The Ultimate Guide To Chatham Precious Gemstones
For those who like a bit more colour in their life, stunning rubies, emeralds and sapphire lab grown engagement rings created by the worlds leading gemstone producer Chatham. Our guide provides further information about these exceptional gemstones
Chatham
Your Ultimate Guide To Lab Grown Coloured Gemstones
What Are Precious Gemstones?
Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are all regarded as precious gemstones. This means that unlike semi-precious gems, precious gems are generally much more desirable due to the intricacies and remote origins of these gems. At Lily Arkwright we are proud to offer precious gemstones as part of our Chatham Emerald lab grown gemstone collection.
Gemstones are formed over long periods of time by several processes including:
Igneous- These gemstones are created deep within the earth (Diamonds, Ruby, Sapphire).
Hydrothermal- These gemstones are formed when amounts of mineral rich water cool (Emerald).
Metamorphic- These are gems that are ‘morphed’ due to intense heat and pressure (Sapphire, Ruby).
Sedimentary- Gems that form due to water depositing sediments, which dissolve in water where it later builds up and solidifies (Opal).
Why Chatham Gemstones?
We're proud Chatham partners and all our coloured gemstones are sourced & produced by Chatham, a company founded over 75 years ago who today are the world’s leading source of high-quality laboratory-grown gems. With many unique and distinguishing shapes and cuts, Chatham have strict standards for proportions, faceting and polishing that ensure that all gemstones have maximum brilliance, high clarity, and vivid colour.
Chatham employ strict quality control during production that ensures extremely high standards are met each and every time, even if that means 80% of the rough crystal is lost. Selective picking is a crucial part of Chatham’s reputation and this is reflected by averages of 1 in every 200 lab produced gemstones meeting strict standards for colour and clarity.
Another attractive aspect of our Lab grown gemstones means that we are able to provide a variety of shapes that are almost impossible to find in mined gemstones.
Chatham's production process ensures all gemstones are ethically produced and all gemstones are rich in colour and cut providing that very special sparkle.
Coloured Gemstone History
Enchanting Emerald - "Emeralds are the gem of Venus, powerful love and fertility charms"
The original makers of this enchanting gem, Chatham grows emerald crystals in an exclusive and extensive process invented 75 years ago. It takes over a year to complete, of which 9 months of this, is spent simply growing the naturally mined seed of a fine Colombian emerald.
Royal Ruby - "The gem of passion"
Chatham grows ruby crystals in a six-month process that has evolved and been refined over decades. The process starts with a naturally mined seed of a fine Burmese ruby. The conditions have to be precisely right in order to create the perfect gemstone.
Serine Sapphire, Brilliant Blue - "The gem of truth, faithfulness and the soul"
Worn by Kate Middleton herself, Blue sapphires are the most difficult gem crystal that Chatham grows. Sapphires gave birth to the age old tradition for wearing “something blue.” This gem of fidelity is a perfect choice to symbolise a promise. Sapphire became even more popular after Princess Diana and Kate Middleton both embraced this beautiful gem. In fact, The ancient Persians believed that the earth rests on a giant sapphire and its reflections are what we see as the sky and sea.
Serine sapphire - "The symbol of optimism and confidence"
Say Yes to a Yellow Sapphire. The stone of individual spirituality. Chatham makes the beauty of yellow sapphire much more affordable with lab-grown yellow sapphires. Growing yellow sapphire crystals takes about six months starting with a seed of fine Sri Lankan yellow sapphire. A real unique twist on the classic blue sapphire.
Our Chatham lifetime guarantee means you can wear a Ruby gemstone engagement ring without worry. We think the quality and beauty of our lab-grown gems make them a better choice than mined.
Your unique custom-made engagement ring
Couloured Gemstones make for an amazing engagement ring and we offer a bespoke ring design service for those who want something truly unique. As well as the wide range of options available on our website, we are able to work with you personally and make your very own engagement ring, translating your ideas and sketches into a bespoke piece.
It can be difficult deciding on something you desperately want to be perfect, especially when there are infinite possibilities to choose from. Let us help you take the strain and make sure it a fun and exciting experience! We can support you through the design decision and begin creating a custom-made piece tailored especially for you.
WHY CHOOSE LILY ARKWRIGHT
We are fully certified
We are also members of the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) and have joined thousands of other jewellery brands operating within the UK to work within their guidelines, being routinely assessed by their compliance team.
There is a 12 month warranty on all other jewellery we offer, and a 30 day return policy on all standard collections.
COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
World Beating Service
World Beating Service We understand how important excellent customer service is, particularly when purchasing such a special item. Here at Lily Arkwright all our jewellery consultants are JET qualified ensuring you'll receive support from an expert in the field of jewellery. We're always on hand to offer honest and impartial advice and concentrate on helping you find the perfect ring. Lily Arkwright's technology first approach ensures you'll always receive a fast and efficient service as recently highlighted by the US Chambers of Commerce. We're thrilled with our customer feedback and have achieved an impressive 5 star rating on Trust Pilot.
Visit our UK showroom
If you need any more guidance on the moissanite ranges or have any queries regarding your engagement ring or other jewellery we offer, please get in touch with us on our email hello@lilyarkwright.com or call us on 0161 537 6773.
You can also book a one-on-one consultation at our UK showroom to see what our gorgeous rings look like in real life or have a virtual showroom appointment with one of JET trained jewellery consultants who can talk you through our different options.