United States of America – In Arizona, the San Carlos Apache reservation has been a major producer of peridot for many years.
Egypt – Extremely large peridot crystals have been found on the Isle of Zabargad off Egypt’s coast.
Tanzania – Rough peridot can be found in the Mpwapwa region of Tanzania.
Pakistan – The country of Pakistan is known for producing high quality, large peridot crystals.
Myanmar – Pyaunggaung is a sizable peridot mining area close to the larger city of Mogok in Myanmar.
Vietnam – Located in southern Vietnam, the Lam Dong Province is an ample resource of large carat peridot crystals.
China – China has become a large supplier of the calibrated peridots used in jewelry today.
If you are fortunate enough to have a special tie to the month of August, let us at Knox Jewelers help you custom create a one-of-a-kind piece to showcase a beautiful vibrant green Peridot in celebration of any occasion. For centuries, rich colored Peridot has been linked to light. Ancient Egyptians even called this precious stone the “gem of the sun”. In modern times, Peridot is currently being mined within one of the sunniest states within the United States, in the deserts of Arizona. Any custom piece of jewelry could be tailored to incorporate this unusual olive-green birthstone. The possibility are endless with a mineral found in such large crystal formations, allowing nearly an shape or size finished faceted stone. A Knox Jewelers custom created piece, featuring a beautiful peridot is the perfect way to showcase this vibrant gemstone. Contact us today and let’s get started. We can always search our cutters’ inventory for your perfect gemstone, or we have a selection of incredible peridots already available just waiting to be transformed!
Greenland – Deposits found in Greenland are not yet producing for commercial use but they are considered to have great potential.
Mozambique – In the past, most ruby mining has been done by solitary miners in Mozambique. Now the mining company Gem Fields is partnering with the country’s government to regulate the gemstone mining here.
Malawi – Rubies as well as warm colored pink, orange and purple sapphires can be found in the Chimwadzulu Hills of Malawi.
Tanzania – Tanzania is an important mining country for many gemstones including ruby.
Kenya – The South Tsavo National Park in Kenya holds the fully mechanized Rockland Ruby Mine.
Madagascar – Andilamena is an important ruby producing area on the island of Madagascar.
Sri Lanka – Sir Lanka is known for is sapphire and ruby production, mostly from alluvial (secondary water) deposits.
Thailand – The ruby deposits in Thailand were the major source of the gemstone in the 1980s, though they are no longer producing today, the country is still major cutting and trading site for the gem.
Vietnam – The new mining source for rubies, the Luc Yen area is known for its high quality gemstones.
Myanmar – Myanmar has been known for its mesmerizing rubies for centuries. The Mogok Valley region may be one of the most famous ruby deposits to date. They are know for their deeply saturated, beautiful gemstones.
Nepal – Some rubies have been found in marble deposits in Nepal, but no significant pockets yet.
Pakistan – Most ruby mining in Pakistan takes place near the famous Hunza Valley.
Afghanistan – The ruby mines in Jegdalek, Afghanistan are often left inactive for periods of time due to war, lack of security and government regulations.
Tajikistan – Some rubies from Tajikistan carry rare intense red fluorescence that can even be noticed in daylight.
If you are lucky enough to hold the king of gemstones, ruby, as your birthstone, let us at Knox Jewelers help you custom create a one-of-a-kind piece to showcase this beautiful color saturated gemstone. Ruby is one of the most significant gemstones in history, loved for its intense color throughout the centuries. Any custom piece of jewelry could be tailored to incorporate this remarkable crimson birthstone. The possibility are endless with such a passionate and colorful mineral. A Knox Jewelers custom created piece, featuring a beautiful ruby is the perfect way to celebrate any occasion falling within the month. Contact us today and let’s get started. We can always search our cutters’ inventory for your perfect gemstone, or we have a selection of incredible rubies already available just waiting to be transformed!
Alexandrite is one of several gemstones traditionally coupled to the month of June as it’s birthstone. Alexandrite is a strongly pleochroic gem, which means it can show different colors when viewed from different directions. This gemstone is a very rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Its chameleon-like quality arises from the way this particular mineral absorbs and reflects light. Alexandrite has been cherished throughout history for its extraordinary and mysterious attributes.
Alexandrite’s most desirable color is a green to bluish-green hue in daylight with a strong color change to a red to purplish-red hue in incandescent indoor light. A fine quality gemstone with these saturated color and strong color change is relatively rare. Most natural alexandrite found today will be yellowish-green in daylight and change to a brownish-red in incandescent light. The gemstone owes its intense color change ability to the mineral’s unusual light-absorbing properties, and the presence of chromium in its crystal structure. Alexandrite’s dramatic green to red color change is sometimes described as “emerald by day, ruby by night.”
Listed below are the locations where alexandrite naturally occurs and is mined to be transformed into beautifully faceted gemstones.
Brazil – A relatively new mining location for the rare gemstone, Brazil became an important new alexandrite source in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Tanzania – Gem miners in Tanzania find alexandrites, sapphires, and occasionally diamonds on the banks of the Muhuwesi River, near Tunduru.
Madagascar – Alexandrite rough mined in Madagascar often displays intense color and color change.
Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka is home to a wide variety of colored stones, but alexandrite is one of the most desirable gems to be mined in this location.
