Here we will explore a wide array of gemstones and precious metals in some cases, and explain the meaning behind them, some of their story, and the powers people believe that they hold.
Aquamarine
Aquamarine, the birthstone of March, is where we will start our journey into the world of gemstones. Aquamarine is also known to some as “blue beryl”, and is a vivid blue gemstone, with clear blue colours that remind us of water.
Aquamarine and Diamond Halo Ring | London DE
Regarding what people believe about Aquamarine, the gemstone supposedly helps grant its wearer courage and the boldness you need to express how you feel. Especially when worn as a piece of jewellery, it is believed that it will help you communicate your love to your partner, and influence your words and actions.
If you want to look towards the Zodiac, Aquamarine is the birthstone of March; when the sun moves from the sensitive Pisces to the warrior Aries. In this scheme of thinking, those who are born during this period need mystical energy from some source that will help them calm their temper and approach their passions in a constructive way. Aquamarine is the power source that does this, and as the birthstone for March it will help calm their emotions, purify the energy within them, and soothe your mind.
Diamond
Diamonds are the most sought after gemstones, and also Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But they are more than just a gemstone to enjoy as a piece of jewellery or as status symbols. Diamonds are also the birthstone of April, and people believe that they can help centre and align the chakras within you. But there are multiple types of diamonds, each having their own meanings and beliefs that surround them.
White diamond
Diamond Point Drop Earrings | London DE
White diamonds are the hardest organic substances that we have on earth. They are prized for their stunning looks and the effect they take on in the light, and they remain the most famous type of Diamond. Due to the stone’s hardness and durability, the stone is seen as a symbol of resolute and endless love. In terms of a white diamond’s power, they are said to grant a purifying power to the wearer, and also act as protection from malicious or evil forces that seek to do you harm.
Brown diamond
Marquise Fancy Brown Diamond Ring | London DE
Brown diamonds, also referred to as chocolate, champagne, and cognac diamonds, are the diamonds that occur most frequently.
In terms of the gemstones’ meaning, brown diamonds are supposed to symbolise order and balance within one's life. Brown as a colour is linked to nature and life, meaning to many it is also a comforting gemstone that gives you some stability.
Pink Diamond
Rose Gold, Pear shaped, Pale Pink Diamond Ring | London DE
Pink diamonds are the rarest colour of diamonds, making them some of the most valuable and attractive to people. But aside from their rarity, they are also special for other reasons. Pink diamonds are thought to symbolise a person’s power, passion, strength, and confidence. When used as the centre stone of an engagement ring, pink diamonds are seen as a sign that your future together will be full of romance.
Yellow Diamond
Yellow Diamond Oval Engagement Ring
Aside from the classical white diamond, yellow is the most common diamond colour that people search for. Yellow diamonds are less associated with classical ideas of romance or passion, and instead symbolise friendship, happiness, and hope. But it is used in some people’s wedding rings, because marriage is supposed to be the ultimate form of friendship and connection.
Emerald
Trillion Cut Emerald and Diamond Necklace | London DE
Emerald’s are beautiful green gemstones and hold a lot of historical meaning and supposed power. The name itself has a long lineage. According to Indian mythology, the word emerald was first translated from Sanskrit as “marakata,” meaning “the green of growing things.”
Emeralds are the birthstone of May, a period within the zodiac that the sun moves from the grounded Taurus to the Gemini. This is a time that is supposed to open your mind to greater possibilities and things you hadn’t considered. Emeralds as a gemstone are supposed to help ignite some of those things, and introduce revolutionary and rebellious ideas to your life.
Emerald is more than just its zodiac sign though. It is the natural world symbolised in a gemstone, with green being a colour that is imbued with the ideas of revitalization and rebirth.
In Japanese culture, emerald and jade green symbolises eternal life. Green is also the sacred colour of Islam, representing respect as well as the prophet Muhammad himself. The colour of emeralds is something we really treasure.
More than just symbolism, Emerald is believed to have great powers. Aristotle believed that emeralds would improve how you were viewed within a room, help your public speaking abilities, help you win cases as a lawyer and help you beat your personal trials and tribulations.
Mother of Pearl
Mother of Pearl Cufflinks | London DE
Pearl is the birthstone of June and is something that has great meaning.
Mother Of Pearl is a special stone for women, with the shiny pearl representing the beauty, grace, and elegance of a woman.
Hinduism considers Mother Of Pearl to symbolise the female form of God, and all things feminine. Hindu women wear mother of pearl as a signifier of feminine beauty and grace, and pearl necklaces around their necks to highlight the curves of their body.
