FEBRUARY BIRTHSTONE: AMETHYST

Amethyst is a type of quartz and is suitable for everyday wear. Available in a wide range of purples from the palest pastel lavender to the deepest seductive purple they are available in many sizes.

COLOUR: Pale lilac to deep purple.

GEMSTONE FAMILY: Quartz.

MOHS HARDNESS: 7

LOCATION: Mainly in Russia, Brazil and African countries such as Namibia and Zambia.

A BRIEF HISTORY: With its association with the god Bacchus amethyst has long been associated with drink and is believed to help prevent drunkenness.

FAMOUS GEMSTONES: Known as the purple sapphire, the amethyst below was looted during the Indian mutiny in 1855. Everyone who owned it since has suffered disaster and misfortune. When Edward Heron-Allen, owner of the stone from 1890, discovered its sinister history, he declared it 'cursed and stained with blood' and locked it in a bank vault with instructions that it not be opened until 33 years after his death. Heron-Allen's daughter donated the stone to the Museum with a letter he wrote warning anyone against handling it. (Source: The Natural History Museum).

CRYSTAL DICTIONARY: Amethyst is believed to calm the emotions, create clarity of thought and assist in attaining wisdom.

IMPORTANT: Be careful heating an amethyst - high temperatures can cause an irreversible change in the stone and can cause the colour to fade or change.

 www.catherinebuddjewellery.co.uk

DECEMBER BIRTHSTONE: TANZANITE

Tanzanite is a rich blue-violet stone, discovered in the 1960's in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.

A member of the Zoisite family of gemstones, this beautiful blue-violet stone is mined only in Tanzania and is often mistaken for a sapphire. Tanzanite is strongly 'pleochroic', which means this gemstone displays different colours - red, violet, blue, grey - when viewed from different angles. The blues appear more evident when subjected to fluorescent light and the violet hues can be seen readily when viewed under incandescent illumination.

With a hardness rating of 6.5 tanzanite is somewhat soft and fragile - most are set in earrings or pendants and care should be taken with tanzanite rings.

In its natural form, tanzanite is typically a brown colour, however most blue tanzanites for sale today owe their colour to heat treatment, which is what reveals its attractive pleochroic blues and violets. Simply richer in colour, heat-treated tanzanite is considered to be the same quality as non heat-treated tanzanite's, and as a rule, the larger the tanzanite, the deeper the colour.

Probably the most noteworthy tanzanite gemstone is the "Queen of Kilimanjaro", which is set into a white gold tiara along with 803 garnets and 913 diamonds. It is thought to be one of the world's largest faceted tanzanite gemstones, and weighs 242 carats.

www.catherinebuddjewellery.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY LONDON: CLOVER COLLECTION LAUNCH

Catherine Budd Jewellery successfully launched new pieces from the Clover collection at International Jewellery London (IJL), the UK's largest jewellery event for luxury brands and independent designers. The collection was showcased to an international audience as part of 'KickStart', a platform which launched 10 selected jewellery designers considered to be 'talent of the future' and sponsored by IJL and the British Jewellery Association (BJA).

As a result of the show the collection will be stocked by a number of new retailers in the UK. Thank you to everyone who came to visit my stand and for all of the wonderful compliments.

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CENTRE: THE CLOVER CUFF



THE NEW LARGE AND SMALL CLOVER STUD EARRINGS



CLOVER TRIPLE DROP EARRINGS



THE CLOVER RINGS



THE NEW CLOVER COLLECTION



THE 2013 KICKSTART GIRLS AT THE AFTER SHOW DRINKS PARTY



CATHERINE BUDD JEWELLERY DISPLAY



PROFESSIONAL JEWELLER HOT 100 PARTY WITH KATIE JAMIESON AND ALDYTH CROWTHER

 

PROFESSIONAL JEWELLER HOT 100 PARTY