As long as man can breathe, or eyes can see, so long will live man’s passion for gold. This passion is shaped by the opposite forces of fashion and tradition. The pull of tradition is more powerful when one is in an alien land. And this soft corner becomes a way for success for others. This is what the experience of Kerala Jewellers teaches us.
Cheeranveli P G Jose, who hailed from Trichur and founded Muttar Jewellery at Ponkunnam, in Kottayam district, in 1933, used to supply traditional Kerala ornaments to Chennai Malayalees.
In 1958, Jose visited many jewelleries in Chennai and found that none of the shops had Kerala items. So he decided to open a jewellery shop here and started Kerala Jewellers in Ranganathan Street in 1959.

Kerala can boast of a rich tradition of ornaments, which are unique in appearance. Elakkathali, worn by the royals of Travancore, is foremost among them. It has many glittering gold leaves. Palackkal necklace, made of stones of different hues, is Palakkad district’s contribution to Kerala’s golden tradition.
There is kashumalai, which is made of small coins with the impression of goddess Lakshmi on each of them. Then there are many other ornaments like poothali, maanga malai, nagapadam and pulival mothiram.

Kerala Jewellers had all these items and many Malayalees frequented the shop. The shop contributed greatly to popularising Kerala ornaments among Chennaivasis.
In 1972, P G Jose’s son George Joseph Wilson joined the business and in 1978, his second son Princeson was also roped in. However, Princeson left Kerala Jewellers and started his own jewellery shop in 1984 (Prince Jewellery, Panagal Park).

George Joseph Wilson became the proprietor of Kerala Jewellers in 1986 and in 1988, they moved to their own building in Ranganathan Street.
Though there was a lot of challenge in the ‘80s, Kerala Jewellers overcame all the problems and started another outlet in 1991 (at Pondy Bazaar).

As “we are very particular about making quality ornaments”, Kerala Jewellers became very popular among everyone in Chennai and this popularity is reflected in the form of a third outlet. They started ‘Kerala Gold Palace’ at Pondy Bazaar in 1998.

Kerala Jewellers claims to have a wide range of fashion and traditional jewellery. They have a good collection of traditional ornaments from all the southern states. Imported items and all kinds of stones are available here to cater to the metropolitan customers.
George Joseph Wilson says 35 per cent of the customers of Kerala Jewellers are Malayalees. He says, “Now we are established here. We are one of the leaders in the city”.

Well, the touchstone of time has proved the quality of Kerala Jewellers. Where thrust is on tradition, all that glitters is gold.

Platinum's untarnishing whiteness is its main attraction, according to most jewellers. Although platinum is understated, wearing platinum jewellery communicates a message to others; a message of taste, confidence and success. Platinum's beauty is unsurpassed, and the Platinum Collection is where you will find the very best expressions of the jeweller's art. For its beauty, purity and rarity, platinum jewellery has become one of the ultimate expressions of celebrating the joy of a relationship. Whether for an engagement, wedding, anniversary, to commemorate the birth of your first baby or any other special occasion, platinum conveys perfectly how precious your relationship is.

Platinum and Diamonds

Nothing sets off a diamond, or any precious stone, like platinum. Its pure white lustre ideally complements the colour and brilliance of your gem. Its unmatched strength and durability holds it gently, yet with absolute security, ensuring your diamond truly is "forever".

Platinum and Weddings

Pure, white and eternal, platinum is the perfect choice for a wedding ring. In the UK the minimum purity for platinum is 85%, but most jewellery contains as much as 95% pure platinum. By comparison, 18-carat gold contains 75% pure gold and 9-carat gold only 37.5%. Platinum never tarnishes nor loses its deep white colour, and will not wear thin like so some of the gold rings. And remember - the wedding dress will only be worn once, the flowers and the cake last only for a day. Your ring will be a reminder of your wedding day every day of the rest of your lives. Make sure it reflects the joy of it.

