Was she born in August? Well, then, she’s a peridot.

If you’re shopping for Mother’s Day gifts, consider jewelry incorporating birthstones, like garnet for January, pearls for June, and so on.

“They always make a great gift,” said Sarah Carrington, accessories manager at Dillard’s Promenade. “They’re an absolute timeless piece that a person can keep in their jewelry chest for a long time, and they’ll always remain a classic piece.”

Jewelry designers are creating new looks that incorporate traditional birthstones, said Natalie Allen, owner of Nattie Bleu jewelry boutique, 3515 S. Peoria Ave.

“No matter what special woman in your life you are buying for,” Allen said, “there is a piece that will fit her personal style.”

Here are a dozen-plus jewelry pieces at least one for each month using either real gemstones or birthstone-colored crystals.

Since the dawn of human civilisation, mankind has believed in the spiritual and healing powers of gemstones.

In countries such as India, proponents have held that gems can release clogged, unhealthy energies in order to free the body of mental and physical imbalances.

Do you believe gemstones can affect your life?

Today, gemstones are quite fashionable. But, in order to wear them, a person’s birth chart needs to be consulted. Mahesh Shah of Dubai-based Fashion Gold Jewellers claims he has been endowed with a special gift to identify a person’s characteristics and prescribe the right stone.

"Gems are like high potency medicines having the power not only to cure but also to ward off chronic diseases and problems, thereby creating the right milieu for overall growth and development," said Shah.

"Prescribing a gemstone to ward off any planetary afflictions in a person’s birth chart is a delicate process. A lot depends on the astrologer’s intuition and observation power," Shah added.

The stone must match the qualities of the person and help him succeed, said Shah. "In order to select the right stone, the astrologer must know the client’s correct name, date, time and place of birth."

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Need to accessorize those wardrobe basics with unique investment pieces that are big on style but affordably-priced?

Check out Rocks at the Filipino Zone in Greenbelt 5 for one-of-a-kind colorful pieces designed by architect, interior designer, restaurateur and now jeweler Ana Rocha.

Although there are a lot of fancy (read: fake) though fashionable jewelry and accessories available in the retail market today, it pays to save up for precious pieces that you can treasure.

Rocks promotes individualism in each piece so you know that you're getting something special. Rocha's style showcases uncommon, usually asymmetrical cuts of stone, which reflect her architectural background. Two lemon quartz stones, for instance, may be cut in two different yet very angular ways and used as a pair of earrings.

Rocks also offers a wide selection of pieces made of vibrant gemstones, all set in yellow white, pink and even black gold. Take your pick from pink tourmaline, amethyst or garnet, to name a few.

Aside from the main line designed by Rocha, Rocks also showcases works by four promising Filipino jewelry and accessory designers.

Spark by Madel Lazaro offers 14-karat gold pieces with natural-colored diamonds; Icon by Vicky and Bea Panopio features silver pieces clad in gold with gemstones; Vintage by Elizabeth Payte presents handmade crocheted beaded pieces using glass beads, old coins and the like, formed into flowers and leaves; and Colonial by Bernice Olalia offers pieces made from mother-of-pearl and other indigenous products.

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Jewelry suppliers in mainland China and Hong Kong are releasing cocktail rings reminiscent of Edwardian, art deco and retro styles.

CZs are adopted in most designs, although companies are also using Austria crystals and imitation gemstones in some models. The faux gems imitate emeralds, peridots, turquoise, amethyst, onyx, rubies and aquamarines. Genuine versions of these semiprecious stones are incorporated in higher-priced versions.

Most gems have faceted surfaces to bring out the luster and luminance of the stones. Some are even foil-backed. Only genuine or imitation turquoise, onyx, carnelian and jade come in cabochons, but these are typically combined with faceted crystals.

The majority of the stones are set on metal bands by way of prongs. A number of models, however, feature gems that are glued onto the surface to create faux pave, channel or bezel settings.

To mimic the jewelry style prevalent during the Edwardian period, clear CZs are combined with colored stones. Freshwater pearls are incorporated in some designs as well. These are set on metal plated in rhodium, white gold, palladium or platinum. Some bands even have filigree work, although that is limited to areas near the stone settings.

As a throwback to the art deco era, geometric colored gems in deep emeralds and in radiant, princess and asscher cuts are adopted. These feature mostly as large center stones, surrounded by small pave- or channel-set crystals. Black onyx cabochons bezel-set on white metal bands are also offered.

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Oscar Wilde once said, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life."

For Diana Branscome, it's a mutually beneficial process. At times a photographer, lawyer, boxer, rower, sailor, glass worker and jewelry maker, the Charlottesville artist is always looking for new avenues and life experiences to expand her artistic abilities.

"She's willing to try new things and step out from what she's done in the past," said Jennifer Paxton, a fellow Charlottesville artist. "It's a neat asset [to have] as an artist."

Friend Linda Monahan agrees. "She's always changing," said Monahan. "She's also taken on challenges for herself. It's fun to follow that career."

As OASIS Gallery's artist of the month for May and June, Branscome will showcase her diversity in a display featuring handcrafted jewelry, recycled glass bowls and other glass pieces opening on May 2.

