and fire. Some gemstone lovers claim that a demantoid will continue to glow even in the shade.
Why the horsetail influences the value of a demantoid
Demantoids from Namibia come in shades from a vivacious light green to an intense blue-green. They have a striking brilliance. Thanks to their hardness of just under 7 on the Mohs scale, they are well suited to being used in jewellery. However, they do lack one feature by which the true demantoid had always been able to be identified through the microscope: 'horsetail inclusions'. These golden brown crystal threads of chrysotile, mostly appearing to radiate out from the centre of the stone, had previously occurred in almost all demantoids. But - more's the pity - they were missing in the relatively inclusion-free gems from Namibia. These horsetail inclusions were not only typical of the demantoid; they could even increase its value if they were pronounced. That may sound surprising, since as a rule inclusions, which can impair the transparency of a gemstone, are not a welcome sight. But with the demantoid's 'horsetail inclusions' it is a different matter. A beautiful, well formed inclusion can increase the value of the gemstone considerably, a good many collectors being prepared to pay a higher price.

Moonstone

The moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light. Indeed it owes its name to that mysterious shimmer which always looks different when the stone is moved and is known in the trade as 'adularescence'. In earlier times, people believed they could recognise in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon.

Moonstones from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin of the moonstone, shimmer in pale blue on an almost transparent background. Specimens from India feature a nebulous interplay of light and shadow on a background of beige-brown, green, orange or brown. These discreet colours, in connection with the fine shimmer, make the moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensual, feminine aura. This gemstone was very popular once before, about a hundred years ago at the time of Art Nouveau. It adorns a noticeably large number of the jewellery creations of the French master goldsmith René Lalique and his contemporaries, mainly to be found in museums and collections today.

This gemstone is surrounded by a good deal of mystique and magic. In many cultures, for example in India, it is regarded as a holy, magical gemstone. In India, moonstones are also regarded as 'dream stones' which bring the wearer beautiful visions at night. In Arabic countries, women often wear moonstones sewn out of sight into their garments, for in their cultures the moonstone is a symbol of fertility.

The moonstone symbolises our being in its entirety. With its soft shimmer, it strengthens our emotional and subconscious aspects. The associations connected with that make it a "lovers' stone", evoking tender feelings and safeguarding the true joys of love. It is also said that wearing a moonstone strengthens our intuition and our capacity to understand.

Corals

Corals are a decorative material with a very special fascination - the perfect embodiment of Man's longing for summer, sun and far-off oceans.

As to the origin of the name, the etymologists are not, however, of one opinion. Some say that it comes from the Greek 'korallion', which denotes the hard, calcareous skeleton of the coral animals, or from 'kura-halos', for 'mermaid', as the fine branches of the coral sometimes look like small figures. Others think it more likely that the word is derived from the Hebrew 'goral', (a small stone used in the drawing of lots), for coral branches used to be used in oracles in Palestine, Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean
What are corals?
Corals are the product of tiny living beings which settled in enormous colonies in the depths of warm seas long before our time. The polyps, surrounded by a fleshy skin, excrete a carbonic substance from which the corals grow like trees and branches. These can attain a height of sixteen inches (40 cm), though the actual branches seldom exceed one and a half inches (4 cm). At the forks, they are somewhat thicker. It is from these parts that the precious raw material for jewellery items, large coral beads or carvings is obtained.

Traditionally, the fragile little coral trees were brought up from the depths with trawl nets. However, since first-class corals have now become rather rare, divers are now deployed, in a less destructive process which involves their going down and harvesting the sensitive coral branches. After that, the branches are cleaned, sorted and processed by means of saws, knives, files or drills. Coral is not usually ground or cut on a wheel.

Unprocessed, coral is matt. It is not until it has been polished that it takes on that beautiful shine. It is often porous, full of holes or cracked, and in these cases it is of lesser quality. Coral of that kind is sometimes filled with coloured wax to improve its appearance. High-quality coral is of an even colour and free of cracks, blotches, striations and holes. Since genuine untreated coral is rare, it does fetch good prices. For that reason, anyone being offered what appears to be high-quality coral cheaply would do well to view the matter with a certain degree of scepsis. The best thing to do is to purchase one's high-quality coral jewellery from a reputable merchant

Agate

No gemstone is more creatively striped by Nature than agate, chalcedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a wide variety of colours and textures. Each individual agate forms by filling a cavity in host rock. As a result, agate is often found as a round nodule, with concentric bands like the rings of a tree trunk. The bands sometimes look like eyes, fanciful scallops, or even a landscape with trees.

Agate was highly valued as a talisman or amulet in ancient times. It was said to quench thirst and protect against fever. Persian magicians used agate to divert storms. A famous collection of two to four thousand agate bowls which was accumulated by Mithridates, king of Pontus, shows the enthusiasm with which agate was regarded. Agate bowls were also popular in the Byzantine Empire. Collecting agate bowls became common among European royalty during the Renaissance and many museums in Europe, including the Louvre, have spectacular examples

Blue tourmaline

Blue tourmaline

Tourmalines are the most colourful gemstone group. They occur in all variations, green, red, blue, yellow, colourless, black ... and some come in two or more colours at once. There is no other gemstone group whose diversity of colour exceeds that of the tourmalines, but the colours do not occur with equal frequency and they are not all equally well known. The best known are the green tourmaline and the pink or red rubellite. By contrast, a tourmaline which is pure blue is a rare thing indeed. Mostly, the blue colour has a more or less noticeable touch of green.

Pure blue tourmalines are much coveted on account of their beauty and rarity. In fine qualities, blue tourmalines are almost always one-offs. They are also highly esteemed by collectors. They are at their most valuable when they show an intense, clear, radiant blue which is not too dark, the kind of blue that puts one in mind of an aquamarine or a beautiful sapphire. The pure blue of the tourmaline radiates harmony. Perhaps it is for that reason that the gemstone therapists claim that a blue tourmaline makes people both honest and tolerant.

These rare blue gemstones originate mostly in the classical country of tourmalines, Brazil, or, to put it more exactly, in the north of Brazil, where the magnificent turquoise Paraiba tourmalines were also discovered. However, they are also found today in the gemstone mines of Namibia, Afghanistan and Pakistan and, since recently, also in those of Nigeria.

Jasper

Jasper is an ornamental rock composed mostly of chalcedony, microcrystalline quartz, in association with other minerals, which give it colourful bands and patterns. Jasper was a favourite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Hebrew, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Latin.

Jasper is often named according to its pattern: landscape jasper, the most popular, offers a small panorama in stone. Ribbon jasper, picture jasper, and orbicular jasper are the names of other varieties. Jasper is found in many countries. It is sometimes used to create bowls and other objects and to adorn buildings, such as the Saint Wenceslas Chapel in Prague.

FINE GEMSTONES

Gems: they have intrigued mankind since before the dawn of recorded history. There is no other miracle of nature so prized or so rare. Unfortunately, the vast majority of faceted gemstones available today got their start at one of many large cutting houses dotting the globe, where stones are churned out very quickly and with little regard for caliber of workmanship. Not surprisingly, the quality of most of these gemstones leaves much to be desired, from poor cutting and polishing to poor symmetry and overall design.

Some people hold a belief that something so rare deserves to be treated accordingly. It is for this group of jewelers, collectors, and other gem lovers that we offer our services. With over a decade of gem cutting experience, Jeff White has cut just about everything - from Alexandrite to Zircon. Each stone is hand-selected and pain-stakingly cut.