Platinum and Fashion

Platinum jewellery appeals to many people today because of its subtle beauty and elegant understatement. Whatever your personal style there are designs in platinum to suit your individual taste. Fine platinum jewellery endures and outlives the whims of fashion, retaining its beauty forever.

Platinum and Gold

Gold is rare, but every year twenty times more is mined than platinum, and to produce one platinum ring, more than one ton of ore must be mined. Many platinum jewellery designs are accented with 18-carat gold. This contrasts beautifully with platinum's pure white colour, creating a sophisticated, versatile and fashionable look.

Platinum and your Jeweller

Rare are the craftsmen sufficiently skilled to bring out the subtle beauty in platinum jewellery and only the best jewellery shops carry platinum jewellery. Your jeweller can assist in selecting platinum jewellery that will bring pleasure to you for years to come.

Platinum and You

Platinum jewellery isn't just beautiful to look at; it is also beautiful to wear. With a silky polished surface and weighing more than half as much as 18-carat gold, it conveys a real feeling of value and beauty to the wearer. Although platinum jewellery is becoming more popular, it is still the exception and is worn by exceptional people.

Although in the west, different gems have been recommended to tally with the date and month of birth, Numerology and signs of the Zodiac, it is not that simple in Indian astrology . A number of factors have to be taken into consideration and a horoscope (Janma patrika) has to drawn up with the position of the various planets and their influence during various periods in life before gems are advised for wear. However the navratna (nine gems ) is worn by almost all people who can afford it. It is believed that the stones stand for wealth, happiness, renown, longevity, honor and mental peace.
No weight is prescribed for the stones, but the gems should be flawless and genuine. An auspicious time and day should be determined for the wearing and if necessary a ritual fire or puja performed. The gems should be set by a knowledgeable jeweller (in a particular format ) either in gold or silver.
The age-old tradition of Ayurveda too believed that cosmic energies permeated the universe and conditioned life through the fundamental colors. Ayurveda believes that there exits a relationship between these cosmic forces and the color of the rainbow, of gems, metals and human beings. Each fundamental color has a corresponding stone acting as a radiating centre of energy and each person has a gem that is beneficial to him.
How these corresponding nine gems are set into a ring or pendant is determined by the astrologers and in some cases may vary according to individual horoscopes. One of the more common setting has the Ruby, representing the Sun in the centre; the Diamond (Vajra) representing Venus in the east; a Sapphire (Indranil) representing the Saturn in the west; a Cat's eye (Vaidurya) representing Ketu in the north; a Coral (Moonga) representing Mars in the south; an Emerald (Marakatam) representing Mercury in the north east; a Jaicinth (Gomed) representing Jupiter in the north west of the Navratna Pariksha.
According to age-old belief a person who wears a Rudraksha along with pearls, corals, crystals, cat's eye, silver and gold, propitiates Shiva. The Navalakha Haar or necklace worth nine lakhs also figures in many a folk tale. It is said to protect the wearer from danger, hunger, thirst and death. The sparkle of this necklace gives enough light to serve as a lamp.

But the recent opinion is that the navratna cannot be worn by one and all, for it may result in negative effects for the wearer. So, it is better to consult an astrologer before purchasing this item for everyday use.

Genuine "star" sapphires and rubies are rare and valuable. The "star" pattern in the stone is created by crystal growth lines.

"Star" stones have an opaque rather than a transparent finish, for better light reflection. The back (or bottom part) of the stone remains unpolished, so there is no light leakage. The round (cabochon shape) top is necessary to bring out the star. Fine stars are pretty rare. Until the 1960s, these stones always sold for more than the faceted ruby.
A recent introduction in the market are diffusion star sapphires, which are of the same material as natural sapphires. They don't contain a good colour and/or a star naturally, so by the addition of chemicals and/or heat colour a star is added artificially to the surface layer of the stone.
Legends tell us that the three intersecting rays are thought of to represent faith, hope and destiny. Ancient cultures have thought that star sapphires had demons or angels of light living in them, and because they turned dark at night, they were thought to go to sleep.

