July Newsletter - This month we are all red, white and blue

July is here and, in the northern hemisphere at least, the ‘dog days’ of summer are upon us. I spent a few years living in the great state of Louisiana in the USA and it could get really hot around July down there but every 4th July people would be outside enjoying spicy barbecue and cold beer despite the sultry heat.

America has taken a few knocks over the past few months but in honor of Independence Day, let’s celebrate with some red, white and blue gemstones.

For red we cannot do better than the mighty Ruby, the ultimate red gemstone with unmatched beauty and spiritual powers of passion and protection.

A fantastic alternative to Ruby in the range of red gemstones would be the Garnet, especially the Pyrope or Rhodolite specimens with their lovely deep burgundy and pomegranate colors.

For the blue, we have the king or queen of colored gemstones, the Sapphire, forever linked with royalty, wisdom and virtue.

If Sapphires are a bit too extravagant, how about the popular Blue Topaz gemstone instead? Wonderful, bright colors and symbolic of happiness, hope and friendship.

Regular, solid white gems are quite difficult to find but scolecite can be found in lovely white shades with a great glow or polish in cabochon cuts.

In the world of gemstones, white can also mean clear or transparent, with diamonds being the most obvious example. To match the red rubies and garnets as well as the blue sapphires and topazes I would suggest white Zircon, a crystal clear beauty with a distinctive sparkle or fire.

Many other countries also celebrate National holidays in July, including Canada on the 1st and France with Bastille Day on the 14th. Luckily for me, the Canadian flag is red and white and the French flag is red, white and blue!

Buying Tip

The issue of buying gemstones by carat has come up many, many times but I think it is worth going over again. Different gemstones all weighing 2 carats will not all be the same size. This is because of their density and cut.

The more dense the gemstone, the smaller it will be for its carat weight. For example, Garnets are very dense while Aquamarines are much less so. A typical 2 carat oval garnet will be about 8mm across while a 2 carat aquamarine could be nearly 10mm across.

The cut can also make quite a difference. Colored gemstones are cut to emphasize the color! A lighter gemstone may have a bigger bottom to deepen the color while a darker gemstone may have a shallow cut to brighten the color. A big bottom (called the pavilion) can lead to a bigger carat size but smaller width.

Simply put, always buy your colored gemstones by their actual dimensions not carat weight. At GemSelect we always display the measurements of our gemstones in millimeters. A good idea could be to draw them out on a piece of paper using a ruler so you will know exactly what you are getting. We even show the depth of the stone for even more accurate sizing.

July Birthstones

Just time to remind you of July’s Birthstones, if you are in need of some inspiration for a present for anyone born in this month.

The Ruby is the most famous gemstone for July but there are a couple of interesting alternatives, the cool blue turquoise that is so evocative of the American south-west as well as the deep dark mysterious Onyx.

For a more detailed look at birthstones, zodiac gemstones or even gemstones for the Chinese horoscope, check out this link right here.

Gemstone By Date / Day / Hour...

Breaking News

An artisanal miner from Tanzania has become an overnight millionaire after discovering 2 enormous Tanzanite gemstones in the Merelani Hills weighing a combined 15kgs (33 lbs). Mind you, he is going to need the money as he has 4 wives and 30 children!

This is encouraging news for the prospects of small-scale miners around the world and ties in nicely with an article we are working on at the moment about ethical and sustainable gemstones – look out for it soon.

From all of us at GemSelect,

Have a great July

Customer Questions

Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions or suggestions to our support team at help@gemselect.com

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Happy Gemstone Hunting!

Team GemSelect