Gemstones

AGATE
Named after the Sicilian River, Achates is formed from crystallization of volcanic rock. This fairly hard stone comes in a multitude of colours.

AMETHYST
Traditionally said to bring luck and have many supernatural powers, this stone is usually found in Brazil and Uruguay. Part of the Quartz group, its colour is a translucent purple.

AMAZONITE
This stone is said to have a harmonizing effect when in close contact to the body. It is also believed to encourage patience and soothe anyone in emotional turmoil. It is sourced in the Caribbean islands.

AVENTURINE
This stone is named after the Latin-Italian word for aventura, meaning ‘by chance’ (adventure). It is flecked with metallic inclusions of copper and chromic oxide, occurring in shades of green. Aventurine is said to have the capacity to calm a troubled mind and brings tranquillity.

BLACK OBSIDIAN
Named after an Ancient Roman, Obsius, it was used in antiquity because of its sharp edges and high vitreous lustre. Varieties show golden or silver sheen caused by inclusions. Colours can be black, grey, brown and green.

CITRINE
Named after the French word for lemon, citron, in ancient times Citrine was used to ward off snake venom and other evil. This stone is incredibly durable. Most Citrine is formed from amethyst, which is then heated to create its unique colour.

CORAL
Coral can live up to three thousand meters below the seas around Taiwan and Japan, the Red Sea and Australia. Coral is produced by the smallest life forms which settle at the bottom of the ocean over a vast period of time. Coral can appear in a multitude of beautiful red shades, hence its name. Tateossian does not use endangered coral but only authorized farmed, nursery coral.

CRYSTALS
All crystal Tateossian products are made with Swarovski® Elements.

ENAMEL
A widely used material within the RT collection. It is produced with specialized cold setting techniques, in order to create and build resilience and durability.

FRESH WATER PEARL
A Fresh Water Pearl is formed in a mollusk that lives in fresh water, rather than salt water. Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple and tangerine; as well as white and black.

GARNET
Garnet is found in a variety of colours, most commonly in burgundy. In ancient times, many travellers wore the stone for protection, as it was believed it became illuminated at night.

GOLD
The most malleable and ductile of all metals. Due to its softness, gold is often alloyed with other base metals. The carat is the indicator of the amount of gold present in an item/piece, with 9ct being the lowest amount and 24ct being the highest. Gold is of yellow colour when in mass, although when finely divided it can be found in shades of black, ruby and even purple. It is found in sea water, although even in these modern times, no economic process has been designed to extract it from its source. The primary use of gold throughout the world still remains currency, considered so valuable that we measure all other values by it.

HEMATITE
From the Greek, translated as ‘blood’. This is because when it is cut, the resulting coolant is a shade of red. In ancient times, shiny varieties were used as mirrors; it was also periodically used as mourning jewellery. If cut thinly, Hematite is transparent and reddish.

NEW JADE
In pre-historic times, this was used for arms and Instruments, because of its hardness. In more recent times, it was also viewed by some colonies as more precious than gold. Colours vary from Purple to Green.

JASPER
It comes in a combination of red - fancy and picture types. Its hardness allows the stone to be widely used, particularly in some types of mosaics. It is also said to obtain a variety of properties, from bringing the rain to strengthening the stomach.

LABRADORITE
This material is named after Labrador, the North American place in which it was first discovered. Its flash of iridescent colour is defined as ‘labradorescence’ - it changes colour depending on the angle of light refraction.

MARBLE
Marble is metamorphosed limestone, composed of fairly pure calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO3). It is available in various shades, from green to red.

MOTHER OF PEARL
This is produced from calcium carbonate, from the lustrous lining in the shells of sea substances such as pearl oysters and mussels. This lining occurs in tones of milky white. Colours available are Blue, Pink and white.

ONYX
Formed by layered deposits of limestone, the name translates from the Greek word meaning ‘fingernail’. Onyx is black and occurs in parts of Africa, Argentina and Mexico.