The best stars will have just enough silk to create the star effect, but not so much as to harm the transparency and colour. Natural stars are normally non-heated stones. The rutile silk is what actually forms the star. If a stone is heat-treated, then you lose its star because the rutile needles are destroyed when heated.
If a fine star ruby or sapphire is properly lit, the needles reflect the lighting in such a manner that it appears the star is hovering over the gemstone. The star wanders as the light is moved.

How rare are these gems? For every 100 faceted corundum (ruby and sapphire) mined, approximately three stars are discovered. One will have good colour and a bad star. One will have a great star and bad colour. Only one out of a hundred will have a good star and good colour.

How do you set about actually buying silver? In fact how do you know that it is silver at all, and not white metal?

If your preference is specifically old silver, these will be sold by the piece rather than by weight. Normal day-to-day variations in the silver bullion prices will not be reflected in these ornaments. The point of acquiring one of these is the design rather than the purity, so it is meaningless for the buyer to insist on being shown a similar design with a higher or lower percentage of silver. After all the design may not be in production any longer and fashion trends change too!
Or you want a new piece bearing a traditional design. These are much easier to come by, being made in vast quantities in such centres as Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Hathras (UP), Salem (Tamil Nadu) and Rajkot (Gujrat). They are usually lighter and less chunky than old pieces, although this is a rule-of-the-thumb, and not a rigid fact. You are well within your rights to know what percentage of silver the piece contains. A reliable dealer would tell you straight away.
n the last decade, India has become a huge exporter of sterling silver jewellery. Not bad for a country which doesn't mine an ounce of the metal itself. All of this is designed with the western wearer in mind, and made entirely by hand. It is India's competitive pricing owing to comparatively cheap skilled craftsmanship which gives it an edge over other South Asian countries which make silver jewellery entirely on machines.
Most of this type of jewellery is a take-off on traditional styles. It is sold by a few dealers in the domestic market and is always of sterling silver, that is to say, it has the highest possible percentage of silver - 92.5 percent. Sterling silver is always stamped with a tiny impression to that effect on the reverse side. As it is a criminal offence to stamp anything less than sterling silver, you can be sure that buying a piece of jewellery with this stamp means that it is in fact pure silver.

Since Vedic times it has been an accepted belief that gems have curative and prophylactic qualities that influence a man's fate. Hence precious stones served and continue to serve as items of adornment reinforced by a belief in the occult powers. While choosing one’s birthstone it is important to select it after a detailed study of one’s birth-chart, the most important feature being the moon sign or the "Star"/"Nakshatra". One should neither select one’s birthstone according to the month in which one is born nor on the strength of one’s zodiac sign. These are broad classifications and hence may not be very effective. It makes sense to seek the advice of an astrologer who can reveal the best gemstone for an individual.
Generally it is advised to wear a gemstone as per the governance of the ruling planet. This helps to enhance the good qualities indicated by the planet to assure progress, prosperity, physical and mental well being of the person. It is not very advisable to wear a single ring with all the nine stones (nava-ratnam). For example, if one single planet is badly situated in one’s birth chart, its inclusion in the combination could counter the beneficial effects of the other gems. No two stones governed by planets hostile and inimical towards one another should be placed adjacently. Visualize a situation where one who desperately needs a boost in his career wears a wrongly built combination of precious stones, a stone that governs his health prominently. He is sure to be hale and hearty but will continue to struggle throughout his life without achieving any success in his career.
The combination of gems stones is very powerful. It may work out well in the right combination, and if improper the downslide will be sure, subtle and affect family relationships, wisdom, health and happiness. Realization may be too late for redress. People should not fall prey only for prosperity in terms of wealth. If you wish to wear a gemstone to enhance your fortune, do not select the stone according to the jeweller's list. Even though the gemstones for each month are universally displayed at various jewellery stores, these do not have astrological sanctions. According to Vedic astrology there are nine gems governing the nine planets.
Mars - Coral; Mercury - Emerald; Jupiter - Yellow Sapphire; Venus - Diamond; Saturn - Blue Sapphire; Sun - Ruby; Moon - Pearl; Rahu, - Gomeda (Hessonite) and Ketu - Cat's Eye.

