We think this semiprecious, glowy stunner is quite underrated, and we hope after reading this blog you’ll agree!
Reason #1 Why Carnelian is Underrated: Carnelian is a type of Chalcedony that can actually be found in the US in places like the Oregon Coast (where we found some), Washington, Montana and Arizona.
“Carnelian” is the trade name for when Chalcedony is orange, translucent, and evenly colored without any banding. If there are bands or white swirls present, then it gets called Agate.
Reason #2 Why Carnelian is Underrated: When you buy Carnelian jewelry, you can get the sunny, saturated orange color you want without feeling like your bank account was just ransacked.
Carnelian is the most affordable type of Chalcedony, but still glows just as nicely as an orange sapphire or spessartine garnet (the latter of which has risen dramatically in price and popularity lately!)
David and Alisa, the husband-and-wife duo behind Mercurius Jewelry, designed these adorable Mini Acorn Charms for you as a Beaumont Jewelry Collective exclusive. Each one has a little gold leaf and a unique Carnelian that was hand-carved by Dave himself, who is a master lapidarist.
They are pictured here on our Fairmined gold cable and paperclip chains, but we honestly think they’d be cute on any chain and would bring some warmth to your jewelry collection.
Reason #3 Why Carnelian is Underrated: It glows like fire in sunlight!
If you thought Carnelian was pretty in that indoor photo, just look at how they glow in the sunlight!!
We can totally understand why the ancient Indians who built the Taj Mahal called Carnelian “the fire stone.” Carnelian gets its orange hue from iron oxide found in its trace inclusions from when the stone was forming. In Arab tradition, Carnelian was considered a stone for the kings due to its association with fire and having a protective, proactive energy.
Would you wear a Carnelian necklace? We hope this interesting gem grows on you just like it has on us!
At a glance: the sea blue variety of the mineral species Beryl, March's birthstone Aquamarine with its soothing hues has historically been a crowd pleaser.
Color
Aquamarine (meaning "seawater" in Latin) comes in shades of light, pastel blue all the way to deep saturated aqua, sometimes with a strong greenish tint. Its gorgeous hues reminds us of the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean!
Durability
Aquamarines are a 7.5-8 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness, making them durable enough for daily wear. They are not as hard as diamonds and sapphires, however, so they are a bit more susceptible to scratching. If you own an aquamarine ring, exercise more caution when wearing it than you would with diamond rings. Using warm water and mild soap on aquamarines is always fine. You should double check to make sure your aquamarine doesn't have any surface-reaching fractures or large inclusions before submerging it in an ultrasonic cleaner.
Symbolism and History
In the ancient past, mariners and sailors believed that aquamarine would protect calm waves and protect them while they were at sea. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite adorned her daughter's hair with aquamarines as an expression of divine love. Aquamarine later became a popular bridal gift as it was thought to bring happiness in marriage. In color psychology, blue is often recognized as one of the most tranquil colors that is known to reduce stress and even lower your heart rate!
Where Aquamarines Are Found
Aquamarines can grow in massive crystals and is found in many different places all over the world. Brazil and Pakistan are two top producing countries, along with Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia and Mozambique. Did you know we even have American Aquamarine that comes from mines in Colorado?
We love this clear, dreamy colored gemstone jewelry here at BJC and can't wait to add more Aquamarine pieces to our collection!
Garnet’s stunning varieties are so underrated in our opinion, even though awareness about these juicy gems has been expanding!
Reason #1 why garnets are underrated: some garnets have even greater color dispersion than diamonds!
Demantoid garnet, the most highly sought after type of andradite garnet, has better color dispersion aka “fire” due to its high refractive index and specific chemical composition. It simply splits white light into spectral colors more effectively! On top of that, demantoid garnet becomes even more valuable when it contains a special “horsetail inclusion” that resembles….you guessed it, a horse’s tail.
Reason #2 why garnets are underrated: garnets come in SO many different hues!
