Taylor & Hart's Blog

As we approach the height of summer, we take a look at July’s birthstone- the ruby.

Around 10 years ago, Jenna, our Production Manager, was gifted a hexagonal shape amethyst by one of her closest friends. Fast forward to present day, we take a look at how Jenna designed and crafted a bespoke cocktail ring.

As technology transforms the fabric of our society, traditions are altered and redefined. In the jewellery industry, lab grown diamonds represent the beginning of a new generation. As with any new technology, it is not without controversy.

Traditionally, the jewellery industry is known for its secrecy and opaqueness. The recent embrace of lab grown gemstones leaves the consumer with many questions: are lab grown diamonds natural diamonds? Are they fake? Do lab grown diamonds have smaller carbon footprints? At Taylor & Hart, transparency is one of our core values, so we created a simple Q & A to give insight behind this new technology.

To create a truly informative piece, we also spoke to Ashley Moy, Senior Gemologist at the De Beers Group. Moy is an industry expert who started out as a lapidary and metal caster. Moy attended the GIA in 2015 and completed the GG program, and completed the FGA program in 2018.

Heading up an all-female team, at the heart of the gemstone market in the famed Ratnapura region of Sri Lanka, Maneesha is trailblazing her way to the top of Sri Lankan’s gemstone industry.

As the only female gemstone dealer in Sri Lanka, she is challenging the industry status-quo and her expertise is as rare as the gemstones she seeks. We speak with Maneesha about her beginnings in the gemstone industry, the impact her work has had, and her future ambitions.