May's birthstone - Emerald

As it happens I have just been playing with ideas for this lovely pair of pear-cut emeralds and given emerald is traditionally celebrated as the birthstone for May I thought it might be fun to give you a few facts about these incredible green gemstones…

Did you know that emerald is the only gemstone with a cut named after it? The emerald-cut was designed to maximise the colour of the stone whilst also protecting the corners of the emerald against damage.

Emerald is part of the beryl family which also counts aquamarine and morganite amongst its members.

The ancient Egyptians believed emeralds to be symbolic of life and fertility.

Emeralds are found in several countries including Columbia, Zambia, Brazil and Zimbabwe.

The natural features commonly found in emerald is referred to as the ‘jardin’.

It is quite a brittle stone and should be worn with care – no rock climbing in an emerald ring!

Some famous emeralds include the Hooker emerald which weighs in at 75.47cts and the 34.40cts Stotesbury emerald which was once part of the collection of Evalyn Walsh McLean who also owned the Hope Diamond. Other emeralds of note are those set in the Topkapi Palace dagger and those set by Cartier in jewels owned by Marjorie Merriwether Post now on display at The Smithsonian Insitution in Washington D.C.

Gemstones | News

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"I can't thank you enough for all the great work you and your team have done in creating such a beautiful piece of jewellery! " "Jacqui, your patience was second to none as I changed my mind constantly, but you took on board everything I said and felt. The final design is more than I could have imagined. Thank you so much!" "When I got home and showed my husband he said "Wow! It's absolutely beautiful " and I got very emotional." "It truly is the circle of life bracelet I asked for and I can't wait to show my daughter. The bracelet will hold many memories for me, knowing that I have my mum, gran and great aunts jewellery with me at all times but also knowing that this is the start of a new journey for this bracelet as it (hopefully) will be passed down the generations and everyone can add their piece of history to it." "The more I look it at, words can not describe how I feel as it is bringing back so many wonderful memories." "Thank you all so much, you have all been fantastic to work with and it has been an amazing experience for me."

J.N., East Lothian

"Oh, my goodness - I am so in love with this ring! It surpasses all expectations, and is just exquisitely beautiful." "How is it able to be a big chunker (technical term!) *and* ethereal! " "It’s amazing. And absolutely ‘me’. I am truly the custodian of it, and at the same time, it feels a part of me." "That feeling that I’ve always had it." "I know you know how brilliant Jacqui is, but I want to say just how kind and professional and patient and inspirational she’s been. Her attention to detail, and getting the best result for me, has been an extraordinary and excellent experience." "And I thank you, too, for our initial correspondence, meeting, and ideas. It truly has been a journey, as I didn’t know what I truly wanted - until I did!" "I am utterly enchanted and delighted - thank you and Jacqui very much for my beautiful ring. " "And please thank the goldsmith for - somehow - turning a dream into a reality." "I’m heartglad, I really am."

A.B., Edinburgh

"I just wanted to message to say how much I love my ring, I feel you really listened and understood my initial ideas and have created something perfect for me. I can’t thank you enough and it will be a pleasure to wear it everyday!! It’s one thing loving something aesthetically but quite another when there’s an emotional connection too."

J.B., East Lothian

"I wanted a special pearl necklace for my wife to celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary but knew very little about pearls. I was given Clare’s name as an expert and duly contacted her. Not only is she hugely knowledgeable but gave extremely good advice and grasped instantly what I and my wife wanted. She found exactly the right piece (a natural pearl necklace) and then ensured it was a correct fit. She had the knowledge and contacts to have it superbly restrung. In addition Clare is an extremely nice person who goes to great trouble and it is a pleasure to deal with her."

