In case you didn’t know, people love garnet. In fact, it's a very popular as a Valentine’s Day gift (ehm ehm, see details at the bottom). But wait, there is so much more to garnet than meets the eye. Garnet’s chemical structure is X3Y2(SiO4)3 , which makes them about a 7 on the hardness scale. This means garnet is a fairly sturdy gem. Pro tip: Just like your heart, your garnet will never break if you are gentle with it and you never give it to someone who will run it over with a truck. 

The word  garnet is from the Latin word ‘granatus’, meaning grain or seed (most likely referring to pomegranate seeds) Garnet  appears naturally in every color in the spectrum, but it is usually a deep rich red. Unsurprisingly, it is associated with love, passion, and the God of war. Pretty dramatic, right?

In addition to being diamond experts, we are admittedly huge gem nerds. November is Topaz month so we wanted to share some of our favorite topaz facts. Because we have such a thing as "favorite topaz facts". 
(Hint: treasure lies at the bottom of this post.)

"Topaz" is related to the Sanskrit word "tapas" meaning "fire", and also to the Hebrew word for "orange fruit". Yes, she's one sexy mineral, that topaz. In case you care, the chemical formula is Al2SiO4(F,OH)2 - Little Birds get excited about such things. Topaz is a popular alternative center gem choice for an engagement ring. It is an 8 on the mineral hardness scale, meaning it is more durable than other popular engagement ring gems like amethyst, aquamarine and peridot, but less durable than sapphire. Topaz is also very cost efficient. It's plentifully found in many non-conflict areas. To boot, topaz comes in so many unique colors - all of them glimmering through a very translucent crystal structure. While some precious gems appear opaque or cloudy, topaz is known for being intensely clear.