Kashgar Tribal Artifacts - Life for the Modern Nomad | Handmade Jewellery, ethnic handicrafts, antique furniture

The largest blue topaz to be found anywhere in the world, an exceptional 8,225-carat gemstone with breathtaking purity, colour and transparency, has been named after the town of Marbella in Spain...

Aquamarine is considered the birthstone for those born in the month of March or under the sign of Scorpio.

Pictured is a beautiful specimen of an aquamarine crystal occurring naturally with tourmaline in a deposit of quartz

Yellow topaz, also called "Imperial topaz" for its association with Eastern European royalty, is considered the birthstone for November or those born under the sign of Sagittarius (the alternative birthstone for November is the citrine).

Pictured here is a magnificent early Christian ornament in gold from Constantinople, featuring a square cut yellow topaz surrounded by garnets. Picture courtesy of Shakko

Possibly named after the Greek word "sapphiros", meaning blue (although all blue gemstones were called sapphiros at that time), sapphires were unknown in the west before the Roman Empire; however in the east, stones were mined in India and Sri Lanka from at least the 1st Century BC onwards...

While many people know of the red coral used in jewellery making, they would be surprised to learn that the term actually applies to at least 100,000 known species found throughout the world's seas, from the polar regions to equatorial reefs and at all depths from the intertidal zone to the bottoms of the deepest oceanic trenches - and scientists estimate that there may be another 900,000 species awaiting discovery...

Pictured is a beautiful coral and silver bracelet from Mexico.  The size of the coral pieces, dark areas and concentric growth rings clearly identify it as a species of bamboo coral, which has been dyed a deep red colour.