Our gems

Our precious stones

Garnet

The name "garnet" comes from the Latin "granatus", given its similarity to the shape and color of the pomegranate fruit. It is considered a very energizing and regenerating gem, related to love and devotion.

Although garnet can be found in a wide variety of colors -yellow, orange, coffee, black, etc.-, it is the ruby ​​red color that has given more popularity to this gem, which was terribly fashionable during the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe -starring many Victorian jewels-. Some garnets have their own names, such as rhodolite -red-lilac- or tsavorite -of an intense green-.

It is a stone that can last a long time thanks to its hardness, which allows, at the same time, that it can be cut in a great diversity of forms, becoming one of the most appreciated precious stones in jewelry. Most garnets come from Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Namibia, Afghanistan or Myanmar, among others.

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Peridot

 

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Pink quartz

The name has come down to us through the German word "Twarc", with which it was called veins with gems (often populated with quartz). Rose quartz in particular gets this hue due to its phosphorus composition and is associated with unconditional love and peace.

This variety of quartz - a very common mineral in the earth's crust - is often cracked, as it is generally a bit cloudy, although it has a hardness that makes it durable. The luster and transparency that has made it appreciated in jewelry since ancient times given the pink tones, which add connotations of tenderness and sweetness to any jewelry. The deposits are in Brazil and Madagascar.

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Topaz

Its name comes from Zebirget Island, the ancient island of Topazos, in the Red Sea. Topazes come in a wide range of colors: green, yellow, red, pink, gold ... depending on the variation of iron and chromium in their chemical composition. The blue ones are without a doubt the most popular color of this gemstone. They enjoy different shades: the lightest is called Sky, the sky is called Swiss and the darkest, a navy blue, is London.

Topaz is one of the most valued stones. Its high refraction of light, gives it a great brightness. It is a very hard gem, but it needs to be protected from blows because it can split in one go. However, it is difficult to find: some of the most important deposits are found in England (Cornwall), Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Sapphire

Sapphire is considered one of the most important and most beautiful gemstones in the world. It is known for its characteristic blue color, the result of a mixture of oxides of aluminum, iron and titanium. Although this gemstone can also acquire reddish and yellowish colors.

Large sapphires are rare, usually not reaching 5 carats. Those that exceed this size are given their own names, as is the case with the most famous diamonds. So, in New York, we can see the "Star of India", the largest sapphire in the shape of a star cut with 536 carats. Also noteworthy is the "Midnight Star", a 116-carat black star sapphire.

Sapphires are born in different parts of the world: in Australia, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Africa, Thailand, Canada and the United States. The most prized colors are Indian cashmere blue and the so-called Cornflower Blue, a lavender blue.

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Aquamarine

Aquamarine is a gemstone whose name means "seawater". It is not uncommon for it to be considered the stone of luck by sailors. It is a gem that belongs to the beryl group, takes on greenish or bluish hues, which increase the value of the stone the more saturation it has. The coloring agent is iron.

If it touches the light, its reflection is white, and sometimes even rays of light in the shape of a six-pointed star can occur. The largest aquamarine in the world was found in 1910 at the Gerais Mines in Brazil. It weighed 110.5 kg, measured 48.5 cm long and almost 42 cm in diameter. All our Aquamarines come from Brazil.

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Citrí

From the French "citron", which means lemon, citrine is a yellow gem of the quartz family. It can acquire a wide range of shades, from a very pale yellow to colors such as orange coffee and even gold; as well as very diverse sizes. The agent that gives it color is iron.

In antiquity the planet Mercury was associated, and in the Middle Ages citrine was considered a talisman against skin problems; today it is a stepping stone to success and prosperity. Natural citrines are rare and most commercial citrines are heat-treated amethysts. All Roosik & Co gemstones are natural, untreated, we buy citrine in warehouses in Spain, Brazil and the United States.

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Smoky quartz

Pink or smoky quartz, lilac amethyst, green amethyst, citrine… These are gems that share a great similarity in their chemical composition and, together, make up the so-called quartz group. Quartz is pure silica, a chemical compound found in 60% of the earth's crust in multiple ways, such as in rocks, rocks and sands. The darkest, smoky quartz, obtains this chromatism thanks to its exposure to temperatures between 300º and 400º.

