I have a confession that still surprises people who know I write about birthstones. For years, I told everyone that the only “correct” birthstone was the one assigned to your birth month. January? Garnet. February? Amethyst. End of story. Then a friend who reads charts handed me a piece of blue sapphire and said, “This…
I have a confession. When I first started collecting gemstones, I thought a sapphire was a sapphire was a sapphire. Blue, obviously. Maybe a deep, royal blue if you were lucky. I remember walking into a gem show in Tucson years ago, confident I knew what I was looking for. I walked out with my…
I have a confession. When I first started collecting gemstones, I bought a beautiful, deep blue stone from a market in Istanbul. The seller swore it was topaz. I wore it every single day for two years. It was my lucky charm, my conversation starter, my go-to piece for every job interview. Then one afternoon,…
I have a confession to make. When I first started collecting gemstones, I thought amethyst was just… purple. That’s it. One color. How wrong I was. I remember the first time I held a tray of rough amethyst from a dealer in Tucson. It was like looking at a sunset that had been frozen into…
I have a confession. Early in my career, I got it wrong. A client walked into my shop, beaming, holding a ring she’d inherited. “Look at this ruby,” she said. I took one look at the stone—a vivid, electric pink—and my heart sank. It wasn’t a ruby. It was a pink tourmaline, one of the…
I have a confession. For years, I treated birthstones like a sentimental afterthought. A nice necklace for a niece. A pair of earrings for a coworker’s milestone birthday. I never thought of them as investments. Then, in 2021, I watched a friend sell a ruby ring she’d bought for $3,000 in 2015 for nearly $9,000…
For years, I assumed that “ethical emeralds” were an oxymoron. I’d read about environmental destruction in mining regions, opaque supply chains, and artisanal miners working without safety equipment. I believed that luxury and responsibility couldn’t coexist in the same gemstone. Then, in 2025, I visited the headquarters of a brand that changed my mind. I…
For years, I dismissed any gemstone that wasn’t a round brilliant. I believed the charts: ideal proportions, maximum fire, perfect symmetry. Anything else, I thought, was a compromise. Then a client showed me her great-grandmother’s engagement ring — an old mine cut diamond set in rose gold. The stone didn’t sparkle like a modern diamond….
I have a confession that still makes my fellow gemstone enthusiasts shake their heads. For years, I thought I understood the hierarchy of precious gems. Diamond at the top, then ruby, sapphire, emerald. Maybe alexandrite if you were feeling fancy. Then I saw a Paraiba tourmaline for the first time — a small, 1.5-carat oval…
I have a confession that would have sounded like heresy just a decade ago. For most of my career, I steered birthstone buyers toward natural gems without a second thought. That June-born customer wanted a pearl. That September baby wanted a sapphire. I never mentioned the word “lab‑grown” because, frankly, I didn’t think it counted….