Under the Loupe - The Gallery Gems Journal

Most people think garnet is red. That assumption has done more damage to garnet’s reputation than any mall jewelry counter or birthstone chart ever could. Because garnet isn’t a stone.It&r … read more

✦ The Gemstone With an Expiration Date Some gems are rare.Tanzanite is finite. Born from a geological fluke beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzanite exists in one place on Earth — a tiny two-square- … read more

December has three birthstones…but only one of them looks like it swallowed a laser beam. Blue Zircon is the brilliant blue nobody sees coming — a natural gemstone that gets so heavily mi … read more

✦ The Underrated Flame Forget polished perfection — Spessartine burns.It’s not the gem that glitters politely under chandelier light; it’s the one that still glows after the fire&rsq … read more

Some gems scream for attention. Andalusite just changes color and walks away. It’s not fragile like opal, not overexposed like sapphire, and definitely not trying too hard. Andalusite is the und … read more