September Blues

September newsletter is out and here’s what’s in it

I haven’t written for a while – it’s been too hot, right?! I actually sent out my September newsletter on the first day it rained here on the South coast for sixty days, which feels appropriately Autumnal. Rather than make you go digging through your inbox for it, here are the highlights — plus a very good reason to make sure you’re actually on the list.

What’s in it:

Five stones I can’t stop thinking about. This issue’s getting the full nerdy-gemology treatment on rhodolite garnet (a properly juicy raspberry red that gives you a lot of colour for not a lot of money), rainbow moonstone (basically bottled moonlight, refuses to look the same twice), black spinel (the quiet, dependable one who somehow makes everyone else look better), London Blue Topaz (moodier, inkier, and getting harder to source since 2008 — so if you love it, now’s the time), and sphene, which I will not stop banging on about because it genuinely out-sparkles diamond and nobody believes me until they see it.

A birthstone chat. September means sapphire, and September babies did rather well for themselves — every colour except red, with red being ruby throwing its weight around under a different name.

A bit of trade gossip “Pigeon blood” and “royal blue” are getting official recognition in lab reports, GIA is now tracing origin on more everyday stones, and there’s a proper industry shift towards colour and story over “biggest diamond wins.” Which, if you’re already the sort of maker who reaches for an unusual stone over a safe one, is basically the industry finally catching up to you.

Creative combos, for when you know you want two stones together but haven’t a clue which two — plus actual design prompts (wax seals, storm maps, midnight swimming pools, moss on gravestones — it gets a bit unhinged, in a good way).

And the important bit: 20% off everything, storewide, for three days only. Code BENCH20, ends Tuesday 1st September at 23.59 GMT.

The Gatherers Rainbow Sprinkle Ring, from the Polly Wales x Castro Smith 2026 collab

Why sign up, if you haven’t already

I’ll be honest with you, because that’s rather the point of this blog: I’m not going to pretend a newsletter changes your life. But here’s what it actually does for you:

  • You get first look at new stock — the good stuff tends to move fast, and subscribers see it before it hits general browsing.
  • Sales and discount codes land in your inbox, not somewhere you have to remember to check.
  • Actual gemology, explained by someone who’s sat the exams. Hardness, treatments, what’s rare versus what’s just marketed as rare — the kind of detail that makes your own customer conversations sound a lot more credible.
  • Design prompts you can steal outright. Every stone comes with two or three concrete jewellery ideas, because staring at a loose gem waiting for inspiration to strike is is surely the best thing about this job.
  • Trade news, pre-digested. I read the GIA and JCK reports so you don’t have to, and I flag only the bits that actually matter to a working jeweller.
  • No spam, no daily nonsense. Just a proper, chatty, occasionally rain-soaked update when there’s something worth saying.
  • Featured Jewellery: I always pick some pieces I think are especially gorgeous. This month we have (above from left) The Gatherers Rainbow Sprinkle Ring, from the Polly Wales x Castro Smith 2026 collab,Charlie Shires Salacia Sphene Ring and Linney’s Sapphire and Diamond Freeform Ring.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, you can sign up over at joopygems.com — and if you’re reading this after the 1st of September, don’t worry, there’ll be another discount along!

When Life Gives You Lemons…

Lemon Quartz Rose Cut 8mm Round
Lemon Quartz Rose Cut 10mm Round

Quartz is one of the most ubiquitous gemstones; whether amethyst, citrine, rose, smoky or lemon, it’s plentiful and reasonably priced and you’re not going to have to part with a limb to buy it. It comes in so many different colours, including the fascinating and beautiful rutilated varieties. I want to talk a bit about lemon quartz, as it’s one of the family of treated quartzes and is a bit of an unsung hero. It’s a stone that cuts and polishes nicely and you can have it in pretty large sizes due to the relatively low carat price. Whiskey quartz, lemon quartz; nice lustrous stones in good sizes. Lemon quartz is irradiated with cobalt 60 gamma rays at very low dose (the stones aren’t glowing!) and then heated. The other thing that people aren’t generally aware of is that comes in different intensities of colour – and I don’t just mean that bigger stones are more saturated; you can get it from pale to much more intense yellow-green. My supplier tells me that people use it as a substitute for peridot, but I don’t think it’s that dark. It is on the same fresh, citric yellow-green spectrum, however. I used to sell mine – which is darker than standard lemon quartz – as green-gold quartz, to differentiate it, but it was too much of a differentiation, as people didn’t know what I was talking about and after I got asked a few times if I stocked lemon quartz, just changed the title! But it does have good saturation and is more of a yellow-green than pale yellow; I think you need it with a bit of saturation otherwise it looks a bit wan. The colour is more like a chrysoberyl and I think it really comes into its own when it’s mixed with other gemstones. I love the combination with citrine, which you would think would be a clash; the warm gold and the cool lemon, but it works. I also absolutely love it with the ruby, and I never would have thought about pairing these two, but they look amazing. In fact, I think I do like this stone best when it’s warmed up with gold, or golden stones, as they just seem to make it glow.

