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LEARN ABOUT GEMSTONES
Anniversary Gift List
| Year 1 | Gold | Year 16 | Peridot |
| Year 2 | Garnet | Year 17 | Watches |
| Year 3 | Pearl | Year 18 | Cat's Eye |
| Year 4 | Blue Topaz | Year 19 | Aquamarine |
| Year 5 | Sapphire | Year 20 | Emerald |
| Year 6 | Amethyst | Year 25 | Silver |
| Year 7 | Onyx | Year 30 | Pearl |
| Year 8 | Tourmaline | Year 35 | Emerald |
| Year 9 | Lapis Lazuli | Year 40 | Ruby |
| Year 10 | Diamond | Year 45 | Sapphire |
| Year 11 | Turquoise | Year 50 | Gold |
| Year 12 | Jade | Year 55 | Alexandrite |
| Year 13 | Citrine | Year 60 | Diamond |
| Year 14 | Opal | Year 70 | Sapphire |
| Year 15 | Ruby | Year 80 | Ruby |
Birthstone Month List
Contact us to learn more about pricing and availablity.
January - Garnet
Garnet is the birthstone for January and the anniversary gemstone for the second year of marriage. Garnet displays the greatest variety of color of any mineral, occurring in every color except blue. The following are some of the different variety names of garnet and the colors they come in:
- Almandite garnet: red, purple, reddish brown
- Demantoid garnet: green tones
- Spessartite garnet: red, orange, brown
- Rhodolite garnet: purple, red, violet
- Pyrope garnet: dark red
- Tsavorite garnet: green tones
- Grossularite garnet: colorless, orange, yellow, green, brown, white, pink
- Hessonite garnet: orange, yellow, brown hues
- Malaya garnet: pinkish-orange tones
Typically, the green garnets are the most rare and costly (Tsavorite and Demantoid). In top quality, these green gemstones can run thousands of dollars.
Enhancements: Garnets are completely natural in color and clarity. There are no known commercial treatments being done today to enhance these beautiful and exciting gemstones. The owner of any of garnet’s beautiful colors will cherish the fact that their garnet is one of the few colored gemstones in today’s market that exhibits the exact color and clarity that mother nature produced.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 7 to 7.5--good gemstone for everyday wear. Also good in a man’s ring because of good durability.
February - Amethyst
Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February and the anniversary gemstone for the 6th year of marriage. The name is derived from the Greek word “amethustos” meaning “not drunk,” because the Ancient Greeks believed that whoever wore this gemstone would be protected from the intoxicating effects of wine. It is not surprising that amethyst has been so popular throughout history, because its purple color has long been considered a sign of royalty. Amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and also were a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Today, amethyst remains a popular colored gemstone because of its vast shades of purple hues and its very reasonable price.
Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and occurs in transparent pale lilac to deep purple colors. Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Zambia, Uruguay and Russia, as well as other locations around the world.
Enhancements: Darker hues of amethyst are seldom enhanced and are normally natural in color.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 7--good for everyday wear. Also fairly good for a man’s ring because of its fair to good durability.
March - Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March and the anniversary gemstone for the 19th year of marriage. Aquamarine is the Latin word for “seawater;” this beautiful gemstone inspires visions of the transparent azure blue waters of the Caribbean. Aquamarine differs greatly from its famous relative, emerald. Both are from the gemstone group known as beryl. However, while emeralds are almost always included (having visible inclusions), aquamarines are almost always free of inclusions (no visible inclusions under 10X magnification).
According to legend, aquamarine is the treasure of mermaids, with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. Aquamarine is also said to have a soothing influence on married couples, giving them the power to work out their differences and to ensure a long and happy marriage.
Aquamarines are found in Brazil, Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and other locales. Aquamarine is always pastel blue, but darker colored stones carry more value. Experts prefer a pure blue with no green in it. Stones with greenish tones tend to be less expensive. The most popular shapes for aquamarines are oval and emerald cut. This is because of the elongated crystal system they grow in (hexagonal crystal system).
Enhancements: The aquamarines that one sees today are almost always enhanced by the use of heat. Natural occurring bluish-green gemstones are heated to remove the green color leaving a more pleasing blue hue. The treatment is very common and accepted in the market place. It is permanent for the life of the gemstone.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 7.5 to 8. Although hard in nature and resistant to scratching, this gemstone can be slightly fragile to chipping or breaking. Durability rating of fair.
