Precious and semiprecious stones, in addition to gold, silver, and platinum, are the most commonly used components of jewelry.
Precious stones : Diamonds have traditionally been the most highly prized of such stones, varying in color from yellow to bluish white and sometimes reaching enormous size. Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are other precious stones used for jewelry, as are the less costly chrysoberyl, topaz, and zircon.
Semiprecious stones : Amethyst, garnet, opal, aquamarine, jade , turquoise, agate, onyx, lapis lazuli, and malachite.
Stones of organic origin : Amber, a fossil tree resin, is a highly valued stone. Pearls and corals, though animal in origin rather than mineral, are also usually considered gemstones.
Gemstone is any of various minerals highly prized for beauty, durability, and rarity. Of the more than 2,000 identified natural minerals, fewer than 100 are used as gemstones and only 16 have achieved importance. These are beryl, chrysoberyl, corundum, diamond, feldspar, garnet, jade , lazurite, olivine, opal, quartz , spinel , topaz, tourmaline, turquoise, and zircon. Some of these minerals provide more than one type of gem. Beryl, for example, provides emeralds and aquamarines, while corundum provides rubies and sapphires. In virtually all cases, the minerals have to be cut and polished for use in jewelry.
Gemstones have attracted humankind since ancient times, and have long been used for jewelry. The prime requisite for a gem is that it must be beautiful. The beauty may lie in color or lack of color, in the latter case, extreme limpidity and "fire" may provide the attraction. A gem must also be durable to withstand the wear and tear of constant handling.
In some cases, the color of gemstones is also artificially enhanced (treated gem) to increase the value of the stone. Staining, heat treatment, and irradiation are used among the treatments.
Agate may be stained a variety of colors: red, lemon yellow, green, blue, and brown. Jasper stained blue to simulate Lapis Lazuli, and turquoise is stained to imitate opal.
Heat treatment of gems to improve or change color has been practiced for centuries. When heated, smoky quartz resembles citrine or topaz, some brownish or reddish zircon becomes bright blue or colorless, yellow topaz becomes pink, slightly colored chalcedony becomes carnelian red, and some rubies or amethysts are more evenly colored.
Irradiation of certain gemstones also causes color changes. Some colorless diamonds become green, rose quartz becomes brown, and decolorized amethyst regains its purple hue. These color changes are not always permanent, and the stone may become radioactive.
In recent times various kinds of synthetic gems, including rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, have been produced. Two methods of fabrication are currently employed, one involving crystal growth from solution and the other crystal growth from melts.
In addition to their use as jewelry, gems were regarded by many civilizations as miraculous and endowed with mysterious powers. Different stones were endowed with different and sometimes overlapping attributes. The diamond, for instance, was thought to give its wearer strength in battle and to protect him against ghosts and magic. During the Middle Ages, a ruby ring was thought to bring its owner lands and titles, to bestow virtue, to protect against seduction, and to prevent effervescence in water--but only if worn on the left hand. Vestiges of such beliefs persist in the modern practice of wearing a birthstone.
Gemstones :
- Agate
Gemstones: Agate
Agate brings stability to your life.
Color : Agate comes in most colors. Agates range from transparent to opaque in a variety of beautiful colors. It presents various tints in the same specimen. The stones can be artificially stained to produce combinations of color more vivid than those found in the natural state.
Description : SiO 2 Agate is a semipellucid crystallized quartz, consisting of banded or with branching inclusions chalcedony . Physical properties of agate are in general those of quartz.
Agate has irregular, sometimes circular bands of color and often replaces fossil wood. Many fossils are agatized material where the original organic substance has been replaced by agate while retaining the original structure. Agates are identical in chemical structure to jasper , flint, chert, bloodstone , and tiger-eye , and are often found in association with opal .
The colorful, banded rocks are used as a semiprecious gemstone and for making mortars and pestles. One will often see these in beads, agate pendants and necklaces.
The name's origin : Agate derives its name from the Greek "Agate??" - happy.
According to another theory the word Agate comes from the Greek name of a stone found in the Achates River in Sicily, now known as the Drillo River, which still remains a major source of this stone.