Russia – Large alexandrite deposits were first discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1830. Russia is considered the most traditional source of the gemstone. The first alexandrites found in those deposits were of fine quality with intense hues and extreme color change. The gem was named for the young Alexander II, heir to the throne when the discovery was made. These mines did not last forever, and we must now rely on other sources for alexandrite. Though some claim that there will never be as fine of quality as the first gems found in Russia.
If you are lucky enough to hold the very rare and extremely attractive alexandrite as your birthstone, let us at Knox Jewelers help you custom create a one-of-a-kind piece to showcase this beautiful vibrant color-changing gemstone. Fine alexandrite is available, but extremely rare. To remedy this, several labs in present day can produce lab-grown stones with the same chemical and physical properties as natural alexandrite. If a you have any questions regarding lab created alexandrite, we would be more than happy to assist. Any custom piece of jewelry could be tailored to incorporate this remarkable birthstone. The possibility are endless with such a curious and colorful mineral. A Knox Jewelers custom created piece, featuring a beautiful alexandrite is the perfect way to celebrate any occasion falling within the month. Contact us today and let’s get started. We can always search our cutters’ inventory for your perfect gemstone, or we have a selection of alexandrites already available just waiting to be transformed!
A ring created at Knox Jewelers is truly a piece of art, tailored to your exact specifications and built from the ground up. Any Knox custom engagement ring can be created around the exact measurements of the gemstone you hand select to feature as its center piece. This ensures that the gemstone you select will fit perfectly into your custom setting, as if they are one. There is no manipulating a ready-made setting, with the risk of an ill fit and potential loosening of your gemstone in the future.
We work diligently to bring together a great variety of diamond and gemstone options in hopes that we can provide the center stone of your dreams. We update our online gemstone list weekly with newly discovered treasures. One center stone choice that is not listed on our available gemstone list, but is still a great option for a beautiful centerpiece, is an alternative lab created gemstone. We have a source providing lab created emerald, ruby, sapphire and alexandrite selections.
Knox Jewelers' Verona solitaire setting shown with both a round cut natural blue sapphire and a lab created Chatham blue sapphire.
Gemstones created in a lab are chemically, physically and optically identical to those mined from the ground. The only thing different from this gem and a genuine gem is that it was created in a lab and not found in the Earth. They have the same chemical composition, appearance, and durability. They may even have a richer color and a higher clarity because they were created with their given gemstone’s optimal characteristics in mind.
Colorful, vibrant gemstones featured in personal jewelry have always created a romantic and one-of-a-kind look. Every color and luster of stone holds its own meaning to the wearer. Unique and saturated colors are to some a badge of wealth or accomplishment. The royal and the famous have always had an appetite for vivid jewels. On a smaller, personal note, a colored stone could represent a birthstone, hold a symbolism or simply be a favorite hue.
Yet some of these gemstones are rarer, harder to get, and quite expensive. That’s why lab-created gemstones are available as alternatives.
The more expensive and hard-to-find natural gems in jewelry, such as sapphire, emerald, and ruby are favorite lab-created stones. They are not gem imitations; lab-created gemstones are the real deal. They are grown in a laboratory, following naturals recipe, and are identical chemically, physically and optically to natural gems.
Knox Jewelers' Verona solitaire setting shown with both a round cut natural emerald and a lab created Chatham emerald.
The mineral composition of lab-created stones is created through a process similar to what nature does beneath the earth over millions of years, but in a lab at a fraction of the time, and for a fraction of the cost of mining. The average person, one not familiar with natural gemstone traits, would find it very difficult to tell the difference between a natural and lab created gemstones. Even for one trained in the gemstone field it usually would take high magnification or other instruments to be completely convince of a natural identification.
The largest difference between the two options is that a natural gem typically has inclusions from the crystallization process during its creations. Gases and other minerals can become trapped during the molten stage of gemstone creation, and become an inclusion in the stone. Because lab-created stones rely on a steady, controlled process of applying minerals, heat and pressure, they usually have fewer to no inclusions.
Knox Jewelers' Verona solitaire setting shown with both a round cut natural ruby and a lab created Chatham ruby.
If you choose to feature a lab created gemstone in your custom created ring, you will receive a high quality stone with fewer inclusions and a optimal rich color with a significantly lower price tag compared to their natural gemstone counterparts. In some cases, like alexandrite, natural options have become extremely rare. Lab created options may be the only way some admirers will ever be able to own a unique color-changing alexandrite. Lab created options allow us the opportunity to set a beautiful center stone into your ring without waiting for mother nature to create the perfect crystal.
Contact Knox Jewelers today to learn more about featuring a lab created alternative as the center stone in your one-of-a-kind custom engagement ring. We will be able to provide you with the current availability of sapphire, ruby, alexandrite and emerald options. A lab created gemstone is a great way to feature a vibrant and clear center in your ring for a fraction of the cost. We would be happy to assist you in building your heirloom quality piece around the center stone of your choosing.
One of our new favorite custom created engagement ring is built around the mesmerizing step cut facets of a 1.00 carat asscher cut diamond held in a low four prong setting. Marquise shapes set with micro pavé diamonds and square carre cut diamonds are placed together in this design to create a rhythmic pattern of ovals and arches. Bezel set side diamonds and milgrain edges add lavish antique detailing to this wide band engagement ring. This mosaic inspired design can be recreated to accommodate any type, shape, or size center stones. Contact Knox Jewelers today to custom tailor this design to your preferred precious metal and central gemstone selection to create your own one-of-a-kind engagement ring!