Diamonds Vivid Rose Gold and Lemon Quartz Cocktail ring
Yen Jewelry Pendants with Citrine and Lemon Quartz
Yen Jewelry Pendants with Citrine and Lemon Quartz
William White Green Amethyst, Citrine and Lemon Quartz Cup Rings
Lemon Quartz, Citrine and Peridot Ring

You can browse my lemon quartz here

joopygems.com

Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 10mm Round

Gem of the Week is White-Not-Quite (and definitely not green amethyst which isn’t a thing)

  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 6mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 6mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 6mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 6mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 10mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 10mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 8mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 10mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 10mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Cabochon 4mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Cabochon 4mm Round
  • Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 4mm Round
    Joopy Gems Prasiolite Rose Cut 4mm Round

I have noticed a phenomenon over the years, whereby people tend to buy the same stone the same time. It’s not a trend thing and it can only be by chance, but it is noticeable. Like one week, everyone’s at the London Blue and the following week it’s citrine. This week it is the turn of pale, pretty, unassuming prasiolite. When I started out, this used to be called green amethyst, until the Federal Trade Commission called time on this practice, pointing out quite correctly that amethyst came in one colour: purple and so therefore it was a misleading and inaccurate name. So, hence, prasiolite became the name for this stone. Don’t tell anyone but I do sometimes put ‘green amethyst’ in brackets because I’m sure there are people out there who still have no idea what prasiolite is, and certainly you will see this name used a fair bit in the trade. You also sometimes see it referred to as green quartz. It is a particular thing; amethyst which has been heated, and not just any amethyst either. Only amethyst from certain locations will turn green on heating; from some mines in Brazil and a few other places. You can see this with the settings below, from the gorgeous architectural styles of Janine Decresenzo and Parts of Four to the malchite surround of the Goshwara pendant and the pairing of the Joon Han earrings with the yellowish green tourmaline.

Janine Decresenzo necklace with coral and green amethyst
Janine Decresenzo necklace with coral and green amethyst
Goshwara 'Mélange' Prasiolite & Malachite Emerald Cut Pendant in 18K Yellow Gold
Goshwara ‘Mélange’ Prasiolite & Malachite Emerald Cut Pendant in 18K Yellow Gold, $4,400
Parts of Four Crescent Bracelet
Parts of Four Crescent Bracelet, €1,890

Joon Han Jewelry Prasiolite, Green Tourmaline, South Sea and Tahitian Pearls, and Diamond Drop Earrings in 18K Gold
Joon Han Jewelry Prasiolite, Green Tourmaline, South Sea and Tahitian Pearls, and Diamond Drop Earrings in 18K Gold, $11,950
ifutzwithfire Silver & Prasiolite Green Amethyst Ring with Braided Band
ifutzwithfire Silver & Prasiolite Green Amethyst Ring with Braided Band, $52
Corilu Designs Prasiolite Trillion Cut Pendant
Corilu Designs Prasiolite Trillion Cut Pendant, $395 CAD

It is, as I say, a rather unassuming stone, so it does deserve a bit of love. It has the splendid clarity you’d expect from quartz, and its colour varies from a light yellowish to bluish green. It can be very pale indeed and as it gets smaller, it gets consequently lighter. I don’t think of it as a centrepiece stone but I’ve seen it used in that way quite a lot recently and what’s great about it is that it is a bit of a chameleon stone – it tends to take on the colour of what it surrounding it, or the metal it is set in. Set it in silver, and it will bring out the cool, almost bluish tones; set it in yellow metal and it will appear more gold. Surround it with darker green to emphasize the colour, or purples and blues to make it look more blue. I like it set in oxidised silver; I think the black does a lot to bring out its colour, as in the Yoki Collections pendant and Hagerskan’s The Cone Ring.

Arden Jewels Fantasy Triangular Prasiolite Pendant, $370
Arden Jewels Fantasy Triangular Prasiolite Pendant
Yoki Collections Green Amethyst and Diamonds 18K Gold Brooch-Pendant
Yoki Collections Green Amethyst and Diamonds 18K Gold Brooch-Pendant, $12,500
Hagerskans The Cone Ring - oxidised silver with Prasiolite
Hagerskans The Cone Ring – oxidised silver with Prasiolite, 2890 kr

To check out our selection of prasiolite stones, please click here. We have new stocks of 10mm rose cut coming in soon!