Birthstone : Agate is the birthstone of Taurus (Bull): April 20 - May 20.
Wedding anniversary : Agate is the anniversary gemstone for the 12th year of marriage. Moss Agate is the anniversary gemstone for the 14th year of marriage.
Varieties : There are several types of agate. Varieties include Blue, Blue Lace, Crazy Lace, Green, Indian, Moss, Tree and Wood. The Moss agate or mocha stone contains visible impurities in the form that resemble moss.
Care and treatment : Agate will chip and crack rather easily though it has a hardness rating of 7. As with all gems, protect agate from scratches and sharp blows. Avoid sudden temperature changes and household chemicals.
From the stone history : Agate was discovered with the Stone Age man in France 20,000-16,000 BC. The Egyptians used it prior to 3000 BC. Agate was highly valued by ancient civilizations. Said by the ancients to render the wearer invisible.
The agate-working industry grew up centuries ago in the Idar-Oberstein district of Germany, where agates were abundant.
Cameos are cut from stones, such as onyx or agate, where different colors occur in layers. The background material is cut away, leaving the cameo design in relief.
Agate is one of the gemstones, that used in commesso , also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly colored, semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century. The stones most commonly used are agates, quartzes , chalcedonies , jaspers , granites, porphyries, petrified woods, and lapis lazuli . Commesso pictures, used mainly for tabletops and small wall panels, range from emblematic and floral subjects to landscapes.
Healing ability : Agate is cooling stone, it reduces fever, quenches thirst, beneficial in stomach area. It quiets the pulse and heart throbs and insures good health and a long and prosperous life.
Botswana Agate: Use with high-pressure oxygen therapy.
Fire Agate: Master healer with color therapy, enhances all essences. It grounds and balances, binds sexual & heart chakra, burns energy.
Moss Agate: Emotional priorities, mental priorities; circulatory, pancreas & pulses, blood sugar balance, agriculture.
Mystical power : Agate guards against danger. Wearers become temperate, continent and cautious. It helps one view themselves with more clarity and see the world through a broader viewpoint. Wearing Agate is believed to cure insomnia and to insure pleasant dreams.
Deposits : Important sources of agate are Russia (Ural mountains), Brazil, Eygpt, Germany, India, Italy, Madagascar, Mexico, Uruguay and the USA (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana ).
- Alexandrite
Gemstones: Alexandrite
Alexandrite is a stone of good omen.
Color : The best known and most widely used variety of chrysoberyl is an alexandrite. Because of its great power of absorption of certain colors, alexandrite looks green in daylight and reddish purple in artificial light.
Description : BeAl2O4 Alexandrite is a remarkable and valued variety of chrysoberyl that when viewed along the different crystallographic (optical) axes, changes from columbine red to orange yellow to emerald green.
The name's origin : Alexandrite is named after Czar Alexander's II.
Birthstone : Alexandrite along with pearls and moonstone are birthstones of Gemini (Twins): May 21 - June 21.
Wedding anniversary : Alexandrite is the anniversary gemstone for the 45th and 55th year of marriage.
Care and treatment : Protect alexandrite from scratches, sharp blows, harsh chemicals and extreme temperatures.
From the stone history : Alexandrite was discovered in 1831 in the Ural Mountains (Russia) on the Czar Alexander II birthday.
Shopping guide : Alexandrite is a beautiful rare stone which is quite expensive. It is very difficult to find natural alexandrite. Most Alexandrites on the market are synthetic. Alexandrite rings are very beautiful. If Alexandrite is set in a ring, the wearer can watch the color change.
Healing ability : Alexandrite helps fighting low self-esteem. Improves central nervous system disorders. Alexandrite relieves spleen & pancreas problems.
Mystical power : Alexandrite is a stone of good omen. Alexandrite can assist one in centering the self, reinforcing self-esteem, and increases ones ability to experience joy.
Deposits : Alexandrite is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, Russia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
- Amazonite
Gemstones: Amazonite
Amazonite makes your married life happier.
Stone's names : Amazonite, Amazonstone.
Color : Amazonite varies in color from yellow-green to blue-green and may also exhibit fine white streaks.