Lawyer Turned Artist

Growing up in Springfield, Branscome, 42, developed an interest in art as a photographer for her high school newspaper and yearbook staffs. After majoring in anthropology at the University of Virginia, she took up photography again for a two-year freelancing gig before returning to U.Va. for law school.

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Gents Wedding Bands in 14 Karat Yellow and White Gold, platinum available

Ladies engagement and wedding rings.

Anniversary Rings and three stone anniversary rings.

Diamond and colored stone rings, pendants and earrings.

Diamond stud earrings from .10ct.TW to 1.0ct.TW. (larger sizes available)

Charms in 14K, Sterling and Gold Filled.

Religious Medals and crosses

Mother and Child Jewelry

Limited selection of Men's accessories

Very nice selection of American and Italian made chains

Hot Diamonds Brand, sterling and diamond jewelry.

Complimentary gift wrapping

Turquoise is one of the first gems to be mined. Turquoise has an intense color which varies from sky blue to green, depending upon the amount of iron and copper in it. Being relatively soft, having a hardness of 6. Turquoises are sensitive. As the colour may pale when the stone has been worn for a long time, even high-quality stones today are treated with wax and subsequently hardened. In many cultures of the Old and New that this is not necessarily a sign of impending danger. The change can be caused by the light, or by a chemical reaction brought about by cosmetics, dust or the acidity of the skin.Sky blue turquoise, found in Iran is most valuable form of turquoise. Greener variety of turquoise is found in Tibet. Persian (now Iran) turquoise was introduced to Europe via Turkey - hence its name derived from the word "turkish".

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 Garnet

Aren't garnets those wonderful deep-red gemstones you often find in antique jewellery? Well yes, to a certain extent, a deep, warm red indeed being the colour most frequently found in garnets. Sadly, however, far too few people are aware that the world of the garnets is far more colourful than that. Spectacular finds, especially in Africa, have enhanced the traditional image of the garnet with a surprising number of hues - even if red does continue to be its principal colour. Thanks to their rich colour spectrum, garnets today can quite happily keep pace with changes of style and the colour trends of fashion. And thanks to the new finds, there is a reliable supply of them too. So in fact this gemstone group in particular is one which gives new impetus to the world of jewellery today. By the term 'garnet', the specialist understands a group of more than ten different gemstones of similar chemical composition. It is true to say that red is the colour most often encountered, but the garnet also exists in various shades of green, a tender to intense yellow, a fiery orange and some fine earth-coloured nuances. The only colour it cannot offer is blue. Garnets are much sought-after and much worked gemstones - the more so because today it is not only the classical gemstone colours red and green which are so highly esteemed, but also the fine hues in between. Furthermore, the world of the garnets is also rich in rarities such as star garnets and stones whose colour changes depending on whether they are seen in daylight or artificial light. And what else is there that distinguishes this gemstone group from the others? Well, first of all there is its good hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. With a few minor exceptions it applies to all the members of the garnet group, and it is the reason for the excellent wearing qualities of these gemstones. Garnets are relatively insensitive and uncomplicated to work with. The only thing they really don't like is being knocked about or subjected to improper heat treatment. A further plus is their high refractive index, the cause of the garnet's great brilliance. The shape of the raw crystals is also interesting. Garnet means something like 'the grainy one', coming from the Latin 'granum', for grain. This makes reference not only to the typical roundish shape of the crystals, but also to the colour of the red garnet, which often puts one in mind of the seeds of a ripe pomegranate. In the Middle Ages, the red garnet was also called the 'carbuncle stone'. And even today, fantasy names like Arizona ruby, Arizona spinel, Montana ruby or New Mexico ruby are still rife in the trade.

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There are a couple of ways to answer this question. I generally think in terms of crystal systems and lattice types. There are 7 crystal systems:

triclinic
monoclinic
orthorhombic
tetragonal
trigonal
hexagonal
cubic
Lattices can either be primitive (only one lattice point per unit cell) or non-primitive (more than one lattice point per unit cell).

If you combine the 7 crystal systems with the 2 different types of lattices, you end up with 14 Bravais Lattices (named after Auguste Bravais who figured all this out in 1850).

Another way to answer your question is to categorize crystals by their physical/chemical properties. In this classification you have four types of crystals:

Covalent Crystals:
This is a crystal which has real chemical covalent between all of the atoms in the crystal. So really a single crystal of a covalent crystals is really just one big molecule. An example of this is a crystal like diamond or zinc sulfide. Covalent crystals can have extremely high melting points.
 
Metallic Crystals:
Individual metal atoms sit on lattice sites while the outer electrons from these atoms are able to flow freely around the lattice. Metallic crystals normally have high melting points and densities.
 
Ionic Crystals:
This is a crystal where the individual atoms don't have covalent bonds between them, but are held together by electrostatic forces. An example of this type of crystal is sodium chloride (NaCl). Ionic crystals are hard and have relatively high melting points.
 
Molecular Crystals:
This is a crystal where there are recognizable molecules in the structure and the crystal is held together by non-covalent interactions like van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding. An example of this type of crystal would be sugar. Molecular crystals tend to be soft and have lower melting points.
Of course, this classification scheme has some ambiguous areas. For example, what of you have a crystal like [(CH3)2NH2]+ (CH3CO2)- is that a molecular crystal or an ionic crystal? We'll let the matter rest here!

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