birthstones

In ancient times, people used to think that the gems found on this planet had celestial origins – in other words they used to think that there was a connection between the mineral world and the planets and stars. From this idea the superstition was born that certain gems possessed magical virtues and would bring good fortune to those born under the signs of the zodiac to which the gems belonged. Some people still like to wear their birthstones in a ring or necklace. Using the chart above, you can easily find out which stone is associated with your zodiac sign.

The astrologers called the imagined path of the sun, moon and planets the zodiac. The zodiac was divided into 12 different signs or constellations. Those who were born under a certain sign of the zodiac was thought to be protected by the jewel associated with that sign.

Pearls

Pearls are composed primarily of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate) which is a mineral. Among the mollusks (a family of creatures that includes clams, mussels, octopuses and oysters), only the pearl oyster produces pearls of gem quality. Two species of pearl oyster carry on most of the work of pearl making. One species lives in salt water and the other lives in fresh-water Rivers and lakes.
There are two ways in which man can obtain pearls, he can dive for oysters and gather “natural pearls” or he can help nature and become involved in the oysters work, this method is called “cultured pearls”.

When an oyster forms a natural pearl, it means that a particle of sand or a tiny living creature has been drawn into the oyster´s shell while the oyster is gathering food. The oyster then secretes a substance called mother-of-pearl around the unfamiliar object and in this way a pearl is progressively formed. Cultured pearls are formed when man takes oysters from their homes and inserts a particle of unfamiliar matter into their shells in order to produce a pearl. The oysters are placed in nets and are lowered back into the water. After a period of 3 to 6 years, the oysters are pulled back up and the pearls they have “manufactured” are taken out.
The pearl´s value is determined by its perfection of form, its color and its luster.

Diamond cutting

In order to qualify as gems, stones must have beauty, they must be hard and tough enough to take considerable wear, and they must be rare enough for people to prize them. Diamonds, rubies and emeralds have all these qualifications and are the most prized gems. Gemstones, with only four exceptions, are minerals. These four exceptions are pearl, amber, coral and jet which are made of organic materials formed by plants or animals.

The beauty of the gemstone often depends on the way it is cut. The most crucial moment in diamond cutting is when the cutters make the first cut in the preparation of a fine gemstone. The slightest error or poor cutting could destroy or diminish the value of the diamond. With proper cutting, brilliant reflections should appear across the entire stone. These reflections also help to develop the strength of the color, in a stone, as well as its brilliancy. This method of cutting is called facet cutting and is used only with transparent stones. Experts may take months to plan their cutting of a great stone.

The cabochon cut is the method of smoothing and rounding out a stone. Long ago, before men learned facet cutting, all gemstones were given cabochon cutting. The only stones now cut in this way are opaque stones and stones with special cat´s-eye effects, asterism, or opalescence.

Diamonds

The Diamond is the gem that holds first place in the scale of values. The word “diamond” comes from a Greek meaning “the invincible one”. The beauty of this gemstone comes from its fire and brilliancy, as most diamonds are colorless. The few diamonds that do have color, like the Blue Hope diamond and the Apple-green Dresden diamond, are especially valuable. The most common colors of diamonds are brown and yellow. Yellow diamonds, however must not be too pale because the value of the diamond will be reduced. Extremely rare are olive-green, aqua-marine and pink diamonds. Rarer still are the sapphire-blue ones, and finally the red diamonds are the rarest. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known. Due to their hardness, they are able to resist scratching and chipping. Diamonds can also take a steady, hard pressure without being worn down. But they can easily be shattered by a hard blow.

One of the world’s most famous diamonds is the Cullinan diamond which was found in a South African mine called the Premier Mine in 1905. It is known as the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found. The largest diamond that was cut from the Cullinan stone after it was split into a number of stones is the famous Star of Africa (Cullinan I). It weighs 530.20 carats and was the largest cut diamond in the world until the discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond. The second largest diamond cut from the Cullinan stone is the Lesser Star of Africa (Cullinan II) and is considered the fourth largest cut diamond in the world. Both of these diamonds are now among the British Crown Jewels.

One Of The Deepest Holes In The World - Excavated By Hand

The Kimberly hole, best known as the "Big Hole" is a huge open-pit situated in South Africa in the northern corner of the Cape Province. It is claimed to be one of the deepest holes excavated by hand, with the help of picks and shovels. Just for completeness´s sake, the deepest hand dug hole in the world is Jagersfontein mine, which also happens to be situated in South Africa (Free State Province)

The story of the "Big Hole" relates back to the discovery of the first diamond on the banks of the Orange River in 1866 by a young boy called Erasmus Jacobs, the son of a farmer. One day while Erasmus was out walking, he happened to look down and found a shinny stone at his feet. Little did he know that the stone that he had found was an enormous and valuable diamond of 21.25 carats. It was later named the "Eurika". "Eurika" is a word in ancient Greek for “I’ve found it”. The gem called the Star of South Africa, an 83,50 carat diamond was also found, in the area where Erasmus lived, by a Sheppard boy who traded the stone for five hundred sheep, ten oxes and a horse.

People all over the world headed for South Africa when they heard of the treasure to be found there. A young Englishman serving a jail term in a British military camp in the Griqualand region was put to work digging, and like Erasmus, made a major discovery. The camp was then renamed Kimberly, and became in later years a center of the diamond-mining industry.

In this open cast 2.722kg of diamonds were mined until it closed in 1914. Today there remains only a massive crater which is about 214m deep with a surface area of 17 hectares and a perimeter of 1.6 km. The crater, has become a major tourist attraction luring people from all over the world to view this archeological wonder from a viewing platform that is exactly the size of a 19th century mining claim. The old town, has also been brought back to life, it has buildings that have been preserved or restored to their original glory.