The Influence of Colour

Coloured gemstone jewellery can be a striking and unique addition to any collection. There are countless colours to choose from, and almost as many gem varieties. With so many options, how do you choose the right gemstone for your unique diamond ring or earrings?

Linneys fine jewellery collections feature some of the most beautiful and desirable gems in the world, including aquamarine, morganite, sapphire, zircon and tourmaline. Here we have compiled some of our favourites and what you need to know about them.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the birthstone of March and a part of the beryl family. Known for its luminous pale blue, the very best quality aquamarine is clear to the eye and often faceted for brilliant light refraction. Formed with a hexagonal crystal system, some aquamarine is used in its raw state and bears a frosted or opaque appearance. Aquamarine has a hardness of 7.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale; perfect for earrings and pendants, and suitable for dress rings.

Morganite

A lesser known gemstone, Morganite is also a member of the Beryl family. Its soft tones of pink, peach, salmon and rose have made morganite highly desirable, with the strongest colours considered very rare. Morganite naturally occurs in large crystals that, when faceted, will show no eye-visible inclusions. It is often pleochroic, where more than one shade of colour is visible within the same stone. Cutters must orient the rough crystals carefully before faceting to ensure the best colour is achieved. Like Aquamarine, Morganite measure 7.5 on the Mohs scale, making it an excellent choice for most unique diamond rings and other jewellery.

Sapphire

Sapphire is the birthstone for September and can be named amongst the most desirable gems. A member of the corundum family, sapphire includes all colours that are not ‘ruby red’. They achieved their fame in royal blue, but can occur in yellow, purple, pink, orange and green.  Some examples of cabochon cut Sapphire display asterism, where needle-like inclusions cause light to be refracted in a six-point star. As the third hardest gemstone, measuring 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphires are highly durable. They are suitable for all variety of jewellery, including a carefully worn engagement ring.

Zircon

Not to be confused with cubic zirconia, Zircon is a naturally occurring stone with dazzling light refraction and fire. Zircon is available in a variety of colours, with the most valuable including blue, bright red and green. When faceted, good quality zircon does not usually present eye-visible inclusions, though they are very rarely discovered with cat-eye chatoyancy. At only 6 to 7 on the Mohs scare, zircon is a slightly more delicate gem that requires reasonable care. A small sacrifice for zircon’s incredible beauty.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a unique family of gemstone. Their complex chemical composition means they come in a wide array of colours and include verdelite (green), indicolite (blue) and rubellite (red). Variations in crystal striations mean that some tourmaline displays chatoyancy, a ‘cats eye’ effect. Others are strongly pleochroic, with famous examples producing a unique watermelon of pink and green. Measuring 7 on the Mohs scale, tourmaline is a slightly softer gemstone than others. Because of its softness, tourmaline is best suited to earrings and pendants, or unique diamond rings that are very carefully worn.

Appearing is all varieties and all colours of the rainbow, the possibilities amongst gemstones are almost endless. To discover the perfect piece of coloured gemstone jewellery for you, browse our extensive range here. Have more questions? Come visit us at one of our three Perth locations.