Description : KAlSi3O8 Amazonite is a gemstone variety of green microcline, a feldspar mineral. It is usually opaque and therefore is cut en cabochon (with a rounded and convex polished surface).
The name's origin : Although its name is derived from the Amazon River, no deposits have been found there.
Care and treatment : As with all gemstones, care should be taken to protect amazonite from scratches and sharp blows. Store amazonites in separate boxes.
From the stone history : Articles made of amazonite were found in Ancient Egypt. The Pikes Peak district of Colorado, U.S., became the most important source of amazonite after 1876. When samples were unveiled at the Centennial Exhibition, their impressive purity and size eventually forced competing Russian mineral dealers out of business.
Shopping guide : Note that amazonite is frequently confused with jade.
Healing ability : Amazonite makes your skin better. Releases fear and anxiety.
Mystical power : Amazonite makes your married life happier.
Deposits : Amazonite has been mined in Minas Gerais (Brazil), Colorado (U.S.), Ontario and Quebec (Canada), Baveno (Italy) and the Ural Mountains of Russia.
- Amber
Gemstones: Amber
Amber - allowing happiness to come through.
" Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber" Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse V
Color : Amber can vary in color from yellow to red, from green to blue, but amber's color is usually honey brown. The best commercial amber is transparent, but some varieties are cloudy. Sometimes insects or pieces of earth, leaves, pine needles and inclusions of small plant and animal fossils are present in the amber.
Description : Amber is a fossilized tree resin of now-extinct conifer trees and ancient pine trees. It is an amorphous hydrocarbon and may contain particles of various foreign materials, trapped insects, and air bubbles. Its lustre is greasy to resinous. The resin must be several million years old to be called amber. Recently hardened resins are called copals.
The name's origin : Amber derives its name from Middle English ambre, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin ambra, from Arabic anbar ambergris.
Care and treatment : As amber is soft, it can be easily scratched. Be certain to store amber jewelry separately from your other jewelry.
From the stone history : Amber is treasured and used for centuries in jewelry. It was familiar to Paleolithic peoples and to the Greeks and Romans, who used it extensively in jewelry. Amber has been used for decoration since the stone age. Amber is perhaps the oldest substance used for human adornment. Amber beads and pendants were found in Northern Europe gravesites dating back to 8000 B.C.E. Jurassic Park made amber famous! The book and the movie used the idea that amber containing an ancient mosquito might be the key to recreating dinosaurs. The basic goal was to remove blood from the gut of a mosquito which had fed on a dinosaur just before being trapped in tree resin which later became amber.
Shopping guide : Amber is one of the most popular stones collected today. Amber with special markings such as the intials of ones name is a great protective talisman. Nowdays amber is used in the manufacture of beads, amulets, mouthpieces, cigar and cigarette holders, pipes, and other small ornamental objects. Be ware of plastic, glass, synthetic resin and other natural resins amber imitations.
Healing ability : Amber is excellent for eyes, and for glandular swellings of the throat and lungs. Amber balances endocrine and digestive network.
Mystical power : Amber brings good luck. It is associated with time, cycles and longevity. Amber is also regarded as being highly sensual and magnetic. Amber insures very long enjoyment of the qualities that make the wearer attractive. Amber has long been associated with healing energy and mental stimulation, and is said to balance aggressive traits.
Deposits : The most famous source of the world's amber is the Baltic coast of Germany. Amber is also found off the coasts of Sicily and England and in Myanmar (Burma). In the Western Hemisphere, there are rich deposits in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the state of New Jersey. An especially rich bed of amber in New Jersey has yielded over 100 previously unknown extinct Cretaceous species dating back as much as 94 million years. Because of amber's preservative qualities, the DNA of the specimens trapped inside is intact, affording scientists a unique opportunity to study the DNA of extinct species.
- Amethyst
Gemstones: Amethyst
Amethyst - one of the Earth's beautiful stones.
Color : Found in abundance, in its purest form, Amethyst is colorless. The finest quality Amethyst is medium to medium dark in tone, vivid in intensity, and purple, reddish purple to bluish purple in hue. Heating removes the color from amethyst or changes it to the yellow of citrine. Most commercial citrine is made in this manner.