Aside from symbolising the physical aspects of femininity, it also has a more internal meaning. Pearls are seen to signify wisdom, intelligence, learning, creativity, perseverance, and moral purity. Mother of pearl is also often given as a present to friends, family, and loved ones, with the stone symbolising hope for good fortunes.
More than just symbolism though, mother of pearl supposedly has a spiritual energy. If you believe in the power of the Zodiac, Pearls are supposed to grant those who wear it a sense of calm to their life and help you understand your own thoughts to those who were born in June.
Outside of the zodiac, mother of pearl is supposed to have a bounty of different powers.
People who believe in the power that gemstones hold say that it can reduce your stress levels and any feelings of aggressiveness you have towards other people. This should lead to clearer thoughts and allow you to express yourself more truly.
The stone is also supposed to aid your romantic life; in soothing your emotions, it should help you be a more supportive and harmonious partner within your love life, and more sensitive to their needs.
On a more materialistic note, some note the gemstone’s ability to attract wealth into your life help you gain a better income.
Oyster shell
Oyster Shell Cufflinks | London DE
Whilst “mother of pearl” is famous for being related to pearls, Oysters are quite literally the organism that delivers pearls into the world. Oyster shells are famed and have held great symbolism throughout history.
Oysters are animals that lie on the bottom of the sea, holding itself to the seabed despite the changing currents and tides that the ocean throws at them, staying tightly closed to protect itself and the pearls that lie inside.
They can teach us a lot about how to live our lives, dealing with the changing currents within our own lives and aiming to try and keep ourselves balanced.
They also hold great symbolism, and have been used by many societies to signal various things. Oysters are a symbol of duality. With a soft and delicate inside, and a rigid protective shell; they are seen as a symbol of the typical masculine and feminine traits combined into one organism.
Turning to the past; during the antiquity (the ancient past, often referred to as classical civilisation and any period before the Middle Ages) and in the Baroque period, oysters were a symbol of sex and pleasure. More specifically they were seen as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, fertility, and pleasure, in physical form.
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, where Venus is depicted standing on an Oyster shell
This association with the goddess of love means that the oyster shell has become a symbol of romance and acts of love; as well as all things fertility, motherly protection, prosperity, and femininity. Oysters symbolise true love rather than lust; with the difficulty in opening an oyster being directly compared to a woman preserving herself for true romance, and only letting her one true love enter her life.
Peridot
Peridot is the most famous birthstone from August, but compared to classically sought-after gemstones like diamonds, emeralds and rubies, it is still less well known.
Peridot and Diamond Halo Ring | London DE
Peridot has a long history; with early Egyptians believing they would glow in the dark, and they were revered by ancient Romans, where the word Peridot meant “evening emeralds”. Similar to emeralds, they hold lots of meaning and symbolism as a representation of fresh life, rebirth, rejuvenation or nature.
When it comes to the stone’s power; according to astrology, in August the sun progresses from fiery Leo to earthy Virgo, which means that people’s emotions need to be tempered and pacified. Peridot is the gemstone that can supposedly do this for you; with its unique ability to fuel relaxation and calm your emotions.
During the Victorian era, the power of peridots was highly touted. An idea that you could dispel nightmares and bring yourself good luck (in a similar manner to modern ideas of manifesting) fuelled a wave of peridot mania, and every respectable woman would be seen wearing a peridot pendant.
Rhodium
Rhodium is one of the world’s rarest and most valuable precious metals; with great power and symbolism in certain circles of society.
You may not first associate rhodium with its use in jewellery or as decoration. Rhodium is known to most as one of the metals used in the three way catalytic converters that modern cars use. The rhodium in the converter works as a catalyst for the reduction of harmful nitrogen oxides into the harmless nitrogen. Because of this ability, some believe that rhodium will also have a purifying effect on you if it is worn, but that is much less of a widely held view.
The more historical symbolism and power that rhodium is linked to is that of the Illuminati. In Illuminati thought, Rhodium is the metal of the moon and holds its power, symbolising the balance of dark and light. Due to its silvery and shiny surface, it has a natural iridescence that they associate with the moon’s constant but gentle illumination that it grants us here on earth.
Rhodium is not used in lots of jewellery; but you do see it used in special cufflinks like the ones above, or symbolic jewellery such as the silver Rhodium Illuminati Talisman, which is worn as a mark of Illuminati affiliation by members who have dedicated their lives to the organisation.
Ruby
Cushion Ruby and Diamond Ring | London DE
Moving to a slightly brighter gemstone, the birthstone of July is the famous ruby. Ruby is the most sought after red gemstone, a colour deeply lined with ideas of passion and romance, and directly symbolising blood, life, death and love.
