The Beauty of August's Birthstone - Peridot - is in the Eye of YOU

As the famous quote goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and this holds true for August’s birthstone, peridot. Ranging from light, mint-green to a much darker, olive color, the desired shade and brilliance of this stone is up to you. And while a range of color exists with peridot, few people know it. Pieces of peridot jewelry found in mall stores are typically the dark, olive-color that Tim finds less attractive than the lighter, rarer, shades.

The intensity and tint of green depends on how much iron is found in the crystal structure of the stone. In addition to mints and olives, peridot can also come in yellowish lime colors to brownish-greens. 

Originating in Egypt, peridot was once called the “Gem of the Sun.” Some of the finest peridot stones are referred to as “Evening Emeralds” for their resemblance to emeralds under artificial light. 

At Poway Fine Jewelers, Tim carries one of these rare, mint-green stones, which is waiting for just the right buyer. The stone can be placed in jewelry to resemble either an August birthday, or a 16-year anniversary celebration. 

Beauty of the Ruby - July's Birthstone

A ruby has every quality a precious stone should have – magnificent color, excellent hardness, and exceptional brilliance; so it is no wonder it has been referred to as the King of the Gemstones. In addition to its appearance, it is an extremely rare gemstone, especially in its finer qualities. 

And even better? It’s built (so-to-speak) to last. 

The hardness of a precious stone does not necessarily translate to toughness or durability. It simply means that – on a scale of 1 (very soft) to 10 (very hard) – a stone has the ability to resist abrasion and scratching. Diamonds are a strong 10, while rubies are not far behind with a solid 9. 

This reason alone qualifies the ruby as one of Tim’s favorites; mixed with, of course, the stone’s undeniable beauty. Used to represent 40th wedding – or “Ruby” – anniversaries, Tim has worked with numerous couples over the years to create the perfect celebratory piece. 

In his store, he carries only the highest quality Thailand and Burmese (Myanmar) rubies – not necessarily the cheapest in price, but the cleanest, brightest, most brilliantly colored red stones you’ve ever seen. The presence of these quality rubies are right up there with sapphires and emeralds, two of the world’s most brilliant and quality precious stones. 

It’s probably needless to say at this point, but you July babies are lucky to have rubies in your court. Ranging from pinkish tones to medium-intensity reds to deep reds, rubies supply endless and timeless beauty.  

June Has TWO birthstones (and one of them is Tim's favorite!)...read about them here!

Most people are surprised to learn that there are 19 birthstones in our 12-month calendar. That means some months are represented by one stone, others by two, and there’s even one represented by three! Choices are wonderful things, especially when it comes to jewelry design and colorful options to mix and match – but it can also be a bit confusing. 

When you hear “April,” you probably think “Diamond”. You hear “December,” you most likely think “Tanzanite” (but really, December is the month with three stones!)

Over the next 12 months, you can visit our blog to learn all about each month’s stone (or stones). For now, we’ll start with June. 

Pearls are a girl’s best friend in June, but so is a lesser-known friend – and a mighty vibrant and ever-changing one – named Alexandrite. No description for pearls is needed. They are simply elegant and timeless, and you June babies are lucky to have them! Want to add a little color to good ol’ Pearl? Enter Alexandrite – a scarce and valuable stone that possesses chameleon-like features. In different lights, it can change from greenish-blue to purplish-red.

Of all the stones in the world, Poway Fine Jewelers Owner Tim Dooley says Alexandrite is by far, his favorite. With such a variety of colors and shades and styles, choosing a favorite gem might seem tough, but for Tim, it's the stone's durability, beauty and timelessness that make it stand out. And fortunately, after a time in the 19th century when the stone was headed toward extinction, the discovery of Alexandrite in Brazil in the mid 1980s has doubled the world's supply.  

When you blend June's two stones, here's what you can get! (Look below the pictures for some fun facts about Pearls and Alexandrite!)

