At Ma Passion, the gemstone is to our craftsman what a canvas is to a painter. It is upon looking at these gifts of nature that our craftsmen let themselves imagine the unimaginable. Each crevice and ridge talk to the kaarigar, just the way that the rocks have been talking to their forefathers for decades. They understand that they are custodians of nature’s wealth – treasures that have been created over millions of years. The Ma Passion team handpicks each gemstone that we then bestow upon our kaarigars to transform into timeless works of art. Some stones are translucent, while others are opaque. Some are grainy and others smooth. Each one is unique and carries the passage of time in itself.
Read this article to know more about the eight most valuable gemstones in the Ma Passion Collection:
Blue Sapphire
At Ma Passion, we mostly source this precious stone from the island country of Madagascar. Blue Sapphire is part of the corundum mineral family and is a gemstone that has been associated with royalty and romance for centuries. Scoring a 9 on the Mohs scale, this incredibly hard stone can only be carved and polished using diamond tools; only the most gifted and experienced craftsmen can carve this stone to bring out its finest qualities.
Charoite
An incredibly rare stone, Charoite was first discovered in the 1940s in and around the Chara River in Russia. The river continues to be the only source of this semi-precious stone. Characterized by distinctive lavender and lilac swirls, the range of colours can vary even in a single specimen, making each piece unique and rare. The stone has a hardness of 5 or 6 on the Mohs scale and is mostly composed of the mineral Charoite. Ma Passion is proud to house several tableaus of this extremely rare treasure and the team promises to honor the stone by transforming it into never-seen-before masterpieces.
Emerald
Emerald, a precious variety of the mineral beryl, has been an aspirational stone for many cultures since antiquity. Its vibrant green colour gives the stone an unparalleled aesthetic beauty. At Ma Passion, we source our emeralds from the some of the best mines in Brazil: The Sakota and Nova Era mines, as well from the mines of Zambia. Our kaarigars have been honing the art of carving these rare treasures since generations: only the highest level of artistry can further enhance the innate beauty of these gems.
Jade
Ma Passion is proud to house an unparalleled collection of nephrite and jadeite jade sourced from rare mines across the world – in British Columbia, Yukon, California, Guatemala, Burma, and Quebec. They range in hue from deep apple greens to subtle lavenders and glossy greys. Jade is beloved by gemstone carvers for its pliability, and these roughs are all set to be transformed into symbols of unparalleled uniqueness.
Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz is a connoisseur’s delight, recognized as the stone of unconditional love. The best clarity, rarity, and deep pink colour of the stone is gathered from the mines of Brazil and Madagascar. Our kaarigars enjoy working with this stone, creating both intricate carvings as well as large, temple-inspired creations.
Ruby
Ruby, one of the most valuable varieties of the corundum mineral species, is a precious stone that is beloved by many cultures around the world. Chromium is the trace element that gives ruby its deep red colour. At Ma Passion, we source our rubies from the Longido Mines in Tanzania and from the mines of India. We especially love to incorporate carved rubies in our couture jewellery collection whilst transforming these stones of passion into works of art that enrich every generation.
Tanzanite
Exhibiting a rare bluish purple colour, Tanzanite is a rare gemstone only found around Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Belonging to the zoisite mineral family, this blue beauty exhibits pleochroism i.e., the ability of a gemstone to exhibit different colours when viewed in different directions. The beauty and rarity of a stone such as Tanzanite push our kaarigars to test their creativity while they transform their imagination into reality.
Tourmaline
The various colours of tourmaline are caused by many different factors that change the chemical composition of the gemstone. Before the onset of modern gemology, tourmaline was confused with other precious gemstones such as rubies and sapphires but in present times, the dazzling range of colours displayed by tourmalines has made the gemstone a favourite for collectors and jewellery designers. At Ma Passion, we love all varieties of tourmaline: Rubellite – the special name for tourmaline that is reddish in colour), – blue-green Paraiba tourmaline that comes from the state of Paraiba, Brazil, and chrome tourmaline that exhibits an intense green luster.