April / Aries : Diamond ( alternative Rock Crystal)

Diamonds are probably the most sought after of all gemstones, they are hardest and most brilliant of all natural gemstones. Clear white diamonds are the most popular and even smaller ones provide a sparkling point of light in your jewelry

May / Taurus: Emerald (alternative Chrysoprase)

May has the bright green stones Emerald or alternatively Chrysoprase. Crysoprase is a transluscent bright green form of Chalcedony and was very popular in art deco jewelry.These earrings are made of Chrsoprase and the Victorian pendant is set with 3 emeralds. Both are available from antiquesavenue.co.uk

June / Gemini : Pearl ( alternative Moonstone)

Pearls & Moonstones, Lucky June & Gemini. Both of these are a creamy white colour with a irridescent tone to them. The moonstone is transluscent. I will be talking more about pearls soon

Gemstone Jewelry is always a popular gift for birthdays and what could show more thought than buying someone a gemstone which is related to their birth month or Zodiac sign? Here are the first 3 months of the year

January / Capricorn: Garnets

The Garnet is usually a deep red colour although they can be found in other colours such as green. These are used either as faceted gemstones or as cabochons. Just look at the effect in this massive victorian brooch

February / Aquarius: Amethysts

Amethysts are a purple colour which can range from pale lilac to a deep velvety shade. These are cut into all sorts of shapes – here is a great victorian example of an Amethyst heart in rose coloured gold:

March / Pisces: Aquamarine ( alternative Bloodstone)

Folks born at this time of year are lucky in having a choice of stone, the lovely watery pale blue aquamarine or the deep green with red flecks Bloodstone