The word ‘diamond’ comes from the ancient Greek adamas meaning invincible and unconquerable. Since the first diamonds were discovered in India during the 9th century BC, the precious stone’s strength has been legendary. Diamond is indeed the hardest natural mineral in the world. Greek and Roman soldiers would wear diamonds into battle, believing they would be imbued with the gem’s qualities of invincibility. Diamonds are April’s birthstone, and are given on 30th or 60th anniversaries.

Though we now know that diamonds are made up of pure carbon – the same stuff that makes the graphite in your pencil and the charcoal you might use to light a fire – diamonds have inspired many different origin stories throughout history.

The Greeks believed diamonds were teardrops from the gods. Hindus thought diamonds originated in lightening bolts. The Romans came a little closer to the truth with their belief that diamonds were shards of starlight fallen to earth. Some diamonds may have formed on asteroids in the intrastellar environment, making their way to earth upon impact some millions of years ago.

All of our diamonds, including the small and unusually-colored ones, are certified conflict-free. It can be difficult to get certifications for these “unusual” diamonds, but it is the right thing to do.

And we want to do what’s right for people and the planet!

Garnet is a gemstone with an ancient history. The first recorded garnet mine was found in Sri Lanka, and is thought to date back 2,500 years. Garnets have also been found in Bronze Age tombs, hinting at the resilient qualities of this deep red-colored stone. Having a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, this is a gemstone that comes close to diamond’s legendary strength and is one of the gemstones preferred by jewelers. It represents January’s birthstone, and it is typically given as 2^nd or 15^th anniversary gifts.

Garnets have many mythical qualities. A biblical story tells that Noah used a garnet to illuminate the path of his ark through the night. Travelers in ancient times often wore a garnet for the same reason. We now know, due to scientific discoveries, that garnets have a high refractive index, making them a particularly luminous stone.

Garnets are also often given as gifts symbolizing the eternal strength of true love. The seed-like shape of garnet crystals in their natural form reminded the ancient Greeks of a pomegranate seed. One version of the Greek myth that explains why we have cyclical seasons tells a story of pomegranates and true love. Hades, the god of the Underworld, had fallen in love with the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the weather and plants. Hades convinced Persephone to come to the Underworld with him, and gave her a pomegranate. Not knowing that eating food from the Underworld would keep her from ever returning to her mother, Persephone ate three seeds of the pomegranate. As the last red jewel-like seed passed her lips, she fell deeply in love with Hades. Her mother, Demeter, bereft that she would never see her daughter again, caused the first winter to fall over the land. Zeus saw the pain Demeter was in, and commanded Persephone to split the year between her dear husband and her dear mother. When Persephone returned for half the year, Demeter’s joy caused warmth to return and plants to blossom.

A garnet may light your path, or symbolize your true love, but it will certainly always shine with its warm red glow.

Amethyst is a beautiful purple-hued variation of the quartz gemstone. It ranks high on the Mohs scale used by mineralogists to determine the hardness of gems, which makes it one of the favored precious stones used in jewelry. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February, and is given in celebration of 4^th, 6^th, and 17^th anniversaries.

The color purple has been revered by many throughout history. It was the favored color of royalty, as blue and purple dyes were hard to come by and only royalty could afford to wear such brilliant colors. Due to amethyst’s similarity to the color of wine, the ancient Greeks once believed that amethyst was a powerful antidote to the effects of drinking alcohol. The word amethyst translates literally to “not drunken.” The Greeks often drank their wine out of goblets carved from amethyst, believing they would not become intoxicated.

Don’t try this at home – your beautiful amethyst is for wearing!

Silver is an ancient metal, with a varied and illustrious past. The elemental symbol is Ag, from the Latin word ‘Argentum’ – meaning white or shining. Discovered sometime around 4000 BCE, silver was first mined in order to make ornamental objects. The ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who is known as “the father of medicine,” recognized that silver had healing and anti-microbial properties. Because of his discoveries, today silver is still sometimes used in alternative medicine as an antiseptic or antibiotic. The noble metal was a crucial component in the discovery of photography, and was also used to make mirrors. Of course, silver does a wonderful job of adorning and beautifying the human body, but it was once perhaps most widely used to make coins.

In the 11^th and 12^th century, in what we now call the British Isles, silver pennies were printed with a small star. A penny like this was called a steorling (most likely pronounced like “sterling”) in Old English, meaning “coin with star.” These steorlings were made up of 92.5% pure silver, with an alloy of 7.5% copper, just like sterling silver today. Silver pennies weren’t always sterling, though; Henry II of England established this standard in the 12th century because those inclined to dishonesty would trim the edges of the softer pure silver pennies and keep the small pieces for later. Sterling silver, still a beautiful precious metal, was slightly more durable and discouraged this shifty habit. Sterling is no longer used to make coins, but many recognized the advantage of a precious metal that was both beautiful and durable: two traits that are ideal in a favorite piece of jewelry!