M.S., Manchester

"Clare's knowledge of both the history of jewellery and current market is unrivaled." "Winton Castle has been delighted to host numerous events with Clare for our private clients and the general public which have been hugely successful." "Clare's ability to weave the history of Winton Castle into her talks is truly captivating and her warm, charismatic and witty talks delight and inspire audiences every time. "

Julie Britee, Winton Castle, East Lothian

"I'm holding you entirely responsible for my walking into lamposts as I will be too busy admiring my beautiful new ring!! Thank you - I absolutely love it. I am over the moon it all worked out and feel like the luckiest lady in the land."

Mrs C, Scottish Borders

"Clare is one of the most highly regarded and best known faces in the jewellery profession in Scotland. We've benefited from her expert advice over the years when acquiring key pieces - advice delivered with the utmost discretion and knowledge of the market. It's always a pleasure to work with Clare and enjoy her good humour, passion for jewellery and artistic flair."

Anna, Edinburgh

"We were introduced to Clare after a lecture she gave in which her expert knowledge and enthusiasm for her subject was evident. We were so impressed by her we sought her assistance in sourcing a large, emerald cut diamond and suggested a budget. She took an appropriate amount of time and found exactly what we were after. This was the first of a variety of auction purchases Clare has assisted with, from £1,000 to several hundred thousand pounds. Clare's advice on quality, price and resale desirability has been exemplary."

Mr & Mrs Jones, Aberdeenshire

"Clare recently came to the Royal Scots Club to do a talk on Famous Women Jewellery Collectors as part of our annual Afternoon Tea event. I had some wonderful feedback from the members who said how interesting the talk was and how much they enjoyed looking at all the dazzling images. Clare’s lecture was well thought out, she kept our members entertained and she was a pleasure to work with."

Laura Campbell, Membership Secretary, Royal Scots Club

"I approached Clare to help with an old ring I had sitting in a box which had been damaged and rarely worn to enquire about the possibility of either repairing or selling it on. Clare was fantastic throughout the process and kept me fully informed via email. After I decided the best option was to sell it Clare put me in touch with an auction house in London where she knew we would get the best auction price and we certainly weren’t disappointed. I would definitely recommend Clare for any jewellery sales and hope to be back to her as a buying customer one day."

Mrs K. C., Caithness

"I just wanted to write you a note to say how very much I adore the pendant and chain, it has really beaten all my expectations on how beautiful it could be. It was wasted as a ring! You’ve been an absolute pleasure to work with, and thank you for putting up with my tardy email replies and delayed phone calls. Thank you very much again."

Nicola, Edinburgh

"Clare, I wanted to thank you for all your great work in commissioning Peter's signet ring. I really appreciated the time you took to ensure that we got the correct crest and your advice and expertise on the style, size and fit was really very much appreciated. And all done in secret squirrel fashion so that it was a surprise for his birthday! As you know he's really delighted with the result. Thanks again."

Maggie, East Lothian

"Words can't really convey how much Mum's ring means to us, especially mum. The care and attention to detail that you applied to the work from the beginning to end is immeasurable. The piece itself symbolises so much sentiment and meaning, and with your careful consideration it turned out to be exactly what Mum had visualised. It would have been so easy to buy a mainstream ring from a jewellery shop, but there is no way it would have held the same significance and meaning. "

R.C., Dorset

"I was in need of someone to do what I thought was the impossible - transform the setting on my engagement ring without actually making it look like a transformation (I wanted my ring to still look and feel the same). The finished product was just beautiful. My diamond was now a very subtle but stunning tulip setting, revised from the rather impractical 4 prong setting that kept breaking. I cannot explain how happy I was with the finished result. Absolutely delighted. Thank you Clare. "

Ms G, West Lothian

"Clare Blatherwick was an absolute pleasure to deal with, she made me feel at ease immediately. Clare is very professional and really goes the extra mile. It was a tricky design brief as there were diamonds from different pieces of jewellery, which were very precious to me, that I was looking to have made into a new ring and necklace. Clare has an incredible knowledge and passion for jewellery and I enjoyed working with her to come up with the perfect designs. I am absolutely delighted with my new ring and necklace, they are exactly what I asked for and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her."

K.H., East Lothian