Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — mohs scale of hardness

Tanzanite - Stone of the Month

Tanzanite - Stone of the Month

Tanzanite is a beautiful blue-violet crystal and is one of the birthstones for the month of December.  The blue color appears stronger under fluorescent light and the violet hues are more apparent when under incandescent lighting.  The mineral was first discovered in the Mererani Hills of northern Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro in 1967 and is extremely rare to find outside this region.  The mineral was named by Tiffany & Co in a campaign advertising that tanzanite could now be found in two places: "Tanzania and at Tiffany's". The tanzanite is predominantly blue gemstone, and is an affordable alternative to sapphire for...

Read more →


Zircon - Stone of the Month

One of the birthstones of December is zircon, a stone that comes in many colors but is most well known for its beautiful light blue color. Zircon has been known since the Middle Ages, with the oldest stones being over 4 billion years old. The origin of the name is not a hundred percent certain, however it is speculated to come from the Persian word "zargun", meaning golden-colored.   Zircon is a mineral that belongs to the group of nesosilicates. In its purest form zircon is colorless, however it takes on different colors due to impurities or certain gemstone treatments...

Read more →


Labradorite - Stone of the Month

The alternative birthstone for the month of November, and one of our favorites, is labradorite, also known as the colorful cousin of moonstone. With its beautiful play of color, specifically known as labradoresenece or schiller effect, this stone has mesmerized people many centuries before us. While Labradorite is an obvious stone to be used for jewelry, it has also been used in the production of glass, as a road building material and to increase the strength and durability of ceramics. Labradorite has a predominant blue shimmer, however it comes in color variations of gray-green, dark gray, black and grayish-white. The...

Read more →


Lapis Lazuli - Stone of the Month

The alternative birthstone for the month of September is the beautiful Lapis Lazuli, often referred to as the cousin of the turquoise. Because of its beautiful blue color it has often been ground to powder form and then used to create paint and make up. Lapis Lazuli has been used in jewelry for thousands of years and got its name from the Latin word "lapis" which means stone and the Arabian word "azul" which means blue. Lapis is composed mainly out of lazurite and several other minerals, making it a rock rather than a mineral. It measures a 5 -...

Read more →


Carnelian - Stone of the Month

Often known for it's red-brown color, the alternative birthstone of July is the beautiful carnelian. Carnelian is a zodiac birthstone for the signs of Leo and Virgo and has been said to promote inner vitality and joy. The carnelian is a commonly available microcrystalline quartz. It is considered a chalcedony, made up of silicon dioxide colored by different levels of iron impurities which makes them come in many warm colors ranging from a pale orange to a dark brown. Often, the stones have been heat treated to make their color more intense. This stone got its name from the Latin...

Read more →