​​Although you may think of garnets as a red gemstone they also come in so many more colors depending on what elements influence it. Garnets are made of several closely related minerals and come in many variations. They are divided into two subgroups groups, those containing aluminum and those containing calcium. 

Garnet Names that you may see in our jewelry descriptions:
Spessartite garnet is an orange to red gemstone. This type of Garnet contains aluminum as the second element. 
Hessonite (Grossular Group) Garnet Due to its orange-brown color, as well as its historic connection to the spice-producing country of Sri Lanka, this garnet is also known as “cinnamon stone.”
Tsavorite (Grossular Group) is an emerald green variety of garnet, discovered in Africa along the Kenya border in 1967 and then marketed by Tiffany and CO. in 1974. It is the most expensive form of garnet due to its rarity. 
Uvarovite (Grossular Group) is a green garnet that usually occurs as crystals too small to cut. It is sometimes set as clusters in jewelry. It is a rich bright green color as seen in the pendant.
Perhaps surprise your January birthday loved one with a colorful garnet that is unexpected in green uvarovite? 
Raspberry Garnet (Grossular Group) New for touchstone gallery. 

How to tell garnet from ruby? Have you ever wondered how to tell the two red gemstones apart? Red garnets can have hints of orange or pink while rubies are vivid red with occasional purple or blue secondary hues. Hold a garnet in front of a light until you can spot its spectrum reflected in the stone. If you see two rainbows with no yellow or green bands, you're likely looking at a ruby. Rubies are more rare of the two gemstones due to the way they are formed without any influence of silica which is the most abundant mineral on earth.

Sapphire is a precious gemstone that shares the same mineral properties as ruby. They are both a corundum, consisting of aluminum oxide (α-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. However, Ruby, the mysterious gemstone that I wrote about in July's blog, does not have the influence of silica and so it is a highly prized red gemstone. Silica being the most abundant mineral on earth for some unknown reason did not come in contact with the other minerals casing the ruby to then become a sapphire.
 Sapphires are typically blue, but can also be in fancy colors like purple, pink, yellow, orange and green. Some even have two colors and called "Parti" sapphires. 

​Susan's Pick of the Month is this stunning sapphire necklace in multi colors. This necklace is light and airy to wear in our transitional warm to cooler weather. Its like a party in a necklace with all of its fun colors. Watermelon "jelly bean" shaped tourmalines are the gemstones that play with light against the colorful sapphires. 
Touchstone has sapphire jewelry in bracelets, rings and faceted beaded necklaces.

We invite you to visit us on the web by clicking on the picture or in one of our store locations:
​Sedona, Taos and Santa Fe.
 

Where Found: Sapphires have been found in Kashmir, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the world leader for the source of sapphires for over 2,000 years. Black Star Sapphire is mostly mined in Thailand, West Africa and India
Legend and Lore: depending on the color, sapphires can symbolize different things, sincerity, truth, faithfulness and nobility. Black Star sapphire symbolizes strength and confidence, and brings calm in stressful situations. 
Care: Because Sapphire is a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale it is an excellent choice in jewelry. Warm, soapy water is always a safe choice for cleaning the September birthstone.

Susan's Pick of the month is this spectacular showpiece that she had commissioned for our Sedona Gallery's tenth year anniversary. This necklace features multi-faceted shapes of peridot with matching earrings.  *Susan Heike Wilhelm is a designer and part owner with her husband, Joseph. 

Peridot, the birthstone for August and also the gemstone for the 15th wedding anniversary.  Peridot is gem quality olivine. It is found in lava, meteorites , and deep in the earth's mantle.The green color is caused by impurities of iron. 

Peridots can also have extraterrestrial origins in Pallasite meteorites.  Peridot as an interplanetary mineral found in the stony-iron content of the meteorite with yellowish green olivine. Touchstone gallery offers its customers this rare meteorite on occasion, please inquire if interested. 

Sources:
Egyptians first mined peridot on the Red Sea island of Zabargad. The remote island was obscured by fog most of the time and early navigators had difficulty finding the island. It is thought that the green gemstone used in Cleopatra's crown was more than likely peridot and not emeralds as originally thought. 

Today peridot is mined primarily in Egypt, from the once lost island of Zabargad in the Red Sea. Where fog made it difficult for the ancient mariners to navigate. It was rediscovered  in 1905. 

Myanmar, where the larger peridot is found several hundred carets in size. 
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​Arizona and New Mexico where it is eroded from parent rock. Ants remove these these grains in order to build their homes subsequently grains of peridot can be found among the small grains of gravel of their hills. Navajo Reservations are also a source of peridot. 

Touchstone gallery offers many choices in peridot jewelry and at affordable price points. We invite you to visit one of our gallery locations to see our many offerings in peridot. 

