The beauty of gemstones hold certain fascinations for man, whether in raw form or faceted. In order to improve and reveal the best of a gemstone, man has gone a step further by cutting or faceting it. Although there is no actual record on who first started gem-cutting, it certainly took many years to perfect… Read More »
Nature has her way of leaving her fingerprints on everything she creates, thereby making everything unique in their own way and value. So when one evaluates a natural gemstone, it is ideal to know the characteristics of each. Amethyst, part of the quartz family, is highly sensitive to heat and exposing the gem to high… Read More »
I don’t normally read a series out of cycle, but my daughter picked up this book for me from the library, not knowing that it’s book 3 of 6. Not wanting to waste her good intention, I decided to read it nonetheless. However, it was an unfortunate coincidence that when I started reading this book,… Read More »
Primitive man who wore the tooth of a slain beast around his neck and his woman who adorned her being with shells and coloured stones were simply adding to the protective mantle necessary for survival in their raw lifestyles. From the early beginnings of civilisation, jewellery in its most basic form had a direct relationship… Read More »
A plain iron hoop was the fore runner of today’s engagement ring. The Romans gave a ring as a symbol of the cycle of life and eternity as a public pledge that the marriage contract would be honoured. Gold was introduced in the second century A.D. and when the Christians adopted the custom, the ring… Read More »
Rare, treasured, inaccessible and the result of the most protracted efforts, the diamond is at the heart of a most precarious industry which has been stabilised worldwide by the Central Selling Organisation (CSO). It was created in 1930 by the late Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, chairman of the DeBeers Consolidated Mines which today remains the leader… Read More »