There are so many things that we love about living in Derbyshire. The people are friendly, the countryside is beautiful, there are lots of towns to shop and explore and you can be by the sea in a couple of hours.  We’re also lucky to have our very own gemstone, Derbyshire Blue John.  Found in only one place in the whole world, Castleton in Derbyshire, this beautiful gemstone is a type of fluorite.  Distinctive bands of purple and yellow make this beautiful gemstone stand out.  There are many legends to tell how Blue John got it’s name but here I’m going to stick with the one I was told as a little girl.  Local folklore tells that Blue John takes it’s name from the French for Blue and Yellow from when it was exported to France in the reign of Louis XV1.

Blue John with LJ & flowers

A Derbyshire Blue John Brooch

 

Notoriously difficult to work, Blue John is a feature in many of the stately homes and country houses in Derbyshire including Kedleston Hall and Chatsworth House.  Her Majesty The Queen also has Blue John in her collection so you’ll be in good company when you choose your first Blue John piece!  We work with an experienced silversmith who specialises in Derbyshire Blue John to create our jewellery.  Of all the gemstones we are fortunate to work with, Blue John is a favourite for both of us.  We’re biased of course because we live in Derbyshire but we think, once you’ve browsed our collections, that you will find a special place in your heart for Blue John too.

A Blue John ring in Silver

We set our Blue John jewellery in both Sterling Silver and 9ct Yellow Gold.  All of our pieces are fully hallmarked in the Sheffield Assay Office.  We often top our Blue John with Quartz Crystal to protect the gemstone underneath.  As Blue John is a very soft stone, a four on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, protecting it under a quartz allows it to be worn more frequently and be less susceptible to knock and scrapes.  Care should still be taken however and we don’t recommend Blue John for hard everyday wear such as Engagement or Wedding Rings.  To showcase the beauty of our Blue John we also often use Mother of Pearl as a base for setting.  Presenting the Blue John in this way means that the unique veins and colours can be seen to their full potential.

Blue John Ring LJ

Each piece of Blue John Jewellery is as unique as the person who wears it.  We photograph each piece of our Blue John individually so you will receive the piece that you see in the photograph.  If you’re looking for a particular style to complete a collection then do feel free to get in touch and we’ll see if we can find a piece for you to fall in love with.  We don’t use filters on our photographs but please do keep in mind that the colours on your screen may vary from the actual colours.  The beauty of natural gemstones is that they’re so unique but my goodness, they’re difficult to photograph!

Round Blue John Ring LJ

I hope you’ve enjoyed our exploration of The Derbyshire Gemstone.  Blue John really is my favourite gemstone and I’m happy to have some beautiful pieces in my personal jewellery collection.  Enjoy browsing our jewellery online and I hope that you’ll soon be adding a piece of our Blue John to your jewellery collection too.

Much Love

Laura Jo xx

 

 

 

 

 

ADORN Jewellers of Chesterfield ~ Unusual Jewellery Stockists Derbyshire