Care:
​Olivines can range in hardness from 6.5 (fayalite) to 7 (forsterite). Thus, peridots can approach quartz gems in hardness. However, they are still sensitive to scratching from household dust (which has a hardness like quartz). Furthermore, they have some susceptibility to stress fractures.
Clean them only with a soft brush, mild detergent, and warm water. Peridots also have some sensitivity to acids, even those found in perspiration. Peridot jewelry should be worn against the skin only occasionally

Ruby is said to be associated with strong emotions such as love, passion, a fiery spirit, and a zest for life! Rubies and Sapphires share all of the same properties in that they are both varieties of Corundum with the exception that ruby has trace elements of chromium that gives it the red color.
It is that red color that makes it the highest priced gemstone per caret in the world of gems in the color gemstone realm.  Rubies are a red to orange-red to purple-red variety of the mineral corundum, aluminum oxide (Al2O3). Ruby and its companion variety of corundum, sapphire, are very hard being  9 Mohs scale of 10. The very best color in Myanmar rubies is sometimes described as “pigeon’s blood.” Lore is that the first two drops of pigeons's blood from the beak was the prized color for comparing rubies. it has a hint of blue tint to the red. (BTW no pigeons were sacrificed for this blog).


When researching for this blog I came across some interesting geological information surrounding the question of how were rubies even able to come into existence? What follows is an excerpt from an article in Discover Magazine, The Geology of Rubies, written by Anne Sasso, November 4, 2014.

​"The biggest question, the one that has geologists on both sides of the Atlantic at odds with each other, is how rubies formed in the first place. Geologists simply do not know. That rubies even exist, says Peter Heaney, geosciences professor at Penn State University, is something of a “minor geological miracle.” 

My takeaway from this article is that corundum is a rare mineral made up of other tightly packed aluminum and oxygen atoms. Some of the atoms were substituted for aluminum, then more colorful hues emerge. Small amounts of traces of Chromium imparts the red color. Second factoid, Since silica is one of the most abundant elements in Earth’s crust, how is it that rubies managed to avoid it but at the same time connect with the exceedingly rare chromium? And how did rubies avoid iron, another common element?  I just found this exceedingly interesting and had to share it with our readers, but I encourage you to read the whole article on your own as I was just doing a short summary. Scientist go on to try to offer other geological shifts that may have influenced how rubies were able to avoid silica and iron. So geek out and follow this link!

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/the-geology-of-rubies 


Touchstone is happy to bring to our customers offerings in Ruby Earrings, and Bracelet: Please click on the image to link to the page for more information about the products that you see here.

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Pearls have captivated mankind through history and previously were found in many parts of the world.  Historically they were hunted from the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, and the China Seas. Chinese fishermen from the twelfth century would tie ropes to their wastes to safely dive for pearls. Presently they are mostly found in the Australian Indian Sea.

They have been used to make jewelry, to adorn clothing, tiaras, and royal crowns. Pearls are metaphor for all things desirable, fine, and valuable.

They are a glistening hard object that are are formed from the inner folds of a shell of a mollusk.  Pearls are composed of calcium carbonate and conchiolin. 

• There are many types of pearls and they come in eight basic shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, circled and double bouldered. Perfectly round pearls are the rarest and most valuable shape.* Wikipedia
• They come in many different colors pink, blue, champagne, green, and even purple. Most recently black has become popular.
• There are two types of pearls, freshwater water and saltwater. touchstone jewelry is mostly created using freshwater pearls as well as the pearls mentioned to follow below.

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​touchstone gallery has many varieties of pearls sourced from different species chosen for their color and luster.  Some of the pieces pictured in our blog today are pieces made from Osmena pearls that are from inner chamber of the nautilus mollusk (actually the inner spiral of the shell).


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​Another pearl that we offer is from the Haliotis iris species of abalone. Pearls of abalone, or paua, are mabe pearls, or blister pearls, unique to New Zealand waters and are commonly referred to as 'blue pearls'. They are admired for their incredible luster and naturally bright vibrant colors that are often compared to opal.

​ *Mabe pearl or also called a blister Pearl. A blister pearl, a half-sphere, formed flush against the shell of the pearl oyster.

Care: After every wear, wipe your pearls with a soft cloth. This will help prevent any buildup of oils or other substances that may have come in contact with your jewelry throughout the day. Store Flat.
Pearl Maintenance Tips: Pearls are commonly passed down to become a treasured family heirloom . Make sure your pearls last long enough to achieve heirloom status by following these maintenance tips:
1. Last on, first off. Pearls should be the final touch to your outfit. Avoid applying makeup, hairspray, lotion or perfume once your pearls are on.
2. Store them flat. While it's perfectly acceptable for most necklaces to be hung on a cute jewelry rack, your pearl strands should not be. Store pearl necklaces flat to prevent them from stretching.
3. Dedicate a space just for your pearls. Soft pearls are prone to scratches, so store them separately in fabric-lined compartments.
4. Wear your pearls often. Pearls do best in a moist environment, so wearing them frequently keeps them from drying out. 


I hope that you have found our blog today helpful. Please visit our stores located in Sedona, Taos and Santa Fe where our natural art experts will be happy to further answer your inquiries about the jewelry discussed in our blog.