Many of our jewelry pieces feature one or more gemstones. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), to qualify as a gem, a stone must be beautiful, durable, and rare.

Some gemstones (like pearls, coral, and amber) are classified as organic, meaning that they are produced by living organisms. Others are inorganic, meaning that they are generally composed of and arise from minerals. Stones that are identified as synthetic are created in a laboratory, as opposed to natural gemstones, which are created by natural processes without human help.

Below is a glossary of some of the gemstones featured in our catalogue.

Amber: Amber is not a gemstone or precious mineral. Amber is actually a tree resin which has been fossilized over hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Baltic amber is one of the most common sources for amber jewelry. Baltic amber is from trees in the Baltic Sea region, including Norway, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. For amber jewelry, the amber is typically shaped into small round “beads” which can be strung on necklaces, bracelets or anklets.

Amethyst:Amethyst has historically been the most prized gemstone in the quartz family. It is treasured for its purple hue, which can range in tone from light to dark. The finest amethyst will have strong color saturation and a medium to dark reddish purple or purple color. Its attractive color and affordable price compared to other precious gemstones, make amethyst consistently one of the most popular gems.

Aquamarine: Aquamarine is a semi precious gem from the Beryl Family, the same family as Emerald. It is famous for its sea blue like colors. Aquamarine stones are famous for their excellent clarity and transparency. Its name was derived from the Latin word seawater.

Black Onyx: Black Onyx, a member of the chalcedony family, is a gemstone made up of tiny microscopic crystals. It is a very popular gemstone in both women’s and men’s jewelry because its black color acts as a great complement to white metals like sterling silver, as well as clear crystals and CZs. Most black onyx on the market today is treated to give it its dark black color. Black onyx is sometimes faceted or fashioned into beads.

Blue Topaz: Topaz is a bright clear gemstone which is often used to create bold, eye-catching designs. The most popular variety of topaz in the market today is blue topaz, which has a bright light blue color and is relatively inexpensive. This color is produced with irradiation and heat treatment (in nature, topaz is most often colorless). Pink topaz is another popular variety of this gemstone.

Chalcedony: Chalcedony is a type of quartz. It is classified separately because, unlike other forms of quartz, it is composed of very small microscopic crystals. It can come in a wide variety of looks and colors. Several types of semi-precious stones discussed separately — including Black Onyx, and Jasper — are varieties of Chalcedony.

Citrine: Citrine is known for its stylish yellow to brownish color, and is generally considered the top selling gemstone of this color in the United States. It is a member of the quartz family, and has a large crystalline structure.

Coral: Coral is an organic gem that comes from the skeletal remains of sea creatures. The most common colors associated with coral jewelry are pink and red. Coral requires pristine environmental conditions to grow, meaning that producers must maintain calm waters free of pollution. According to the GIA, coral is believed to have been used in jewelry for about 30,000 years.

Corundums: Corundum is best known for its gem varieties, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. These are scientifically the same mineral, but just differ in color. Natural Ruby and Sapphire gemstones may have their color artificially enhanced or deepened through heat treatment when used as gems.Ruby is red, Sapphire is blue in color and Emeralds appear green.

Cubic Zirconia: Cubic Zirconia is a man made gemstone resembling a diamond used in jewelry settings. Because the cubic zirconia so closely resembles a diamond, only a trained eye can distinguish which stone is the diamond. The differences between the diamond and the cubic zirconia can only be seen under a microscope. This stone is believed to improve focus, increase clarity and release the ego.

Cultured Freshwater Pearls: Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. The fact of the matter is this: almost all pearls sold today are cultured pearls, including freshwater pearls. In other words, there is no real difference when comparing cultured freshwater pearls vs. freshwater pearls. The real differentiator is the environment in which they are made, either freshwater or saltwater.

Garnet: Garnet is most commonly a deep red to purplish red gemstone with a cubic crystal structure. Garnet is considered an affordable alternative to more expensive red gemstones like rubies or tourmaline, and goes particularly well with sterling silver.

Jade: Jade is most commonly associated with the color green, but can come in a number of other colors as well. Jade is closely linked to Asian culture, history, and tradition, and is sometimes referred to as the “stone of heaven.”

Jasper: Jasper is a semi-translucent to opaque gemstone, of the chalcedony family, that comes in a variety of colors. Oftentimes, jasper will feature unique and interesting patterns within the colored stone. Picture jasper is a type of jasper known for the colors (often beiges and browns) and swirls in the stone’s pattern. These unique patterns occur in nature and make each piece of jasper a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Labradorite: A stone of transformation, Labradorite is a useful companion through change, imparting strength and perseverance. It balances and protects the aura, raises consciousness and grounds spiritual energies. Excellent for strengthening intuition - promoting psychic abilities.

Lapis: Lapis is an opaque gemstone often featuring a deep midnight blue to violet-blue color. It frequently contains gold colored pyrite flecks sprinkled through the gem, making each piece of lapis beautiful and unique. Lapis is a versatile gemstone that is used both in classic and contemporary jewelry styles.

Larimar: Larimar, also called "Stefilia's Stone", is a rare blue variety of the silicate mineral pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. Its coloration varies from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue. Larimar is said to enlighten and heal in a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual way.

Moonstone: Moonstone is part of the mineral family of feldspars. It's an opalescent stone that comes from colorless form to peach, pink, green, gray, yellow, brown, and blue. The play of light seen on Moonstone is called adularescence and the clarity goes from transparent to translucent. A stone for “new beginnings”, Moonstone is a stone of inner growth and strength.

Opal: Opal is a gemstone that comes in a kaleidoscopic array of colors. It is typically formed in desert areas over long periods of time from layers of silica deposits in deep underground rock. It is known for its fascinating “play of color” that occurs when light interacts with the opal’s silica layers. Much of the opal on the market today is synthetic.

Peridot: Peridot is a bright green gemstone that provides the style and look of emerald at a more affordable price. According to the GIA, some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous emerald collection was actually peridot. Peridot is one of the softer gemstones on the market, with a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. Peridot most commonly originates in volcanic areas that are rich in iron and magnesium.

Quartz: Quartz refers to a family of crystalline gemstones of various colors and sizes. Among the well-known types of quartz are rose quartz (which has a delicate pink color), and smoky quartz (which comes in a variety of shades of translucent brown). A number of other gemstones — like Amethyst and Citrine — are also part of the quartz family. Rutilated quartz is a popular type of quartz containing needle-like inclusions.

Roman Glass: Ancient Roman Glass jewelry is a type of jewelry that incorporates both beauty and history. Unlike pottery and stone, glass is not a material commonly associated with ancient societies, but in fact it was highly popular and widely produced in the Roman Empire, leading to archaeological finds. It was widely used in 2-3 A.D.

Turquoise: Turquoise is found in only a few places on earth, and the world’s largest turquoise producing region is the southwest United States. Turquoise is prized for its attractive color — most often an intense medium blue or a greenish blue — and its ancient heritage. Turquoise is used in a great variety of jewelry styles. It is perhaps most closely associated with southwest and Native American jewelry, but it is also used in many sleek, modern styles. Some turquoise contains a matrix of dark brown markings, which provides an interesting contrast to the gemstone’s bright blue color.