Our gemstone earrings come in beautiful colours, elegant cuts, and various styles. Shop semi-precious stones like malachite, black spinel, amazonite, agate, pink opal, chrysoprase, garnet, topaz, citrine, peridot, quartz, amethyst, and carnelian, plus organic pearls and sparkly synthetics like cubic zirconia and opalite. You’ll find threaders, charms, huggies, hoops, drops, chains, and studs in rhodium-plated 925 sterling silver, 14K gold-filled, 18K gold-plated silver, and 18K gold vermeil. Sizes start at 3 mm studs, with threaders up to 25 mm and hoops up to 30 mm. Prices range from $45 to $169, with free Australia-wide shipping on orders over $129. Need help deciding? Get in touch at info@bowerbirdjewels.com.au.
FAQs
What’s the difference between precious, semi-precious, organic, synthetic, simulant, and lab-grown stones?
Precious gemstones: A traditional, retail label for a small group of stones with long-standing demand and rarity, such as diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald.
Semi-precious gemstones: A catch-all retail label for most other gems. Many semi-precious stones are durable, rare, and valuable.
Organic gemstones: Gem materials formed by living organisms rather than geological processes, like pearl.
Synthetic and lab-grown gemstones: Made in a lab. A synthetic stone has the same chemical composition and crystal structure as its natural version (example: lab-grown sapphire).
Imitation and simulant stones: A material that looks like another gem but is not chemically the same. Opalite is a glass simulant with an opal-like glow.
What is gemstone hardness?
Gemstone hardness is a measure of how easily a stone scratches. It is described using the Mohs scale (1–10). The higher the hardness, the more scratch-resistant the stone is. Hardness is not the same as toughness (how easily a stone chips or breaks).
Mohs hardness for stones in Bowerbird’s earring collection:
• Pearl (organic): ~2.5–4.5
• Malachite: 3.5–4
• Opalite (glass simulant): ~5.5–6
• Pink opal (opal): ~5.5–6.5
• Amazonite (feldspar): 6–6.5
• Peridot: 6.5–7
• Agate (chalcedony): 6.5–7
• Chrysoprase (chalcedony): 6.5–7
• Carnelian (chalcedony): 6.5–7
• Quartz: 7
• Citrine (quartz): 7
• Amethyst (quartz): 7
• Garnet: 6.5–7.5
• Topaz: 8
• Spinel: 8
• Cubic zirconia: ~8–8.5
Why should jewellery owners care about stone hardness?
• <5: Treat as delicate. Avoid tossing into a jewellery pile. Keep away from rough surfaces and hard stones. Put these on after perfume and hair spray.
• 5.5–7: Great for regular wear. Still worth storing separately from harder stones like topaz, spinel, and cubic zirconia.
• 8+: Excellent scratch resistance. Still not indestructible, but they’ll hold up well with normal care.
Store gemstone earrings in a pouch or separate compartment, wipe with a soft cloth after wear, and keep softer stones away from harder ones in storage.
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