Diamond Engagement Rings, Unusual Engagement Rings, Bespoke Luxury Jewellery from London Jewellers Daniel Prince

Red
Ruby
Garnet
Spinel
Tourmaline
Zircon

Orange
Sapphire
Citrine
Garnet
Fire Opal
Chalcedony
Topaz
Zircon
Coral
Amber

Yellow
Sapphire
Citrine
Garnet
Topaz
Golden Beryl
Chrysoberyl
Amber
Cultured Pearls

Green
Emerald
Garnet
Peridot
Jadeite
Chalcedony
Tourmaline
Zircon
Diopside

Sky Blue
Aquamarine
Blue Topaz
Turquoise
Zircon
Tourmaline
Sapphire
Chalcedony
Moonstone

Blue
Sapphire
Iolite
Tanzanite
Lapis Lazuli
Spinel
Tourmaline

Purple
Amethyst
Sapphire
Tanzanite
Chalcedony
Spinel
Garnet
Cultured Pearls
Jadeite

Pink
Sapphire
Topaz
Tourmaline
Garnet
Spinel
Chalcedony
Cultured Pearls
Morganite
Kunzite

White/Black
Cultured Pearls
Moonstone
White Sapphire
Zircon

MultiColour
Opal
Tourmaline
Ametrine
Alexandrite
Chalcedony

Brilliant colour is the essence of a gemstone's appeal. You might wear a piece of gemstone jewellery because it's your birthstone. But more likely, you choose gems that reflect your favourite colours, fashion or personal style. And nature's spectacular paintbrush is hardly limited to one mineral or gemstone per colour. For example, if you like blue, there are sapphires, blue topaz, iolite, blue spinel, blue tourmaline, tanzanite and even blue diamonds. Each has its individual qualities and admirers, but the key point is that there is a coloured gem available to almost everyone, in virtually any colour and at almost any price. So enjoy making them your own!

Birthstones are a fascinating aspect of the gem and jewellery world, and are derived from early beliefs regarding one's time of birth and relationship to the planets. Wearing a certain stone as protection against illness and misfortune, or another gem for good luck, eventually developed into the birthstone systems of today.

Modern Birthstones
From these early systems, comes the modern birthstone system

January	Garnet
February	Amethyst
March	Aquamarine or bloodstone
April	Diamond
May	Emerald
June	Pearl, moonstone or alexandrite
July	Ruby
August	Peridot or sardonyx
September	Sapphire
October	Opal or tourmaline
November	Topaz or citrine
December	Tanzanite, turquoise, zircon, lapis lazuli or blue topaz

Zodiac Gems
Long before the modern 12-month calendar was invented, astrologers assigned certain gemstones to the 12 signs of the zodiac based on the symbolism and metaphysical powers each stone was believed to possess.

Choosing a birthstone
If nothing else, the above should make clear that there are a bewildering variety of birthstone choices, depending on nationality, culture, religion, etc. Which one is right for you? We suggest that, if none of the above birthstones strikes your fancy, you simply choose a personal gemstone that symbolizes a special time for you. Choose a personal gemstone based on your zodiac sign, the day of the week on which you were born or the colour designated for your birth month.

Notes on Calendars
Before the invention of the clock, people watched the sun, moon and stars to tell time. The daily rising of the sun provided a short unit of time, the solar day. The cycle of seasons roughly indicated a longer unit of time, the solar year. But early people did not know that the earth’s revolution around the sun caused the different seasons. The changing position and shape of the moon was easier for them to observe. As a result, early calendars used the interval between the successive full moons, called the lunar month, as an intermediate unit of time.

Today we know the lunar month lasts about 29 1/2 days. Twelve such months amount to about 354 days. This interval is almost 11 days shorter than the true solar year, which has 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. But a year of 13 lunar months would equal about 383 1/2 days and would be more than 18 days longer than the solar year. The solar year, therefore, does not equal any whole number of lunar months.
Note that these numbers are averages. The actual length of a particular year may vary by several minutes due to the influence of the gravitational force from other planets. Similarly, the time between two new moons may vary by several hours due to a number of factors, including changes in the gravitational force from the sun, and the moon’s orbital inclination.
The discrepancy between whole lunar months and days in a solar year explains the confusion over calendar keeping during thousands of years. A calendar based on 12 lunar months becomes out of step with the seasons. Some people who used lunar calendars kept them roughly in step with the seasons by making some years 12 months long and other years 13 months long.
Early calendars usually represented some sort of compromise between the lunar and solar years. Some years lasted 12 months, and others lasted 13 months.
The Christian calendar (Gregorian calendar) is based on the motion of the earth around the sun, while the months have no connection with the motion of the moon.
On the other hand, the Islamic calendar is based on the motion of the moon, while the year has no connection with the motion of the earth around the sun.
Finally, the Jewish calendar combines both, in that its years are linked to the motion of the earth around the sun, and its months are linked to the motion of the moon