Birthstones

This overlooked spinel gemstone is a perfect beauty Spinel is a mineral with a lot of history. Long mined in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand, spinel garnered deep appreciation for its beauty, even winning a treasured place in a number of crown jewels. Found in a variety of colors, including red, blue, violet, and dark green, spinel gemstones are regaining their popularity of old. Learn everything you didn’t know about this intriguing gemstone. What is a spinel gem? Spinel is a mineral that owes its beautiful color to chromium, much like rubies and emeralds do. What is the

We’ve heard that history repeats itself. Pearls embody that saying as they are a timeless trend, again and again. They’ve grown from a symbol of status to a status of style. Over the past few years, pearls have remained a trend with different shapes, colors, and sizes. AGS members like Krainz Creations have kept up with the latest! These earrings have been described as a pearl with ocean colors. You can find these button-shaped earrings from Krainz Creations and so much more on our Trending Now page. As we look forward to the newest trends, we can also look back

Tourmaline gemstones are found in an incredible range of colors. An Egyptian legend explains this variety by saying the gemstone traveled along a rainbow, gathering the diverse array of colors as it went. One legend relates tourmaline to the world’s ancient knowledge. Magicians living in the Andes mountains used tourmaline to create magical staffs to access this resource. Ancient Indian ceremonies used tourmaline for enlightenment and help in seeking good. Inversely, they felt it could also bring insight as to what was causing trouble. In the 18th Century, a Dutch scientist believed that wrapping a tourmaline gemstone in silk and

The folklore around opal gemstones has changed over the centuries. It has long been associated with hope, happiness, innocence, and luck. According to Arabic legend, opals fell from the sky in bolts of lightning. Greek mythology stated that opals originated from Zeus’ joyful tears after winning the battle against the Titans. Meanwhile, Australian aborigines believed that the Creator came to Earth on a rainbow, leaving these colorful stones where his feet touched the ground. Aztecs named fire opal after Quetzalcoatl, their feathered-serpent diety. They believed the “Stone of the Bird of Paradise” could foster creativity and beginnings. They felt it

Spinel is a gemstone that has often been confused with ruby. One of August’s birthstones, spinel can come in a variety of colors, including red, black, blue, green, and purple. It can also appear colorless. Spinel can be found in deposits around the world. However, in ancient times, Southeast Asia produced very large formations of the gemstone. Red spinel is often called “flame spinel.” Two of these large, red gems are in the English crown jewels. Known as the “Black Prince’s Ruby” and the “Timur Ruby,” it was later discovered that they were spinels. According to legend, spinel can help