If you love gemstone jewelry like we do, you’ll adore these deals. One of our favorite gemstone jewelry stores, JeGem has two wonderful coupons for this month. As they already have their jewelry quite marked down, these are great bargains.

Save on Opal and Citrine

Opal is the October modern birthstone; Citrine is the November modern birthstone. These make beautiful gifts that have a personal touch.

Save 25% on all Opal & Citrine Jewelry at JeGem.com with Coupon Code:JGBIRTH25

All Pendants on Sale

A gemstone pendant is special. They look great and are worn year round. If you want a gift that shines, consider one of these extraordinary pendants.

Save 25% on all Pendants at JeGem.com with Coupon Code: JGPEN25

Offer good from Oct 1, 2011 – October 31, 2011

If you are looking for an affordable summer gift, here’s one that is wonderful: 7 Piece Fresh Water Pearl Stretch Bracelet Set, 7.5″

Everyone knows that pearls are elegant gifts. Yet few realize how affordable some of them have become. Look rich while staying on a budget. Though these aren’t the quality of exquisite cultured pearls, they are delightfully enjoyable to wear. It’s fun to mix and match jewelry and pearls go with basically everything. They are great for yourself or a friend.

So splurge a little and have lots of fun!

One of the most classic pieces of jewelry is a pearl necklace. Pearls can go with anything. They look wonderful and feel wonderful. Yet, often we don’t want a traditional pearl necklace. That is why we selected this 7-12mm Pink Free-Form Baroque Pearl Necklace as our weekly favorite. It has class and style and just a bit of uniqueness that makes it extra special.

Right now these are on sale to help one feel good about the extravagance of buying real pearls. So splurge a little and enjoy the romance of such a wonderful necklace.

We all love getting a deal. Here are some of the best jewelry deals out there with fresh jewelry coupon codes ready for this weekend. All are usable now if you want to start you weekend off right!

Amazon

End of Summer Sale – Extra 10% at Checkout – Now through September 9, 2010.

GoldenMine

Get 10% up to $100 off orders of $400 or more at GoldenMine.com for a limited time. Code: OF100 – Valid: Now – September 30, 2010.

JeGem

JeGem.com Extra 5% Off Coupon Code: CJSEP105. Valid for any order. This Coupon can be used in conjunction with any on-site sale! – Valid: Now – September 30, 2010.

JeGem.com $10 Off Coupon Code: CJSEP1010. Valid for orders above $150. This Coupon can be used in conjunction with any on-site sale! – Valid: Now – September 30, 2010.

Limoges Jewelry

25% off next Limoges Jewelry order with code LSLABOR. Valid now through 9.6.10

Ross-Simons

Great savings at Ross-Simons! Get an extra 20% Off clearance items! Use code LABORDAY at checkout now through 9/6/2010.

Super Jeweler

10% Off ALL Orders at SuperJeweler.com! Use Code SAVE10SJ at checkout to save. Expires 9/30/2010.

Szul

1.70 Carat All Natural Sapphire and Diamond Pendant – $48 FREE Shipping – through 9/4/2010

Hope you find a great jewelry deal that delights you!

Although often mistaken for an emerald, the peridot has beauty all its own. It’s beautiful green color and ability to catch and reflect light will keep this August birthstone in a favorite spot in your jewelry box.

Peridot jewelry is especially brilliant under low light or in the evening. It looks more like an emerald at those times.

It’s origins can be traced back to biblical times when it was mentioned in the book of Revelations. It is also rumored the the famed emerald collection of Cleopatra was a collection of peridots. She was enchanted with its sparkle and luster. During that time the peridot was also used to decorate the collection plates in churches.

As the national gem of Egypt, it is held in high regard. This may well be due to the stones ability to reflect light and give it all of its sparkle.

Peridots have been mined on St. John’s Island, which it is said was once inhabited by poisonous snakes.

The pharaohs had all of the snakes killed and transformed the island into a mining area. Today they are mined in Norway, the Hawaiian islands, Burma and the islands that border the Red Sea.

The peridot is not a hard stone. Care needs to be taken with the cleaning of the stone and storage. Also caution should be used if you are engaging in any physical activity that would damage its luster. You should also use caution with the exposure to direct sunlight, as the stone will fade.

