Gemstones

We absolutely love shades of green at Hunters Fine Jewellery, and emeralds are one of our favourite precious gems. Emeralds are highly prized due to their fabulous colour that ranges from blue-green to deep, intense, saturated green. This green colour comes from trace elements of chromium and sometimes from vanadium. Flawless emeralds are very rare and extremely costly, therefore most emeralds contain natural inclusions visible to the naked eye. These add to the uniqueness of each stone. Emerald inclusions are sometimes called the 'jardin', (the French word meaning garden), as they look similar to moss or plant tendrils. Emeralds are...

Citrine is one of our favourite gemstones here at Hunters Fine Jewellery. It is a beautiful yellow variety of quartz that ranges in colour from palest lemon to honey and butterscotch, to whisky and deep burnt orange. It may surprise you to know, however, that almost all citrine is amethyst that has been heat-treated to create the gorgeous yellow colour. Almost all citrine is mined in Brazil. The name citrine comes from the French word citron meaning lemon. It measures 7 on the Mohs scale and is suitable for all types of jewellery and indeed has been used in jewellery...

Aquamarine. The very name conjures up beautiful images of tranquil, blue-green oceans. A member of the beryl family of gemstones, this gorgeous blue stone is a favourite of ours at Hunters Fine Jewellery. The name aquamarine comes from the Latin words 'aqua' meaning water and 'mare' meaning sea, and the gemstone has been used in jewellery making for thousands of years due to its colour, clarity and sparkle. Once mysteriously thought to be mermaids' treasure, sailors and seafarers would often carry aquamarine as a talisman for protection against the dangers at sea. Soldiers would also take aquamarine gemstones with them...

When we think of the gemstone amethyst, it more than likely conjures up the colour purple in our minds, with colours ranging from pale lilac to dark purplish red. However, did you know there is also a type of green amethyst named prasiolite. This is a yellowy-green gemstone that is created by heating natural amethyst to change its colour. The pale green hues of green amethyst are quite beautiful and delicate. The main source of amethyst is South America, namely Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay. Amethyst is the birthstone for those born in February, and it's a very popular stone for all types of jewellery due to its hardness of 7 on the...