You might associate garnet with the color red, but in reality garnets come in 15 different species that produce gorgeous neon oranges, raspberry and blush pinks, vivid greens, honey brown, lemon yellow and even uber rare color change blue-to-purple.
Whether you are into raspberry-colored rhodolite (such as the garnets shown in the 3 pieces of jewelry we’ve curated above) or punchy green tsavorite that almost looks like an emerald, or more subdued pink malaya…garnet has got you covered.
Reason #3 why garnets are underrated: some garnets are color-change, meaning they can show two completely different colors under different lighting conditions!
Not all gemstones can exhibit color change, which makes the ones that do rare and special. This phenomenon is completely natural, and many of these garnets are actually a blend of multiple garnet species. Garnets can show blue-to-violet, pink-to-purple, brown-to-green, purple-to-red, and even teal-to-purple. East Africa, where one of our awesome suppliers ANZA Gems sources from, is known to produce top quality color changing garnets. Owning a color-change gemstone is like having two gems in one!
Garnet is simply a downright versatile, endlessly interesting, fun gemstone. We are convinced the more varieties you see of them, the more you'll fall in love with them!
A vibrant stone that has been used in Eastern jewelry since ancient times, lapis lazuli is massively underrated!
There are few gemstones that are as rich in saturation as Lapis Lazuli, and that is one of the many reasons why we love it so much. For thousands of years, the only known source of “Lapis” for short was Afghanistan, and it was traded far and wide across the Middle East, Europe and Africa for use in jewelry and cosmetics. The ancient Egyptians even used powdered lapis as medicine! Today, Lapis is also mined in Chile and Argentina, but many people still highly prize the Afghan variety as it has the deepest blue hue.
One of the coolest things about Lapis Lazuli is that it’s actually a combination of three different minerals: lazurite, pyrite, and calcite. The pyrite is responsible for the little “gold flecks” that you often see, while calcite can give it white patches or streaks.
Not all Lapis that is carved or faceted has calcite patches, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see any! Many cutters will choose sections of lapis that have the most even deep blue color, with minimal to no white and maybe only a few pyrite gold flecks.
Another one of our favorite things about Lapis is the fact that jewelry designers can do so many different things with it, such as using it for bead strands, carving it into pendants, or using it as inlay (just like the ancients used to!).
Lapis Lazuli’s versatility and vibrancy has truly stood the test of time. We hope you fall in love with this classic blue hued gemstone and find a piece that speaks to you!
At a glance: they come in all different colors, they’re very durable, and they are classic gems that will never go out of style!
Sapphires are truly magical. Most people associate sapphires with the blue variety, but they actually come in every color of the rainbow, even black, white, grey, and beige! In fancy gem nerd speak this is called “allochromatic”.
There’s one exception: red. We call those rubies!
Yes, rubies and sapphires come from the same mineral species: Corundum. At what point a pink corundum can be called a ruby or a sapphire is still hotly debated, but in general, to classify something as a ruby it must have a medium to high level of saturation, without any strong secondary hues such as orange or brown.
Some types of sapphire are more rare than others, such as padparadscha sapphire and star sapphires that display the phenomenon known as “asterism”.
When it comes to jewelry, sapphires are a great gem that can withstand everyday wear. They rank a 9 out of 10 on the Moh’s scale of hardness (the ease or difficulty with which it can be scratched). Sapphire's durability has led to them becoming an increasingly popular choice for engagement and commitment rings.
Sapphires are the birthstone for September and truly transcend time–they’ve been popular since the Middle Ages! Since sapphires have been worn and cherished across the globe for centuries, they have come to be associated with many things.
Two of the biggest? Royalty and romance.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, sapphires were worn by royalty for protection against envy and harm. Many people in the Middle Ages associated sapphires, especially blue ones, with heavenly blessings.
