Opal - October's Birthstone

Almost 95% of opals originate in deserts of Australia - with the remaining 5% from Brazil, Mexico and Nevada.

The name 'opal' is derived from the Greek word 'opallios', which may be translated as 'colour change'.


W2754 Art Nouveau Style Opal Pendant

Opals may be found in a range of colours, the most desirable being the black opal (which may be dark blue or dark green infact), closely followed by the creamy white when it displays colour flashes or schillers.

No other gemstone has such a continually changing display of fire and colour (opalescence), and it is this that affects the price of any opal.







W1670
Victorian Dress Ring




In some circles, opals may be considered unlucky, but this may be because of the variation and fluctuation in stone water content (ususally 2 - 6%) which may cause fissures within the gem if allowed to 'dry out'.

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Silver Decoration

As website administrator I regularly upload items of silver described as having 'chased, embossed or engraved decoration' - so what does that mean?

Chased decoration is achieved by the use of steel punches and hammers to indent or push the silver into differnt patterns, as opposed to engraved decoration, where metal is carved or removed.


W2426 An Edwardian Tray with applied chased acanthus leaf and shell decoration

Embossed decoration, also referred to as repousse or chasing in relief, is accomplished by hammering the back side of an item to provide the basic simple shape, with further detail and definition achieved by chasing to achieve the desired effect.


W 2228 A Victorian christening mug with embossed and chased decoration.

Finally, engraved decoration is perhaps what it says on the tin, in that an engraver would use a tool called a graver to remove a small amount of silver from the surface of an object. Ostensibly engraving was freehand, enabling the engraver to customise items with not only decoration but monograms, crests, coats of arms and inscriptions.


W2359 A George III sauceboat with engraved initials

Bright cut engraving entailed cutting short, angled, reflective facets to achieve a 'bright' decorative effect.


W2426 An Edwardian tray with bright cut engraved fern leaf and shell decoration to the surface.


So now you know!!
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September Birthstone - Sapphire

W2596 A Victorian Brooch

W976 A Pink Sapphire Bracelet

W2489 A Yellow Sappire Ring

The word sapphire is derived from the Greek word 'sappheiros' - which translates as 'precious stone'.

The sapphire is a member of the Corundum (aluminium oxide) family.

The prevalent colour of sapphires is blue, although sapphires have a variety of colours ranging from violet, blue, green to red and orange.

The largest known star sapphire is the Star of India at 563 carats!

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August Birthstone - Peridot

A Peridot and Diamond Ring SKU W2507

The origin(s) of the word peridot is uncertain. Some sources state the word is derived from the Arabic word faridat meaning 'gem'. Other sources suggest the word originates from the Anglo-Norman pedoretes, which describes a type of opal.

What isn't open to discussion is the fact that the peridot, a variety of chysolite or olivine minerals, only occurs in the colour green - the hue dependent upon the degree of iron in the basic crystal structure. (Occasionally, peridots may be inadvertently mistaken as emeralds).

A Pair of Peridot Cufflinks SKU W2466

It is considered that the best quality peridots are mined in Pakistan. Other diverse mining areas include Arizona, Australia, China, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Tanzania.

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Ruby - The July Birthstone

Fine Art Deco Ring
SKU W2341


The mineral corundum is colourless, yet traces of elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium create a multi-coloured spectrum of gems, ruby being the red variety.

The name ruby is derived from the Latin 'rubens' meaning red.

The 'Burmese Rubies' are so called because gems with a deep rich red hue are of the colour of those mined in Burma, and these are the highest quality stones.

Rubies of more than three carats in size are very rare.

A Pair of Contemporary Cufflinks

SKU W2488

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Telling Tales - again......

Once again, researching an item as simple as a napkin ring has highlighted how often antique items have tales to tell.

SKU: W2558

An Interesting and Collectable Antique George V English Sterling Silver Napkin Ring

A recent addition to the AC Silver inventory is an individual 1930's boxed napkin ring embellished with an enamel pennant and an inscription (see images).

To cut a long story short, Mudhook Yacht Club still exists on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde, and is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Great Britain. It's a fairly select yacht club, permitting only forty members.

'Mudhook' is sailor's slan for an anchor, as seen on the pennant - I wonder if it was a considered decision to have the napkin ring assayed in Birmingham........with the anchor as the recognised assay office hallmark!!!

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June - a PEARL of a birthstone

'By her who in June was born
No gem save Pearls shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity'.


SKU: W1809
A Fine Victorian Pearl and Diamond Necklace

Pearls are formed in live seawater oysters or freshwater mussels.

When a foreign object (bone, shell or coral for example) becomes lodged within the shell the oyster/mussel coats the irritant with a substance called nacre (crystals of calcium carbonate).
The nacre reflects and refracts light, producing the unique rainbow-like sheen.

Individual pearls differ in colour depending on mollusc type, and local influences such as water temperature, pollutants and diet, and it takes an expert eye and patience to carefully 'match' pearls when setting in an item of jewellery.



Pearls come in a variety of shades and tones

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