We are almost half way through March and it feels as if the optimism we had at the beginning of 2020 has taken a beating. The budget speech, Covid 19, loadshedding, the list just seems to grow longer every day! Elizabeth Taylor said: “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together”....
Sterling silver is a very attractive, lustrous precious metal. Even though it has been alloyed with another metal to make it harder, it is still the softest precious metal available. Sterling silver is not ideal for jewellery that requires continuous daily wear, such as engagement rings and wedding bands. It may scratch and bend unde...
Celebrate the new year with the January birth stone, the garnet. A stone that symbolizes physical love and the relationship between loving partners, the garnet was popular among royalty. According to legend, the animals of Noah’s Ark can thank a large Garnet stone for providing the only light on their biblical journey and guiding them...
The dawn of the new year greets us with one of the most exciting gemstones of them all, the garnet. Why exciting you ask? The garnet family is extensive, from red garnets, to orange, purplish, and green. Even with green garnets, you can choose between demantoids and tsavorites. If red is just not your colour,...
Call to action There are two types of people – those who make resolutions for the New Year and those who don’t. While I don’t normally belong in the first category, I decided to do things a bit different this year. Instead of grand solutions, I have decided to simplify and start with...
Birthday in December? Lucky you have a choice of three birthstones: turquoise, lapis lazuli and the beautiful tanzanite. Despite being a relative newcomer having only been discovered in 1967, tanzanite is an important gemstone that captured the imagination of collectors and wearers of fine jewellery alike. Initially, the supply of good quali...
From me. To me. It all started in the 1920’s. Women cut their hair, lifted the hems on their dresses and started wearing trousers (GASP!!). Next thing we knew, they got voting rights (another GASP!!). What was the world coming to? Transparency, is what. Having ruled the roost from the background, women finally realized that...
In our previous article we discussed opals and now it is tourmaline’s turn. The ancient Egyptians had a legend about tourmaline gemstones. They believed that these stones got their amazing colors because they broke through a rainbow while pushing their way up to the earth. It is a little rainbow fragment. Tourmaline was...
October babies are known for their inborn elegance, style and good taste. It is therefore no surprise that they have not only one, but two birthstones: the timeless opal and the brilliant tourmaline. In this article we will discuss opals. Opals come in many types and colours. From precious white and black opals, to...
Jewellery has been around since the beginning of time. From simple pieces made from bone to elaborate heart stopping jewellery, it has been used to symbolize a milestone, an achievement, commitment and sometimes just “because I can!” In our line of work, we sometimes hear people say “I am not a jewellery person”. More...