“Sapphires possess a beauty like that of the heavenly throne; they denote…those whose lives shine with their good deeds and virtue” —-Marbode of Rennes, 11th century poet
Blue sapphires became even more sought after when Britain’s Princess Diana wore one in her now-famous engagement ring.
So many places all over the world!
The top sapphire-producing locations are Montana (US), Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Australia.
Each one of these countries produces different colors, qualities, and sizes of sapphire rough. Often, one location will become known for a specific color if there is a lot of gem quality material in that hue (for example, Montana teal sapphire, or Sri Lankan “Ceylon” blue sapphire).
Sapphires (along with all other colored gems) get their color from their trace minerals and inclusions.
While some may view inclusions as “flaws,” we view inclusions as special and wondrous characteristics that make up a part of a gemstone’s “inner world.” Plus—no two gems have the same exact inclusions, so you can think of it just like a unique identifying “fingerprint!”
That being said, if certain inclusions are ever overly distracting, or if a gem dealer wants to improve the color and uneven tone of a gem, heat treatment can be a good option.
Heat treating sapphires is a very common practice throughout the gemstone industry, and is generally accepted by consumers. Countries like Sri Lanka have a very long history of heat-treating gems, whereas locations such as Bangkok, Thailand have become hubs for treatment more recently.
While non-heated sapphires are more rare, here at BJC, we support and love heated sapphires just as much as non-heated sapphires. The most important thing for you to consider when buying sapphire jewelry is that any heat-treatment is disclosed.
Due to sapphire’s durability, they can withstand being submerged in an ultrasonic cleaner. If you don’t have an ultrasonic, warm soapy water and a brush will also do just fine!
At a glance: As the rich green variety of Beryl and one of the “Big Three” gemstones, Emerald’s ethereal glow has withstood the test of time.
To be considered an emerald, a gem must be a bluish green color and medium-to-deep in saturation. Lighter or pastel greens are simply referred to as “green beryl.” The trace minerals chromium, vanadium and iron are what give emerald its rich green color.
“Nothing greens greener than emerald”
—Pliny the Elder, Natural History
Most emeralds have many inclusions (internal clarity characteristics) that are a part of their natural formation in the earth. Natural emeralds are known for this to the point that a great way to tell synthetic (man-made) emeralds from natural ones is if the gem looks “too perfect” or you can’t see a single inclusion.
We happen to love and appreciate natural emerald’s inclusions as unique markers of each gem that help to give them their ethereal “glow!”
Emeralds rank 7.5 to 8 out of 10 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale, meaning they are a bit more susceptible to scratching than other gems such as sapphire and diamond. However, Emerald’s main “caution point” is its brittle nature. Emeralds that are worn in rings must be looked after with great care. They are better worn in earrings and necklaces as these types of jewelry typically are not subjected to nearly as much contact with other day-to-day items.
Does this mean you should never wear emerald rings? Of course not! You should just be sure that the setting of your emerald is the most protective it can be (bezels rule here!)
Cleopatra was obsessed with emeralds, and it’s not hard to see why! In fact, the earliest emerald mines originated in ancient Egypt around 330 BC. Ancient Egyptians thought of emeralds as symbols of life and fertility.
Colombian emeralds were highly sought after and frequently traded by Spanish explorers, which is why we see so many emeralds in European, Ottoman, and Asian royal jewelry.
In Hindu teachings, emeralds are associated with the planet Mercury and are one of the nine gemstones featured in the “Navaratna” style.
Emeralds were thought to be soothing to the eyes, so much so that gemcutters used to keep emeralds on their workbenches to look at after a long day of work faceting other types of gems.
Today, emeralds are associated with new beginnings, peace, and loyalty. Their lush color and association with newness led to it becoming the birthstone for the month of May.
Emeralds are mostly found in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Colombia, and Brazil. However, they can also be found in other East African countries such as Tanzania. The most highly prized emeralds are from Colombia, Zambia and Brazil.