Topaz can be finished into an almost limitless variety of jewellery due to its versatility.

A good hardness and availability in desirable colors makes Topaz one the most popular gemstones.

The most valuable colors of Topaz are the golden orange-yellow type and the dark pinkish-red and orange-red colors.

It is awfully popular and the most sought after gem by jewellers.Precious Topaz is a yellow crystal and is highly valuable than other synthetic or man-made topaz gems.

Colourless or smoky topaz gems when heat treated and exposed to irradiation, bring into being beautiful different colours.

The colour mostly results in blue and other shades of silver, green or teal.

By Yaĝé EnigmusIn addition to the birthstones that most people in western markets are familiar with, birthstone lists also exist based on the signs of the Greek and Chinese zodiacs.

When choosing birthstones as gifts or for gemstone jewellery, zodiac signs are a great avenue for personalizing the meaning behind a stone and sending a message with added nuance.

Titus Flavius Josephus, a 1st century historian living in Jerusalem, was the first to draw a connection between the twelve stones in the high priest’s breastplate of ancient Jerusalem, the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the Greco-Roman zodiac.

After Josephus’ work had been adapted into birthstone lists for the twelve months, a list pairing stones with the zodiac was eventually developed.

Whether or not this list was important to ancient Mediterraneans is unclear, as no documentation exists detailing how individuals used them before the 18th century, when the practice of wearing a single stone based on one’s birth month became more commonplace.

Below is a version of the birthstone list for the Greco-Roman zodiac based on contemporary understanding:  Greek Zodiac SignBirthstoneAquarius (Jan. 21 - Feb 18)Carbuncle (Red Garnet)Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar.

In this type of situation, a new wax mould must be designed, all gems must be sourced, and the piece must be made in a timely manner.

For example, gold, platinum, silver, and diamonds are controlled commodities.

This means that there are large companies that do the mining and then have sub-contractor companies buy the metals or rough gemstones from them and turn them into sellable pieces.

These companies then sell to wholesalers who in turn sell to retailers, so the difference is quite small between Appraised Value and Fair Market Value because the materials are easily accessible by your average independent retailer.

However, gems like ruby, emerald, sapphire, and most other coloured stones have historically had a very long supply chain.

They can pass through literally dozens of hands before they end up with a retail jeweler.

The brooch features a massive 260.37 carat oval shaped Ceylon sapphire with a stylized rose cut, surrounded by a 56.60 carat double halo of diamonds, with the inner row of the halo featuring smaller round diamonds and the outer row featuring larger cushion shaped diamonds.

Alexander had the sapphire set into a brooch by the court jewellers and presented it to Empress Maria as a gift.

The Maria Alexandrovna Sapphire Brooch is surely a sight to behold, and houses one of the world’s great sapphires.The Maria Alexandrovna Brooch; Image: Internet StonesA 1971 U.S.S.R. postage stamp featuring an image of the Maria Alexandrovna Brooch; Image: Wikimedia Commons What is perhaps the most recognizable sapphire jewel of Russian royalty is the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik tiara.

The tiara was designed around a large 137.20 carat cushion shaped sapphire and six sapphire cabochons with the cushion sapphire featuring as its centrepiece among an array of diamonds.

The Duke and Duchess had experienced a number of struggles following the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the couple decided to sell the Kokoshnik tiara to support themselves.

The Vladimir Kokoshnik was purchased by the Duchess’s sister, Queen Marie of Romania.

The crown holds two supreme sapphires, the Stuart Sapphire and St. Edward’s Sapphire among a number of other famous gems, including the Cullinan II Diamond and the Black Prince's Ruby.

Both of these blue gems are precious in their own right, and have each taken their own journey before arriving in the English crown where they now sit.

Legend has it that sometime during his early rule, the pious and generous king gave his ring to a beggar one day when he ran out of coins after giving money to all the other beggars he had encountered.

Many years later, two Britons on pilgrimage in Syria were said to have encountered a man that claimed to be John the Evangelist, who had been in disguise as a beggar in England years earlier, and he gave the pilgrims Edward’s sapphire ring to take back to the monarch, saying that Edward would soon be allowed to see “paradise” in six months.

Upon their return to England, the pilgrims delivered the ring and John’s message to Edward, who accepted the ring and began preparing for his own death.

St. Edward then died six months later in 1066, and was buried in Westminster Abbey only one week after its final consecration; at this time, St. Edward's Sapphire was buried with the deceased king among a number of other ornaments.A depiction of St. Edward the Confessor.

Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, primarily printing, though sometimes in the manufacturing of colored paint, fabric, and plastics.

They are almost always used in branding and have even found their way into government legislation and military standards (to describe the colors of flags and seals).

It has also been used in an art project which applies Pantone to the human skin color spectrum.COLOR OF THE YEARIt is a symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.Pantone declares “Color of the Year” annually.

The results of the meeting are published in Pantone View, which fashion designers, florists, and many other consumer-oriented companies purchase to help guide their designs and planning for future products.2015: Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala (PANTONE 18-1438) its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness.

This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.Color Pairings: Whether in a flat or textured material, or with a matte or gloss finish, this highly varietal shade combines dramatically with neutrals, including warmer taupes and grays.

Because of its burnished undertones, sultry Marsala is highly compatible with amber, umber and golden yellows, greens in both turquoise and teal, and blues in the more vibrant range.2016: As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security arebecoming more prominent.

This ring was given to Mary of Burgundy by Archduke Maximilian I of Austria when he proposed to her.

Prior to this point in history, diamonds, which were set as raw octahedrons or cleaved in the classic “point” cut, had typically been used as side stones for coloured gems or were worn as center stones in rings that merely served as a convenient and fashionable tool for etching messages into various materials.

Image: Famous People  The importance of engagement rings in European culture was threatened during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

The jewellers of this period and their intricate creations made a huge impact on the design of western betrothal rings, and by the end of the renaissance the foundations of both the contemporary engagement ring’s design and its ceremonial function were solidified.A gold and garnet engagement ring accented with enamel, dated to 16th century Europe.

Image: Peter Szuhay The Georgian era of the early 18th century saw a rise in the popularity of the diamond engagement ring after a significant deposit of diamonds in Brazil was discovered in 1727, with King George III himself using a diamond ring to propose to Queen Charlotte in 1761.

The engagement rings of the 18th century built upon the elaborate designs of the renaissance and displayed gemstones in delicate settings on spilt shanks featuring detailed metalwork.

This contemporary custom has roots that reach back far beyond the modern era to the age of antiquity; few people that have been given a custom engagement ring are aware of the long history behind them.The first iteration of what might be known now as an “engagement ring” is thought to have arisen with the ancient Egyptians, who then exposed ancient Greeks to the practice.

The ring-giving practices of the ancient Greeks went on to influence the ancient Romans, who developed a tradition of giving rings to their affianced partners which more closely resembles the engagement ring customs of today.

Come the 2nd century C.E., it was typical for a pair of rings to be given: a gold ring for public wear and an iron ring for home wear.

The custom of wearing an engagement ring on the third full finger of the left hand is also considered by some historians to have originated in Rome during this time as a reflection of the Roman belief that the left ring finger held the “vena amoris” (literally “vein of love”), a vein that was considered to run directly from the ring finger to the heart.

Image: The British Museum     During the 7th century C.E., the significance of engagement rings in Christian ceremony was strengthened by the Visigothic Code.

The Visigothic Code-- or Lex Visigothorum-- was a set of laws first laid down by King Chindasuinth, ruler of the Visigothic kingdom, which once existed in an area that included what is now southwestern France and southeastern Spain.