Through the years the peridot has been more difficult to find. There is a huge, impressive display at the Smithsonian. In this day and time, you will not find many large carat size peridots. If you are fortunate enough to find one, prepare to pay a hefty price. However, when being made into a ring, pendant or other piece of jewelry, it can be surrounded or accompanied by other stones very nicely.

The Sardonyx is the alternate birthstone for the month of August. It is in the same family as the onyx and it is difficult to find details that would make it differ, except for the brilliant color. The sardonyx has red, white and/or black lines running through it and is quite a striking stone that can easily be made into many different types of jewelry.

Summer is fun – so share it with others with a great flower gemstone bracelet! Flower jewelry brightens peoples day with color and beauty. Finding a bracelet with lasting style and a theme can be challenging. It is great to discover beauty at an affordable price.

Our favorite piece of floral jewelry is this wonderful Multi-Gemstone Flower Bracelet, 7.25 made of many different gemstones and currently over 50% off with free shipping. It delights the eyes and helps bring out smiles.

So share a bit of happiness and enjoy!

Normally orange in color and traces its roots from Brazil and Mexico, fire opal jewelry is often a favorite among women. The fire opal is named such because of its mix of orange and red color, and sold for its clarity. Some even play around red, blue, green and orange. The two main categories of fire opals are common and precious stones. The common fire opal lacks color, while the precious opals display vibrant colors. Basically, a sample fire opal is considered a precious fire opal if it contains colors besides red and orange. Flame opals are similar to fire opals, because they contain streaks of flame. Another kind of fire opal is the Mexican fire opal, which are transparent orange and red.

Opals are the most colorful among all gemstones. Fire opal jewelry is sometimes mistaken for topaz or citrine. No other gemstone, except for synthetic ones can copy opals. The top country that produces synthetic fire opals is Japan. However, they contain particles of plastic so they are often easy to spot. Bandfire opals are less common types of fire opals that have wavy bands. Similarly, jewelry that contains flash opals has flashes of colors that appear and disappear as the jewelry is turned. High quality Mexican fire opal is hard to find, and highly desired as a gem.

One of the favorite ways of wearing opals is in an opal necklace or opal earrings. By wearing it away from ones hands, the fragile opal is much less likely to be damaged and will be able to be worn for years to come.

Studies have shown that 97% of the world’s opals can be found in Australia, South Australia to be exact. This is why there are a number of souvenir shops in the said country that offer different kinds of accessories, be it jewelry or accessories. Other sources of opals include Idaho in the United States, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

We asked a friend what their favorite gemstone is. Their reply was quite enlightening – I hope you will find it as interesting as we did!

Favorite Gems Can Change Over Time

As I went through life my favorite gemstones changed with time. I started liking diamonds because they were the “most expensive” and everyone knew what a diamond was. As I got older I started to like the emerald, its deep green color appealed to me since that is my favorite color. But as my tastes matured, I found myself appreciating the sapphire more and more.

Sapphires Delight

I have learned that sapphires are more than just a fancy colored rock. They can be any hue on the color spectrum, with the exception of red. In fact I had to search around on the internet for quite a while to figure out why there are no red sapphires. I determined this to be the cause: a red sapphire is a ruby. Although sapphires can range in color from clear, to white, to yellow to green, their “true” color is often referred to as a cornflower blue. When a sapphire has a nice cornflower blue color, it is free from most impurities and in it’s truest form. Now color isn’t everything to a sapphire.

Star Sapphire

Sapphires are unique in that they grow as a six-sided columnar crystal. They generally aren’t found this way, since the columns will break and the sapphire will end up looking like a pretty colored rock. But, when a crystal grows with six sides, it can be formed into a cabochon, and a true gem smith will be able to create a “star” sapphire. That is, when held in the right light the sapphire will appear to have a six-sided star radiating from its center. Finally, the sapphire takes my heart when it appeals to my financial side. The purest, most beautiful sapphires in the world are found in Montana. In the Yogo gulch area in central Montana there was a mine. They dug up perfect sapphires. The Yogo Sapphire is one of the rarest, purest gems on earth. So, in order to win the spot of my favorite gemstone, a rock has to be more than just pretty. It must be more than just valuable. It has to have unique characteristics that make it interesting in form and formation. Being worth a pretty penny doesn’t hurt either though.

