What Makes A Gemstone Special

✨ WHAT MAKES A GEMSTONE SPECIAL?

Starting a blog has been on my to do list for a while - but choosing the very first topic? That part’s had me stuck.

So I’ve decided to just go for it, with something simple but ever so important to Gin Rin - which is, after all, a brand built in celebration of special gemstones.

So hello, and welcome to blog #1.

Here’s what gets me going when I’m choosing your gems.

 

💫 CHARISMA

Perhaps an unconventional word to describe gemstones, but what can I say - I like my gems like I like my people: attractive (not necessarily in the traditional sense), charming, original, and full of positive energy.

Quirks and “imperfections” welcomed with open arms and eager eyes.

Yes, clear diamonds and clean cut sapphires have their place - but I’ve always been drawn to the stones that carry character first and foremost.

The ethereal sheen of a Kyanite with a glowing centre, or even one with its own tiny rainbow on the surface. The natural, multicolour glitter of a Sunstone. The hexagonal rutile pattern in a Sapphire. The icy glacial inclusions of a Tanzanite.

Those so-called “imperfections”? That’s where the magic lives.

Nature made it once, exactly this way, and never will again.

 

🌀 THE UNEXPLAINABLE PULL

I see it time and time again - someone will message me about a piece and say:

“I don’t know why, but I just need this stone.”

There’s something deeper than aesthetics going on. Whether it’s energy, memory, intuition, or something we can’t quite explain, gemstones have long been thought to carry meaning.

Some examples:

• Aquamarine for courage and protection

• Opal for creativity and emotional clarity

• Grandidierite for passion and drive

• Labradorite for intuition and transformation

You don’t have to believe in crystal energy to feel it when a piece resonates.

Sometimes, the stone chooses you.

 

 

🔥 LIGHT, COLOUR & A BIT OF MYSTERY

One of the things I love most is how gemstones play with light.

Some flash like lightning (or Game of Thrones-style wildfire - iykyk.)

Some glow like they’re lit from within.

Some change completely depending on the time of day or the colour of your clothes.

Most of the time, I opt for rose cuts - they enhance the colour and add a touch of vintage charm and romanticism.

There’s a kind of alchemy in the way the right gem catches the light - especially when it’s been set just right and paired with a diamond cut chain that gleams in the sunshine.

And I know I’ll never convince everyone that rings are kings when it comes to jewellery - but nothing beats being able to look at that gem on your finger all day, at all the different angles, in all the different lights.

Heaven.

 

 

🌍 A SENSE OF PLACE AND TIME

Every gem carries a sense of where it came from.

The layered blues of Kyanite whisper of Himalayan heights.

The fiery warmth of Sunstone echoes ancient lava flows.

Tourmalines in juicy pinks and greens feel like ripe fruit from somewhere lush and untamed.

Wearing one is like carrying a little piece of the earth with you.

A reminder of something much older and deeper than the day to day.

 

 

⏳ RICH WITH HISTORY - AND TIMELESS

Now don’t get me wrong - some of the more recently discovered gems like Grandidierite and Tanzanite take pride of place in my top 5. They have plenty to offer, even without thousands of years of history behind them.

But I do find it fascinating to learn how gemstones were used in ancient times, the powers they were believed to possess, and the figures throughout history who favoured them.

Cleopatra loved Emeralds so much that she had them pulverised and wore the powder as makeup.

(I’m picturing a very expensive makeup wipe at the end of the day…)

The Amazon warrior women wore - you guessed it - Amazonite for strength and protection in battle.

The Romans and Greeks believed Moonstone to be solidified moonlight.

And Amethyst? They thought it protected them from intoxication and used it to make drinking amulets.

(Where’s the fun in that?)

The world has changed a lot since then - thankfully, so has makeup - but one thing hasn’t:

Gemstones have never gone out of fashion.

And that’s saying something.

 

 

✨ SO, WHAT DOES MAKE A GEMSTONE SPECIAL?

It’s not just colour or clarity or carats.

It’s the way it makes you feel.

The moment it makes you pause.

The story it holds - and the one you’re about to write into it.

Whether it’s a gift to yourself, a talisman for what’s to come, or a piece that marks something important…

You’ll know when you’ve found your stone.

Or maybe… when it’s found you.