Is Amethyst Expensive?
Amethysts are one of the most popular gemstone varieties. Used in jewelry at every price point, and you can find them set in inexpensive children’s…
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Is Amber Expensive?
Amber is part of a small group of gemstones that are created by living organisms known in the trade as “organics”. Specifically, amber is defined…
Gemstone Spotlight from The 2025 Las Vegas Gem Shows: Malachite
Sporting a deep green color that features complex banding and swirling patterns, malachite easily ranks as one of the most recognizable gemstone…
From Silicon to Sparkle: The Story Behind Azotic’s Gemstone Revolution
Behind every beautiful gemstone lies a story — and few are as remarkable as the one that built Azotic LLC. Founded by Steve Starcke, a former IBM…
Middle Weight Jewelry
Move over dainty chains and barely-there stackable rings, the cutting-edge jewelry at the 2025 Las Vegas shows was noticeably more substantial…
Separation of the Natural and Synthetic Diamond Markets Revisited
At the 2024 JCK show, we interviewed both natural and synthetic diamond sellers about the state of the global diamond market as a whole. We were interested…
How to Identify Emerald Simulants and Synthetics
Gemologists can separate natural emeralds from emerald simulants and synthetics. Learn about the most common tools and techniques for this.…
Overview of Gem Cutting Styles
Discover the 4 main gem cutting styles that transform rough stones into dazzling jewels. Learn how brilliant, step, mixed & fantasy cuts create…
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January Birthstone
Although many associate January's birthstone, garnet, with the color red, they can come in a variety of colors including red, yellow, orange, green and even blue.
February Birthstone
Thanks to its beauty and relative abundance, the February birthstone, amethyst, is used in all types of jewelry: from the mass market to the finest custom couture pieces.
March Birthstone
The March birthstone is aquamarine. Famed for millennia for its pure and even blue or blue-green color, potentially large size, and sparkling clarity, the aquamarine has been a valued gem to many cultures. Aquamarine is a variety of the gem species beryl, making it a close cousin of emerald.
April Birthstone
April's birthstone is diamond. The vast majority of diamonds are transparent, colorless, and show an extraordinary display of well-defined white and multi-colored flashes. Rarely, diamonds also occur in a rainbow of exciting body colors.
May Birthstone
May's birthstone is emerald, a rich green variety of the diverse beryl gem group which must exhibit a dark enough tone and saturation to be called by that name.
June Birthstone
June's birthstone is the pearl. Pearls can only be grown by a very small percentage of mollusk species which may live in either saltwater or freshwater environments. Each species produces a distinctive-looking pearl that is characterized by a specific range of colors and sizes.
July Birthstone
This vibrant red gemstone is the July birthstone and is closely associated with love, passion, and romance. While there are affordable options to be found, the largest and most beautifully colored rubies can be very expensive; the best rubies may be sold for the highest cost-per-carat costs of any colored gemstone.
August Birthstone
Peridot is the August birthstone. It is also sometimes called the “evening emerald” because of its unique capacity to sparkle under natural or artificial light. However, it should not be confused with emerald because peridot has its own distinct characteristics setting it apart from other gemstones.
September Birthstone
The September birthstone is sapphire. Sapphires are members of the gem species corundum. Depending on the exact chemistry of individual stones, sapphires may present a whole spectrum of colors with the exception of red. This is because red sapphires are put into their own category and called rubies.
October Birthstone
Pink tourmaline is the modern October birthstone, loved for its breathtaking beauty and awe-inspiring variations of the color pink.
November Birthstone
The most common birthstone for November is yellow topaz however citrine, another lovely yellow gemstone, has been rising in popularity as an alternative and is much easier to purchase.
December Birthstone
Blue zircon is known a modern December birthstones alongside blue topaz and tanzanite. The more traditional December birthstones are lapis lazuli and turquoise.
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