Yellow Sapphire:   Yellow Sapphire is from the corundum group of minerals. Its colours range from yellow, orange, pink, purple, green to blue. The reds are designated as Rubies. There is no definite demarcation between sapphires and rubies, so the light reds, pinks and violets are called sapphires. The hard wearing qualities of this stone make it very versatile; needing no more than usual care on the part of the wearer. Yellow sapphires are the next best choice to a yellow Diamond.

Golden Beryl:   Golden Beryl gains its colour from iron within the mineral. Available from golden to lemon yellow, it is noted for being less included (marks within the stone) than its cousin, aquamarine.

Citrine:   Natural Citrines are pale yellow. They belong to the quartz group and are classed as semi-precious. They’re often confused with the more precious topaz. The heat treated specimen is in fact, an Amethyst, in new clothes. Sometimes wrongly referred to as ‘gold topaz’, this is a complete misnomer.

Chrysoberyl:    Chrysoberyl can be found readily in cabochon cut, often referred to as ‘cat’s eye.’ The name derives from the distinct line of light that can be seen, on the surface of the stone, when moved. The technical term for this is called ‘chatoyancy’ and is caused be fine inclusions. Chrysoberyl that lack the cat’s eye effect are often faceted (left). They are part of the same mineral group as Alexandrite. The best quality cats eyes are expensive and should be as transparent as possible. The eye will appear to open and close, when turned.

Fire Opal:    Fire Opal is named after its colour and whilst the best qualities are clear, it can sometimes have a milky appearance. The classic shape for quality opal is oval, ( cut with facets in fire opal and cabochon in opaque opals.) However, in recent times, there has been some fascinating fancy cut material coming from the Brazilian mines. It is said the drier the place, where the stone was mined, the more durable the opal will be. Care must be taken by the wearer, to avoid contact with cosmetics and hand creams.

Orange Garnet:   Orange Garnet or Mandarin garnet, also known as spessartite. This is a comparatively new form of garnet, only being available from the early 90s, but quickly mined out of it original discovery place of Namibia. Deposits elsewhere have now been found.

Orange Sapphire:    Orange Sapphire also known as ‘padparadscha’ meaning ‘lotus flower’. Apart from the colour, it has all the usual qualities of a sapphire, from the corundum group of minerals. These minerals come in a variety of colours, except red, when they’re referred to as rubies. There is no definite demarcation between sapphires and rubies, so the light reds, pinks and violets are called sapphires. The hard wearing qualities of this stone make it very versatile and do not need more than the usual care on the part of the wearer. Thought of as the next best choice to a fancy Diamond. ( Pictured left African sapphire)

• Deposits in Sri Lanka, Burma, Brazil, Thailand, Africa
• Mohs hardness scale:     Mohs scale