Celtic engagement rings - Celtic wedding rings

The gemstone Amethyst is the Birthstone for February. Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral quartz and is a popular gemstone. If it were not for its widespread availability, amethyst would be very expensive. The name “amethyst” comes from the Greek and means “not drunken.” This was perhaps due to a belief that amethyst would ward off the effects of alcohol, but most likely the Greeks were referring to the almost wine-like color of some stones that they may have encountered. Its color is unparalleled, and even other, more expensive purple gemstones are often compared to its color and beauty. Although it must always be purple to be amethyst, it can and does have a wide range of purple shades.
Amethyst can occur as long prismatic crystals that have a six sided pyramid at either end or can form as druzes that are crystalline crusts that only show the pointed terminations. As a mineral specimen, amethyst is popular for its color and nice crystal shapes that produce a handsome, purple, sparkling cluster.
However, amethyst is not the same everywhere. Different localities can produce a unique amethyst to that particular region or even to that particular mine. Experts can often identify the source mine that a particular amethyst came from. The key to this is the specimen’s color, shape of crystal, inclusions, associations and character of formation.
The following is a list of many of the more noteworthy localities and some of the attributes that characterize the amethyst found there.

• Vera Cruz, Mexico — very pale, clear, prismatic crystals that are sometimes double terminated and have grown on a light colored host rock. Crystals are typically phantomed, having a clear quartz interior and an amethyst exterior. Some are sceptered and phantomed.
• Guerrero, Mexico — dark, deep purple, prismatic crystals that radiate outward from a common attachment point. Often the crystals are phantomed opposite of Vera Cruz amethyst having a purple interior with a clear or white quartz exterior. These are some of the most valuable amethysts in the world.
• Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Brazil — crystals form in druzy crusts that line the inside of sometimes large volcanic rock pockets or “vugs”. Some of the vugs form from trees that were engulfed in a lava flow millions of years ago and have since withered away. Other vugs are just gas bubbles in the lava. Some vugs can be quite large. The crystals that form are usually light to medium in color and only colored at the tops of the crystals. Most clusters form with gray, white and blue agate and have a green exterior on the vugs. Calcite sometimes is associated and inclusions of cacoxenite are common. On occasion, even excellent crystals of gypsum have been found nestled inside these amethyst lined vugs.
• Maraba, Brazil — large crystals with unattractive surfaces that are of a pale to medium color and often carved or cut into slices. The large “Maraba points” are always polished to remove the rough and milky surface, revealing the beautiful purple amethyst inside.
• Thunder Bay, Canada — a distinct red hematite inclusion just below the surface of the crystals is unique to this locality. Clusters are druzy crusts that line the fissures formed in ancient metamorphic rocks.
• Uruguay — crystals are dark to medium and form in druzy crusts that line the inside of volcanic vugs that have a gray or brown exterior. The crystals are usually colored throughout, unlike the Brazilian crystals, and form with a multicolored agate that often contains reds, yellows and oranges. Often amethyst- coated stalactites and other unusual formations occur inside these vugs.
• Africa — crystals are usually large but not attractive. However, the interior color and clarity are excellent and polished slices and carvings as well as many gemstones are prized and admired.
• Maine, USA — Dark druzy clusters that are not widely distributed today.
• North Carolina, USA — Druzy clusters that have a bluish-violet tint.
• Pennsylvania, USA — druzy clusters that filled fractures in metamorphic rocks. They are generally a brownish purple and patchy in color.
• Colorado, USA — druzy clusters form crusts inside of fissures in sandstone, often on top of a crust of green fluorite. Crystals are dark but rather small.
• Italy — both Vera Cruz like crystals, although not as well defined, and large parallel growth clusters with good evenly distributed color.
• Germany — associated with colorful agates that form a druzy light-colored crust.
• Ural Mountains, Russia — a very clear and dark variety that is cut for fine expensive gemstones, natural uncut clusters are rarely on the market.
________________________________________
Often, cut gems of amethyst are graded using the terms: Siberian, Uruguayan or Bahain; to represent high medium and low grade respectively, regardless of the actual source. Because of the patchiness of the color distribution in the crystals, Amethyst is often cut as brilliant round cuts to maximize the color. Other cuts can be used when the color is better distributed.
The color purple is traditionally the color of royalty and amethyst has been used since the dawn of history to adorn the rich and powerful monarchs and rulers. Today, amethyst is a lovely and affordable gemstone that is fortunately available in a wide variety of cut and uncut stones that we can all possess and admire.

January’s Birthstone is Garnet
Over the coming weeks Shanore is going to give some information on all the birthstones, this week we are starting with January’s stone- Garnet.

The Garnet was considered to be a gem of faith & truth. Garnets were used medicinally as a remedy for hemorrhage and inflammatory diseases. Asiatic warriors believed that glowing garnets, used as bullets, inflicted more severe wounds. In 1892, during hostilities on the Kashmir frontier, the Hanza tribesmen fired on British soldiers with garnet bullets, believing them to be more effective than lead bullets.
Garnets were once believed to hold medicinal powers. In Medieval times, it protected its wearer against poisons, wounds and bad dreams, and cured depression. Red garnets relieved fever, hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases. To modern users, the garnet symbolizes a light heart, loyalty and enduring affections.
The name “garnet” is derived from the Latin “granatum” meaning “pomegranate” because the crystals resemble the red color and seed-like form of this fruit. Most people think of the garnet as a red gemstone, but in fact, it exists in all kinds of colors, such as black, many shades of red and green, or even colorless. The garnet’s variety of colors comes from metals such as manganese, iron, calcium, and aluminum. Some varieties even contain mineral fibers that produce the illusion of a four- or six-rayed star within the stone. Green garnets are most highly prized but are very rare. Emerald green and colorless stones are highly valued, followed by pure red garnets.
Garnets are commonly found as small pebbles in streams, where the igneous and metamorphic rocks that contain them have weathered away. They’re found in many places around the world, including North and South America, Australia, India, Asia and Spain.
In the former Czechoslovakia, evidence of garnet jewelry dating to the Bronze age was found — garnet necklaces were discovered in the graves of ancient lake dwellers. Garnet jewelry has also been discovered dating back to 3100 B.C. in Egypt, 2300 B.C. in Sumeria, and 2000-1000 B.C. in Sweden. Garnets were treasured in 3rd and 4th century Greece, and continued in popularity during Roman times. Across the Atlantic, Pre-Columbian Aztec and Native Americans also used garnets in their ornaments.

                                                DIRTY GOLD
Gold mining is a dirty business. In recent years, campaigns by both the jewellery trade and human rights organisations have exposed the violations that still take place in mines around the world.

According to campaigners, retailers can lead the way by assuring their customers that the gold products they sell were not produced at the expense of communities, workers and the environment. Providing assurances that you are concerned about human rights, labour and environmental conditions under which gold is produced is not only ethically sound but makes good business sense.
Cleaning up dirty gold mining is not just a PR exercise. It is about making concrete, on-the-ground changes in the way this metal is produced- changes that make a tangible difference to communities and ecosystems affected by mining.
Shanore can assure you that these subjects are always of high importance to us and that we always try and keep our finger on the pulse when it comes to the materials and products that we use.