The elegant and sober smoky shades of brown or gray are what characterize smoky quartz. It is curious to know that the traditional Scottish kilts were closed with needles adorned with smoky quartz. It encourages concentration and positive thinking.

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Spinach

Spinach is a very special stone and we find it in a wide variety of beautiful pastel tones that make it very desirable: pink, purple, oranges, yellowish, red, blue ... In mineralogy, spinel classifies a whole group of Realistic minerals, only a dew is of gemstone quality, and they are the ones that Roosik & Co selects for their jewelry. The agents for painting are iron, chromium, vanadium and cobalt. Large stones are rare.

Throughout history, this stone has been confused with many other gems. This is the case of the "Robin of the Black Prince", embedded in the crown of England, or the "Robin of Tamerlane" of 361 carats, being finally red spinels and not rubies. What differentiates a spinel from a ruby ​​is its refraction: single, in the spinel, and double, in the case of the ruby. It is a gem with a high Mohs hardness index: 8 out of 10. The largest spinels in the world reach 520 carats and are on display at the British Museum in London.

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Tourmaline

Tourmalines are found in virtually every color in nature, from almost absolute transparency to black; however, the most prized color in this stone is green, when it resembles the color of the emerald. It was the Dutch who introduced it to Europe, when they imported it in 1703 from Ceylon. to the Republic of Sri Lanka. There the villagers called it touramalli, which means "stone of mixed colors."

One of the distinctive features of tourmaline is that the same stone has different colors depending on the light under which it is looked at, with a captivating and very suggestive variability. Tourmaline is said to be able to transform negative energy into positive and improve self-confidence. The most important deposits are in Brazil. (Minas Gerais, Pariba)

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Emerald

The lush green of the emerald has evoked emotions since ancient times. Its name comes from the ancient Greek word for the color green, "smaragdus". The emerald is a type of silicate that belongs to the group of beryllium, which includes all the precious stones that usually have a blue-green hue. Its tone varies and is determined by its chemical composition, among which we find chromium, iron or vanadium in varying amounts. Its color also varies, which is why the timing of the carving is important.

It is often said that emeralds favor those married couples who want a quiet life together. It is also associated with increased flow of money, and the cure of heart problems, asthma and insomnia.

Pliny the Elder of Rome described the emerald in its natural history, published in the 1st century AD: "... nothing greener green" was his verdict. He described the use of the emerald by early lapidaries, who "have no better method of restoring their eyes than by looking at the emerald, its soft, green color comforting and eliminating its fatigue and weariness." relieve stress and eye strain. One of the favorite stones with Cleopatra's Green Peridot.

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Amethyst

Amethyst is a variety of quartz known for its characteristic violet color, which can be more or less dark. It is a gem that was already worked in jewelry in the days of Ancient Egypt and has been assimilated to power: it was one of the favorites of Catherine the Great of Russia and is often worn in rings by many bishops and cardinals.

Green amethyst belongs to the quartz group and was christened Prasiolita, which means "precious green mineral" in Portuguese. It is obtained from the calcination at 500º of yellow quartz stones or violet amethysts. It is a gem that provides protection, vitality, balance and sensitivity. It fosters intuition, feelings and self-values. It is located in the Montesuma depot in Minas Geriasm, Brazil.

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Tanzanite

Tanzanite is one of the most valuable and little known gemstones. It belongs to the variety of Zoisites, a mineral of the silicate group. The light makes its color variable, from ultramarine blue to sapphire blue, being the most popular and appreciated its saturated-lilac blue tone.

It is a thousand times rarer than diamond because it is found in only one place: at the foot of Kilimanjaro, near the Merenari hills, in northern Tanzania. Tanzanite was formed 5 million years ago, but was not discovered until 1967. Its discovery is attributed to Manel D'Souza, a tailor by profession and gold and gem seeker in his time. free. D’Souza is said to have obtained Tanzanian thanks to a member of the Massai tribe, and was initially thought to be a sapphire.

The name Tanzanite was introduced by the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. The only deposit is located in Arusha (Tanzania), it occurs in veins or in the filling of gneiss fissures. A strong pleochrome appears in purple, brown or yellow.

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