Whilst diamonds may be the traditional gemstone associated with engagement rings since the early 20th century; during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a proper engagement ring would be one which combined diamonds with rubies. The diamond symbolised the eternal bond between a married couple, and the ruby represented the passion of your love. That is largely what Rubies have continued to mean throughout history, a symbol of love and passion.
This is continued when we look at the ideas which surround the power of these red gemstones. Once again returning to the zodiac, in July the sun moves from the emotional Cancer to the vivacious Leo. According to astrology this makes July a month of desire, fervour, zest and sentimentality, which Rubies can add to with passion, courage, and positivity.
Aside from the power they derive from the zodiac, Ruby has been said to have the power to protect those who wear it and guarantee them a life of prosperity. In Hindu culture, Ruby is prized above any other gemstone, where they believe that rubies are not the same as other stones; and are instead pieces of hardened fire with the power to set hearts aflame.
Sapphire
The word Sapphire quite literally is a symbol for the colour blue, with it being the ancient word for the colour. But Sapphire gemstones actually come in a variety of colours, such as yellow and pink; each of which holds a different meaning and supposed powers.
Blue sapphire
Ceylon Sapphire and Diamond Halo Ring | London DE
Blue sapphire’s have always been treasured and given great significance. They are seen as symbols of power, royalty and wealth. The traditional shade of blue that people think of as sapphire, is linked to the idea of paradise across various religions. They are a mysterious and powerful gemstone that have interested humanity for many centuries. The Ancient Persians believed that our sky was the reflection of a giant sapphire upon which the earth rested.
Sapphires then became symbols of honesty and wisdom. For this reason, sapphires were worn by mediaeval royalty and clergy who wanted to show their virtue through their jewellery choices. Sapphires have continued to be symbols of wisdom; but have also been imbued with ideas about romantic connection and sexual commitment between two partners.
In terms of the power of a blue sapphire, thousands of years ago talismans were fashioned out of blue sapphire; and these objects were treasured because of their supposed medicinal power and protective effects they had on the people nearby.
f you believe in the astrological tradition, blue sapphires are supposed to encourage their wearer to remain moderate, balanced, and steadfast in their actions and beliefs. For this reason, they are often chosen as the stone for an engagement ring, with these powers helping a couple to build a peaceful life and sustain a successful marriage.
Yellow sapphire
Yellow Sapphire and Diamond Halo Ring | London DE
A less well known and more mysterious form of the gemstone, Yellow sapphire has a distinct set of meanings and powers to its more famous blue counterpart.
Yellow Sapphire is a symbol of the planet Jupiter, which itself is a symbol of happiness. Yellow itself as a colour is also a representation of the Sun, the centre of our solar system. Yellow sapphire is also seen as a symbol of childhood, both being a child and the feelings you have as a child.
The gemstones are very diverse. Yellow Sapphire is thought to provide its owner a chance at success, luck within their business or work, financial liquidity and even fame.
Aside from those rather work or materialistic focussed powers, Yellow Sapphire is also supposed to be a gemstone that can aid you in overcoming the difficulties you face in life. The power of Jupiter is supposed to provide you with mental strength and the energy you need to make a breakthrough.
Aside from specific things like wealth or overcoming a problem you have, Yellow sapphire is supposed to help you secure your desires, whatever that might be. For example; if you wish for love, it would be a gemstone that would help you in your romantic encounters; or if you wish for an improvement in your health, it would aid you in your journey to do that.
Finally, yellow sapphire is supposed to have the power to reconnect you with your childhood dreams and goals that you have long forgotten. Some say it has helped them recapture their dreams or hope that they had lost, helping them check in on their real goals and desires.
London DE
Here at London DE, we are the UK’s leading supplier of certified diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and all the other gemstones we have mentioned in this article.
We ethically source and supply loose stones; and are experts in creating both bespoke and ready to wear jewellery, from earrings to engagement rings, created in our workshops in London’s Hatton Garden. In our operations we utilise connections with local businesses to ensure we maintain a low carbon footprint and support the local community.
If the idea of a bespoke piece of jewellery with one of these many gemstones peaks your interest, you can arrange a free consultation with London DE, either in person at our Hatton Garden location or over Zoom.
Related articles
Recent posts
Opal and Tourmaline: October’s opulent birthstones
Ways you can make your wedding more environmentally friendly
Engagement rings
How to Propose with a Bespoke Engagement Ring
The Ultimate Engagement Ring Guide
Your Guide to Coloured Gemstone Engagement Rings
The 12 Engagement Ring Traditions You Need To Know