April - Diamond
Diamond is the birthstone of April and anniversary gemstone for the 10th and 60th years of marriage. Diamonds were discovered in 500 B.C. in India. The name “diamond” comes from the Greek word “adamas” which means unconquerable, suggesting the eternity of love. Diamond is the hardest substance known to man and is made up of a single element, which is carbon. Because it is composed of a single element, a diamond is the purest of all gemstones. There are many kinds of diamonds: transparent, translucent or opaque; ranging from colorless to sooty black, with many colors in between. Primarily transparent, colorless or tinted diamonds are used for jewelry. Others are widely used for industrial purposes such as drilling and cutting.
Elements embedded inside the diamond give color to this gem. For instance, the presence of boron causes a bluish hue and nitrogen causes a yellowish hue. The greater the amount of these elements, the darker the color will be.
Enhancements: Processes to improve the color grade are being perfected. Several companies are also doing clarity enhancement, which improves the look of a heavily included diamond. These enhancements are fine as long as the consumer is informed and fully understands what they are purchasing. Synthetic artificial diamonds are also being produced today. The enhanced and synthetic diamonds are less costly and valuable than the genuine.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 10--excellent gemstone for everyday wear. Excellent durability rating.
May - Emerald
Emerald is the birthstone for May and the anniversary gemstone for the 20th and 35th year of marriage. The green of an emerald is a soothing, natural color, said to represent the spring and the green fields that are so calming and easy on the eyes. Emeralds are considered the queen of the gemstones because in their finest quality they possess such beauty and value.
Egypt was history’s first emerald source dating back 4,000 years ago, but today’s leading producers are Colombia, Brazil and Zambia. The finest emeralds in the world come from the Muzo mine in Columbia. The finest Muzo gems are categorized as vivid with a very slight bluish green color.
Emerald receives its green color from trace amounts of chromium. The more green in the stone the more chromium that is present. Unfortunately chromium usually shows as inclusions in the stone. This is why most emeralds are heavily included. We are proud to hear our customers remark how clear our emeralds look. Harris Jeweler always hand picks only the finest quality emeralds in all price ranges for our clients.
Artificially created Emeralds can be either imitation or synthetic. An imitation has none of the properties of a natural emerald, except for the green color. Green glass would be an example of an imitation emerald. Synthetic or created emeralds are grown in a controlled laboratory environment. Thomas Chatham and Pierre Gilson developed these scientific processes. Synthetic emeralds have all of the same properties as natural emeralds. They are optically, physically and chemically identical to the natural stones. Synthetic emeralds are a fraction of the price of natural emeralds. Testing by a trained gemologist can detect a synthetic from a genuine stone.
Emeralds are generally cut in a rectangular faceted shape known as an emerald cut. This cut usually saves the most weight possible from the crystal and also shows the gem’s color at its best.
Enhancements: Almost all emeralds are oiled at the mines. This is done because most stones have numerous fractures that reach the surface of the stone. The oil fills in these fractures and helps to hide the inclusions from the eye. Oiling does not affect top quality emeralds that are free of fractures that reach the surface. Oiling of emeralds has gone on for hundreds of years and is considered an accepted procedure. However, using green oil or green resin to fill these fractures on lower-quality emeralds is considered an unacceptable practice because it changes the color of the stone. A trained gemologist using magnification can detect these treatments, but to the consumer it would be undetectable. Harris Jeweler keeps abreast of trade information and is continually training to keep up with all enhancements so we can assure our clients of the purest and finest of gems.
Durability: Mohs Hardness scale: 7.5 to 8. Emeralds are harder than most other gems, but many are somewhat fragile because of their inclusions. Rough wear or improper handling is dangerous for any emerald. Because many emeralds have been oiled at the mines to enhance color and hide inclusions, it is important not to clean emeralds in home ultrasonic machines or in commercial cleaning solutions. Harris Jeweler gladly offers free in-store cleaning of your emerald and other jewelry while you wait.
June - Pearl
Pearl is the birthstone for June and the anniversary gemstone for the 30th year of marriage. Pearls are unique in the world of gemstones because they are the only gemstone that is formed within living creatures. Pearls are truly a treasured gift from the sea and revered for their colors, shapes, sizes and luster. As the supply of naturally occurring pearls became exhausted, man learned how to help produce pearls. You may have seen the term “Cultured” preceding the word pearls. Cultured pearls are pearls that are nudged to life when a worker surgically implants a tiny bead into the mollusk (that’s the shellfish in which the pearls grow). The host mollusk is then lowered back into the water. If all goes well, it deposits layer upon layer of a substance called nacre around the bead and, after several years, forms a pearl large enough to harvest. Cultured pearls are grown and harvested in many parts of the world, including the fresh waters of the world. Pearls come in all colors and shapes. The majority of pearls come from Japan, China and the South Pacific.
