Birth Stones

Garnets are commonly red but also come in a range of colors, including orange, yellow, purple and green. The name “garnet” originates from the Latin granatus, meaning “pomegranate,” in reference to its red color. Garnets are a group of several minerals, including: Pyrope (red), Almandine…

The word “zircon” most likely comes from the Persian word zargun meaning “golden colored.” Zircon colors can be: blue, red, orange, yellow, brown, and green. Colorless zircon is known for its brilliance and flashes of multicolored light, called fire. Zircon comes from Sri Lanka and…

Topaz comes in colorless, light blue, yellow, orange, pink, violet, brown, and rarely, red. Topaz may come from the Sanskrit word tapas, which means “fire”, but others trace it back to the Greek topazos. The vast majority of blue topaz seen today is the permanent…

The name Opal is believed to have originated in India (the source of the first opals brought to the Western world), where in Sanskrit it was called upala, meaning “precious stone”. Opals are divided into three subgroups: precious opals (white, black boulder, etc.), yellow to…