joopygems.com

Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Emerald

My June newsletter is out and I have a whole bunch of beautiful new stones. The ever-popular Santa Maria aquamarine I now have in an array of sizes and half sizes from 3mm to 8mm, rose cut green tourmaline and emerald, plus there’s free standard shipping for the whole month of June. My newsletter is always the first place to find new stock announcements, offers and sales and sometimes these are newsletter exclusives. You can read this months by clicking here and you can sign up at my website.

joopygems.com

When Prehnite Packs a Punch

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Many years ago, shortly after I started out, the price of prehnite went shooting up. It was one of those odd things, where I had to do a bit of a double take. What could be going on? I was told, it was because it was being used as a jade substitute for the Chinese market. I did another double take, because I just couldn’t see it. Prehnite is so commonly pale, fractured, full of wisps and veils that I just couldn’t see how it could possibly substitute for jade. And then they brought out the good stuff; deep green, clean and glowing with an unearthly, dreamlike lustre. Ever since, I’ve tried to stock the better stuff, because when prehnite is good, it’s very, very good indeed. You might never even have heard of it. The GIA thinks not, as they have included it in their ‘Hot Gemstones’ round-up, but that makes it an excellent choice as you are not likely to run into it in your local jewellers. It’s a bit different, unusual and the prices (except for the really fine stuff) are pretty sensible. For meaning, it is best known as the stone of unconditional love, said to connect the head to the heart. It’s found mainly in Australia, Canada, China and the USA, and it’s a good choice for anyone who likes their stones untreated as it never is.

Pictured below are a couple of really gorgeous specimens: top is marmarModern’s Prehnite and Sterling Silver Ring – I just love this setting which manages to be interesting and unusual and not detract at all from the beauty of the stone. Below that is Mastergoldcraft’s Prehnite and 14k Rose Gold Ring ; a study in elegant simplicity.

marmarModern Prehnite and Sterling Silver Ring, $130
marmarModern Prehnite and Sterling Silver Ring, $130

Mastergoldcraft Prehnite and 14k Rose Gold Ring, $875
Mastergoldcraft Prehnite and 14k Rose Gold Ring, $875

I’ve just taken delivery of some beautiful quality 6mm rose cuts, lovely saturated green colour, clean quality, $3.75 per stone.  You can view them by clicking here. To shop all prehnite, click here.

joopygems.com

 

How Do You Solve a Problem Like London Blue?

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When I first started selling gemstones 10 years ago (blimey) one of the first stones that I focussed on was London Blue. It was reasonably priced, plentiful and the colour was like no other. Before I started my journey into gems, blue topaz to me meant swiss blue; bright, vivid cornflower blue. I’m not really a bright and vivid kind of girl (!), or at least, the colours don’t look good on me, so it wasn’t a stone I was interested in selling. London Blue, however was a different story. Prussian blue, petrol blue, I had so many names for this distinctive and elegant shade of greenish blue. No other stone could touch it, except perhaps blue tourmaline (indicolite) but you needed deep pockets for that. And my customers appeared to agree! They couldn’t get enough so I started cutting it in all shapes and sizes. However, around 2015 something unpleasant started to happen; the price started jumping up, the quality began to waver. What could be happening? Well, there two main drivers of this price increase. First of all, let’s be clear. When we are talking about blue topaz we are talking about treated topaz. Blue topaz is irradiated white topaz. It has to be irradiated, and then it has to be cooled – that is, allowed to sit whilst the radiation disperses. The darker the topaz, the longer it has to sit. So whilst sky blue topaz has a 3-month cooling period, London Blue has something like 18 months. There are not many places that treat London Blue, and so that in itself puts a pinch on demand. Added to that you have the increasing popularity of the stone, the unwillingness of suppliers to treat more rough – since it effectively ties up millions of dollars for a year and a half with no return during that time. There is also a natural caution amongst suppliers around the popularity of London Blue. Is the increase just a blip, or is it here to stay? Because it’s one heck of an expensive gamble to treat more rough because it is popular now, only to find that in a year and a half it’s gone out of fashion and they have a whole lot of treated rough that they cannot shift. In my view this wont happen; I think the colour is unique and it has enduring appeal, but I’m not the one having to stump up the cash.

However, this is only half the story, and the woes of London Blue go further back, as so many things do, to the recession of 2008. What happened is very simple; topaz is sourced largely from Brazil, and during this time many mines were forced to close. They have never re-opened and now topaz supply is down by around 60% from pre-2008 levels. For a while there was enough rough in circulation to not have too much of an impact, but this corner was turned in around 2015, when demand began to seriously outstrip supply. So there is now a serious problem in that there are two major pinch-points in the supply chain; a lack of good quality untreated rough coming out of the mines resulting in an increase in price at this point. This has then led to suppliers taking a very conservative attitude towards treating the rough, not wanting to tie up increasing amounts of money in a stone that they fear may be something of a bubble. In reality this seems unlikely. Demand for the stone is still high; it is still a unique colour, and it still is available in clean quality. Although the colour has much more variation than it has in the past, with more greyer, less saturated material on the market some people prefer this, feeling that it looks more natural, more gemmy.

