01947 603 330 Phones Open: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Cart Cart

Gemstones

Specialists in Blue John and Whitby Jet, we offer a large selection of gemstones sourced from all around the world. Offering only the finest quality Australian Opal, Diamonds and Amethyst. 

WHITBY JET:

A deep black, highly polished gem, derived from the Araucaria, Monkey Puzzle Tree over 100 million years ago. Jet was valued as a protector against disease and evil spirits in Roman times. It was especially popular for ecclesiastical and mourning jewellery, being favoured by Queen Victoria herself.

BLUE JOHN:

Local legend insists that this beautiful purple, yellow and white banded fluorspar was first mined in the Derbyshire village of Castleton during the Roman Times, being one of the world’s rarest minerals.

CORAL:

Most often red or pink, ornamental coral is largely composed of calcium carbonate. It inhabits waters off the North African coast and parts of the Mediterranean. Known as ‘noble coral’ it enjoyed high esteem in ancient India.

HEMATITE:

An iridescent blue black surface makes this stone especially popular for jewellery. It was amongst the earliest stones in Greek and Roman times to be carved with cameos and intaglios for jewellery depicting subjects based on legends of Gods, Heroes and Demons.

JADE:

First used in China more than two thousand years ago. This strong material was used for delicate carving. The most prized is ‘Imperial Jade,’ which is a beautiful translucent emerald green variety.

JASPER:

Commonly a rich deep red colour or reddish – brown due to iron oxide staining makes it ideal for jewellery. Outstanding Jasper carvings of ceremonial and ritualistic artefacts of Egyptian times can be appreciated today, through the displays in museums.

MOSS AGATE:

Red moss Agate and Green Moss Agate are both varieties of translucent chalcedony, but each is enriched by its own fascinating darker patterns which are produced by manganese oxide impurities. Malachite.

AZURITE:

Beautifully banded shades of green are totally unique to malachite, which is a copper ore. Malachite is closely related to the vivid blue – violet ore, Azurite used since antiquity as the blue pigment in many forms of art.

OPAL:

This October birthstone is regarded as the bringer of hope, faith and good fortune through the rainbow of vivid colours that gleams from each stone. The opal is most highly prized of the silica quartz.

ONYX:

The deep, velvet – like appearance of Onyx has a charisma and tantalising beauty all of its own. Originating as black and white banded chalcedony quartz, Onyx is popular for carving highly distinctive cameos and other jewellery items.

MOTHER OF PEARL:

Occurring in shades of black, white and pink, Mother of Pearl is the June Birthstone. Innocence, vitality and beauty are the qualities associated with it. According to legend, pearls were angels’ tears shed for the sins of mankind and stored in the oceans of the world.

QUARTZ:

Known to Greeks of classical days, as the frozen water that would never thaw, this stone may be clear or white in appearance and also variously tinted due to natural impurities. It is one of the hardest minerals known to man.

ROCK CRYSTAL:

A transparent variety of quartz, so clear that it can be used for optical work, the term ‘crystal’ derives from the Greek word ‘Ice.; When cut, polished and illuminated this stones becomes iridescent with rainbows of light.

RHODOCHROSITE:

The ‘Inca Rose’ stone found in San Luis, Argentina, in the 1930’s in the region of the ancient Inca Empire. The ‘Rose’ refers to the lovely variegated pink shades which are formed through stalagmite formations.

SODALITE:

Originally known as ‘Princess Blue’ in recognition of the rich blue variety of this silicate mineral discovered in Canada during a royal visit. Sodalite is often exquisitely patterned with tiny red, pink or orange specks.

TURQUOISE:

The December birthstone, of dazzling greenish blue is composed of copper, aluminium and iron and was thought to offer powerful protection against ‘the evil eye.’ Known also as the ‘Lover’s Stone’ it can be given to pledge fidelity.

SPECTROLITE:

Spectrolite is a metallic colour of the spectrum- which is often blue or green. First found in 1770. Found in Finland, Canada and Russia.

TIGERS EYE:

Tigers Eye is golden yellow and brown in colour, formed from Hawks Eye. Found in South Africa, Western Australia, India and USA.

AQUAMARINE:

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family, acquiring its name from its seawater colours and thus was believed to bring good luck to the sailor. Found in Brazil, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia and Russia.

JONA MARBLE:

Limestone cliffs near the bay of Portna- Carrack, on the tiny Inner Hebridean island of Iona, are the intertwined shades of light and dark green serpentine which give Iona Marble a special mystery and charm.

DUMORTIERITE:

Dumortierite is named after noted French palaeontologist, Vincent Dumortier. Highly polished pieces of this wonderful violet and blue coloured aluminium silicate make beautiful stones for setting into many jewellery items.

AMAZONITE:

This is a microcline variety of feldspar. One of the most interesting to collectors – because of its origin in very coarse – grained ‘granite like’ rocks. The colour varies from a pale green to a deep blue green.

GARNET:

The garnet name originally given to the garnets were pyrope due to their resemblance of red pomegranate seeds. Pyrope is also the Greek god of fire. Colours vary between red, purple, orange, green and yellow. Found in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Brazil and China.

MOONSTONE:

This stone is translucent clear to blue and displays moving bands of light on the surface, which is enhanced when cut as cabochons – which are said to be and are known as ‘cats- eyes’ stones.

AMETHYST:

Amethyst is the purple variety of the quartz mineral species. It’s the gem that’s most commonly associated with the colour purple, even though there are other purple gems such as sapphire and tanzanite. Its purple colour can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that’s sometimes referred to as “raspberry.”Found in Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar and Zambia.

