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Ammolite

Ammolite is a beautiful and very rare gemstone of limited supply that is uniquely Canadian. It’ s multitude of colours will delight any owner, and make it a great summer piece as it will accent the look of many outfits.

Ammolite is the fossilized and mineralized shell of an ancient sea creature known as an ammonite. Ammonites were a squid like creature that swam in the subtropical waters that covered what we now know as Alberta and British Columbia. After their extinction, and when the seas started to recede, the ammonites were buried in a clay like sediment that aided their transformation to gem quality material. Ammolite is uniquely Canadian as Canada is the only place that this gem mineralization occured. It is mainly mined along the St. Marys River near the city of Lethbridge, Alberta.

Ammolite was officially recognized as a gemstone in 1981 by the International Confederation of Jewellery in Paris.

Ammolite itself is very fragile. When it is mined the gem quality material is normally 0.1-0.3mm in thickness. To make the ammolite more durable, it is assembled into a triplet. A triplet consists of a thin layer of the gemstone that is placed between a clear synthetic spinel top and a backing of matrix. The Ammolite is a unique one of a kind piece that displays vibrant colours, texture and unique patterns.

When ammolite is graded it is divided into three basic components: The number of primary colours, the brightness of the colours and the how the colours vary with the shift of viewing angle. Each Ammolite piece is as individual as the person who wears it and the best way to find your perfect piece is find one that compliments your style and your colours.
Once you have a piece of ammolite jewellery in your collection, care of the stone is also important. The best way to increase the life of the stone is to always avoid any kind of ultrasonic cleaning or chemicals, as the stone is very fragile. Simply clean the stone with a soft toothbrush and mild dish soap, rinse under clean water and pat dry with a cloth.

Ammolite is a fantastic addition to any jewellery collection, and is a keepsake to last generations.

Princess of Hearts Diamonds

If you are looking for something with outstanding beauty and incredible sparkle – then a Canadian Princess of Hearts diamond should be at the top of your list.
Princess of Hearts diamonds is a brand new patented square diamond with exceptional performance, created by the hands of skilled craftsmen in Antwerp. These craftsmen developed a revolutionary stone that is cut to the most exacting of ideal standards in terms of proportion, polish and symmetry. The precision of these stones lies in the symmetrical alignment of each of its eighty facets. This produces a stunning light reflection which displays a “Hearts & Arrows” pattern.

    The “hearts” pattern that is displayed is when the stone is viewed with the culet of the stone facing upwards. The “arrows” pattern that is displayed is seen when the stone is viewed with the table facet facing upwards. The viewers used to show Hearts and Arrows are designed to eliminate incoming light from certain angles and cause the pattern to appear black or very dark gray.
    Another impressive benefit of these beautiful stones is that they are all Canadian mined from the vast expanse of the Great White North. One of these stones is actually the centrepiece of the Ontario legislature’s ceremonial mace.
    These stones encompass beauty, quality and performance and would be a fantastic piece to last generations.

Gemstone of the month

    It’s the colour that’s associated with passion, love and fire. So it’s a natural match that its gemstone counterpart is just as dramatic. The fascination with rubies has been around for centuries. Its history can be traced to Biblical times and ancient Sanskrit writings.
    The traditional birthplace for this powerful stone was thought to be India – much of the original information about the stone comes from the major works of Indian literature. In modern times, rubies are mined throughout Southeast Asia, and Eastern Africa. The highest quality of these stones come from the very small Northeastern section of Myanmar.
    Rubies are the red variety of the mineral corundum (sapphires are also a variety of this mineral). With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, corundum is second only to diamond. Pure corundum is colourless, so for rubies to showcase their magnificent colour, the element chrome must be present. Somewhat ironically, chrome is actually the element that is responsible for the scarcity of large crystals. During formation deep within the earth, chromium gave these stones their colour, but also created networks of cracks and fissures – which makes the probability of finding large, inclusion free stones nearly impossible.

For thousands of years, rubies have been revered as one of the worlds most valuable gemstones. They have everything that magnificent gemstones should have, from fabulous colour to excellent hardness and dazzling brilliance.

Feature product of the month

This month’s featured product is Samantha, the Canadian Exclusive Royal Doulton figurine for 2009. She is a hand made and hand decorated china piece that was designed in England.

She is wearing a stunning flowing gown in a maroon colour with a light pink trail flowing down her back. The beautiful pink and yellow flowers she is holding gives her a definite summer style. All the colours are accents by the long locks of dark brown curly hair.

Samantha is a part of the “Pretty Ladies” collection by Royal Doulton. These figurines embody personalized swirling dresses, romantic names and beautiful faces. She would be a great gift for a traveler looking for a Canadian exclusive product or any Royal Doulton collector looking to complete their showcase. To purchase this product or add it to your wish list Click here.

Hoselton Aluminum Sculptures

Hilborn Pottery

Give a unique gift that is great for any age or any occasion, give a Hoselton aluminum sculpture. A family run Canadian company from Colborne, Ontario began creating these aluminum sculptures over twenty years ago and are still going strong.

The sculptures are crafted using molten aluminum and individually hand poured into sand molds at extreme temperature of over 1000°F. They are cooled and then hand polished numerous times to create a smooth and non-tarnish surface. As they are hand crafted and polished. No two pieces will ever be exactly the same, creating a totally unique hand made piece.

There are sculptures for many occasions such as animals, birds, nautical, and even sporting figures. The hand crafted sculptures can also be mounted to North American marble, which adds a great finishing touch to the high polished figures.

Another great benefit to these beautiful sculptures is that they will never tarnish or discolour. They are also very easy to clean, all you need is a soft cloth and glass cleaner.

The Hoselton design company has won many awards for their success in business. They were awarded with the Business Excellence Award from their hometown Chamber of Commerce, The Best New Product Award from the Montreal gift show and owner Gord G. Hoselton was the recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee award.

For a uniquely Canadian gift that will last a lifetime, an aluminum sculpture is perfect for any occasion.

Need a wedding gift, attendant’s gifts, or even a birthday gift? The perfect idea - a handcrafted piece of Hilborn pottery.

Hilborn pottery is a family run business that was founded in 1975 in Cambridge Ontario. They are a husband and wife team that specializes in wheel thrown clay products. They set out to create pieces of art that are distinctive and yet very functional.

Their products are layered clay folded, sculptured and twisted to create great form and style. The process of creating these beautiful pieces includes shaping clay into one of their many innovative designs. After the clay is ready, the items are then hand painted using colourful, metallic oxide glazes to produce the creative swirl designs unique to the Hilborn pottery name.

All of the pottery is completely safe for cooking and drinking and is totally microwave, dishwasher and oven approved.

Hilborn pottery is appreciated by many customers and enjoys the beauty and elegance of each piece being totally handcrafted and individual.

There are many different colours that these pieces are crafted in such as: periwinkle blue, cinnamon, ebony, tomato, moss and medley. The pottery also comes in different styles ranging from the berry bowl, brie dish, and olive dish to a wall vase. These pieces show high creativity, versatility and are great for any occasion.