So in short, the outlook for London Blue is that prices aren’t coming down anytime soon. This makes it more expensive to buy, but it also means that it’s unlikely to be a wasted investment. And you could do worse than start here, from top, Ananda Khalsa’s London Blue Topaz ring is set in warm 22 carat gold and sterling silver and highlighted with sparkling diamond dots. I love blue topaz in silver, but putting it in gold takes it to a completely new dimension. I’ve always loved the solid, crafted simplicity of William White’s ring settings; in fact I have a number of stones in my collection I’d love him to set for me. The ring below is a 10mm cabochon in a satin-finished sterling silver band.  I do like the angular lines of Eva Dorneys London Blue topaz rings in 9kt gold and sterling silver and I also love the cool stacking system of Barbara S Jewellery. That’s 2 rings, not one; an aquamarine and a London Blue

Ananda Khalsa London Blue Topaz Ring with Diamond Dots, $1,190
Ananda Khalsa London Blue Topaz Ring with Diamond Dots, $1,190

William White Blue Topaz Cabochon Ring, $594
William White Blue Topaz Cabochon Ring, $594

Eva Dorney London Blue Topaz Rings, $305
Eva Dorney London Blue Topaz Rings, $305

Barbara S Jewellery Aqumarine and Topaz Contemporary Stacking Ring, $485
Barbara S Jewellery Aqumarine and Topaz Contemporary Stacking Ring, $485

 

I do have new stocks of 6mm London Blue topaz cabochons; they are more expensive than I would like them to be but trust me when I say I have shaved the price as low as possible! You can find all of my London Blue here.

joopygems.com

Super 7 is Super Beautiful

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A few years ago I started seeing Super 7 at gemstone fairs. I hadn’t seen it before and I first saw it on the stand of a really fantastic Brazilian gemstone supplier who always has the most sublime quality tourmaline and rutile. Gorgeous clear crystal with bronze coloured needles shot through with smears of bright purple. I had to ask what it was. Super 7, they said. Another gemstone that sounds like car wax (like chrome diopside in my view!). But there’s a really good reason for the name: Super 7 is made up of 7 different minerals. It’s a quartz base with goethite, cacoxenite, rutile, lepidocrocite, amethyst, clear quartz and smoky quartz included. Now this can make for a rather murky stone, however, the whole point of it, the ‘super’ part, the reason it is also called ‘sacred 7’, and referred to as ‘the healing stone’ is that this combination of 7 minerals are supposed to have powerful healing properties. For jewellery, it’s better that the inclusions are a bit more sparing and in fact, it can still be called Super 7 even if it does not include all 7 of the minerals. An awful lot of people have not heard of it, and I do think with such an unprepossessing name it may well stay that way. Names matter, and Super 7 just doesn’t resonate with most people. However, do take a look at it. At its best it’s really special. Below are a couple of really nice examples, both sterling silver and Super 7: left is by Doorways to Power and right by Divinity Jeweler

Divinity Jeweler Sterling Silver and Super 7 Pendant $277.72
Doorways to Power Sterling Silver and Super 7 Pendant $398

To view our collection of Super 7 cabochons, click here

joopygems.com

New Season; New Gems

Joopy Gems September 2017 newsletter header

Our September 2017 newsletter is out and we have an absolute treasure trove of new gemstones for you; rainbow moonstone AA rose cuts – for which I’ve been inundated with requests – new opal rose cuts, new turquoise rose cuts, brown moonstone rose cuts, garnet rose cut pears, and so much more. And the best incentive whatsoever to join our email list is a newsletter-only scratchcard discount. We’ve got a number of discounts ranging up to 15%, so everyone is a winner; scratch and see what you’ve won! And if that’s not enough, we’ve got news as well: the introduction of a $3.50 USPS First Class posting option for customers buying from the US store and shipping within the US, and for international customers, the opening of a new Hong Kong Etsy store. So dive in and have a read! Click below for the relevant newsletter! And why not sign up at our websites to make sure you never miss out?!

Joopy Gems international newsletter

Joopy Gems USA newsletter

 

Dazzle your way into summer!

Joopy Gems June 2017 newsletter

Our June 2017 newsletter is out and this month we have a fantastic 20% 3 day event! From now until 14th June, you can use code J17D1 to take 20% off your entire order. A fantastic chance to stock up on all of your summer-time requirements, and we have a lot to tempt you this month! All new rose cut pearls, sublimely beautiful bi-colour tourmaline baguettes, rose cut rhodolite and re-stocks of favourites such as turquoise 3mm cabochons. You can view the newsletter here and sign up at joopygems.com; there’s an offer in every issue, so don’t miss out!

joopygems.com

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