Pearls: 

- Natural pearls are extremely rare and very costly
- Most pearls are "cultured," meaning they are grown in a pearl farm
- More than 10,000 pearls may be sorted before a 16" single strand of beautifully matched pearls can be assembled
- Saltwater pearls include the akoya cultured pearls and are grown in Japanese and Chinese waters; they typically range in size from 2 mm to 10 mm and are usually round and white or cream in color
- Freshwater pearls are grown in freshwater lakes, river,
and ponds predominately in China
                                                      - Imitation pearls are usually a coated glass bead

 Alexandrite: 

- Alexandrite is a relatively modern gem, discovered in Russia in 1831
- In addition to Alexandrite's green-to-red color change (from daylight to incandescent light), some Alexandrite can change from yellowish or pink to raspberry red
-Alexandrite is often referred to "emerald by day, ruby by night"
-In addition to one of June's birthstones, Alexandrite is also the gem for the 55th wedding anniversary

Colors of the Year – A Guide to the 19 Birthstones of our 12-Month Calendar

We are in the midst of a brand new year, and to give it a good kick-start, we wanted to provide you with a guideline for gift-giving for the next 12 wonderful months of birthdays! Whether you’re looking for a special Valentine’s gift right now or for that perfect birthday present later on, we’d like to help steer you in the right direction. 

What comes to mind when you add jewelry+birthdays? Birthstones, of course. And there’s a lot of confusion with these beauties, so we’d like to clear them up. 

First of all, let’s take a quick little, internal test. Answer these questions for us. What is the birthstone of March? Did you say aquamarine? If you did, you’re right. Half right. March has ANOTHER birthstone, called Bloodstone. These stones are about as opposite in appearance as you can get. While the ranges of aquamarine – mixed intensities of deep blue to blue-green – are very recognizable, the dark green almost-black jaspers are not. Both are beautiful in their own way, and just like March babies can enjoy these varietals, so can most of you who were born in other months. 

Here’s an easy breakdown (and reference guide!) of every birthstone in all 12 months. 

January: Sorry January babies…not to contradict our previous statement, but there is only one birthstone for you. Fortunately, it’s a beautiful one that comes in a rainbow of colors (so there may as well be more than one stone, right??). Garnet can range from the deep reds that most envision when they think of garnet, to green, orange, pink, purple, and even black. Choose one or go ahead and mix a variety of garnet stones for your loved one with a January birthday; the options are endless. 

   

February: Amethyst is the only birthstone for February, but what a wonderful one to represent a solo-stone month. It is a semi-precious stone, and a varietal of quartz, that ranges in color from light pink to deep purple.  

March: See above

April: Those of you lucky enough to be born in the month of April already know that your birthstone is the one-of-a-kind Diamond. The word alone provokes images of clear, bright white beautiful stones, but diamonds also range in color from yellow to blue to pink and black. There’s no limit as to what can be done with these gorgeous stones. BUT…did you know that April babies can also choose from a wide variety of Sapphire stones as well? As April’s secondary birthstone, Sapphire (or “blue brilliant”), can also be found in shades of orange, blue, yellow, purple, and green.  

  

May: The rich, green color of May’s birthstone, the Emerald, carries the color of spring and radiates beautifully vivid tones. Another solo-stone month, but we are okay with this. The Emerald is strong and brilliant enough to hold its own!

June: Pearls are a girl’s best friend in June, but so is a lesser-known friend – and a mighty vibrant and ever-changing one – named Alexandrite. No description for pearls is needed. They are simply elegant and timeless, and you June babies are lucky to have them! Want to add a little color to good ol’ Pearl? Enter Alexandrite – a scarce and valuable stone that possesses chameleon-like features. In different lights, it can change from greenish-blue to purplish-red. 

June's ALEXANDRITE

July: Awe, Rubies. Red, red, red. Beautiful. It’s the only stone for July, and that’s okay. This stone signifies love in its deepest form. Ranging in shades from light to deep red, the jewelry options are endless.

August: Peridot is a beautiful stone that, as rare as this is, only comes in one color – green. But don’t worry. If you want to mix it up with some other earth-tone colors to give it some diversity, you can add a stone called Sardonyx – August’s SECOND BIRTHSTONE – which contains bands of browns, reds, and whites.  

