Amethyst is the purple variety of the gem species quartz and has been a favorite amongst the worlds royal family for hundreds of years.
Interestingly, the name amethyst comes from the Greek word 'amethystos' which means 'not drunk' as it was believed wearing the stone would keep the wearer sober.
Amethyst is the birthstone for February
Emerald is the Green variety of the gem species beryl and is prized for their vivid green colouration.
Believed to have been first mined by the ancient Egyptians, it has been worn as a statement of wealth and power for thousands of years.
Emerald is the birthstone for May
Opals are found in many locations across the globe and come in many different varieties. Many opals are prized for their unique optical phenomenon knows as 'play of colour', which are the flashes of colour that dart across the stones surface.
Opal is the only gemstone that displays this spectacular phenomenon.
Opal is the birthstone for October
As well as amethyst and citrine, other quartz varieties include smoky quartz, rose quartz, lemon quartz and green quartz which is often referred to as prasiolite
Tanzanite was discovered as recently as 1967 and is only found in Tanzania, in a very small mining area near the Merelani Hills. This violet to blue variety of zoisite was christened tanzanite by Henry Platt (president of Tiffany's at the time) in the early 1970's. Tanzanite is the birthstone for December
Aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl and belongs to the same gem family as emerald and morganite. Its name comes from the Latin word for seawater and was worn by sailors who believed the gem would protect them on their journey across the sea.
Aquamarine is the birthstone for March
Garnet is one of the largest gemstone families on the planet. There are many different varieties of garnet, from pyrope to tsavorite, rhodolite to umbalite and they come in an array of colours including green, red, pink, purple, colourless and orange.
Garnet is the birthstone of January
Pearls come in many different colours, shapes and sizes and have been used in jewellery and for ornamentation for thousands of years, perhaps longer than any other gem. Their timeless beauty and simplistic elegance make pearls a favourite among many.Pearl is the birthstone for June
Ruby, known for thousands of years as the king of precious gems, belongs to the same gem family as sapphire (corundum)
Ruby remains to this day one of the most sort after gemstones, adored across the world for its deepest red hues and lively pink tones
Ruby is the birthstone for July
Topaz comes in an array of different colours including colourless, yellow, red, champagne, brown and blue. Topaz is an alternative birthstone for November
Citrine is the yellow to orange variety of the gem species quartz.
Citrine get sis name from the Latin 'citrina' meaning yellow.
Ametrine is a bi-colour gemstone that is a natural combination of amethyst and citrine.
Citrine is the birthstone for November
Morganite belongs to the same gem species as emerald and aquamarine, beryl.
Morganite is prized for its vivid pink colouration along with its paler pastel and salmon pinks to orange hues
Peridot is the gem quality form of the mineral olivine. It often forms in the same host rock (peridotite) as some diamonds. Peridot crystals have been collected from some pallasite meteorites, these gems are given the name moldovite to differentiate their origins. Peridot is the birthstone for August
Sapphires come in an array of beautiful colours other than blue including pink, purple, yellow, orange, green and colourless.
A special orangy pink sapphire colour is called Padparadscha, which means Lotus Flower is Sinhalese.
Sapphire is the birthstone for September
