My favourite gemstones

I am constantly impressed by the beauty of sapphires. Long gone are my days of thinking of sapphire as just ‘blue’; after working at Pike for almost 3 years I’ve been exposed to the most beautiful rainbow of sapphire colours. I think it’s extraordinary that sapphires can come in almost every colour you can think of and although the blues are stunning, I’m more drawn to the yellows and pinks. My absolute favourite colour of sapphire is the Padparadscha sapphire. This rare vibrant peach coloured stone became a bit more popular last year after Princess Eugenie was proposed to with a diamond and Padparadscha sapphire cluster ring. It is definitely on my bucket list to own one in the future……but the rarity and price might mean I’m waiting quite a while! 

Image: Taylor and Hart

Another gemstone I’ve learned a lot more about while working at Pike is the beauty of tourmaline. A lesser known stone, this too can come in a variety of colours. The bronzes and brilliant mint greens are stunning, but the most amazing stones to me are the bi-colour stones.

Image: allbiz

These stones often begin as one colour and fade to another, which is a true marvel of nature. Tourmalines have such a unique look, and I’m grateful that Nicholas and Matthew have such a fondness and appreciation of tourmaline because I sure get to see some amazing stones here. 

Heidi