August's SARDONYX

September: The Sapphire, said to represent the purity of the soul, is September’s birthstone. Its rich blue presence evokes this emotion and, set in jewelry, offers a vivacious appearance that demands adoration. 

October: Opal – a beautiful stone that ranges from milky white to black and possesses flecks of yellows, reds, blues, greens, and oranges – probably comes to mind as October’s birthstone. And it is. But the month’s secondary stone is Tourmaline, famous for its pink center, white ring, and green edge.

October's TOURMALINE

November: Another twofer month, November’s stones are the Topaz – available in a rich range of colors – and the Citrine – ranging from pastel yellow to dark brownish orange. 

December: What a perfect month to have THREE stones to choose from. Shoppers for December babies and of Christmas gifts are in luck. The three birthstones of December - Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise – are mostly bluish-shades in nature, but range in other colors and provide an endless world of jewelry-making possibilities.   

 

The Beautiful Blues of December

  

   

Jewelry: A lifetime investment. One customer's story

A recent first-time customer made an impression on us here at Poway Fine Jewelers. She came in with an idea; she wanted to incorporate the birthstones of her three children into some sort of piece of jewelry. A pendant? A ring? She couldn’t decide. She came in the first time and perused our cases to no avail. 

Something so special and one-of-a-kind couldn’t possibly be sitting, already together and perfect, waiting her arrival, could it? Nope. That’s not how this business works. 

Sure, there are always those moments where a customer walks into our store, knows exactly what look, style and stone they’re seeking, and fall in love at first sight with one of our pieces. But for someone wanting something so unique, this would have to be a custom-made piece. 

This woman has been struggling a bit. She thought about using gold from another ring. Should she use stones from a past ring as well? Or start from scratch? Should she sell some of her old, forgotten pieces still sitting in closets at home, or hang onto their sentiment? For those of you who understand the importance of a piece of jewelry, you know this woman’s struggle. 

We certainly do. A piece of jewelry is a lifetime investment. It’s something that will get handed down from generation to generation, meaning something different and beautiful to each who wears it. It will contain stories and memories, and the older it gets, the more cherished it becomes. This woman was not going to make this decision lightly. Aside from the financial investment in a piece like this, there is also the emotional investment, and with both, value and longevity are essential. 

Before making a decision, this customer needed to think about it, sleep on it, let the choices absorb into her thoughts until she was absolutely sure which one was right for her. Her daughter might wear this ring someday; maybe one of her future daughter-in-laws. It must be beautiful, captivating, and full of heart. After all, this ring will symbolize her children, and what is more valuable than that? She wants to smile and think of her children every time she glances down at her finger. This ring needs to be perfect. (No pressure, Tim!) 

And that is why he is smack dab in the middle of the decision-making process. During every visit with this particular customer, Tim seems just as perplexed about her decision as she is. He goes into deep, careful thought, rummaging through his brain as if able to draw from the same decision-making knowledge that she is able to draw from hers. He doesn’t, of course, but he knows that. With Tim, what starts out as a complex decision turns smoothly into a pleasant conversation of reminiscing and weighing options – a combination of the most emotional and practical ways to make these kinds of decisions. 

Tim has spent hours with this customer, and he will get it just right. That is Tim’s specialty. He has been in the jewelry-making business for more than 40 years. He has seen thousands of pieces, worked on hundreds, and has given the same care to every single one. Together, they decided on three channel-set, stackable rings. Each ring will contain seven stones – four colored and three diamonds. 

One will contain green diamonds rather than her child’s birthstone of peridot. The second will have red rubies, and the third will contain four stunning blue diamonds in place of her child’s birthstone of blue zircon. This ring, filled with brilliant diamonds and rubies, will undoubtedly be the striking, long-lasting piece of jewelry she is seeking.   

Once Tim works his magic of creating such a piece, this customer will have a ring full of precious stones with her at all times, containing lifetimes of memories that she will carry with her forever. And that is what jewelry is all about, right? There is a story behind every piece. Tim is helping this customer tell hers. And that’s what we do for you and every other customer we work with. So, bring us anything and everything – from thoughts, old pieces, new ideas, contemplations, drawings – whatever it takes, and we will make it happen. 

It’s that simple.