Birthstone Facts
I came to work here at Cane Bay Jewelers back in March of 2022. During the summer of that year, I was given the wonderful opportunity to further my jewelry education by attending the International School of Gemology and achieved my certification in gemology and appraisals. I fell completely in love with gemstones during this time and I decided that I should share some birthstone facts with you all! ~Nikki
January: Garnet
Garnets are a member of the cubic crystal system and have a hardness of 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale. Garnets can come in many different colors such as green, pink, purple, orange and of course deep red.
February: Amethyst
Amethysts are a member of the quartz family which is the second most common mineral on earth. The most expensive amethyst color is a deep evenly colored purple with flashes of red under incadescent light. The quartz family has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale.
April: Diamond
A girl's forever best friend! We could talk forever on the subject of diamonds! The picture above is the ring that we call the "8ct Show-Stopper". This beauty was created here at Cane Bay Jewelers. Diamonds are the hardest gemstone in the world and their rating on the Mohs scale is 10, only one number up from ruby and sapphire, but the actual differece is world's apart!
May: Emerald
Emerald is a member of the beryl family. Like it's cousin the aquamarine, the emerald also started out colorless. Thanks to trace elements of chromium and sometimes vanadium we get that vibrant emerald green that we love so much!
March: Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family, which means that it is close cousins to the emerald! Beryl is naturally colorless, but the colors we see in the different gemstones come from the natural impurities that are near where the crystal system is forming. In aquamarine, the impurity is iron!
June: Alexandrite
The elusive natural alexandrite is one of the world's most rare gemstone. Just about every alexandrite that you see on the market is lab-created, which doesn't mean that it is any less beautiful than it's natural counterpart. A top quality natural alexandrite could sell for upwards of $15,000 per carat!
July: Ruby
Rubies are considered to be one of the most expensive gemstones on the open market. These are tricky stones that have many doppelgangers, such as garnet and spinel, so if you are in the market for Ruby jewelry, make sure you shop with a reputable store owner!
October: Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a stone of many faces. Naturally, tourmaline has a pinkish/ white hue, but can be found in a variety of different colors, sometimes multi colored!
August: Peridot
Peridot is an unusual gemstone that can be found in several countries, such as China, Mynamar, Pakistan and Finland. Some Peridot was brought to Earth by meteorites, but these are very rare.
November: Citrine
The quartz family gave us another birthstone with citrine. Most citrine is heat treated amethyst, but can be found naturally on a very rare occasion.
September: Sapphire
Sapphires range in color, from deep velvety blue to a paler hue. Like the ruby, sapphire is a corrundum and that means it has the highest Mohs hardness rating of the gemstones, aside for diamonds, of course.
December: Blue Zircon
Blue Zircon is probably the most well known December birthstone. Zircon can be found in an array of colors. Blue zircon is often confused for blue topaz but has much more fire and brilliance.