Gemstones have been around a lot longer than you & I. Almost all gem deposits were created over 50 million years ago as a result of heat & pressure caused by movement in the earth’s tectonic plates. Gemstones are made up of various minerals. Other organic materials, such as amber, pearls & coral may also be classed as gemstones when it comes to jewellery, although amber is actually the hardened resin of ancient pine trees. 

Not all minerals are created equal. In 1812 a German geologist, Friedrich Mohs, produced a scale from 1 to 10 to show the hardness of different types of minerals. In very simple terms, the scale demonstrates how easily a mineral can be scratched by another mineral. It is more complex than that but this is not a geology lesson. 

The softest & most easily damaged minerals, such as talc stone, are at the low end of the scale, while diamonds, being the hardest, are a 10 on the Mohs scale. Most wearable minerals are a 7 or above. 

To be used in jewellery, most gemstones are cut & polished either by hand or mechanical process. Others are tumbled to create smooth nuggets. Some gemstones are colour-enhanced by using heat or radiation or by applying pigment. If I am aware that I have used dyed or otherwise enhanced gemstones in any of my jewellery, it will state as such in the product description.

Finally, turquoise. A much sought-after mineral from which beautiful jewellery can be created. However, a lot of so-called turquoise is actually another mineral called howlite. Howlite is usually pale grey or white & has dark grey or black veins running through it, which look very similar to the matrix in turquoise. Howlite is also a fairly soft mineral & easily absorbs dye, making it very easy to fool people into thinking they are buying turquoise. Sometimes, genuine turquoise is referred to as ‘stabilised’. This usually means it has been pressure treated with an infusion of resin, wax or plastic to strengthen it. Unless I can be 100 percent sure of the source of my turquoise, I will not be selling it as genuine turquoise. Dyed, enhanced or stabilised will always be shown in the product description.