Gems like Amethyst, Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Moonstone, Garnet, Peridot, etc., do not have any protective value according to Vedic astrology. Choose the gemstone as per your birth star and wear on the day auspicious to your ruling planet.

The history of Indian jewellery cannot be considered complete without a study of the gems themselves. India has been one of the greatest trading centres for gems and other precious stones throughout the ancient and medieval periods of Indian history. The vast mass of Indian literature both, indigenous and foreign, have references to Indian gemstones. Subsequently, all this knowledge was compiled into a science called Ratna-Pariksha.]
The Arthasastra of Kautilya, the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana, the Brihatsamhita of Varahamihira and the Ratna-Pariksha of Buddhabhatta are the authoritative texts from the past. The earliest text in this connection is, no doubt, the Arthasastra of Kautilya and then, the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana who included gemology among the sixty-four Anga-Vidyas or subsidiary arts.
The Ratna-Pariksha section in the Brihatsamhita of Varahamihira, an astronomer, and the Ratna-Pariksha of Buddhabhatta, a Buddhist scholar, are later works datable to the sixth century AD and both have referred to earlier authorities.

The Brihatsamhita of Varahamihira has listed twenty-two varieties of stones in the category of ratnas (gems) without differentiating between the major gems (maharatna) and minor gems (uparatnas), a classification which seems to have developed later.

The twenty-two ratnas are:
Vajra (diamond), Indranila (sapphire), Marakata (emerald), Karketana (chrysoberyl), Padmaraga (ruby), Rudhirakhya (carnelian), Vaidurya (cat’s eye), Pulaka (garnet), Vimalaka, Raja-mani, Sphatika (rock crystal), Sasikanta (moonstone), Saugandhika (a variety of sapphire), Pushparaga (topaz), Brahmamani, Jyotirasa, Sasyaka, Mukta (pearl) and Pravals (coral).

Of these, the Ratna-Pariksha section of the Brihatsamhita deals with four gems in great detail - diamond, pearl, ruby and emerald. The rest like sapphire, chrysoberyl, garnet and so on are mentioned only in passing.

While most varieties of transparent quartz are valued most when they lack inclusions, some varieties are valued chiefly because of inclusions! The most popular of these is known as rutilated quartz. Rutilated quartz is a transparent rock crystal with golden needles of rutile arrayed in patterns inside. Every pattern is different and some are breathtakingly beautiful. The inclusions are sometimes called Venus hair. Less well known is a variety called tourmalinated quartz which, instead of golden rutile, has black or dark green tourmaline crystals.

Smokey Quartz:

Smoky quartz is a brown transparent quartz that is sometimes used for unusual faceted cuts. This variety was sometimes known as smoky topaz in the past, which is incorrect and misleading, since the mineral variety is quartz, not topaz.

Tiger's Eye:

Tiger's Eye quartz contains brown iron which produces its golden-yellow color. Cabochon cut stones of this variety show the chatoyancy (small ray of light on the surface) that resembles the feline eye of a tiger. The most important deposit is in South Africa, though Tiger's eye is also found in Western Australia, Burma (Myanmar), India and the U.S. (California).

Chalcedonies:

Quartz that is formed not of one single crystal but finely grained micro-crystals is known as chalcedony. The variety of chalcedony is even greater than transparent quartz varieties because it includes crypto-crystalline quartz with patterns as well as a wide range of solid colors. Agates are banded, bloodstone has red spots on a green ground, moss agate has a vegetal pattern.