Description : SiO2 Amethyst is the most valuable transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz that is valued as a semiprecious gem for its violet color. It contains more iron oxide Fe2O3 than any other variety of quartz, and experts believe that its color arises from its iron content. Other theories attribute the color to contained manganese or hydrocarbons. All forms of quartz (including amethyst) are piezoelectric, making for important applications in electronics. Tourmaline is the only other gemstone that possesses this property.
The name's origin : Amethyst derives its name from Middle English amatist, from Old French, from Latin amethystus, from Greek amethustos, not drunk or intoxicating.
Birthstone : Amethyst is the birthstone of Aquarius (Water Bearer): Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Wedding anniversary : Amethyst is anniversary gemstone for the 4th and 6th year of marriage.
Varieties : Oriental amethyst, or purple sapphire, is not quartz but a variety of corundum, a much harder and rarer stone.
Care and treatment : Amethyst often becomes paler if kept out in the sun. Clean your Amethyst in ultrasonic jewelry cleaner or with warm, soapy water and a soft bristle brush. Keep away from strong chemicals and avoid sudden temperature changes. Remember that in any type of repair involving heat, Amethyst must be removed from the setting.
From the stone history : The story of the origin of amethyst comes from Greek legends: The god of wine, Bacchus, was insulted one day by a mere mortal. He swore the next mortal that crossed his path, would be attacked by his fierce tigers. Along came a beautiful maiden named Amethyst. Goddess Diana turned Amethyst in a beautiful statue of quartz to save her from the tigers claws. Remorseful Bacchus wept tears of wine over the stone maiden, creating a lively purple stone. Purple color has long been considered a royal color so it is not surprising that amethyst has been so popular through the history. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. There are evidences that around 3,000 B. C. in Egypt and in anterior Asia were made jewels of Amethyst. The Amethyst is perhaps as popular today as it was in ancient time.
Shopping guide : Amethyst is a wonderful affordable purple gemstone. Purple has long been the color of royalty and nobility. It is a deep, passionate color that evokes emotions. People who desire purple colors are individuals who like to make a personal statement, and express their unique taste. Designers celebrate Amethyst as the ideal choice for jewelry due to its regal color, variety in size and shape, affordability, and wide tonal range from light to dark purple. The pale colors are sometimes called "Rose de France" and can be seen set in Victorian jewelry. The deep colors are the most valuable, particularly a rich purple with rose flashes. Amethyst is wonderful in rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets. It is given as a symbol of sincerity, security, and peace of mind. Healing ability: Ametyst magnifies psychic abilities and right-brain activity. It strengthens immunity, while energizing and purifying the blood. Ametyst relieves headaches, improves blood sugar imbalance.
Mystical power : The Greek work "amethystos" basically can be translated as "not drunken" , expresses the ancient folk belief that the stone protects its owner against drunkenness. As the myth goes, drinking wine from an Amethyst goblet would prevent one from becoming inebriated. The gemstone still symbolizes sobriety. Amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy. Because of that, amethyst was very important in the ornamentation of churches in the Middle Ages. Bishops still often wear amethyst rings. Amethyst is associated with a number of superstitions, being regarded as a love charm, and as a protection against thieves. In Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned from it. Placed under the pillow at night, the beautiful amethyst is believed to produce a calm and peaceful sleep. Amethyst is given as a symbol of sincerity, security, and peace of mind.
Deposits : Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Siberia, Canada, India, Bolivia, and Argentina and some African countries. Zambia being a significant source for Amethyst. Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.
- Aquamarine
Gemstones: Aquamarine
Aquamarine - a symbol of beauty, honesty, and loyalty.
Color : Aquamarines are found in a range of blue shades, from the palest pastel to greenish-blue to a deep blue. While the choice of color is largely a matter of taste, the deeper blue gems are more rare. Aquamarine is a pastel gemstone, and while color can be quite intense in larger gemstones, the smaller Aquamarines are often less vivid.
Description : Be3Al3(SiO3)6 Aquamarine is pale greenish blue or bluish green variety of beryl. Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum silicate, a commercial source of beryllium. It has long been of interest because several varieties are valued as gemstones. These are aquamarine, emerald and heliodor. Aquamarine is the most common variety of gem beryl, it occurs in pegmatite, in which it forms much larger and clearer crystals than emerald.
