Live Life to the Fullest, Make Every Month a Gem!

Each gemstone is colored in legend and history.

Not only is Micky Rehm, owner of Mickey’s Jewelry Studio, La Verne’s business of the year, but also Micky is an amazing gemologist and gemological historian. Did you know that emeralds are purported to quicken your intelligence and keep you eternally young and that rubies will make you invincible, especially if you happen to be a Burmese warror?

Here’s Micky’s A through T list of some of the world’s most popular gemstones. For more history or to see one of these amazingly powerful and beautiful gemstones up close, visit Micky at her studio in the Orchard Supply/Office Depot center in La Verne. After reading some of the histories and legends below, your visit could be life-changing.

Amethyst:

Amethyst comes from the Greek word amethystos, which means “not drunken”. Wine goblets were carved from this purple gem to prevent intoxication. It was thought to encourage celibacy and was used in Bishop’s rings and church ornamentation in the middle ages. Buddhists believe the gem aids meditation, and today it is still used in rosaries in Tibet. Amethyst is the U.S. birthstone for February.

Aquamarine:

Legends say that Aquamarine is the treasure of the mermaids, with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. It is also said that Aquamarine protects against the wiles of the devil. Aquamarine is the U.S. birthstone for March.

Citrine:

Named from the French term for lemon, it was carried in ancient times as protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Citrine and Topaz are the U.S. birthstones for November.

Emerald:

Treasured for at least 4,000 years by cultures all around the world, it is said to quicken intelligence as well as the heart. Legend says it also gives its owners the gift of eloquence. Mummies in Egypt were often buried with an emerald on their neck to symbolize eternal youth. It was Cleopatra’s favorite gem. Emerald is the U.S. birthstone for May.

Garnet:

Garnets have long been carried by travelers to protect against accidents. Ancient mystics believed garnets could prevent nightmares. Centuries ago in Asia, bullets incorporated bits of red garnet to increase the intensity of a wound. Garnet is the U.S. birthstone for January.

Opal:

Opal is prominently featured in the crown jewels of France. Napoleon gave Josephine a beautiful opal with brilliant red flashes, called the Burning of Troy. In the 19th century opal was considered unlucky due to the plot of a popular Sir Walter Scott novel of the time. The heroine of the novel has her life force caught in the beautiful opal she wears in her hair and she dies when the fire in the opal is extinguished. Opal is one of the U.S. birthstones for October.

Ruby:

This is the king of gems. In ancient Burma warriors wore rubies to make themselves invincible in battle. In the Bible, only wisdom and virtuous women are more precious than rubies. Ruby has long been associated with passion and courage. Ruby is the U.S. birthstone for July.

Sapphire:

The ancient Persians believed the earth rests on a giant Sapphire. Its reflection, they said, made the sky blue. The gem of the soul, it was said that the gift of sapphire was a pledge of honesty, purity and loyalty. Sapphire is the U.S. birthstone for September.

Turquoise:

Turquoise is the national gem of Tibet, where it is considered to grant health, good fortune and protection from evil. Apache warriors attached turquoise to their hunting bows to increase accuracy. Turquoise is one of the U.S. birthstones for December.

Tourmaline:

Tourmaline’s color often mimics those of other gems. It was often misidentified in the ancient world. Some of the rubies in the Russian Crown Jewels are in fact Rubellite Tourmaline. Along with opal, tourmaline is one of the U.S. birthstones for October.