by Elsa Vanier | Mar 30, 2020 | Gems, Metals and Materials
Let's start with a little anecdote showing how gold is an extraordinary metal: Gold atoms have the property of being able to move away from each other while remaining united. This is called ductility. By stretching a gram...
by Elsa Vanier | Feb 8, 2019 | Gems, Metals & Materials
Fascinated by coloured stones, I had long neglected highly symbolic solitaires until the day I discovered the coloured diamond. I was then working in London and the visit of a Exhibition of diamonds organized by the Australian mine...
by Elsa Vanier | August 29, 2017 | Gems, Metals and Materials
"Jade is the image of goodness, because it's soft to the touch and smooth; of care, because its veins are fine, compact and strong..." Confucius (551-479 B.C.) Confucius adds that jade is a symbol of sincerity because...
by Elsa Vanier | Apr 22, 2016 | Gems, Metals and Materials
The opal always captivated me. As a child, I used to gaze greedily at the multicoloured fires emerging from the milky background of my grandmother's ring... And this, long before Dior or the great jewellers of Place Vendôme put it back on stage. This...
by Elsa Vanier | Feb 27, 2013 | Gems, Metals and Materials
Tanzanite is an extraordinary stone. This ultramarine blue gem with purple and violet shades is fascinating and its exclusive provenance... Follow the guide! Characteristics Tanzanite is the blue variety of zoite, a calcium aluminum silicate, which is the most...
by Elsa Vanier | Oct 11, 2012 | Gems, Metals and Materials
It was when I saw this beautiful collection of green and gold-coloured stones at the National History Museum in New York that I had the idea of paying tribute to a little-known stone: chrysoberyl. Its strange name comes from the Greek khrusos (golden) and...
