Sapphire, Topaz and Peridot: A Guide to Coloured Stones

A coloured stone adds what a diamond cannot: a colour you can match to your clothes and the occasion. Each stone has a nature that decides how it should be worn. Blue sapphire is one of the hardest stones after diamond, 9 on the Mohs scale, so it suits rings worn every day. Its deep navy looks calm in daylight and gains presence under evening light. Topaz is lighter in colour and in price, from sky blue to deep London blue, and at 8 it suits earrings and necklaces. Peridot is a naturally olive-green stone but softer than both, so it is best in earrings and bracelets away from knocks, and cleaned with a cloth only, never in an ultrasonic cleaner.