When shopping for cultured pearls for the bride, yourself or anyone else, what quality features should you look for? Here are the essentials:
- Luster: Of all the traits of cultured pearls, luster is perhaps the most important. Fine luster produces an almost mirror-like reflection on the surface of pearls. Luster is to pearls like sparkle is to diamonds. Avoid cultured pearls that look dull and chalky.
- Surface: The surface of a cultured pearl should be relatively clear of blemishes, pockmarks and pits. Since cultured pearls are grown inside a mollusk, it’s very rare to find a completely blemish-free pearl. But the fewer the blemishes, the greater the value of the pearl. Normally, surface condition does not have much affect on the beauty of the pearl.
- Color: Color in pearls is a preference normally based on skin tones. White pearls with a pink overtone are most popular with fair skinned women; pearls with a golden tone are stunning on both darker skins and redheads.
- Size: Size is another factor best left to personal preference. Some of our clients like smaller, more delicate cultured pearls, from 3mm to 5mm. Some like an average size ranging from 6mm to 6.5mm, while others like a larger, more sophisticated look from 7mm and larger.
- Shape: In cultured pearls, the closer to round, the more rare they are.
- Color match: Run your eye down the strand and view how color has been matched from one pearl to the next.
Enhancements: Today, cultured and freshwater pearls are often bleached to achieve a uniform color. This is considered an accepted procedure.
Durability: Pearls have good durability, but because of their organic nature, they need to be kept away from chemicals such as perfume, hairspray, cosmetics or alcohol based solutions that could potentially cause them to peel. To clean your pearls, wipe clean with a moist cloth after wearing.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite is another birthstone for June and the anniversary gemstone for the 55th year of marriage. Alexandrite is one of the most fascinating gemstones because it actually changes color from green in daylight to red in incandescent light. The first time you see it, it is hard to believe your eyes. When evaluating alexandrite, pay the most attention to the color change; the more dramatic and complete the shift from red to green, without the bleeding through of brown from one color to the next, the more rare and valuable the stone. Most alexandrite is mined in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Burma and Russia. Although natural alexandrite in fine quality is very rare and costly, synthetic alexandrite is an excellent alternative. The synthetic alexandrite is lab created; having all the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the natural gemstone.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 8.5-- good gemstone for every day wear. Also good in a man’s ring because of very good durability.
July - Ruby
Ruby is the birthstone for July and the anniversary gemstone for the 15th and 40th years of marriage. Ruby is considered “the king of gems” because of its beauty and rarity. In the finest of qualities, it is the most valuable of all the colored stones and white diamonds.
Ruby derived its name from the Latin word “rubeus,” which means red. The red color of ruby is caused from chromium. Historically the most desirable color is denoted by the term “pigeon’s blood.” Ruby is mined in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and Africa.
Enhancements: As is the case with many colored gemstones, rubies are routinely enhanced to improve their color and their clarity. The most common form of treatment is through heating the gem to improve its color. However, there are other less accepted forms of enhancements being done on rubies. One should be cautious about purchasing these gems from anyone but a jeweler who is gemologically trained to recognize and explain the differences.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 9--good gemstone for everyday wear. Also good in a man’s ring because of good durability.
August - Peridot
Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August and the anniversary gemstone for the 16th year of marriage. Peridot has been adored since early times when the ancient Egyptians prized it more than 3,500 years ago. Some historians are convinced that some, if not all, of Cleopatra’s famous emeralds were actually peridots mined from what is now known as St. John’s Island in the Red Sea. This beautiful lime-green gemstone depends largely on body mass for its concentration of color and hence, its beauty. Peridot is mined in Arizona, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Burma and China.
Enhancements: Peridots are completely natural in color and clarity. There are no known commercial treatments being done today to enhance these beautiful and exciting gemstones. The owner of a peridot will cherish the fact that their peridot is one of the few colored gemstones in today’s market that exhibits the exact color and clarity that Mother Nature produced.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 6.5 to 7--fair durability rating.
