SAPPHIRE, RUBY & EMERALD JEWELLERY
I would rather set a stone you cannot see through.
Most fine jewellery reaches for the clear, faceted, expensive version of these stones. I reach for the opaque ones. They have an earthiness a flawless transparent gem does not, and they are why this collection looks unlike everyone else's sapphire. I set every stone myself, at my bench on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
What is a rose cut, and why do you use it?
A rose cut has a flat back and a domed, faceted top, so it sits low and wide rather than deep and pointed. It catches light in broad soft flashes instead of the hard sparkle of a brilliant cut.
A rose cut sapphire is probably my favourite thing to set. The flat back sits down into a bezel beautifully, and everything here is bezel set, which is the most secure setting I know. Nothing is glued and nothing relies on prongs you can catch on a sleeve.
What colours do your sapphires come in?
Almost anything except the colour people expect. Magenta, blush pink, raspberry purple, misty green, lavender, grey, orange, yellow. Sapphire comes in nearly every colour and blue is just the one that got famous.
Ruby is the same mineral again, simply called ruby once it is red enough. The non-traditional colours are the ones I go looking for, and every one of them is a natural stone rather than lab grown. Laboratory sapphire and ruby are common now and often excellent, they are simply not what I buy.
Why are these less expensive than other sapphires?
Because clarity is most of what drives the price of a gemstone, and I am deliberately not buying clarity. An opaque stone costs a fraction of a transparent one of the same size and species. It is no less real and, to my eye, no less beautiful.
That is the trade I make on purpose. It buys a larger stone, an unusual colour and a piece nobody else has, instead of a small clear one. Most of these are the only one, and when a piece sells it is gone. I do take commissions, though only in my own style. Tell me what you are after.
Questions about these stones
Which of these is toughest for everyday wear?
Sapphire and ruby, easily. They are the same mineral and it is one of the hardest used in jewellery, which is why a sapphire ring survives daily life better than almost anything else I make. Emerald is the soft one here and tends to carry internal fractures, so I treat it more gently and would steer you toward earrings or a pendant if you are hard on your hands.
Do you make engagement rings with these?
Yes, and it is a good use for them. A rose cut sapphire in an unusual colour makes a striking engagement ring, it is hard enough to wear forever, and it costs far less than a diamond of the same presence. I wrote about the alternatives to diamonds if you are weighing it up.
Are the gemstone bead bracelets the same stones?
Yes, just handled differently. Those use faceted sapphire, ruby or emerald beads strung rather than bezel set, on gold fill or sterling. They are the easiest way into these stones and they layer well with everything else.