The name's origin : Aquamarine name is derived from Latin words meaning sea and water, therefore name "aquamarine" means sea water.
Birthstone : Aquamarine along with bloodstone are birthstones of Pisces (Fish): Feb. 19 - March 20.
Wedding anniversary : Aquamarine is the anniversary gemstone for the 16th and 19th year of marriage.
Care and treatment : As with all gemstones, care should be taken to protect aquamarine from scratches and sharp blows. Keep aquamarine jewelry in the dark place, as it often becomes paler if left out in the sun. Clean your Aquamarine in ultrasonic jewelry cleaner or with warm, soapy water and a soft bristle brush.
Shopping guide : Aquamarine is a beautiful affordable gemstone found in a range of blue shades. The highest quality aquamarine is transparent. Aquamarine is a hard gemstone making it a good choice for jewelry that is worn frequently like aquamarine rings. However due to its delicate color and clarity it is best displayed in a more prominent position such as in earrings and pendants. A nice, medium dark blue aquamarine is a perfect gift for any occasion, but especialy for weddings, as aquamarine is a symbol of beauty, honesty, and loyalty. When buying aquamarine jewelry for yourself, note that wearring aquamarine in earrings brings love and affection. In its finest color aquamarine will be a rather dark blue, rivaling a nice medium blue sapphire. But they are rare and expensive. Be ware far too many blue topaz have been sold as aquamarines, as blue topaz is much cheaper. For many years aquamarine is a favorite of many consumers.
Healing ability : Aquamarine works against nerve pain, glandular problems, toothache, and disorders of the neck, jaw and throat. It strengthens liver and kidneys. Aquamarine diminishes problems with eyes, ears and stomach, relieves cough. Moreover, aquamarine protects from perils of the sea, including seasickness. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Mystical power : Aquamarine has a soothing effect on "just married" couples, assisting them in working out their differences and insuring a long and happy marriage. Aquamarine is said to re-awaken love in long-married couples and signify the making of new friends. It also provides courage and strengthens the will. Aquamarine protects against the wiles of the devil. Others say that the Aquamarine is an excellent stone for meditation.
Deposits : Aquamarine is found in Brazil, India, Russia (Ural mountains) and USA (Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina, Colorado and Vermont). Aquamarines are mined in a number of exotic places including Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan and Mozambique. Brazil is the source of the finest aquamarines.
- Aventurine
Gemstones: Aventurine
Aventurine - a stone of confidence and tranquility.
Stone's names: Aventurine, avanturine.
Color : Aventurine is a soft green semi-translucent to mostly opaque stone with mica flecks. Aventurine also comes in silvery, yellow, reddish brown, greenish-brown, bluish green and orange. It contains inclusions of small crystals that reflect light and give a range of colors - depending on the nature of the inclusion.
Description : Aventurine is composed of two gem minerals, one is a plagioclase feldspar and the other is quartz . Both have a sparkling reflection from oriented minute inclusions of mica or hematite, which cause a slight metallic iridescence.
The name's origin : Aventurine derives its name from Italian - per avventura - by chance.
Wedding anniversary : Aventurine is the anniversary gemstone for the 8th year of marriage.
Care and treatment : Translucent aventurine often fades in the sun, therefore the aventurine jewelry is better kept in the dark place. From the stone history : For many centuries aventurine is used for jewelry, candelabra, girandoles, pipes, vases and bowls (sometimes very large), and for other ornamental objects. Unique ancient vase made of bright aventurine is displayed in Hermitage, art museum in St. Petersburg (Russia).
Shopping guide : Aventurine is a very charming inexpensive stone. It's claim to fame is having inclusions that look like sparkles. This is an easy identifying factor often called aventurescence. There was a custom of assigning various Masculine and Feminine Saints with a particular gem for use in talismans. The name Andrew or Andre (i.e. patron Saint Andrew) is associated with Aventurine.
Healing ability : Avanturine is said to increase libido. Releases fear and anxiety. Green aventurine strengthens one's blood and muscle tissues.
