Diamonds may or may not be a girl’s best friend – but they definitely can be beautiful, and they are the birthstone for April. One trend I love is the use of rough diamonds in jewelry. While a beautifully cut, sparkly diamond can be breathtaking, I love the earthy, natural look of diamonds left just [...]

The birthstone for March is the lovely pale blue aquamarine. It is the pale blue or green version of beryl, and the color ranges from almost clear to mossy light green to sky blue. As with most gemstones, it comes in a range of prices and quality, and can be used in beaded jewelry or [...]

Amethyst is the birthstone for February. It is purple, ranging from a light lavender to deep, dark violet shades. Non-purple stones called amethyst are created by treating amethyst with heat or radiation treatments. Citrine, which is yellow, is an example of a stone that can be created by heating amethyst, although the heating can also [...]

January’s birthstone is garnet, a beautiful stone that is typically a deep, dark red but also comes in other shades. It can be more orange or more purple, clear or closer to opaque, and comes either naturally or color enhanced. I love the color of this garnet necklace: And this one, with a combination of [...]