CHRYSOCOLLA:

A hydrous copper silicate of great beauty, the colour and variation ranges from sky and turquoise blues, through a myriad of blue and green shades to mountain green.

UNAKITE:

Widely used in lapidary this rock consists of pink feldspar and green epidote, consequently these stones are delightfully mottled and make beautiful jewellery.

TOPAZ:

This November birthstone can be pale blue, yellow or white. Some gem varieties of stones are colourless or pale blue but the most valuable are golden yellow known as ‘Imperial Topaz.’

CHRYSOPRASE:

This is a translucent gemstone variety of chalcedony. Chrysoprase is apple green in colour and has been used in jewellery since pre-roman times, often as cameos or intaglios in rings and pendants.

CITRINE:

A transparent variety of quartz, which looks particularly dazzling when it is faceted. This gemstone is light golden to deep yellow in colour. Found in Brazil, Uruguay and Madagascar.

LABRADORITE:

A special kind of feldspar that collectors long to possess, which when properly illuminated, exhibits a dazzling display of changing blues, greens and bronzes… It’s found worldwide but particularly in USA and Canada.

PERIDOT:

The meaning of the Greek word Peridot is uncertain. The gemmological name is ‘Olivine’ due to its green to yellowish-green colour. It is always green to yellowish-green in colour. Found in China, Burma, Brazil, Pakistan and Arizona.

IOLITE: 

Iolite comes from the Greek word 'Ios' meaning violet. It was used as a navigational instrument by the seafaring Vikings, because of its ability to filter sunlight. Found in India and Africa. 

CORNELIAN:

A beautiful translucent orange agate gemstone that belongs to the chalcedony variety of quartz, found in the ancient town of Chalcedon in Asia Minor. Cornelian rarely exceeds ½ inch in size and has been used for jewellery since Roman times.

CONNEMARA MARBLE:

Deep in the mountain regions of Weston Galway, Eire is found the beautiful green Connemara Marble, thought to be some 500 million years old. Twisting bands of serpentine produce an array of bewitching green shades.

BLOODSTONE:

The alternative March birthstone to Aquamarine- the wearer is inspired with great courage, fortitude and presence of mind, according to ancient folklore. It is a dark green variety of chalcedony quartz impregnated with vivid red specks of Jasper.

AVENTURINE:

A translucent variety of Aventurine is greenish blue in colour, containing silvery flecks of mica and is valued for its ornamental properties.

AMMONITE:

Fossil ammonites are 150 million years old; they can be cut and mounted in Gold and Silver to make fascinating and unusual jewellery. The fossilised coiled ammonite shells are found in Dorset and North Yorkshire limestone areas.

AMBER:

The exotic yellowish brown beauty and mystery of amber revered since antiquity for its talismanic properties. Amber originates from pine trees which flourished more than 30 million years ago.

ABALONE:

Abalone is an attractive delicate Mexican shell which is found in New Zealand, and is known as Paua. Abalone possesses all the colours of a rainbow and is widely used for decorative jewellery.

AGATE:

The beautiful patterns shown in polished agate were caused when microscopic crystals formed in bands and coloured deposits filtered through cavities in porous rocks. The beauty of Agate lies in these bands of different colours and shades.

LAPIS LAZULI:

Said to be a favourite of Pharaohs Emperors, Kings and Priests, this spectacular blue stone is often dotted with gold – like tints of iron pyrite. A symbol of luck, health and wealth, the name comes from the Arabic ‘lazward’ meaning blue.

COQUINA:

Located at the most northerly point of the beautiful, tropical Island of Barbados in the Southern Caribbean is an ancient sea cave known to both locals and travellers alike as ‘Animal Flower Cave’. Each Coquina jewellery piece has been specifically chosen for its colour, texture and suitability.

PRESELI BLUESTONE:

Preseli Bluestones are the stones that were used in the building of Stonehenge 5,000 years ago and are only found in the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

BAUXITE:

Bauxite is a pure white material, which has a highly vitreous luster when polished, predominantly an Aluminum based material.

DIAMOND:

Diamond is the only gem made of a single element; making it the hardest material on earth, it is typically about 99.95 percent carbon. The other 0.05 percent can include one or more trace elements, which are atoms that aren’t part of the diamond’s essential chemistry. Some trace elements can influence its color or crystal shape. Diamond forms under high temperature and pressure conditions that exist only within a specific depth range (about 100 miles) beneath the earth’s surface.

EMERALD:

Emerald is the green to greenish blue variety of beryl, a mineral species that also includes aquamarine as well as beryls in other colors.

RUBY:

Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire. In its purest form, the mineral corundum is colorless. Trace elements that become part of the mineral’s crystal structure cause variations in its color. Chromium is the trace element that cause ruby’s to be red, which ranges from an orangey red to a purplish red. The most renowned rubies, like those from Myanmar, the Himalayas, and northern Vietnam, typically form in marble. They’re found in layers that are distributed irregularly within the surrounding marble.

SAPPHIRE:

Blue sapphire belongs to the mineral species corundum. It can be a pure blue but ranges from greenish blue to violetish blue. The name “sapphire” can also apply to any corundum that’s not red and doesn’t qualify as ruby “fancy sapphires” come in violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. Found in Madagascar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Australia.

TANZANITE:

Tanzanite is the blue to violet to purple variety of the mineral zoisite. It is mined commercially only in one area of the world: the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, which is where it gets its name. Tanzanite’s appearance is influenced greatly by its pleochroism, which is the ability of a gemstone to show different colors when viewed in different crystal directions.

PEARL:

The qualities that determine the overall value of a natural or cultured pearl or a piece of pearl jewelry are size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and—for jewelry with two or more pearls—matching.

WhatsApp