Gemstones and their meanings

Did you know, there are roughly around 200 varieties of natural gemstones? Some of these will be familiar to us, especially as 12 of these gemstones have soared in demand due to being granted with a ‘birthstone’ status. However, there are many gemstones we’ve never heard of, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating and beautiful. That’s why we’ve put together this guide detailing some facts about our well known ‘birthstone gemstones’, and then some interesting nuggets about lesser-familiar stones.

Gemstone symbolism

Most popular gemstones in the UK

Emerald

Meaning: known as the symbol of truth and love, emerald is often thought of to be the gemstone of the goddess, Venus. The stone brings forward intuitive properties, allowing the owner or wearer to have sight or revelations about future events and truths.

Our range of emerald jewellery is iconic – varying from earrings to pendants and rings. Want something a little different for a loved one? Our emerald engagement rings are the perfect choice to encapsulate the truth and love this gemstone represents.

Blue Sapphire

Meaning: this stone promotes mental focus and order, representing loyalty, truth and honesty. Sapphire is also thought to bring peace and contentment to the wearer or owner of the stone, as well as a trust in their path and purpose.

Here at Shining Diamonds, we have an electric range of blue sapphire jewellery, including our blue sapphire diamond rings – as well as beautiful sapphire diamond earrings and more.

Ruby

Meaning: known for its lustrous connotations, linking it to romance and passion, this deep red ruby gemstone represents a combination of both passion and purity. The stone is thought to encourage joy, spontaneity and laugher – promoting positive dreams and maintaining wealth and passion.

Browse though our beautiful selection of ruby jewellery – including our ruby earrings, ruby pendants, or, for something unique for that special person, a ruby engagement ring.

Garnet

Meaning: Garnet is known mostly as the ‘energising stone’, worn for good luck, and often used for manifestation. Garnet helps to build up a person’s self-confidence, and also provides clarity for one’s purpose in life. Spiritually, this stone brings about higher thinking as well as self-empowerment, making it a gemstone known for its strength and safety, making it an incredibly popular stone.

Diamond

Meaning: of course, we can’t forget about the most popular gemstone of them all – the diamond. Known for its rarity and beauty, this stone is well-known for its association with engagement rings – and is the symbol of purity and innocence. Learn the difference between diamonds and gemstones from our detailed guide.

There’s lots that goes into buying a diamond ring – that’s why we’ve put together our diamond buying guide to help answer all diamond related queries, such as 4C’s, budgets and certification.

Rarer gemstone trivia

Tanzanite

Found only in Tanzania near the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro, this beautiful blue gemstone is one of the rarest gemstones, but also one of the most popular. Here at Shining Diamonds, we have a wide range of tanzanite jewellery – including our Tanzanite gemstone rings.

Meaning: Tanzanite is suggested to promote a strong sense of self-control, allowing you to harness inner strength, remove feelings of lethargy and develop your psychic abilities. It’s thought to open your third eye and guide you into a spiritual awakening.

Benitoite

Only mined in a very small area of California, Benitoite gemstones are one of the rarest in the world. Named as the official state gemstone of California, this gemstone can be pretty pricey due to its rarity of discovering a reasonable sized gemstone – and can sometimes be priced $10,000 a carat (around £7,300).

Meaning: This gemstone is thought to replenish lost energy from throughout the day, replacing existing energies with blissful and joyful vibes. It’s also beneficial for spiritual healing – guiding you to a better understanding of the way the universe works.

Alexandrite

Also known as the ‘colour changing stone’, Alexandrite is a highly sought-after stone. Sun shines and it turns blue-green, while incandescent light turns it red-purple. The most valuable Alexandrite stones are the clear stones – as they showcase a magical colour change.

Meaning: Alexandrite is said to strengthen your intuition, boost your creativity and unlocking aspects of your imagination. This stone is especially helpful for building you back up when you’ve hit rock bottom, giving you hope and encouragement.

Black Opal

Rainbow-coloured infused with a creamy-white colour, opals reflect the light as the stone is moved around. Almost all of these rare gemstones are found in mines in Lightning Ridge area of NSW, Australia. With Black Opals, the main goal of this gemstone is the darker the better – the darker the background colour, the brighter the inclusions will be and the more valuable the stone is.

Meaning: known as a ‘prediction stone’, this gemstone is believed to allow you to foresee the future. It symbolises harmony, and is also considered to provide a balance of energy to any owner, or wearer.

Larimar

Only found in the Dominican Republic, Larimar is a turquoise stone, brought to prominence in 1974. Initially, locals knew the stone existed for some time – as small quantities would wash up on the seashore regularly – but it wasn’t until 1970s that sufficient amounts washed up, allowing a mine to be opened in the ground.

Meaning: Larimar is thought to stimulate the heart, third eye, throat and crown chakras – allowing you to harness inner wisdom. The stone is suggested to represent both peace and clarity for its wearer, or owner.

Learnt enough about both popular and rare gemstones, and looking to purchase your own? Find beautiful gemstone jewellery from Shining Diamonds now – or, alternatively, visit us in store at our Hatton Garden showroom.