Ok, now that I have gotten that out of the way, here are some ideas we wanted to share for May… Blue is the color we are featuring this month. Blue represents trust, loyalty, and balance. Some blue gemstones include sapphire, blue zircon, blue topaz, aquamaring, iolite, and some tanzanite. If you mention our blog, we will give you 10% off of our already low prices on any blue gemstone – contact us for a price. Deep blue sapphires are a great alternative to diamonds for a center stone in an engagement ring as they are durable as well as stunning. Here is a little bit more information on the symbology of the sapphire:

Sapphire means blue in Greek. The blue goes from dark blue almost black to pale blue. The finest blue sapphires are a strong blue. The star sapphire is very valued. Sapphires of colors other than blue are always referred to with the color. There are pink sapphires, yellow sapphires, violet sapphires, green sapphires and clear sapphires. Today most sapphires are mined in Australia.
It is said a necklace of sapphires will cure a sore throat.
The sapphire was called the “Stone of Destiny”. Sapphires contribute to mental clarity and perception. They can promote financial rewards.
The sapphire is the symbol of heaven and joyful devotion to God.
Sapphire is associated with Aquarius, Virgo, Libra and Capricorn. It is the birthstone of September and has been the birthstone of April. Sapphire is the symbol of Saturn (dark blue) and Venus (light blue).

Somewhere between the passion of red and the calmness of blue lies the mystery of purple. Those with a passion for purple are creative and spiritually in tune with life. As a combination of red and blue, people who pick purple as their favorite can be balanced, yet exciting or steadfast yet vivacious. Those attracted to softer purples such as lilac and lavender describe themselves as refined and romantic. Express your royal nature with effervescent purple gems like amethyst, iolite, and tanzanite. Relax into sensual pastel hues with pastel Purple Sapphire or Lavender chalcedony. Unleash your inner Goddess by adding purple gems to your wardrobe.

Here is some useful information on popular purple gems:

Amethyst is February’s birthstone. Early Greek legend, and its purple wine color, associated amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. Other legends led to beliefs that amethyst gems kept their wearers clear headed and quick witted. Russia and South America is where most amethyst can be found. It ranges in color from pale lilac to rich purple. Amethyst is a 7 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, and it has good hardness. The safest way to clean amethyst is with warm soapy water.

Iolite gets its name from the Greek word for violet. And Iolites shades range from cool shades to dark blue and violet. It is transparent to translucent and pleochroic – this means that it shows different colors from different angles. From some angles it can look colorless, gray, violet, or yellow. This optical property allows the gem to act as a strong light polarizing filter, a feature that Viking navigators found useful. Iolite is a 7-7.5 on the Moh’s scale and has fair toughness. It is best to use warm soapy water to clean this gem.

Tanzanite is a relatively new gemstone that first turned up in 1962 in Northern Tanzania. Tanzanite is often heat treated to achieve colors that include light to dark violetish blue and bluish purple. It is a special-care gem for 2 reasons: sensativity to thermal shock and the potential for cracking. Tanzanite is best in jewelry pieces that won’t be too exposed to accidental bumps – such as earrings or pendants. It is a 6-7 on the Mohs scale and the toughness is fair to poor due to potential cracking and thermal shock.

Some other purple gems that I will discuss in another blog are purple sapphires, purple spinel, and lavender chalcedony.