The Best Blog
Thanks to Rosaire WIMarch 9, 2010
A quick thank you to the Rosaire Court Women’s Institute for visiting us last week, we’re glad you loved the talk on the history of the Mill and our Jewellers. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Wedding Fayre at St James this Sunday, 7th MarchMarch 5, 2010
This Sunday, March 7th, we are at the Wedding Fayre hosted at St James concert and assembly hall.
The doors are open between 12pm - 4pm and parking is available at Elizabeth College. Over 30 local suppliers will be displaying their wedding wares, including us here at Catherine Best.
We look forward to seeing you there!
NEW arrivals to catherinebest.comMarch 3, 2010
We’re pleased to announce a selection of new products to our website today. We have jewellery for all occasions and desires including tahitian pearls, a purple paraiba and an amazing 5ct diamond pendant to name only a few.
If you have any questions on any of our pieces or would like something similar designed then please feel free to get in touch.
We hope you like these new products, to see this entire new selection please go to the online shop and then the New Arrivals category, or to go straight there please click here
March’s birth stone - BloodstoneMarch 2, 2010
By her who in March was born
No gem save bloodstone shall be worn
They will ensure her constancy
True friendship and fidelity
Our birthstone for March is bloodstone, part of the chalcedony group, it is an opaque dark green chalcedony with red spots.
It’s red spots are caused by the inclusion of iron oxide in the gemstone. In the middle ages bloodstone was attibuted with special powers, as the spots were thought to be the blood of Jesus Christ.
Also known as heliotrope, a Greek word meaning sun turner, bloodstone is found mainly in India but also in Australia, Brazil, China and the USA. It is sometimes refered to as blood jasper, however it is not a jasper at all.
Whilst bloodstone is the original birthstone for March in this day and age bloodstone, jasper and aquamarine are all considered birthstones for March.
We hope you join us for Aprils birthstone as it’s going to be a very special one!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the bloodstone gemstone, we’re all hoping that the sun turns a little this month as we try to escape the winter!
Moon-signs! Do you know yours?February 23, 2010
Moon-signs are something that mean a lot to us here at Catherine Best, and while many are familiar with their Sun-sign, they are often less aware of their Moon-sign.
The wisdom of astrology has been used for thousands of years to help us discover our inner selves.
By providing insight into our emotions, personality, relationships and the direction of our lives, astrology can help us fulfil our potential by helping us to understand our inner balance.
The Moon-Signs range of jewellery is the result of a unique and exclusive combination between Catherine Best and Sharon Ward, a professional astrologer with over fifteen years experience.
The Moon-Sign is the area of the zodiac that the Moon was in at the time of your birth. It governs our emotional, sympathetic and compassionate part of ourselves and helps us to understand what we need to feel whole and complete.
It is the combination of your Moon Sign with your Sun Sign that can help provide a detailed insight into your inner self. As Sharon Ward says,
‘The Moon-Sign is something that I believe will bring to people a sense of who they really are. I want everyone to understand that they are so much more than just their Sun-Sign. Our Sun-Sign represents the consciousness and the ego, whilst our Moon Sign reveals who we are on a deeper, emotional level. The understanding of this innermost part of ourselves can completely change our perspective on life.
If you would like to discover your Moon-sign and what that sign means to you then please click here, or to browse our Moon-sign collection please follow this link
February’s birth stone - AmethystFebruary 4, 2010
The February born shall find 
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they, the amethyst will wear.
Amethyst is a beautiful member of the quartz family, which is mined in many different locations around the world. Amethyst literally translates as “Not intoxicated” and comes from two Greek words A (Not) and Methustos (Intoxicated). In Greek and Roman times it was believed that wearing Amethyst would protect against drunkeness.
In addition many people do not realise that the majority of another gemstone available, Citrine, is actualy heat treated Amethyst. Once heated to certain degrees Amethyst can turn yellow, red-brown, green or even clear.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this beautiful gemstone, if you would like to talk in greater detail about our Amethyst stones or jewellery then please get in touch. Also please check back in March for the next of our birthstone features, in the mean time to see some pieces of our collection set with Amethyst then please click here
Valentines Day HeartsFebruary 3, 2010
With Valentines Day this month romance is in the air, and whether your desire is to capture her heart or show her how much she means to you then our new CB diamond heart pendant is perfect.
The CB heart pendant is a stunning piece that she can wear close to her own heart, it also offers her wonderful memories that she will cherish forever, memories of a day when she felt like the only woman in the world.
These beautiful pendants are available in 18 carat yellow or white gold, 9 carat yellow or white gold, and silver. All are set with a single diamond and are engraved with hearts around the outside and ‘I love you’ engraved on the inside. To have a closer look please click here.
January’s birth stone - GarnetJanuary 20, 2010
The picture above shows a pendant set with peridot and Mandarin garnet
As the year progresses here at Catherinebest.com we shall be keeping you up to date with your birth stone, along with interesting facts about these beautiful gemstones that you might not have known. If you feel a particular affinity or affection with your birthstone and would like a piece of jewellery designed and created around it then please feel free to have a chat to us.
The birthstone for January is Garnet, the gregorian calender has poems that match each month to it’s birth stone…
By her who in January was born
No gem save Garnets shall be worn
They will ensure it’s constancy
True friendship and fidelity
Garnet is a beautiful gemstone that dates back as far as the Bronze Age, it is believed that the word Garnet comes from the latin word Granatus meaning grain - possible a link to the plant pomegranate (Punica granatum) which has seeds bearing a strong similarity in shape, size and colour to some Garnet crystals.
Garnet has become recognised predominately as having a rich dark red colour, however garnets are also available as Mandarin garnet (orange) Tsavorite garnet (green) and pink garnet. We have all these varied members of the garnet family, and they all offer some amazing colours that compliment any precious metal they are set into.
If your birthday falls into February then please check back soon for your birthstone, in the mean time to see a piece of our jewellery that incorporates Garnet then please click here
Happy New Year!January 1, 2010
Happy New Year from everyone at Catherine Best Jewellers. We hope that 2009 proved to be a great year for you all and look forward to seeing you again in 2010 for an even better one!
Merry Christmas!December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas from everyone here at Catherine Best jewellers. We hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends and look forward seeing you all again soon.
Happy Christmas everyone!
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the Catherine Best blog. After more than 20 years in the jewellery business, I’m still very passionate about designing and thankfully, almost never seem to run out of new ideas. I particularly love working with rare, unusually coloured gemstones like Tourmaline or Tanzanite, which have stunning colour ranges that can take my breath away.
I’m often asked what my signature style is but that’s quite hard to say, as I design for each individual personality I meet, but I hope the jewels shine for themselves.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading more about what goes on at the Catherine Best studios.
