Celebrate the rich hues of autumn with Van Deijl Jewellers’ exquisite gemstone collection, where every stone is thoughtfully sourced and expertly crafted to reflect the season’s natural elegance.
As the seasons shift and the Cape’s landscape displays its rich ochres, burnt oranges, warm ambers and rusty reds, Van Deijl Jewellers mirrors nature’s transformation in a beautifully curated selection of gemstones that speak of the marvel of nature and human craftsmanship.
Behind each gem in the Van Deijl autumn collection lies a meticulous sourcing process and a discerning eye for colour, cut, symmetry, clarity, and overall appeal.
Join VISI as we go behind the scenes to explore the rich beauty and unique properties of autumn-hued gemstones. Discover the meticulous sourcing and selection process at Van Deijl Jewellers — one of South Africa’s most respected family businesses — where exceptional craftsmanship and innovation are brought to life by a highly skilled team of gemmologists, jewellery designers and artisans.
Autumn gemstones that capture the essence of a season
As the days grow shorter and the landscape reveals a rich autumn palette, the Van Deijl jewellery collection transform alongside it. Autumn calls for a deeper connection with earthier, moodier tones and textures, and there’s no better way to reflect this seasonal charm than through gemstones that echo autumn’s essence.
Here are four exquisite gemstones from the Van Deijl collection — each one hand-selected with meticulous attention to quality and integrity.
1. Rustic Diamonds
Think beyond the conventional sparkle — rustic diamonds celebrate raw beauty with organic charm and quiet sophistication. These earthy gems reveal the story of their natural origins through visible intricate inclusions, and colour zoning, embracing warm, autumn tones such as champagne, cognac, and smoky grey. Impurity elements such as iron, nitrogen, and graphite inclusions contribute to these rich hues, making each stone a striking tribute to nature’s artistry.
Despite their unpolished aesthetic, rustic diamonds retain the renowned hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, making them the most durable natural material used in jewellery. Though not indestructible, they are remarkably resilient, perfectly suited for both everyday wear and meaningful heirloom pieces.
Every rustic diamond is entirely unique in colour, shape, and internal character—each one a geological fingerprint. Van Deijl’s masterful craftsmanship transforms these natural wonders into distinctive, one-of-a-kind creations that bring understated luxury and individuality to any jewellery collection.
Rustic Diamonds in a range of warm autumn hues and unique shapes.
2. Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a dazzling marvel of nature, celebrated for its captivating range of colors and unique beauty as diverse as the seasons themselves. Coloured by trace elements like iron, chromium, vanadium, manganese, and magnesium during crystal growth, this gem can appear in a wide variety of colours. Yet it’s the deep, earthy tones — forest green, burnt sienna, plum, honey-brown, and warm golden hues — that feel especially at home in autumn.
One of the most captivating varieties, Bi-Colour Tourmalines, features multiple colours in a single crystal, echoing the rich palette of changing leaves. This natural versatility has made Tourmaline a favourite among designers for bold statement rings and pendants.
With a Mohs hardness of 7.0 to 7.5, Tourmaline is durable and well-suited for statement pieces. Its strong pleochroism — meaning it shows different colours in different crystal directions — when utalized correctly it adds a dynamic, ever-changing quality to its appearance, ensuring it catches the eye from every perspective.
Tourmaline in colours ranging from forest green to plum, and every colour in between. On the right Tourmaline is displayed alongside the subtle beauty of Morganite and the strong purple of Amethyst.
3. Citrine
Known as the “sunshine stone,” Citrine is a vibrant, golden variety of quartz that brings warmth and radiance to any jewellery collection. It captures the essence of that fleeting golden light just before winter arrives, and its hues range from pale yellow, deep amber and dark red orange as a result of varying levels of ferric iron and heat treatment.
One of quartz’s greatest advantages is its ability to form in large crystals, allowing for the creation of generously sized stones with high clarity, precision cuts, and distinctive shapes. Citrine’s natural saturated colours shines even brighter when paired with yellow gold, while the contrast with diamonds creates a striking and elegant aesthetic. These qualities make Citrine an ideal choice for statement pendants, dress rings, and elegant earrings.
With a hardness of 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale, Citrine is durable enough for the everyday wear of earrings and pendants. Typically “eye-clean,” Citrine gemstones are often free of visible inclusions and exhibit a vitreous lustre, enhancing their luminous appeal.
The “sunshine stone” in colours ranging from pale honey to deep amber.
4. Smoky Quartz
Smoky Quartz is like a whisper of woodsmoke on the breeze or the soft stretch of shadows at dusk — a gemstone with quiet depth and natural elegance. Ranging from translucent yellow-grey to rich, velvety brown, this variety of quartz carries a grounding, mysterious quality that lends itself equally well to vintage-inspired designs or minimalist modern settings.
Understated yet sophisticated, Smoky Quartz is the ultimate neutral — ideal for layering with bolder pieces or standing alone as a subtle statement. With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and a vitreous lustre, it offers both beauty and durability.
Its rich tones are the result of aluminium impurities combined with natural or artificial irradiation — a geological signature often found in granite-rich regions of the world. Each stone is a quiet tribute to time, transformation, and the elemental forces of nature.
Smoky Quartz as a gemstone with quiet depth and natural elegance, equally suited for vintage-inspired designs or minimalist modern settings.
Selecting gemstones – a deeply intentional process
At Van Deijl, the process of selecting gemstones is deeply intentional. Each stone is handpicked not only for its colour and cut but also for its integrity — considering its origin, ethical mining practices, and the international trade agreements that it adheres to.
A Van Deijl gemmologist states: ‘When it comes to coloured stones, colour is the most critical factor – evaluating the hue, tone, saturation and overall appeal. Cut is equally important, as it enhances the stone’s colour and brilliance, and by giving equal importance to both these elements, Van Deijl can ensure the exceptional quality that we are known for.’
Van Deijl maintains close relationships with carefully selected and trusted suppliers around the world, ensuring ethical sourcing practices and a transparent supply chain. Whether it’s a fiery Citrine from Brazil, a Rustic Diamond from Botswana, a Tourmaline from Namibia or a Smokey Quarts from the Northern Cape, every gem is cut to Van Deijl’s exact specifications and undergoes a meticulous selection process to ensure the unmatched quality of every piece found in the showroom.
Each stone at Van Deijl is handpicked and ethically sourced from trusted suppliers.
Curating autumn elegance
The autumn-hued Van Deijl gemstones are not simply accessories; they are a personal expression of the season’s warmth and a wearable reminder of nature’s elegance. Each gem is chosen for the depth of its colour and the perfection of its cut.
Once sourced, the transformation begins. At Van Deijl, internationally trained gemmologists, award-winning designers and highly-skilled artisans work closely together to match each gem with a setting that enhances its natural beauty. The designs lean into the season with warm metals like rose and yellow gold, organic shapes, and heirloom-quality finishes that feel both classic and contemporary. Visit the website and experience the carefully curated Van Deijl collection as pure elegance.
Highly trained gemmologists, designers and artisans work closely together to create a beautifully curated collection.
The sourcing and selection of autumn-coloured gemstones at Van Deijl Jewellers is a process that combines the precision of science with aesthetic appreciation and ethical responsibility. By working directly with trusted suppliers, employing in-house expertise, and adhering to strict ethical international standards, Van Deijl ensures that each gemstone in their collection is not only beautiful, but also responsibly sourced. This commitment to quality and integrity is what sets Van Deijl Jewellers apart, making each piece a timeless treasure that reflects the beauty of the season and the values of the brand. | vandeijl.co.za | @vandeijljewellers
