Stones Q&A
Q. Tell me about the stones in your jewellery?
Inspired by our creative team's desire to explore and reimagine natural materials. Each of our pieces is paired with a gemstone, or selection of gemstones, that is both vibrant and creates a rich and interesting contrast with the shape of the jewellery in which it is set.
Our in-house sourcing team traces the source of the majority of the materials used in our products. Where this is not yet completely possible, for instance in the case of diamonds, we only find, work with and add our encouragement to sources that are committed to an ethical and responsible form of mining such as the Kimberly process.
Q. What is a precious stone?
Beginning as a "rough" gemstone, a precious stone is a gem that has been cut, shaped and polished to enahnce its natural beauty. In most case gemostones are minerals, but in some cases they are rocks (for instance lapis and jade), or organic products of once-living animals or plants (pearls and jet).
What is wonderful and interesting about precious stones is the intangibles - rarity, beauty, the scattering of light. Of course, there are the certainties too, such as durability, proportion of cut and intensity of colour. But in the end it is an individual's favourites that matter, the ceremony of choice and the surprises along the way.
Q. Where do the precious stones come from?
We want you to discover the brevity of the world's precious gemstones through our collections. We source stones from everywhere, in particular we look for stones that are mysterious and unconventional. Recently we have sourced Aquamarine and Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, Onyx from India, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz and Blue Topaz from Brazil and Citrine, Garnet, Sapphire and Topaz from Madagascar.
Q. What is a synthetic stone?
Synthetic stones are specially grown in laboratories and have the same physical, chemical and optical qualities as a naturally occuring precious stone.
Q. Which designs use synthetic stones?
We only offer synthetic stones on the Imperial ring designs, though we also offer natural gemstones on these pieces.
All our other designs only use naturally occuring precious stones. Our designers choose these options in these cases because of the uniform colour of synthetic stones