Jasper sometimes looks like a landscape painting. Another staple of the jewelry industry is black onyx, chalcedony quartz which owes its even black color to an ancient dyeing process that is still used today. Carnelian, another chalcedony valued in the ancient world, has a vivid brownish orange color and clear translucency that makes it popular for signet rings and seals.
Chrysoprase, a bright apple green translucent chalcedony, is the most valued. It was a particular favorite of Frederick The Great of Prussia, who loved its bright green color. It can be seen today decorating many buildings in beautiful Prague, including the Chapel of St Wencelas. Chrysoprase is found today mostly in Australia. Unlike most other green stones, which owe their color to chromium or vanadium, chrysoprase derives its color from nickel. Its bright even color and texture lends itself well to beads, cabochons, and carvings.

Tourmaline's name comes from the Sinhalese word "turmali," which means "mixed." Bright rainbow collections of gemstone varieties were called "turmali" parcels. Tourmaline, occurring in more colors and combinations of colors than any other gemstone variety, lives up to its name. There is a tourmaline that looks like almost any other gemstone! Many stones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th century once thought to be rubies are actually tourmalines. Perhaps this is why this gemstone is said to encourage artistic intuition: it has many faces and expresses every mood.
The Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi, the last Empress of China, loved pink tourmaline and bought almost a ton of it from the new Himalaya Mine, located a long way from the Middle Country in California. The Himalaya Mine is still producing tourmaline, but the Dowager went to rest eternally on a carved tourmaline pillow.

Tourmaline is also of interest to scientists because it changes its electrical charge when heated. It becomes a polarized crystalline magnet and can attract light objects. This property was noticed long ago before science could explain it. In the Netherlands, tourmalines were called "aschentrekkers" because they attracted ashes and could be used to clean pipes!
Tourmaline occurs in every color of the rainbow and combinations of two or three colors. Bicolor and tricolor tourmalines, with bands of colors are very popular. Sometimes the colors are at different ends of the crystal and sometimes there is one color in the heart of the crystal and another around the outside. One color combination, pink center with a green rind, is called "watermelon tourmaline" (seedless, of course!) Sometimes designers set slices of the crystal instead of faceted stones to show off this phenomenon.
Almost every color of tourmaline can be found in Brazil, especially in Minas Gerais and Bahia. Pink and green colors are particularly popular. In 1989, miners discovered tourmaline unlike any that had ever been seen before. The new type of tourmaline, which soon became known as Paraiba tourmaline, came in incredibly vivid blues and greens. The demand and excitement for this new material, which soon fetched more than $10,000 per carat, earned more respect for the other colors of tourmaline. Pink and green tourmaline are now widely available and are especially popular in designer jewelry. Blue tourmalines are also very much in demand, but the supply is more limited.
Tourmalines are most often cut in long rectangular shapes because of their long and narrow crystal shapes. Tourmaline crystals are beautiful, pencil thin and ridged, and they are also set in jewelry. Some designers also set rainbows of tourmaline in each color of the spectrum. Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic - the darkest color is always seen looking down the axis of the crystal. In addition to Brazil, tourmaline is also mined in Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, California and Maine in the United States. Maine produces beautiful sherbet colors of tourmaline and spectacular minty greens. California is known for perfect pinks, as well as beautiful bicolors.
One particularly beautiful variety is chrome tourmaline, a rare type of tourmaline from Tanzania which occurs in a very rich green color caused by chromium, the same element which causes the green in emerald. Tourmaline is a hard and durable gemstone which can withstand years of wear. You may have to avoid steam cleaning or heating it.

Hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood, and this is due to the color produced when the stone is crushed or scratched. It is a derivative of the iron stone. Hematite occurs in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Large iron ore bodies of hematite are found in regionally metamorphosed rocks of sedimentary origin. Hematite is a dark grey stone with a metallic luster. Sometimes referred to as 'gunmetal grey'. Hematite beads is used in smaller gauge captive bead rings.

