Louped: The podcast for the gem and jewellery curious

Happy November! We are delighted to be discussing topazes this month. Kate has already given her opinion of blue topaz from our March episodes but what about the other colours? What about the stories and history of this gemstone? We discuss all that and more this month so join us through November and we go into the nuance of this sometimes controversial gemstone!We have of course added some additional resources below, as well as our contact details and our Buy Me A Coffee link if you feel so inclined. We hope you enjoy this first of our November episodes and please join us in wishing a happy birthday to all those who celebrate this month!Additional Resources:https://www.gia.edu/topaz/gem-researchhttps://ancient-greece.org/maps/map-of-ancient-greece/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60230/60230-h/60230-h.htmhttps://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones/november-birthstones/topaz-overview/https://asivanayoga.com/blogs/sanskrit/tapas?srsltid=AYCX9vIRmPnniEpZPfxS1E5pTdfUGpp3x8s_SDDO2WEvl7wE0uDHH3mthttps://gemkids.gia.edu/gem/topazhttps://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones/november-birthstones/topaz-history/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1899-0218-8https://www.berganza.com/knowledge/gemmology/gemstones/topaz?srsltid=AYCX9vJOA27EToL4ez5wvToz6sLT8vbUiv80jVfrlvGPT_vUE6SuU3zuhttps://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/geoffrey-munn-royal-jewelleryhttps://gem-a.com/gem-hub/history-topaz-gemstones-jewellery-antique/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/244945If you have any questions or would like to comment on an episode, you can reach us on Instagram @loupedpodcast or by email at [email protected] if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here! buymeacoffee.com/loupedpodcast

Happy Halloween to all of our fabulous listeners! In this bonus episode we dive back into the curse of the opal and Kate digs deeper into why we think of opals as bad luck. From cursed and jilted lovers, war and revolutions, it's a bloody history that has stained this gorgeous phenomenal gemstone. Join us this week for something a little different and a little spooky as we celebrate the season in the only way we know how, through jewellery!Additional Resources:https://nycjewelryweek.com/history-of-why-opal/https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/the-worst-royal-gift-a-haunted-ring-that-is-said-to-have-doomed-a-whole-dynasty-204360/https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2023/10/17/the-life-of-princess-maria-de-las-mercedes-of-orleans/https://www.nytimes.com/1906/06/10/archives/the-fatal-spanish-opal.htmlIf you have any questions or would like to comment on an episode, you can reach us on Instagram @loupedpodcast or by email at [email protected] if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here! buymeacoffee.com/loupedpodcast

Welcome back to our second opal episode of October! This week we chat about the science and value side of this phenomenal gemstone. What causes play-of-colour and do all opals showcase this internal rainbow? Where can we find opals? How are they formed? And many more questions are asked and sort of answered in this our last opal episode!We have of course added some additional resources below, as well as our contact details and our Buy Me A Coffee link if you feel so inclined. Also, if you would like to contribute to Cem's project, please reach out, we would love to hear from you! We hope you enjoy Opals Part 2 and make sure to check back in at the end of the month for a little spooky surprise...Additional Resources:https://www.planetary.org/articles/20131014-the-gems-of-marshttps://www.ft.com/content/87ebc2f8-fb21-4d8d-8657-06efb032edafhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-bones-encrusted-opal-reveal-new-species-australia-180972332/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-and-miners-team-up-preserve-opalized-fossils-180972734/https://www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/opalhttps://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6272955https://gem-a.com/gem-hub/the-world-s-most-famous-opal-gemstones/https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/07/25/virgin-rainbow-is-the-worlds-rarest-opal/https://www.opal.academy/home/2020/8/17/template-nomenclature-e2564-5pw5z-x993j-ga7a5-3tr5p-cl5mt-2cbzx-bwg7yhttps://calvin.edu/news-stories/mineral-treasures-opalhttps://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2015-splendor-outback-australia-opal-fieldsIf you have any questions or would like to comment on an episode, you can reach us on Instagram @loupedpodcast or by email at [email protected] if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here! buymeacoffee.com/loupedpodcast

Welcome October or (for those of you who celebrate) Spooky-Season! We are delighted to be discussing opals this month. When questioned, many of our industry friends had a polarising view of this phenomenal gemstone. Some really love the play-of-colour while others wouldn't give opals a second glance. If you feel strongly about this gemstone, let us know, we'd be curious to hear what your thoughts are.We have of course added some additional resources below, as well as our contact details and our Buy Me A Coffee link if you feel so inclined. We hope you enjoy this first of our October episodes and please join us in wishing a happy birthday to all those who celebrate this month!Additional Resources:https://www.gutenberg.org/files/62704/62704-h/62704-h.htmhttps://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1386236/pliny-the-elder-historia-naturalis-illuminated-manuscript-pliny-the-elder/https://www.nature.com/articles/141965c0#article-infohttps://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?images_exist=true&page=1&page_size=15&q=opalhttps://psychcentral.com/blog/psychologys-history-of-being-mesmerizedhttps://www.thetimes.com/life-style/luxury/article/the-strange-tales-behind-the-jewels-at-the-v-and-a-times-luxury-w6hgx0xkdhttps://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/x11339https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/43678/pg43678-images.htmlhttps://www.gia.edu/opal-history-lorehttps://www.gia.edu/birthstones/october-birthstonesCredit for the photograph and lovely jewellery to my mom, thanks Mom!If you have any questions or would like to comment on an episode, you can reach us on Instagram @loupedpodcast or by email at [email protected] if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here! buymeacoffee.com/loupedpodcast

Farewell September! Thank you for joining us on our final Sapphire episode of the month, we hope you have enjoyed this deep dive into this stunning gemstone. Please join us in wishing a final happy birthday to our September babies as well!Make sure to join us next month for a closer look at the mysteries of opal and perhaps even a special spook-tacular episode.....Additional Resources:https://www.gia.edu/sapphire-quality-factorhttps://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2017-inclusions-sapphirehttps://caratx.com/blog/why-do-sapphires-come-in-so-many-colors-the-complete-scientific-guidehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/laiafarrangraves/2025/05/30/3509-carat-regent-kashmir-sapphire-makes-history-by-reaching-95-million/https://www.garrard.com/blogs/house/princess-diana-engagement-ring-inspired-1735-collection-sapphire-cluster-setting?srsltid=AfmBOopDcb7gGgvmTLFXgwDrTgmgq6qM5DilJRSFUkbnYKBgLGVequfZhttps://www.christies.com/lot/lot-a-superb-coloured-sapphire-and-diamond-ring-6113381/?If you have any questions or would like to comment on an episode, you can reach us on Instagram @loupedpodcast or by email at [email protected] if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here! buymeacoffee.com/loupedpodcast