Our Traditional Six are the bread and butter stones of every jewelry store. We would be very hungry without them. Garnet with all its varieties, Amethyst, Blue Topaz, Citrine, Peridot and Blue Zircon are all beautiful stones provided you look for GEM quality.

Modern technology has made it possible for many of us to enjoy the beauty of Blue Topaz. Topaz sometimes occurs naturally in very large colourless crystals but rarely in blue. However it was discovered that the desired blue colour could be achieved in the laboratory by radiation and heat-treatment. The different shades of blue are know as Sky, Electra, Swiss or London Blue with the latter having the most colour saturation. Birthstone for November.

Amethyst: the royal purple variety of quartz, according to legend it protects against drunkenness. It has an outstanding place in history as the gem of royalty and religious leaders. The most beautiful stones have red flashes as a secondary colour. Best gems come from Russia, Brazil (large geodes), Uruguay and Zambia. Birthstone for February.

Citrine is the somewhat neglected sister of Amethyst. It is a lovely form of quartz which comes in many different hues ranging from deep orange to a honey yellow and unfortunately is labeled under many different names such as Bahia Topaz, Irai Topaz, Rio Grande Topaz, all of which have nothing to do with Topaz. A well proportioned and properly cut Citrine Glows like a speck of sunlight. Birthstone for November.

Peridot is the only extraterrestrial gem! Crystals of Peridot (gemolivine) have been found in meteorites, thus proving it is not just our planet that produces beautiful gems. On Zabargad Island in the Red Sea the finest Peridot has been mined off and on for over 3500 years. Other important sources are the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona and Burma. A wonderful present for someone born in August.

Zircon is not a common stone and Blue Zircon is sometimes hard to find. However, we have met at the Tucson Gem Show a dealer who specializes in this lovelysea-blue-green gemstone so we certainly have a nice supply on hand. Birthstone for December.

There are at least twenty different members of the Garnet family: pyrope (grandma¹s beads), almandine (red brown), hessonite (golden brown), rhodolite (lilac to rose red), spessartine (bright yellow orange) and tsavorite (as green and clean as the] best emerald) to name a few. Prices differ as much as the colours with tsavorite and spessartine being probably the highest. All beautiful gemstones in their own right and found all over the world. Birthstone for January.

TRADITIONAL SIX - TEXT