Louella Jewellery Blog

Beautiful blue/green turquoise is the designated birthstone for the month of December (with zircon and tanzanite). It is also the gemstone for the 11th wedding anniversary. The word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois meaning "Turkish" because the mineral was first brought to Europe through Turkey. The finest of turquoise reaches a maximum MOHS rating of just under 6, or slightly more than window glass. Turquoise is sacred to many Native Americans. In the past, Native Americans would use it as a shaman’s stone, which were stones believed to have strong metaphysical properties...

Tanzanite is only found in Tanzania, in a very small mining area near the Mirerani Hills. Blue tanzanite was believed to be a gift from the gods. The gemstones were discovered by a group of Masai cattle herders, which is a big part of tanzanite meaning. These tanzanite rocks were noticed before but they appeared to be nothing more than brown rocks. It wasn’t until after they were burned during a brush fire that they revealed their blue-violet crystal tanzanite colour. The brush fire was caused by a lightning strike, which is deeply ingrained in tanzanite meaning. Tanzanite can also...

  Ah topaz. What a beautiful stone. When most people think of topaz they think of that beautiful bright blue. Actually topaz comes in a myriad of colours; from yellow/orange hues which is called Imperial Topaz because it’s rare to pink, purple and green! Topaz is a great choice for everyday jewellery because it measures 8 on the MOHS scale, only one point below sapphire and ruby. The Egyptians believed that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the sun god Ra. The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase one’s strength and make its wearer...

Opals are the birthstone for October and also the stone to celebrate 14 years of marriage. The name opal is thought to be derived from the Greek derivative “Opallios,” meaning “to see a change of colour.” Opal is a delicate and soft stone, rating a 5.5 to 6.5 on the  MOHS scale. It is usually milky and translucent. Opal is a hardened silica gel containing 5-20% water. Some opals may crack if allowed to dry out too rapidly after being mined. Opals may be somewhat porous; in which case it is dangerous to immerse it in liquids other than water....

Peridot is one of the only gemstones to only occur in one colour; olive green. Peridots are found in meteorites and lava! Most gemstones are formed in the earths crust but diamonds and peridot are formed much deeper, in the earths mantle 20 - 55 miles deep. Peridot was believed to be able to dissolve enchantments. To provide protection from evil spirits it had to be pierced, strung on the hair of a donkey and worn on the left arm. Because it is found in lava it was also believed to be be the tears of the volcano goddess, Pele....