Birthstone Guide 21st February 2021 – Posted in: Jewellery care, Jewellery news – Tags: amethyst, Bespoke Jewellery, birthstones, Diamonds, emerald, Gemstones, Guy Wakeling Jewellery, guy wakeling signature collection, personalised gifts, personalising, ruby, ruby diamonds, sapphire
Birthstones are a special touch on a piece of jewellery that I have always found particularly endearing. The representation and meaningful gesture is beautiful and one I love to see. Their meaning on jewellery is so versatile, they could represent the relationship with the person who gave you the jewellery, the gemstones could represent other people who are important to you, or it could simply represent YOU, which is always a good thing, we all need a nudge to remember a little self-love.
Many times in our workshop we are asked to work with gemstones that are birthstones, to help personalise a particular piece of jewellery. It is always such a joy to see the variations in stones as much as it is to make the piece itself.
If you are planning to have made or to purchase a piece of jewellery including a birthstone to make your gift all the more special then this blog is a definite read for you!
JANUARY // GARNET
Garnet is the birthstone for those born in January. It is actually a mineral as opposed to a gemstone, but this doesn’t deter you from its stunning deep rich wine red colour. There are some wonderful variations of this mineral and can come in a variety of colours. Admittedly this isn’t a material we get to work with very often, but is an absolute joy when we do.
FEBRUARY // AMETHYST
Amethyst is the birthstone for those who are born in February. This stunning purple coloured stone is very distinctive, it also comes in a beautiful range of hues and tones. Amethyst has long signified wealth, riches and royalty. Though Amethyst is again a mineral it is a member of the quartz family. Said to have special powers, in Ancient Greece is was said that amethyst would help stop people from over indulging or even getting drunk (maybe I’ll test that theory one day).
MARCH // AQUAMARINE
I love this stone, it always reminds me of the colour of the Ocean on a topical island. make me feel warm and happy with sunny holiday vibes. Its name is a wonderful combination of ‘Aqua’ meaning ‘water’ and ‘marina’ meaning the ‘sea’ add testament to its wonderful blue colour (and my holiday vibes).
APRIL // DIAMOND
Well if you are born in April you are one lucky person, and you can get away with demanding diamonds for every piece of jewellery! Though diamonds do come in lots of different colours and there can be variations on these, we usually think of diamonds as being clear or white in colour. Known for their strength, brilliance and sparkle.
MAY // EMERALD
I do love a good Emerald, the vivid green for some reason makes me think of spring. Emerald is a variety of Beryl and is often used in larger pieces of jewellery. Emeralds are a wonderfully diverse stone, they match well with all metals and look particularly lovely with a set of sparkling diamonds to contrast the green.
JUNE // PEARL
Pearl is the birthstone for if you are born in June. Pearl will always and has always been a true essential in anyone jewellery collection, from earrings to necklaces, some of the most famous people in the world have sworn by these little orbs of nature. Formed by Mollusks, Pearl are considered as a true gemstone and not a mineral given their origin.
JULY // RUBY
Ruby is the birthstone for it you are born in the month of July. Known for its vivid deep red colour, rubies have been a signifier for wealth riches and royalty, featuring heavily in the Crown Jewels. Just like Emerald and Sapphires this versatile stone is teamed well with just about anything.
AUGUST // PERIDOT
Again unfortunately this is a stone that we don’t get to work with too often, but is always exciting when we do. A muted green colour, this stone none the less has a wonderful glow that emanates its colour.
SEPTEMBER // SAPPHIRE
Aaaahhh Sapphires, who doesn’t love a good Sapphire, Lady Di for sure was a fan. Again signifying royalty and wealth, this beautiful stone is used in the jewellery industry particularly given its hard wearing and versatile properties properties. Though this stone is typically a deep blue colour, it can come in a variety of colours.
OCTOBER // TOURMALINE OR OPAL
If you are born in the month of October then you are lucky enough to have a choice of gemstone and both are equally acceptable, all you need to do it choose which one you like best. We frequently work with both of these stones and have created some amazing pieces using these stones as the centre pieces. Both stones have a mix of colours and variants and they can also have bi-coloured stones such as the Watermelon Tourmaline and a Fire Opal.
NOVEMBER // TOPAZ OR CITRINE
If you are bornin the month of November you again have a lovely choice of some rather fiery stones Topaz or Citrine. Citrine is a lovely yellow coloured stone and has recently become rather trendy, often found in engagement rings given its lighter champagne colouring. Topaz is yellow is tone again originally but can come in a variety of colours given its different impurities. I love these stones particularly in winter months.
DECEMBER // TANZANITE, ZIRCON OR TURQUIOSE
Not only do you get Christmas but you get the choice of three different birthstones if you are born in the month of December. All three of these stones are typically blue and vary in hues and tones. Tanzanite is one of the more popular ones and is used widely in the jewellery industry. It has an extremely vivid royal blue colouring.
If you have an existing piece of jewellery that you would like a birthstone to be added to why not get in contact us for a quote CLICK HERE.
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