News from PZM Designs

Exotic Gemstones, Featuring Apatite Posted on 25 Oct 11:41

Like the name implies, exotic gemstones are somewhat rare and naturally brightly colored. Unlike the big 3 colored gemstones, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald (which are often heat treated to bring out color vibrancy), they are not so well known and the exotic gemstones are very rarely treated.

I'd like to introduce you to one of my transparent to semi-transparent favorites and tell you a little about it.. Because "exotics" are sometimes very hard to source I buy them when I am able and have created some pieces for you here in my shop, pzmdesigns.com

In this blog post, I will be featuring Apatite. Apatite, is a naturally occurring gemstone whose colors range from light blue and violet, to intense violet-blue, to blue, and yellowish green to green..... with all the color variations in between. The most highly prized color mimics the Paraiba blue tourmaline and is usually called neon blue.

Apatite can range from transparent to opaque. They are sourced mainly in Myanmar, Brazil, India and East Africa, among a few other places. They are a softer stone with the hardness of 5 on the Mohs hardness scale. That is why, in jewelry, apatite is better suited to necklaces or earrings. I have included some examples of the color variations in these translucent beaded necklaces.

https://pzmdesigns.com/collections/gemstone-necklaces/products/apatite-double-strand-necklace-blue-apatite-and-silver-necklace

https://pzmdesigns.com/collections/gemstone-necklaces/products/neon-blue-apatite-necklace-gift-for-her

The necklace above shows the different transparency qualities that can occur in apatite.

Next is an example of the neon blue apatite!!!

https://pzmdesigns.com/collections/gemstone-earrings/products/neon-apatite-tassel-earrings-with-blue-pearl-accents-art-deco-style-fine-jewelry

Stay tuned for another blog post about exotic gemstones. There are so many and they are all exquisite in their own way. Some of the stones I will cover are the transparent to semi translucent: Kyanite, Iolite, Prehnite, and Fluorite. I have already spoken about Peridot, Garnet, and the Quartz family.

There are also many opaque exotic gemstones that are just as beautiful. Such as Amazonite, and the pink beauties, Rhodochrosite and Rhodonite, and I will be writing all about these stones too.

Please visit my shop, pzmdesigns.com to take a peek at some modern tribal gemstone jewelry designs.

The World's 5 Best Selling Gemstones Posted on 11 Dec 17:37

Are you a fan of handmade gemstone jewelry? In this post, we explore the world's 5 best selling gemstones, and the jewelry I have created with them.

Amethyst, February Birthstone and Gemstone of Royalty Posted on 4 Feb 07:57

Amethyst is the Zodiacal Stone for Aquarius and the birthstone for the month of February. Amethyst was the most prized member of the quartz family for centuries and was considered as an equal to ruby, emerald and sapphire.

Garnet, A Rainbow of Colors and the January Birthstone Posted on 26 Jan 13:08

Garnet is the birthstone of January and to Zodiacal stone for Capricorn. Garnet comes in a rainbow of colors, each with a different name. Some are abundant, and some are very very rare.

garnets

Peridot, The Other Green Gemstone Posted on 17 Jan 07:49

Peridot, the August birthstone, is one of the few untreated gemstones and has been used in jewelry for centuries. In fact, the famous Cleopatra emeralds are believed to have been peridot.

PZM Designs