Gemstone Guide
Explore the Beauty of Natural Gemstones
Natural gemstones bring color, pattern, texture, and individuality to handcrafted jewelry. No two stones are exactly alike, and those natural variations are part of what makes each Shirleyโs Designs piece unique.
Use this guide to explore some of the gemstones found throughout our collections and choose the stones that fit your style, story, or the moment you want to remember.
Black Onyx
Known for its deep black color and smooth polished finish, Black Onyx creates a clean, timeless look that pairs easily with stainless steel, Hematite, wood, and other gemstones.
Amethyst
Amethyst ranges from soft lavender to deep violet. Its rich purple color makes it a distinctive choice for earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and raw gemstone designs.
Citrine
Citrine is recognized for warm yellow, honey, and golden tones. Natural variations in shade and transparency give each stone its own character.
Jade & Jadeite
Jade and Jadeite can appear in a wide range of greens and other natural shades. Color, translucency, and pattern vary from stone to stone, making each piece visually individual.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is known for its rich blue color, often accented by natural mineral markings. Its strong color makes it especially striking in both menโs and womenโs jewelry.
Tigerโs Eye
Tigerโs Eye features warm brown and golden bands that can shift in appearance as the stone catches the light. This movement gives the gemstone its distinctive striped character.
Moonstone
Moonstone is appreciated for its soft, luminous appearance and flashes of light that can change with the viewing angle. Natural stones may vary in clarity, color, and surface characteristics.
Quartz
Quartz appears in many forms and colors, from clear crystal-like stones to richly colored varieties. Its natural transparency, inclusions, and texture can vary widely.
Hematite
Hematite has a smooth metallic appearance that adds contrast and polished depth when paired with natural gemstones, wood, or stainless steel.
Jasper
Jasper is known for its remarkable range of natural colors and patterns. Varieties such as Picasso Jasper, Dalmatian Jasper, and Landscape Jasper can show veining, spots, banding, and earthy color variation.
Freshwater Pearl
Freshwater Pearls naturally vary in shape, surface, luster, and size. Those differences give handcrafted pearl jewelry an organic, individual character.
How to Choose Your Gemstone
There is no single right way to choose a gemstone. You may be drawn to a color, pattern, texture, memory, milestone, birth month, or simply the way a stone complements your personal style.
Choose what feels meaningful to you because of your own storyโnot because your jewelry needs to represent a prescribed meaning.
Natural Beauty Means Natural Variation
Natural gemstones are created by nature, not manufactured for perfect uniformity. Your stones may show differences in color, pattern, veining, transparency, texture, mineral inclusions, and shape.
These characteristics are part of the material itself and help make every handcrafted Shirleyโs Designs piece unique.
Make It Personal
Pair your gemstone jewelry with a personalized detail when available, such as an initial, name, date, or short message that matters to you.
Handcrafted gemstones. Personal details. Jewelry made to hold your story.