From the Stars: The History of Moissanite In 1893, French chemist Henri Moissan was examining rock samples in Canyon Diablo, Arizona. Peering inside a meteor crater, he came across a bevy of sparkling stones and mistakenly identified them as diamonds. They weren’t. These crystals were silicon carbide — aka, Moissanite. read more…
Is it really March already? The calendar says so, and that can only mean we Northern Hemisphere dwellers will soon be welcoming in spring and packing up our winter wardrobes. But March means more than just spring — it also means St. Patrick’s Day is on the way! Wednesday, March read more…
As a child watching The Wizard of Oz in years, I was too mesmerized by the wonder of Dorothy finding herself in a magical new world to take in all the details. Emerald City? That I understood. Ditto for her Ruby Slippers. But yellow bricks? Only years later, watching the read more…
Aquamarine has long been considered a divisive stone; you either love them or love to hate them. With its unique color — non-replicable in nature — Aquamarine could be the enigma we all seek. Historical Background Adopted as March’s birthstone in 1912, Aquamarine has had varied uses throughout the centuries. read more…
A sunset, tropical waters, watercolor paintings, Holi color clouds, the galaxy. You might be asking, “What do these have in common?” If you have ever seen an opal, you likely already know. Considered one of the most colorful stones available within the industry, opals show many colors all in one read more…
Did you know that Sapphire comes in every color of the rainbow, except red? Every. Single. Color. Plus a few. Fancy colored Sapphires are all the extraordinary colors outside of traditional blue, colorless, and black. Today, we are going to explore some of the up-and-coming colors as well as some read more…
Topaz crystals are impressive. Some of the largest specimens can weigh hundreds of pounds. The largest faceted stone in the world just happens to be a Topaz: The El-Dorado Topaz weighs in at 31,000 carats (13.6 pounds) and is currently housed in Spain. Imperial topaz represents less than ½ of read more…
There are few color combinations as iconic to the United States of America as red, white, and blue. Creating a color collection as classic as little pinwheels this time of year is super easy with many gemstone options in a plethora of shades encompassing red, white, and blue. Below we read more…
Let me introduce you to the dark and broody cousin of Moonstone. When Moonstone is Hairspray, Spectrolite is Phantom of the Opera. When Moonstone is a bright summer day, Spectrolite is a cold dark night lit up by the bewitching northern lights. Known as the transformation stone, Labradorite (according to read more…
Everyone has a favorite gemstone, whether it’s classic blue, cheeky pink, sunny yellow, or icy white. Sell With a Story is here to help expand those horizons and turn even the most timid gemstone purveyor into a strong-selling, gemstone enthusiast. This time, I’m going to discuss the mineral zoisite and read more…
