Spinel is a lesser-known gemstone that is exceptionally rare far more rare than ruby or sapphire. Like sapphire and ruby, it has good durability and can be worn in ring settings for everyday wear, thus making it a good alternative stone for engagement rings. The best quality gems in size, colour and quality come from Myanmar (Burma). Other sources include Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Madagascar, Afghanistan and Thailand.

The name for spinel is thought to have derived form the Latin word 'spina' meaning 'thorn'  a reference to its pointed octahedral crystal form. Spinel is often inclusion free, with better clarity than its sapphire and ruby counterparts.

Pink spinel is often overlooked or mistaken for more marketable pink sapphire or pink tourmaline, however this is rather unfortunate as spinel is far more rare. Funnily enough, spinel is often discovered in the same gem deposits as its gemstone rival, sapphire.

Pink spinel comes in a variety of shades including pretty pastels, neon pinks and berry tones something to suit every skin tone! Pink is right on trend for coloured gemstones and is joining blue and purple as the most desired colour. As the current trend is for vibrant, saturated colours, spinel offers the best in scintillating hot pinks.

Pink spinel is said to offer gentle energy renewal and be protective in a quiet, gentle way.Offering encouragement in difficult situations, spinel is said tohelp lower stress.

Pink spinel is a wonderful choice for bespoke jewellery and especially engagement rings, as it's an 8 on the Mohs hardness scale and is very unlikely to be heat-treated. Pink spinel is usually significantly cheaper than its sapphire counterpart and is a marvellous investment gem as sources are scarce, thus prices are set to keep rising.

At Lizunova weincorporated the magic of hot pink spinel with the cool mystery of gorgeous green emerald as stylishly complementary gems in our elegantlong Manhattan earrings set in two tone yellow and white 18k gold. As wornby Australian journalist and TV presenter Sandra Sully on TEN Eyewitness News, these earrings are perfect for the discerning gem lover who appreciates the three qualifying properties of fine gems: beauty, durability and rarity.

A beautiful green gemstone from the Olivine gamily, magnesium-rich peridot is the birthstone for August. Called  the extreme gem by the Gemological Institute of America, peridot is born of fire and brought to light, one of only two gems (diamond is the other) formed not in the Earth's crust, but in molten rock of the upper mantle and brought to the surface by the tremendous forces of earthquakes and volcanoes. While these peridots are born of Earth, other crystals of peridot have extraterrestrial origins, found in rare pallasite meteorites (only 61 known to date) formed some 4.5 billion years ago, remnants of our solar system's birth. Some rare extraterrestrial crystals are even big enough to facet as cut gemstones.Peridot in its basic form, olivine, was also found in comet dust brought back from theStardustrobotic space probe in 2006, has been discovered on the moon, and detected by instrument on Mars by NASA's Global Surveyor. Ancients believed, quite accurately, that peridot was ejected to Earth by a sun's explosion and carries its healing power.

On Earth, peridots are found in the US, Australia, Brazil, China Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Burma,Norway,Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Sri Lanka andTanzania. Peridots are also found in exotic locales like Peridot Beach, Hawaii, where the sands shimmer a luminous green.

The word peridot comes from the Arabic faridat, meaning gem. A yellow-green, gem quality variety of the mineral olivine, peridotgets its attractive yellowish green hues from the presence of iron. Volcanic basalt rocks are rich in iron and magnesium  two essential elements needed to create the gem. Hardened lava flows can be rich sources for peridot.

Prized in Ancient Egypt, peridot was nicknamed by the Egyptiansthe gem of the sun andrecorded to have been mined since circa 1500 BC on the Red Sea island ofZabargad. A large proportion of peridots in the world's museums originate from there. Some historians believe that Cleopatra's emerald collection might actually have been peridot.

Peridot is sometimes mistaken for emeralds and other green gems. Notable gemologist George Frederick Kunz highlighted the confusion between emeralds and peridots in many churchtreasures, notably the "Three Magi" treasure in the Dom of Cologne, Germany.

The largest cut peridot olivine is a 310 carat (62g) specimen in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

Peridots can be differentiated by size and composition. A peridot formed as a result of volcanic activity tends to contain higher concentrations of lithium, nickel and zinc than those found in meteorites.

Olivine in general is a very abundant mineral, but gem quality peridot is rather rare. This is due to the mineral's chemical instability on the Earth's surface. Olivine is usually found as small grains, and tends to exist in a heavily weathered state, unsuitable for decorative use. Large crystals of forsterite, the variety most often used to cut peridot gems, are rare. Peridot, in shades of olive, is one of the few gemstones that forms in only one colour.