Mystical power : Aventurine is said to increase confidence, and gratitude, promotes emotional tranquility and positive attitudes. Aventurine is a wonderful stone to use daily, especially during meditation and prayer.
Deposits : Aventurine is found in Brazil, India, China, Japan, Russia, Tanzania, and USA. Extensive beds in mica schist occur in the Russian Ural Mountains. Green aventurine, colored by a chrome mica, has been found in the state of Tamil Nadu (formerly Madras), India, China, and in Rutland (Vermont).
- Bloodstone
Gemstones: Bloodstone
Stone's names: Bloodstone, Heliotrope
Color: Bloodstone is a green stone with red spots. It also occurs in shades of dark green with red, brown and multicolored spots. The iron minerals cause the deep red and brown colors.
Description : Bloodstone is dark-green variety of the silica mineral chalcedony that has nodules of bright-red jasper distributed throughout its mass. Polished sections therefore show red spots on a dark-green background, and from the resemblance of these to drops of blood it derives its name. Its physical properties are those of quartz.
The name's origin : Bloodstone is a stone with red spots which resemble drops of blood, so it is received its name due to this similarity. Heliotrope derives its name from Greek words meaning sun and turning.
Birthstone : Bloodstone along with aquamarine are traditional birthstones of Pisces (Fish): Feb. 19 - March 20.
Care and treatment : Protect bloodstone from scratches, sharp blows, harsh chemicals and extreme temperatures. The polish will be removed if you get this type of stone wet.
From the stone history : In the Middle Ages, bloodstone was attributed special powers as the spots were thought to be the blood of Jesus Christ. It was used in sculptures representing flagellation and martyrdom.
Shopping guide : Bloodstone is an inexpensive stone. It is often used for pendants and bead necklaces.
Healing ability : In ancient times, bloodstone was thought to be able to stop hemorrhages with the merest touch. Bloodstone relieves stomach and bowel pain. It strengthens blood purifying organs and improves blood circulation. Bloodstone has a positive influence on a bladder.
Mystical power : Bloodstone is used to help one become more knowledgeable in the ways of the world. Bloodstone is also believed to be a very magical stone.
Deposits : Bloodstone is found in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Kathiawar Peninsula and the USA (Wyoming).
- Chalcedony
Gemstones: Chalcedony
Chalcedony promotes calm and peace.
Chalcedony promotes calm and peace.
Stone's names: Chalcedony, Calcedony.
Color: Chalcedony can be virtually any color of the rainbow. It is commonly pale blue, yellow, brown or gray with nearly waxlike luster. A white, buff, or light tan species of chalcedony are also occured.
Description: SiO2 Chalcedony is a finely crystallized or fibrous quartz that forms rounded crusts, rinds, or stalactites in volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Chalcedony is a precious stone that occurs in many forms, colors, and shapes. Chalcedony, agates, jaspers, bloodstone, cornelian, onyx, and chrysoprase all make up the chalcedony gemstones. Chalcedonic pseudomorphs after other minerals often give rise to very interesting specimens. Other physical properties are those of quartz.
Care and treatment: Protect chalcedony from scratches, sharp blows, harsh chemicals and extreme temperatures.
From the stone history: The Romans prized chalcedony as seals, and the Victorians carved them into an endless array of cameos and intaglios. Chalcedony was used in Renaissance magic for health and safety. In all ages chalcedony has been the stone most used by the gem engraver, and many colored varieties are still cut and polished as ornamental stones. Chalcedony is one of the gemstones, that used in commesso, also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly colored, semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century. The stones most commonly used are agates, quartzes, chalcedonies, jaspers, granites, porphyries, petrified woods, and lapis lazuli. Commesso pictures, used mainly for tabletops and small wall panels, range from emblematic and floral subjects to landscapes.
Shopping guide: Chalcedony is an inexpensive stone. It is one of the best wearing stones on the market. Chalcedony also one of the most collected gemstones today.
Healing ability: This beautiful stone is believed to banish fear, hysteria, depression, mental illness and sadness. Chalcedony reduces fever. Wearing chalcedony is believed to be excellent for eyes.
