Garnet

Although most people think of it as a dark red gem, garnet actually comes in a spectrum of different hues, including bright orange and green, almost every color except blue. There is garnet for every taste and budget. Vibrant green TSAVORITE garnet can be thousand of dollar per carat while RED GARNET is among affordable gems.

HISTORY & LORE:
Garnets have long been carried by travelers to protect against accidents. Ancient mystic believe garnets could prevent nightmares.
Centuries ago in Asia, bullets incorporated bits of red garnet to increase ferocity of a wound.
In the ancient world, reddish-brown garnet was known as carbuncle. Scholars believe the name garnet derives from the Latin for pomegranate: in many ancient pieces of garnet jewelry, the tiny red stones are set to resemble a cluster of pomegranate seeds.
Garnet is a US birthstone for January.

QUALITY, VALUE & AVAILABILITY:
Gem varieties include purplish-red rhodolite garnets, green tsavorite and demantoid garnets, and orange mandarin spessartite and Malaya garnets.
Availability depends on variety: tsavorite is very difficult to find sizes above a carat or two, while rhodolite garnet is available in large sizes.
Prices also depends on variety: fine tsavorite and dematoid are often thousands of dollars per carat. Mandarin, Malaya, and fine purple-pink rhodolite garnet can be hundreds per carat. Dark red almandine garnet is usually among the most affordable gems at a few dollar per carat.
Collectors should always be on a lookout for Victorian jewelry set with brilliant green stones. These could turn out to be rare and valuable demantoid garnet, the era’s favorite green gem.
Garnets are most commonly cut round oval and cushion shapes.

SOURCES:
East Africa produces the most exciting color ranges of garnets. Kenya and Tanzania produce garnets not found elsewhere, including “lime green” tsavorite and orange Malaya.
Madagascar, Mali and Namibia also produce a wide range of garnets, with Namibia noteworthy for producing the vivid orange color mandarin garnet as well as some demantoid garnet.
The most famous source of demantoid is Russia but production is limited.
India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the United States are also garnet sources.

ROUTINE ENHANCEMENT:
The is no routine enhancement for garnet

CARE AND CLEANING:
This durable and brilliant gem is easy to care for, with hardness of 7,25 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale.
Clean garnet with mild soap in warm water: use toothbrush to scrub behind the stone where dust can collect.

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Turquoise

With a color so distinctive that is has lent his name to a hue, turquoise has been treasured for a millinnea. Ancient cultures including Tibetans Native Americans, Aztec, Chinese and Egyptian priced turquoise as much for its spiritual power than its beauty.


HISTORY & LORE:

Ancient Egyptians treasured turquoise: archeologist has found royal jewelry featuring this gem that is more than five thousand years old.
Chinese artisans were making turquoise carving three thousand years ago.
Turquoise is the national gem of Tibet, where it is considered to grant health, good fortune, and protection from evil.
The Aztecs and Incas regarded turquoise as more valuable than gold, Importing it from the mines far to the north in what is now the American southwest. Wearing turquoise was reserved for the Gods.
Apache warriors attached turquoise to their hunting bows to increase their accuracy. The spectacular turquoise jewelry made by the Navajo, Pueblo and Zuni people is highly priced by the collectors.
In the Smithsonian Institution, turquoise blaze along with 700 carats of diamond in the Marie-Louise Dialem, a gift of Napoleon to his wife for their marriage. Actually the diadem was original set with emeralds, which was replaced with fashionable turquoise in the fifties by Van Cleef & Arpels.
In European tradition, the gift of a turquoise ring means “forget me not”.
Turquoise is the birthstone for December.

QUALITY, VALUE AND AVAILABILITY:

Turquoise with fine quality with a dark pure “azure” blue and even translucent texture is difficult to find.
The most valuable color of turquoise is “SKY” blue.
Sometimes turquoise is cut with veins of matrix, like black spider-web veins in attractive patterns.
Turquoise is available in a wide range of beads, cabochons, carvings, and inlays in all shapes and sizes.

SOURCES:

Turquoise is mined in the southwestern United States and China.
Arizona, Mexico, Colorado and Nevada produce most of US Turquoise.
Fine Turquoise was mined in PERSIA. Now know as IRAN. But famous source is no longer producing commercial quantities.

ROUTINE ENHANCEMENT:

Much of the inexpensive turquoise on the market today is “stabilized” with polymers or resin to keep it from discoloration. Sometimes dye is also used to improved color.

CARE AND CLEANING:

Turquoise has a relatively low hardness of 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale.
Natural turquoise often discolor overtime since most of turquoise is porous and can absorb skin oils and chemicals.
Never clean turquoise with chemicals and make sure not to touch the stone with metal cleaner, ammonia, perfume and cosmetics.
Do not clean turquoise with ultrasonic cleaner. High heat may cause discoloration.
Wipe turquoise clean with a soft dry cloth.

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