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Jewellery tip. Transparent blue stones

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Do you like jewellery with blue stones? Then this blog post is for you! 

If you shop for sapphires because you like blue stones that does not mean your only choice is expensive jewellery. Ask about your options! There are a few nice blue stones out there that you can choose from. 

Sapphire

Not all sapphires are expensive. They come in a range of qualities. Not so high quality of sapphire can also mean that the design options are less limited. I have these earrings as a sample. Could you imagine a price on them if all the sapphires here were of high quality? The earrings would not be made of silver and they would not be your "every day" jewellery. Earrings like these can be dressed up or dressed down.

Silver earrings with dumotorite, sapphires and black spinel

Kyanite 

Kyanite takes its name from the Greek word kuanos sometimes referred to as "kyanos", meaning deep blue. This stone can easily be confused with a sapphire if it is top quality. Be careful when you are buying sapphires from a place that you cannot trust 100%. This stone is known to be sold as a sapphire by a non-reliable sellers. It is a very beautiful stone, but it is much cheaper and not as hard as a sapphire. It should not be used in a ring or a bracelet.

Silver pendant with gem quality kyanite

Iolite



The name "iolite" comes from the Greek word for violet. Iolite also has a commercial name "water sapphire" that is used by the sellers who are trying to sell it for more than it is worth. Gem quality iolite varies in color from sapphire blue to blue violet to yellowish gray to light blue as the light angle changes. Iolite is sometimes used as an inexpensive substitute for sapphire. 

Iolite also comes in a range of qualities. It is a lot cheaper than sapphire, so you actually want the highest quality of iolite that you can get.

Hand engraved silver earrings with iolite

Apatite



Apatite is derived from the Greek απατείν (apatein), which means to deceive or to be misleading, as it was often mistaken for other minerals.

Apatite rarely comes in gem quality. Transparent green stones are known as asparagus stone, and blue stones have been called moroxite. It is not a hard stone so it should be used in the earrings and pendants only. The blue apatite comes in dark or light blue. Both shades are very pretty.

Starfish earrings with apatite
Silver earrings with apatite and green calcedony

Blue topaz



Topaz makes an ideal gem. A good hardness and desirable colors, combined with a relative abundance and availability makes it one the most popular gemstones. Natural shade of blue topaz is very light. However, treated topazes come in a few different shades of blue.  This color in my sample is called "swiss blue" and it is the most popular among the buyers. I also like "london blue" that is a bit darker. It is a bit rarer too, perhaps due to its price as it is more expensive than the "swiss blue" topaz.

I found a good article about the topazes used in jewellery. It describes all colors as well as the false names.

Silver locket with blue topaz

Aquamarine



Aquamarine (from Latin: aqua marina, "water of the sea") is a blue or cyan variety of beryl. The colors range from the light sky blue to the deep blue of the sea. This gem can be top quality and good enough to be faceted and sparkle in gold and have diamonds to compliment it; or it can be an art cabochon stone that has interesting inclusions and different shades of blue and green colors in it. I personally love it in any form, shape and quality.

Aquamarine pendant with a seahorse
I think it looks good even in a rough crystal form!


Tourmaline

Tourmaline comes in a very wide variety of colors. Blues are rear, but possible to find. Some can be confused with sapphire. The rarest blue tourmaline is called paraiba after the place where it is found. Paraiba tourmaline is the most expensive among other tourmaline colors. 

Paraíba tourmalines appear in a range of greenish blue, bluish green, green, blue, and violet hues. Although buyers covet all these colors, blue and violet have the most appeal. Dealers use a number of names to try to capture the extraordinary quality of Paraíba tourmaline’s colors. Besides neon, they use terms like “electric,” “turquoise,” “sapphire,” or “tanzanite” blue, and “mint” green. (more information at GIA web-site)

The Paraíba deposit revealed a range of new tourmaline colors unrivaled for their strongly saturated hues and light to medium tones. Representing the color range are a 2.59-carat turquoise-blue triangle cut, a 3.28-carat electric-blue pear shape, and a 3.68-carat green pear shape.


I hope this blog post will help you when you are looking for a pretty blue stone jewellery next time. If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask in your comments!

 
Jewelry Designer Blog. Jewelry by Natalia Khon. Design by Pocket