September - Sapphire
Sapphire is the birthstone of September and the anniversary gemstone for the 5th and 45th years of marriage. Although blue is its most famous color, sapphires are mined in a rainbow of colors: blue, yellow, pink, green, orange, black and every color in-between. Sapphire comes from the mineral corundum and is called sapphire in every color but red. When it is red it is called ruby.
Sapphires are mined in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia, Cambodia, United States, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, China and Madagascar. Montana is home to one of the largest sapphire deposits in the world. The Yugo Gulch deposits of Montana produce a range of fancy colors and deep blue sapphires, which are small in size but have a beautiful blue color.
Enhancements: As is the case with many colored gemstones, sapphires are routinely enhanced to improve their color and their clarity. The most common form of treatment is through heating the gem to improve its color (some estimate 99.9% of sapphires are heated). However there are other less accepted forms of enhancements being done with sapphires. One should be cautious about purchasing these gems from anyone but a jeweler who is gemologically trained to recognize and explain the differences.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 9--good gemstone for everyday wear. Also good in a man’s ring because of good durability.
October - Pink Tourmaline
Tourmaline is the birthstone for October and the anniversary gemstone for the 8th year of marriage. Although typically people think of pink tourmaline, this birthstone comes naturally in a rainbow of colors that excite the senses. Varying vibrant hues within the tourmaline family are such that they command a name that separates them from the more common hues:
- Rubellite: vivid reds, hot pinks
- Chrome tourmaline: vibrant greens
- Indicolite: greenish blues
- Bi-color or watermelon: two or more colors, usually green and red shades
Tourmalines are mined in many areas of the world including Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa and the United States.
Enhancements: As is the case with many colored gemstones, tourmalines are routinely enhanced to improve their color and their clarity. The most common form of treatment is through heating or irradiating the gem to improve its color. However, there are other less accepted forms of enhancements being done on tourmalines. One should be cautious about purchasing these gems from anyone but a jeweler who is gemologically trained to recognize and explain the differences.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 7 to 7.5-- Fair durability rating
Opal
Opal is the birthstone for October and the anniversary gemstone for the 14th year of marriage. Its personality is amazing with its fireworks display of colors. Opal is found in several different colors including Black Opal, whose blue, gray or black body color enhances the play of fire and in White Opal with a lightish or white body color. Black opal is far rarer than white opal. Boulder Opal has color flashes intertwined with rock matrix. Different in appearance is Fire Opal, a transparent gemstone of brilliant yellow, orange or red. Opal comes in a range of qualities and prices from the very inexpensive to the extremely precious. Most opal are mined primarily in Australia and in Mexico, where the Mexican Fire Opals are found.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 5 to 6.5-- care must be taken to protect these gems.
November - Topaz
Topaz is the birthstone of November and the anniversary gemstone for the 4th year of marriage. Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and all the beautiful warm browns and oranges in-between. Some rare and exceptional topazes are pink to a sherry red. Topaz is mined in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia and China.
Enhancements: As is the case with many colored gemstones, topaz is routinely enhanced to improve their color and their clarity. The most common form of treatment is through heating or irradiating the gem to improve its color. However, there are other less accepted forms of enhancements being done on topaz. One should be cautious about purchasing these gems from anyone but a jeweler who is gemologically trained to recognize and explain the differences.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 8--fair to good durability
December - Tanzanite
Tanzanite is the new birthstone for December. Tanzanite was discovered in East Africa in 1967. No gemstone has had more of an impact on the world gemstone market than tanzanite, a velvety blue variety of the mineral zoisite. Tanzanite is a prized gem because of its rich purples and blues, sometimes with a depth comparable to the finest sapphires. It is supremely rare, coming from only one place in the world--the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, in the shadows of Mount Kilimanjaro. New mining techniques, along with the liberation of the Tanzanian economy, have helped to boost production in the past few years to make tanzanite more available than ever before. Its mesmerizing color stems from the fact that tanzanite is trichroic; that is, it shows different colors when viewed in different directions. One direction is blue, another is purple, and another bronze, adding subtle depth to the color. The darker the color, the more valuable and rare the gemstone. When tanzanite is found in the ground, the bronze color dominates. However, with gentle heating, the cutter can watch the blue color bloom and deepen the gemstone.
Enhancements: Heat-treated to bring out color.
Durability: Mohs Hardness Scale: 6 to 7. Fragile, not recommended for constant wear. Extreme changes in temperature can damage the gemstone.