It is believed to be a crystal of warmth and well-being, mentally stimulating and physically regenerating. Peridot is said to carry the gift of inner radiance, sharpening the mind and opening it to new levels of awareness and growth, helping one to recognize and realize one's destiny and spiritual purpose.

Associated with the sun, peridot has been prized since the earliest civilizations for its protective powers to drive away the forces of darkness. Set in gold and worn around the neck or bound to the left arm, it was used as a charm against sorcery and magic, evil spirits, night terrors, and madness.

Peridot possessesextremely high double refraction-when you look closely through the gem, you can see two of each pavilion facet.

Large,brightly coloured and inclusion-free peridots are highly valued in modern jewellery making. Best material today comes from Pakistan, as does this beautiful gem, ready to be made into acustom ring or pendant.

We have just completed this amazing custom made ring withcustomer's own 4ct sapphire and 1.5ct emerald. Handmade in 22 karat yellow gold and 18 karat white gold, with 180 pave set diamonds, this unique ring has a beautiful opulence to it. Technically challenging, it is impeccably crafted, and the pave work is amazing.

We can source and custom cut practically any kind of coloured gemstone or diamond.Contact us if you would like to enquire about a unique custom made ring, earrings, necklace or bracelet.

True blue tourmaline is arguably the rarest colour variety of the tourmaline gemstone family and is part of the mineral species known as Elbaite. Known in the trade as 'Indicolite', it ishighly sought-after, with itsname derived from the Latin word for the indicum plant.

We currently have a stunning 6.67ct cushion cut Indicolite tourmaline with predominantly blue hues with a hint of green which hails from Brazil. The gem has exceptional clarity and would make a truly spectacular cocktail ring or alternative engagement ring. It displays distinct pleochroism,which is a gemmological term meaning that a gemstone or crystal can display more than one colour when viewed from multiple directions. We are planning to incorporate this unique treasure into a new bespoke ring design.

BIRTHSTONE FOR OCTOBER

If you are fortunate enough to have a birthday in October, then you are blessed by having tourmaline as your birthstone (the other October birthstone is the equally colourful opal). Tourmaline has a kaleidoscopic range of colours that range from distinctive teal blues and forest greens to gorgeous pinks, reds and violets. Even more exotic are the stunning bi-coloured tourmalines, of which watermelon tourmaline is most sort-after. Due to the comprehensive range of brilliant colours, tourmaline is undoubtedly one of our favourite gems to work with. Image courtesy of GIA

MASTER OF DISGUISE

Tourmaline wasn't recognised as a gemstone species until the 1800s. Before the mineral was analysed as a separate mineral family, it was mistaken for many different gems due to its diversity of colours. The name tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese wordturmali,which translates as “mixed gemstones of unproven identities. For example, the Caesar's Ruby pendant in the Russian Crown jewels is actually a tourmaline! King Gustav III of Sweden gifted this pendant to Empress Catherine II of Russia, in the 1700s. It is a 52-carat Rubellite tourmaline shaped as a berry, complete with gold and enamel leaves.

Image courtesy of liveinternet.ru

These bespoke white gold earringsarebased on our Manhattan design, inspired by the architecture and beauty of NYC. Custom cutgreen tourmalines are set in 18 carat white gold. Clean, geometric design makes these custommade earrings a modern classic.

Need bespoke jewellery for a special occasion? Contact us at info@lizunova.com for a free consultation.

This sculptural Gemini ring by@lizunovais one of our signature pieces. The beautiful veined turquoise gem is set in rose gold vertically on a sterling silver band. Contemporary and striking.

See it in our boutique atLevel 5, Suite 6/74 Castlereagh St, Sydney NSW 2000, or shop ithere.

This rare and sophisticated gem is an unheated tanzanite. It has a magnificent display of greys, lilacs and even greens, depending on angle and light. We'resmitten!

Contact us if you would like us to design a bespoke piece of jewellery with a rare and beautiful gem like this one.

In love with this brand new ring, fresh from the jeweller's bench! Royal purpleamethystand a vivid green Colombianemeraldin rose gold. We've been having so much fun designing the new collection. It seems wehave a bit of a thing for two stone ringsthe colour combo on this one is gorgeous.

Amethyst geodes are a scientific anomaly no one really knows how they are formed. It's theorised that cooling lava creates bubble cavities that are then filled with a silica rich liquid that crystallizes into stunning gems such as amethyst. Luckily for us these nature wonders can be transformed into the stunning jewellery pieces showcased here by Lizunova all featuring royal purple amethyst.

Need bespoke jewellery for a special occasion? Contact us today at info@lizunova.com