PERIDOT
Deriving from the Greek word meaning ‘uncertain’, this stone comes in a variety of shades of green and is sourced in Burma, Australia and Brazil. This is a relatively soft stone.

ROSE QUARTZ
Often crackled, named after its colour. The smaller pieces can be worked into cabochons, whereas the larger pieces can be faceted. The best quality is found in the Malagasy Republic.

RUTILATED QUARTZ
Rutile or titanium oxide (ti02) is a mineral that typically forms in long, thin needles. Rutilated Quartz is a beautiful stone, produced by large inclusions of golden or red rutile needles in clear quartz. The formation of this stone occurs due to high temperatures and pressure. Quartz (Si1O2) and Rutile (T102) are in stable (liquid) state but as temperatures cool down and pressure eases, the two separate, with Rutile crystals becoming trapped inside the Quartz crystals. Currently, the vast majority of Rutilated Quartz is mined in Brazil and is found in most gem-producing countries.

SILVER
A malleable material, which can often be found - along with copper, lead and gold - in rocks. It is most commonly found in Mexico, Canada, Peru and the United States. The most outstanding feature of silver is its lustre, which - when untarnished - can give a brilliant white shade. In ancient times, silver was valued more highly than gold. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Seolfer but it’s also related to the German word Silber and the Dutch word Zilfer. Its chemical symbol, Ag, derives from the Latin word for silver, argentum. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver with the remainder being copper and a nominal amount of other base metal.

SMOKY QUARTZ
Often confused with a variety of different stones, Smoky Quartz is transparent, and at times includes streaks of white. This stone is found worldwide.

SODALITE
This stone’s name refers to the sodium content within the stone. Sodalite comes in many varieties of blue. The most important deposits are found in Bahia, Namibia and India.

TIGER EYE
Part of the Quartz group, brown iron gives the stone its golden yellow colour. It has a silky texture, and when cut into a cabochon, produces a shine reminiscent of a cat’s eye.

TOPAZ
The name derives from an ancient island in the Red Sea, Topazos. The most valuable colour is pink, though it’s most commonly available in yellow. It is mostly mined in Sri Lanka, Burma and Russia.

TURQUOISE
Occurring in dense forms, the name translates as ‘Turkish stone’. Polishing the stone makes the colour more intense.

RHODIUM PLATING
Rhodium is a precious metal, deriving from the platinum family. Rhodium plating allows the product to have a hard, corrosion-resistant, silver-like coating. Its finish is highly polished and, most importantly, non-tarnishing. Also available in black rhodium.

RUTHENIUM PLATING
Ruthenium plating is used to protect the product from oxidisation and also make it more scratch-resistant. It is the hardest of all the platinum group metals and has a durable finish that protects it from scratches.

OXIDISED FINISH
The surface has been intentionally darkened through a chemical procedure that introduces sulphides. This hastens the process of natural tarnishing and gives the metal a blackened look.

2 MICRON GOLD PLATING
A micron is a measurement for gold plating and is equal to 0.0001mm. The metal is plated with 2 microns of gold using electroplating. Unlike flash plated jewellery, gold plated jewellery has a longer lifespan. Available in rose gold and yellow gold.

WHITE BRONZE PLATING
White bronze plating is highly resistant to corrosion and is a non-tarnish alternative to silver plating. It is an alloy that contains a combination of copper, tin and zinc.

GUNMETAL PLATING
Gunmetal is an alloy consisting of copper, tin and zinc to get that dark distinctive colour.

ROSE GOLD PLATING
Rose gold plating is composed of gold, copper and silver.

YELLOW GOLD PLATING
Yellow Gold plating is composed of pure gold, silver, copper and zinc.

IP PLATING
Ion plating is used to layer a hard coating on the surface and is extremely durable compared to conventional techniques. Also available in black IP plating and rose gold plating.

ANODISED COATING
Anodising is an electrochemical process that transforms the metal surface into a corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish. The anodic oxide is composed entirely of aluminium oxide and is fully fused with the underlying aluminium substrate, so it cannot chip or peel.