Note: though there are more expense sapphires than the Yogo sapphire, it is very beautiful. Learn fun sapphire facts.

Who doesn’t own an earring, necklace, or pendant? Wearing a piece of jewelry can automatically make an outfit more special and fashionable. The plainest clothes can easily become dazzling with the help of a butterfly pin, or an elegant necklace. This is why accessories like opal butterfly jewelry are becoming popular for women of all ages.

Opal Butterfly Jewelry

One of the most fun pieces of jewelry is a butterfly shaped opal brooch. It has a classy and feminine touch that can be worn in different ways. During the early times, people believed that this gemstone had healing powers. They used this gem to ease eye diseases, depression and anxiety. Other types of butterfly jewelry includes: necklaces, earrings, and rings.

Opals are considered treasures, not only because they look stylish, but also symbolize clarity, hope, and confidence. Some local jewelry shops offer items that are not only for women, but for the gentlemen as well.

The different kinds of opals that are commonly used in jewelries are black opals, white opals, synthetic opals, crystal opals and boulder opals. Black opals are the hardest to find and are the most costly as well. The shades of white opals, on the other hand are lighter than the other types. Synthetic opals are the ones that are made with artificial material and relatively cost cheaper. They are brighter in colors compared to natural opals, and the spots of color are larger. Crystal opals have transparent surfaces, which some people find more appealing. All opal jewelry is beautiful, yet some types will appeal to you more than others.

March birthstones consist of a number of gems. Aquamarine is the modern choice, bloodstone the traditional, and jade the Mystical. In terms of astrology, the month of March overlaps two zodiac signs: Pisces and Aries. Pisces’s birthstones are amethyst, sapphire, rock crystal, and bloodstone; its planetary stone is aquamarine; and its lucky charm is amethyst. Aries’ birthstones, on the other hand, are bloodstone and diamond; its planetary stone is jasper; and all three stones are considered its lucky charms.

Aquamarine can be found in Brazil, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Russia and the United States, especially in Colorado. It is usually made to undergo irradiation and heat treatment. Its color ranges from light blue to blue green and dark blue, depending on the amount of iron in the compound. With a hardness of 7.5 according to the Mohs Scale, its quality depends more on its transparency; the more transparent, the higher the quality (and also the more sparkle). Aquamarine rings are extremely popular nowadays and their usage as engagement rings is also on the rise among those of the younger generation. Aquamarine jewelry must be cleaned with warm, soapy water and a brush with soft bristles; home ultrasonic machines must not be used in doing so. The gems must be protected from scratches and blows and direct and prolonged exposure to the sun as the latter will cause the color to fade.

Because of the red spots from iron oxide deposits which is the reason for its being so-called, bloodstone is aptly associated in gemstone lore with blood, e.g. as the blood of Christ, making early Christians deem it a sacred stone; as filled with healing properties for bleeding and blood-related disorders. Also called heliotrope, it is often used in men’s jewelry as pendants and bead necklaces. The polish of the stone is generally removed if gotten wet. Bloodstone can be found in Australia, China, India, Brazil, and the United States, particularly Wyoming.

Jade is often turned into jewelry by carving the stone itself into pendants, earrings, bangles, bracelets, and even statues. It has two types: jadeite, which is the rarer one, found in Japan, Myanmar, and the United States, particularly California and Alaska, its highest quality known as the Imperial Jade; and nephrite, which is commonly used in Chinese carvings. Jade is believed to help achieve relaxation and gain visions of necessary tasks as well as the strength to do them. It is also believed to be the very essence of love in its concentrated form; some believe that a secret virtue of it is imbibed by the body when physical contact is made.

According to gemstone lore, any of the March birthstones when worn as a ring supposedly will allow the bearer to gaze at the gem and obtain its mystical powers (e.g. understanding and happiness from aquamarine). Of the March birthstones, aquamarine is the popular choice, believed to symbolize happiness and understanding. Bloodstone is a common pick because of its affordability more than anything else, while jade is a favorite among a handful of Asian cultures.

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