Ireland's Diamonds & Fine Jewellery

11/03/2025

Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan has made a career out of turning the art world on its head — and this fall, one of his most gleaming provocations will take center stage (or perhaps center stall) at Sotheby’s in New York. On November 18, the auction house will offer "America," a fully functional toilet crafted from more than 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds) of solid 18-karat gold. Its starting bid will literally be worth its weight in gold — roughly $10 million based on today’s market. Story continues at our blog... https://www.irelandsjewellers.com/our-blog/

10/31/2025

Music Friday: Today, we revisit Roxette’s bittersweet 1999 ballad “Happy Together,” a song that shines with a tender jewelry reference — and a message about love, regret and missed opportunity. In “Happy Together,” the Swedish pop duo’s Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle tell the story of a young man whose hesitation costs him the woman he loves — “the prettiest jewel.” Gessle sings, “She carried his ring / Since she left school / He knew she was precious / The prettiest jewel / She wanted a baby / But he wasn’t sure / He couldn’t make up his mind anymore.” Check out the story and audio track at our blog... https://www.irelandsjewellers.com/our-blog/

10/30/2025

Salvador Dalí’s "Swirling Sea Necklace" — a surrealist masterpiece of wearable art — made a splash at Sotheby’s Paris on October 24, fetching €736,600 ($858,500), more than double its pre-sale estimate. The 18-karat gold creation, conceived by the artist in 1954 and executed in 1963 by New York jeweler Alemany & Co., exemplifies Dalí’s ability to blur the boundaries between fine art, design and craftsmanship. Story continues at our blog... https://www.irelandsjewellers.com/our-blog/

10/30/2025

10/30/2025

Types of peridot

10/30/2025

10/30/2025

10/30/2025

10/30/2025

Holding a little piece of nature's power.

10/30/2025

Gemology Class 7
Natural Blue Sapphire – Inclusions and Their Meanings

A. Rutile Silk
These are fine, needle-like inclusions of rutile (TiO₂) found in natural sapphires. They form as the crystal grows and often appear as silky lines or soft shimmer. When light reflects, they give the stone a velvety glow. Their presence shows the sapphire is natural and usually unheated, because heat treatment melts these needles.

B. Silk Intersections
When rutile needles cross each other at 60° or 120°, they make a grid-like or cross-hatched pattern. These intersections prove the stone grew naturally with hexagonal symmetry. Synthetic sapphires may have curved lines, not straight intersections.

C. Hexagonal Growth Zoning
Sapphires form in a hexagonal crystal system. Sometimes, you can see hexagonal outlines or zones of lighter and darker blue colors inside the stone. This is called growth zoning. It represents natural crystal growth and is not found in synthetic sapphires.

D. Color Banding
During formation, different levels of elements like iron and titanium cause the color to vary, creating straight or angular color bands. Natural sapphires show these straight bands, while synthetic ones usually have curved color lines.

E. Fingerprint (Healed Feathers)
These are small, net-like patterns that look like human fingerprints. They form when tiny cracks heal under high temperature and pressure deep underground. They may contain fluid or gas. These are a sure sign of natural formation and internal healing.

F. Negative Crystals
These are small, hollow spaces inside the sapphire that mimic the shape of real crystals. They may look like tiny hexagonal or rectangular voids. They can be filled with fluid or gas. Negative crystals are common in natural sapphires but not in synthetic stones.

G. Crystal Inclusions
Sometimes, other minerals such as zircon, spinel, or mica get trapped inside the sapphire while it grows. These are called crystal inclusions. They may show a halo (circle of stress) around them called a tension halo. Zircon inclusions with halos are strong proof of natural origin.

G (Alternate) Discoid Fracture / Healed Stress Cracks
These are round or disc-shaped cracks that form due to internal stress during growth or pressure changes. They are often seen around crystal inclusions. Their circular shape shows healing after stress — another sign of natural formation.

H. Parting Planes
These are straight, parallel lines inside the sapphire that formed due to pressure or movement in the crystal structure. They are not the same as cleavage. Parting planes appear in natural sapphires and help gemologists identify natural growth and stress.

No Flux Veils or Gas Bubbles
Natural sapphires never have flux veils or gas bubbles. These features belong to synthetic or lab-grown sapphires. Natural stones show solid inclusions like rutile, fingerprints, growth zoning, and healed feathers instead.