January has flown by, and with February arriving quickly, it's time to start celebrating our new birthstone of the month: Amethyst. It is said St. Valentine wore an Amethyst intaglio ring with Cupid’s face carved into the stone, therefore, many believe that this led to the stone representing pure, chaste love. This stone is also associated with wealth and royalty; making it a prized gem stone to posses for any Pisces.

The Amethyst is actually a stone believed to hold protective qualities; it is ranked very highly on the gem-scale, due to its excellent quality. In fact, during a certain period, the Amethyst was a well sought after stone, being as popular as the diamond stone we (and our purses) all know and love!

Anything Amethyst will make the perfect gift for a birthday this February, or for the big event that falls once a year on the 14th - Valentine's Day. So, shop our Amethyst rings, pendants, earrings and more here and get stuck into our second month into 2022!

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A new year means a new time to sparkle! January is a fresh start for all of us, and those lucky enough to have a birthday in January have the beautiful birthstone of Garnet.

The associations of this extremely popular gemstone are numerous: it is the birthstone for January; associated with the astrological signs of both Aquarius and Leo; and is also the recommended gift for both the 2nd and 6th wedding anniversaries.
Garnet occurs in a kaleidoscope of natural colours including red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, black, pink and colourless.

Garnet is steeped in history; it can be dated as far back as 3500BC, as it was discovered in a necklace uncovered in Egypt on the neck of a mummified body. Its name is derived from the Latin word “granatus” as it is similar in shape to the seed of a pomegranate. Incidentally, in Greek mythology this fruit is also regarded as a gift of love, and is said to symbolise eternity.

This jewel supposedly has the ability to illuminate even the darkest of rooms; it is written that Noah used the gem to light the inside of the ark. Another story tells of an old widow who, upon finding an injured crow in her garden, spent months nursing it back to good health. The widow became very attached to the bird and when the bird was fully recovered, she wept as she reluctantly released it. After several weeks had passed, while in her bed one night, the bird flew into her room and placed a large red Garnet at the side of her bed: the gem was said to have filled her room with light.

There are many other legends that involve Garnet’s mystical lighting and brightening capabilities (known technically today as fluorescence). For example, it has been suggested that Eastern Indians rubbed Garnet gemstones on themselves in belief that the gem’s glowing qualities would be transmitted into their glowing wellbeing. Several cultures have finely ground Garnet and heated it to act as a medicinal remedy for illness. Some healers continue to use it today as a cure for nightmares.

When studying the myths and legends surrounding Garnet, whether it be stories relating to the Aztecs, Romans, Egyptians, Native Americans or British Royalty, there is one theme common in all civilisations, across all periods of recorded time: Garnet is the ultimate gift of love.

Today the gem continues to be a symbol of love, passion, eternity and warmth.

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Opal the stunning stone for October

As the season’s change, it seems fitting that ‘opal’ translates in Greek terms to ‘see a change of colour’, the perfect description for both a gemstone that radiates a rainbow of colours and the colourful change in seasons.

Opal's are our beautiful stone of the month; representing the birth stone for October.  The name 'Opal' derives from from the Latin “Opalus” and the Greek “Opallios”, meaning 'precious stone'. This milky, multicoloured and eyecatching stone acts as a traditional and timeless stone, worn by women and men of all ages.

One thing you probably didn't know about this stone is that the finest family of Opal contains every colour of the rainbow. This stone also represents hope and innocence, which are connotations of the pure milky white base colour the stones are usually made up of. The term 'Opal' also depicts 'changing of colour', making it a really unique stone to possess because no two are the same!

Did you know that it was Queen Victoria’s favourite gemstone was Opal! She had sapphires, rubies and diamonds from all over the British empire but fell in love with the intoxicating colours of Opals, and we hope you do too!

Shop our Opal collection here to explore our different styles and colours of this classic stone.

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Laboratory Grown Diamonds

Laboratory Grown Diamonds - we believe will never replace the diamonds that have been on this planet for billions of years - a diamond by nature can only be called a diamond if it is over 3.5 billion years old (wow).  All diamonds that have been dated so far were formed even before the dinosaurs went extinct, that's pretty impressive.  The oldest dated examples were forming prior to oxygen in the earths atmosphere.

Laboratory grown diamonds, often referred to as cultivated diamonds, man made diamonds, or even synthetic diamonds are created in a laboratory setting that emulates the natural process of a diamond's growth - only, taking a lot less time (say, 3 billion years less, give or take).

The process of growing diamonds is one of the most precise and difficult manufacturing techniques that humans have ever achieved.  To grow a gemstone quality diamond larger than one carat has taken man almost 60 years of research and development.

Laboratory diamonds can be grown in two ways.  The first is called HPHT High Pressuer High Temperature and the second is called CVD Chemical Vapor Deposition.  

So why buy Laboratory Created Diamonds - they are cheaper! You can get a bigger diamond for your money! Can you tell the difference, no ! and only you will know! We remember when cubic zirconia's and moisenites came on the market every thought they would threaten the diamond and they didn't.  Only time will tell, buy diamonds have been around for billions of years and we are sure they will be around for billions of years to come.

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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Watch 116520

What a watch!

This piece has recently had a full Rolex service, it has been completley unworn since the service meaning it is in a fantastic condition. This watch has proven to be a brilliant investment over the years, the Rolex Daytona is the most sought after Rolex model out there at the moment.

This particular piece is also very collectable as it has a rare error on the dial as there is a gap between COSMOGR and the APH, these versions of the Rolex Daytona have been nicknamed the 'APH dial'.

Experience the Cosmograph Daytona.

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