When choosing a diamond, should you ever buy without a certificate? Well, we could argue both yes and no. Are all certified diamonds better quality than those not certified? No. Many lower-quality diamonds can be independently sold with a certificate, whilst others (for many reasons) will not. These aren’t necessarily inferior to those that are […]
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Pearls: Nature’s Natural Gems
Almost all gemstones are crystal structures formed under huge pressure, but a select few are created by Mother Nature herself. These organic gemstones are coral, amber, jet, bone or mother of pearl – but the most popular and versatile would be pearls. Throughout history pearls have been coveted by royalty and the rich and famous. […]
Aquamarine March’s Birthstone
If you’re lucky enough to have been born in March, you’re lucky to have a birthstone as lovely as aquamarine. This beautifully clear, pale-blue to sky-blue stone has a magical appearance of a summer sky, or a clear blue sea. This, perhaps, is why it was a favourite with sailors, believing it would bring them […]
Enduring Love – Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Whether it’s Paris & Helen, Mark Anthony & Cleopatra, Dante & Beatrice or Edward & Mrs Simpson, love bonds them all and their stories have lasted throughout history. Was it Eros, Cupid or Valentine? …we’ll never know-but their love affairs we can all agree endured. That one true person who brings you heart felt joy, […]
November’s Topaz & Citrine
November has nearly finished now, and as we see the golden brown leaves covering everywhere but the trees from which they fell – I always wonder if that is why the similarly coloured gemstones Topaz & Cirtine are the month’s birthstone. For those lucky enough to have these beautiful stones representing their birth, the bright […]
What Jewellery Designs will be hot this Christmas?
It’s difficult to predict which jewellery designs and styles will be the biggest Christmas bestsellers, and this year is set to be even tougher than normal after the year we’ve all had. However, having seen a continuing pattern emerge in our own customers’ wishes over the last few years – we can certainly have a […]
October’s Opals
Opal is the birthstone for the month of October, along with pink tourmaline. It is also the stone given to celebrate the 14th year of marriage. History The name ‘opal’ is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit ‘Upala’, meaning ‘precious stone’ and later the Greek derivative ‘Opallios’ meaning ‘to see a change of color’. […]
Cleaning your jewellery at home
Whilst we continue to wash our hands frequently and use hand sanitiser at every shop entrance, we mustn’t forget to keep our jewellery clean too. An ideal time to start writing this blog, with ‘Wash your hands’ ringing in our ears, there is a lot more soap, hand cream and bread dough going into your […]
September’s Sapphires
It’s nearly the end of September already, and we can’t go through this month without addressing its birthstone’s biggest myth: Sapphires are blue, right? …Wrong! Sapphires are perhaps the only natural gemstone that is available in almost every colour of the rainbow. Though blue is the most popular stone colour, and most often thought of […]
Sustainable jewellery in our 50th year
As Guilford’s oldest running independent jewellers we have, over the years, purchased many thousands of pounds of old gold, platinum and silver. This serves both us, our customers and the environment, in equal measure. At our Cry for the Moon workshop, we recycle gold and platinum, passing on the savings to our customers. This keeps […]