Dear Patrizia,

Yes, thank you, the ring arrived and all is great. The ring is beautiful and my fiance is over the moon.

Thank you very much for your excellent service!

Kind regards,
SXXXX

Dear Patrizia,

It’s perfect!!!! I’m absolutely crazy about it!! Exactly what I pictured!!

Thanks a lot!!
S.

The birthstone determination is not at all straight forward. In Hebrew & Roman traditions October’s birthstone used to be aquamarine, according to the Hindu religion it is coral and in modern times we refer to opal and tourmaline.

Being a contemporary jewellery design company in South Africa, I settle for tourmaline and give you some more info on this beautiful Southern African gem:

Tourmaline has a special place in the hearts of mineral collectors as well as in that of gem and gemstone enthusiasts. Its nearly universal popularity is based upon two very important facts:
 

It is a bright and beautiful gemstone that can be found in just about any color;
Materials that are of acceptable quality are affordable to most purchasers.
The word “rainbow” is used figuratively to describe tourmaline. In reality, it is a well recognized fact that tourmaline’s diversity in color is not limited to the seven colors of the rainbow.
Tourmaline can be colorless to just about any color, hue, or tone known to man. And if range of colors among different tourmalines is not enough, individual crystals can vary in color along their length or in cross-section.
The variations in color along a crystal’s length give rise to the bicolor and tricolor tourmalines which have multitudes of color combinations.

ANPA stocks a selection of different tourmalines and tourmaline jewellery …

Fire appears to radiate from the vibrant green surface of the Peridot, this may be because this gem is formed as a result of volcanic activity. One of our clients told me that he finds Peridots walking on the beaches of Fuerteventura - one more reason to go there…

Maybe because of being found on beaches or the colour green, but Peridots were always regarded as a link to nature and they are regarded as a symbol for vitality, strength and growth.

The name Peridot comes from the Arabic word “faridat,” meaning gem. Peridot is a mineral named Olivine, which is found in a variety of greens, ranging from light yellowish green to a dark olive. Peridot is mined in Burma, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, the Congo, and in Arizona.

It was believed that the Peridot glowed with light even as darkness fell; great, I am going to tell my other half that in the future he must not bother buying camping torches for me anymore, I’l be happy with a Peridot instead…

We are so excited to announce the date & venue for our next jewellery exhibition in Johannesburg, please bookmark:

28th July

10h00 to 20h00, Ten Bompas Hotel

Bompas Road, Dunkeld West

Beautiful classic ANPA designs will be on display as well as a whole, HUGE range of stunning new pieces…not to be missed.

We are looking forward to see you there. If you wish to receive an invitation closer to the time, please go to our subscription page: http://www.anpa.co.za/subscribe.html

 Two very excited jewellery designers, Andreas & Patrizia

A. Alexandrite
A magical stone due to its origin and the ability to change colour (red and green),  but also a gem that causes a lot of confusion.  It seems that a few naughty gem dealers from the city of Alexandria seized the opportunity to claim the gemstone as their own and sell synthetic alexandrites that are available since the 1920s. The gem actually comes from Russia and  is named after the Russian tsar Alexander II.
Unfortunately, a truth that we have to communicate to a number of people that come to ANPA to have an alexandrite evaluated. As a matter of fact real alexandrite is quite a collectors item by now and if you ask me not at that ‘WOW’ or beautiful, specifically when looking at the price tag it comes with.

B. Pearls
Rather have a look at the second birthstone option for June which is pearls. Not only are they in high fashion at the moment but also available in a multitude of shapes and colours as well as price tags, from inexpensive freshwater pearls to exclusive Tahitian and South Sea pearls.

For centuries  the pearl has been a symbol of perfection and one of the oldest known gems. Pearls are a symbol of the moon and are ascribed magical powers and in ancient time only persons above a certain rank were allowed to wear pearl jewellery. The Latin word for pearl means “unique”, attesting to the fact that no two pearls are identical.

Wearing pearls apparently holds us to be honest, pure and wise. Different colors of pearls bear different meanings, the above relates mostly to white pearls, gold or black pearls symbolize prosperity and riches, rose or pink pearls work well for our emotional state.

The Japanese have a lighter take on pearls and associate them with good luck and from my point of view they are simply stunning and that’s enough to make them my choice, not only as the birthstone for June.

as part of the “Focus on Fashion & Jewellery” Programm organised by the Cape Quarter, ANPA opens a one week - one of a kind exhibition at the Cape Quarter boutique:

ANPA GEM MANIA - “Focus on Beaded Gemstone Jewellery”

Join us for light refreshments or an inspiring glass of bubbly from the 19th to 23rd of May (10h00 to 18h30), when we will be displaying an extraordinary collection of new, exciting beaded jewellery designs created from precious gemstones, silver - and gold beads.

A mountain of beautiful loose, drilled, and faceted gemstones will also be showcased to create your own designs from. A gemstone and beading professional will be at hand to demonstrate the ins and outs of beaded jewellery making to help you realise that perfect piece of gorgeous beaded jewellery.

Of course a selection of stunning finished products of various designs will be available at special prices!!!