Coloured gemstones

EMERALD
The emerald owes its name to the Greek “smaragdos”, which derives from a Semitic word meaning “to shine”. The emerald is the most precious beryl. Its colour is so incomparable that any color that resembles it is described as “emerald” green.

RUBY
The word ruby comes from the Latin « ruber », meaning « red ». It is part of the corundum mineral family. Considered an emblem of happiness in Antiquity, the ruby is also a symbol of vitality, power and loving passion. The ruby wedding anniversary is the 35th year of marriage.

SAPPHIRE
From the Greek « sappheiros », meaning « blue-coloured stone », the sapphire is a variety of the corundum and can be different colours (blue, pink, yellow, etc.). For thousands of years it has represented sincerity, fidelity and constancy. The sapphire brings peace, joy and wisdom and is thus often proffered for marriage proposals. Chaumet also uses in its creations pink, yellow, orange and purple sapphires. Purple-pink or orange-pink coloured sapphires are called « Padparadscha » and are the rarest and the most sought after variety.

Chaumet not only uses these three precious stones, but also coloured fine stones for its creations; these having often nothing to be ashamed of in comparison to their precious relatives.

SPINEL
Called “red diamond” in Indian antiquity, spinel was the gemstone of warriors. It symbolized power, courage, invincibility and ardour. It is known for being the best alternative to ruby: many famous rubies in crown jewels around the world are actually spinels. Now treasured for its own sake, spinel is a rare and high-end fine stone thanks to its excellent hardness, high clarity and very intense colour. Spinel comes in a wide range of colours. Although commonly thought of as red, it can be found in a range of beautiful pastel shades of pink, purple, orange, blue, plus every combination in between. The most desirable and valuable color is a deep blood red very close to ruby.

TOURMALINE
The name “tourmaline” comes from a Singhalese word, « touramalli », meaning « mixed colored stones“, it can occur in every color of the rainbow. Usually, iron-rich tourmalines are black to bluish-black to deep brown, while magnesium-rich varieties are brown to yellow, and lithium-rich tourmalines are almost any color: blue, green, red, yellow, pink.

AMETHYST
It belongs to the family of the macrocrystalline quartz, purple or lilac colour, hardness 7 on Mohs scale, transparent.

AQUAMARINE
Like emeralds, aquamarines belong to the Beryls family. The name comes from their colour “Acqua Marina” in latin “Sea water”. In India, aquamarines were believed to be amulets. In Acien Egypt, they were carved into talismans. They ensured a happy marriage and inspired the mutual fidelity of the young spouses. For seafarers, they were good luck charms, and they were also said to have curating powers.

CITRINE
It is a variety of quartz. The original reference point for the citrine colour was the citron (lemon) fruit.

IMPERIAL TOPAZ
Also known as « precious topaz ». It is the most sought after natural topaz and it is considered to resemble the colour of the setting sun. Imperial topaz was traditionally considered to be orange with red dichroism – meaning that when tilted in the light, imperial topaz can appear red or orange.

MANDARIN GARNET
It is the most sought-after garnet. Its colour is a deep and intense red. It is also called “spessartite”, from the city Spessart in Bavaria where it had originally been found. It was virtually unknown in big sizes until the beginning of the 90’s when an important source was discovered in Namibia. Garnet was known thousands of years before our era, and is mentioned in early biblical writings, where it was called “carbuncle”, meaning «little spark». The name “garnet” comes from the Latin «granatus», meaning «seed like» and was held to symbolize faith, constancy and truth. Garnet was also supposed to have strong curative powers.

OPAL
The opal is well-know for the way it beautifully features iridescent reflection, recalling rainbow. It is very fragile, so it needs to be manipulated carefully. Temperature differences, dry atmosphere, cosmetics, impacts or strong light can damage it.

PERIDOT
The peridot is well-known for its green intense colour.