Rock Crystal

The transparent colorless variety of quartz is still known as rock crystal. Long ago, people believed that rock crystal was a compact form of ice: crystallos actually means "frozen." The best rock crystal has the clarity and shimmer of water. Although colorless quartz is relatively common, large flawless specimens are not, which is why crystal balls these days are made of glass, not quartz.
Rock crystal has often been used in jewelry, particularly carved pieces. Many stunning jewelry designs featured the black and white quartz combination of rock crystal and onyx. Colorless quartz crystals have also become popular in jewelry due to the popularity of legends about their powers. Many people believe that wearing quartz crystals benefits a person's health and spiritual well being.

Rose Quartz

The pale pink color of quartz, which can range from transparent to translucent, is known as rose quartz. The color is a very pale and delicate powder pink.

Transparent rose quartz is very rare and is usually so pale that it does not show very much color except in large sizes. The translucent quality of rose quartz is available and is used for beads, cabochons, carvings, and architectural purposes.
Hematite Power Beads is anti-depressant, helps in grounding and balancing your life . It creates balance between the mind and body, and relieve stress. In the West hematite associated with healing from wounds. Wear Hematite Power Beads with black onyx to get rid of the problems in your life!

Do you love both the purple of amethyst and the sunny gold of citrine? Sometimes amethyst and citrine colors are found in the same crystal of quartz. These bi-color yellow and purple quartz gemstones are called ametrine.
With ametrine, you can have both gem colors for the price of one! Ametrine is especially inexpensive when you consider that it comes from only one mine in the world.

The Anahi Mine in Bolivia is the major world producer of ametrine. The mine first became famous in the seventeenth century when a Spanish conquistador received it as a dowry when he married a princess from the Ayoreos tribe named Anahi. Ametrine was introduced to Europe through the conquistador's gifts to the Spanish queen.
Ametrine is most typically faceted in a rectangular shape with a 50/50 pairing of amethyst and citrine. Sometimes a checkerboard pattern of facets is added to the top to increase light reflection.

Ametrine can also be cut to blend the two colors so that the resulting stone is a mix of yellow, purple, and peach tones throughout the stone. Ametrine is also popular among artistic cutters and carvers who play with the colors, creating landscapes in the stone.
Ametrine is a very durable gemstone suited for a variety of jewelry uses. Most sizes and shapes are available but the color contrast is most pronounced in sizes over seven carats.

So why compromise when you can have two varieties of quartz for the price of one?

When Leif Eriksson and the other legendary Viking explorers ventured far out into the Atlantic Ocean, away from any coastline that could help them determine position, they had a secret gem weapon: iolite. The Viking mariners used thin pieces of iolite as the world's first polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, they could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely to the new world and back.
The property that made iolite so valuable to the Vikings is extreme pleochroism. Iolite has different colors in different directions in the crystal. A cube cut from iolite will look a violetish blue almost like sapphire from one side, clear as water from the other, and a honey yellow from the top. This property led some people to call iolite "water sapphire" in the past, a name that is now obsolete.
Pleochroism may have been helpful in navigation, but it makes things difficult for a gem cutter. If iolite is not cut from exactly the right direction, no matter the shape of the rough, its color will not show to its best advantage.

The name iolite comes from the Greek 'ios', which means violet. Iolite is usually a purplish blue when cut properly, with a softness to the color that can be quite attractive.
olite is readily available and surprisingly affordable. Richer the blue, the better. It is mined in India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Brazil. The Vikings probably mined iolite from deposits in Norway and Greenland.
Iolite is relatively hard but should be protected from blows. With its attractive color and reasonable price, it may become a jewelry staple in the future.

