Squash Blossom Blog

Alex Sepkus's Aquamarine and Diamond Seashell Ring Did you know that Aquamarine gems are in the same family as Emeralds? Both members of the Beryl family, Aquamarine, is the sea blue colored sister to the world renowned gem of deep green hues. Aqua has been known through the ages as a stone of courage and protection, often carried by seamen in ancient times to promote safe travel on the water and to protect against drowning. Some legends even have it that Aquamarine came from a mermaids jewelry box! It’s no wonder ocean lovers around the world are drawn to this...

February Blog Post February Birthstone Profile One of the Most Prized Quartz Varieties Published by Squash Blossom St. Valentine, the patron of romantic love, wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and also the gem for the 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries. Fine amethysts have been set in religious and royal jewelry for ages. Amethyst was as expensive as, and equal in value to ruby and emerald until the 19th century, when large deposits were discovered in Brazil. Before the Brazilian discovery, Russia was the major source of amethyst. Today, most...

  Found all over the world, did you know the beautiful deep red hued January birthstone has been utilized since the Bronze ages as both an industrial abrasive and a prized gemstone? While the hardness of garnets makes them ideal to use in industrial settings for cutting and abrasives they have also been used in watchmaking as bearings to reduce friction at critical points. Within the jewelry world, however, this translates into a gemstone that can maintain its brilliance even up against the regular abrasions of everyday wear. A sample showing the deep red color garnet can exhibit. The name garnet comes from the...

Laurel Bahe: Playful Creativity Is "Pouring" Out of Her Studio