One of the most fascinating gemstones throughout history is alexandrite: a gem variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that actually changes colour from green in daylight to red in incandescent light. The first time you see it, it is hard to believe your eyes! Gems that show special optical effects are known as phenomenal stones. Chrysoberyl dominates this category, because not only is alexandrite the most spectacular colour-change gem, it has the most dramatic eye. Alexandrite has a distinguished and glamorous past and was discovered in 1830 in Russia. Since the old Russian imperial colours are red and green it was named after Czar Alexander II on the occasion of his coming of age.
Alexandrite can be found in jewels of the period as it was well loved by the Russian master jewelers. Master gemologist George Kunz of Tiffany was a fan of alexandrite and the company produced many rings featuring fine alexandrite in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, including some set in platinum from the twenties.
Alexandrite is also sometimes available as an unset stone, but it is extremely rare in fine qualities. The original source in Russia's Ural Mountains has long since closed after producing for only a few decades and only a few stones can be found on the market today. Material with a certificate of Russian origin is still particularly valued by the trade. Some alexandrite is found in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Brazil but very little shows a dramatic colour change. For many years, alexandrite was almost impossible to find because there was so little available.
Then in 1987, a new find of alexandrite was made in Brazil at a locality called Hematita. The Hematita alexandrite shows a striking and attractive colour change from raspberry red to bluish green. Although alexandrite remains extremely rare and expensive, the production of a limited amount of new material means a new generation of jewelers and collectors have been exposed to this beautiful gemstone, creating an upsurge in popularity and demand.
When evaluating an alexandrite, pay the most attention to the colour change: the more dramatic and complete the shift from red to green, without the bleeding through of brown from one colour to the next, the more rare and valuable the stone. The other important value factors are the attractiveness of the two colours - the more intense the better - the clarity, and the cutting quality. Because of the rarity of this gemstone, large sizes command very high premiums.

Topaz is the birthstone for those born in the month of November. The Egyptians said that topaz was coloured with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who is also the god of the sun. Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and all the beautiful warm browns and oranges in-between. Some rare and exceptional topaz are pale pink to sherry red.
Wear topaz only if you wish to be clear-sighted: legend has it that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight as well! The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invisible in times of emergency. Topaz was also said to change colour in the presence of poisoned food or drink. Its mystical curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and hemorrhages.
Perhaps the most famous topaz is a giant specimen set in the Portuguese Crown, the Braganza, which was first thought to be a diamond. There is also a beautiful topaz set in the Green Vault in Dresden, one of the world's important gem collections. Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia.
Today we also have blue topaz, which has a pale to medium blue colour created by irradiation. Pale topaz which is enhanced to become blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and China. In early 1998, a new type of enhanced topaz made its appearance, the surface-enhanced topaz, with colours described as blue to greenish-blue or emerald green.

Topaz is a very hard gemstone but it can be split with a single blow, a trait it shares with diamonds. As a result, it should be protected from a hard knock.

In jewellery design, as in fashion, colours look crisper against a background of black. In fine jewellery, the black backdrop is often supplied by onyx, a chalcedony quartz with a fine texture. Some onyx also displays white bands or ribbons against a black background. If the layers are even, this type of onyx can be carved into cameos.
Onyx was very popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The name comes from the Greek word onux, which means finger nail. The story is that one day Cupid cut the divine finger nails of Venus with an arrow-head while she was sleeping. He left the clippings scattered on the sand and it was turned into stone so that no part of the heavenly body would ever perish.

Onyx which is reddish brown and white is known as sardonyx. Sardonyx was highly valued in Rome, especially for seals, because it was said to never stick to the wax. Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio was known for wearing lots of sardonyx.
Black onyx especially shines when used a backdrop for colour play. Its fine texture also makes it ideal for carving, making it a favoured material for today's lapidary artists. Onyx was often used as the perfect foil for carved rock crystal or the drop dead red of rubies in art-deco designs. It is also popular in marcasite jewelry. So if you like to add a little black magic to your jewelry design, consider onyx.