Mystical power: Chalcedony prevents from touchiness and melancholy. Worn by many to promote calm and peace. Chalcedony also stimulates creativity.
Deposits: Chalcedony is found in many parts of the world, but the most prized Chalcedony are from India, Madagascar, Burma, Brazil, Mexico & USA.
- Charoite
Gemstones: Charoite
Charoite - A Stone for Courage.
Color: The colors in each piece of Charoite range from bright lavender, violet and lilac to dark purple with both white, gray and black veining. It forms a swirling pattern of interlocking crystals. Royal lavendar flows with chatoyant streaks of white around bits of black, peach and opalescent gray.
Description: (Ca,K,Na)3Si4O10(OH,F)H2O. Charoite is an unsual mineral and of rare occurence. It formed from alteration of limestones by the close presences of an alkali-rich nephline syenite intrusion. The heat, pressure and more importantly, the infusion of unique chemicals into the rock is responsible for the transformations into new minerals such as charoite.
The name's origin: Charoite is named after the nearby Charo River.
From the stone history: The Russians first discovered charoite in 1947 in the Murun mountains in Yakutia, but it was not known in the West until 1978. Charoite is used as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.
Healing ability: Put charoite beneath your pillow, especially if you are prone to disturbed sleep or fears which surface in dreams. In combination with amethyst, it will help to release these fears.
Mystical power: Mystical power: Charoite is said to be useful for the cleansing and purification of one's energy body as well as for the transmutation of negative energies within oneself. Charoite transmutes negativity and cleanses the aura. Charoite facilitates the release of fear and dissolution of negative energies encountered in the process of aligning with your soul's purpose. Work with Charoite to foster a synthesis between the heart and crown chakra, walk your spiritual path with awareness, and manifest your soul's wisdom and light in daily life. The purple color of Charoite, among its other roles, helps to bring us closer to spirit by showing us that everything, even the thoughts we hold as true, can be dissolved and replaced with more empowering energies. The color black in this stone grounds the purple ray, and enables us to explore the nature of our fears; while white represents the connection to spirit.
Deposits: Charoite is found in only one location - along the Chary River at Aldan in Russia. This part of Russia is known for its forbidding climate and terrain and as a traditional place of exile for political prisoners. Why charoite has not been found in other locations is not fully understood. But it is probably due to a combination of a chemically unique limestone reacting with a chemically unique intrusion and subjected to unique physical conditions.
The information for mineralogist: Charoite has a hardness of from 5 - 6 on the MOHS scale.
- Citrine
Gemstones: Citrine
Color: Pale yellow to a madeira orange in all of its glorious golden and yellow colors. The yellow color is from the presence of iron, the darker the color - the higher the grade.
Description: SiO2 Citrine is transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz . Citrine is a semiprecious gem that is valued for its yellow to brownish color and its resemblance to the rarer topaz. Natural citrine is rare compared to amethyst or smoky quartz , both of which are often heated to turn their natural color into that of citrine.
The name's origin: The name citrine is derived from the French word citron - lemon.
Birthstone: Citrine along with topaz are birthstones of Scorpius (Scorpion): Oct. 24 - Nov. 21 .
Wedding anniversary: Citrine is the anniversary gemstone for the 17th year of marriage.
Care and treatment: Citrine can be easily scratched. Citrine permenantly changes color if left in the sunlight for several hours, hence citrine jewelry should be kept away from prolonged exposure to strong light or heat.
From the stone history: Citrine is a gemstone which has been used in Greece since the Hellenistic period (end of the 4th to the end of the 1st century BC).
Shopping guide: Citrine is a beautiful translucent yellow gemstone. The larger the stone, the more golden the tone. It is a popular and affordable alternative to the much more expensive yellow sapphire or yellow diamond. To create wondeful multi-colored jewelry, it is often combined with other stones such as: peridot, amethyst, and garnet. Citrine is often marketed under various names that confuse it with topaz to inflate its price. It may be distinguished from topaz by its inferior hardness and from decolorized amethyst by its lack of reddish cast.
Healing ability: Citrine is valuable in the treatment of depression, it eliminates self-destructive tendencies. Citrine is said to stimulate memory. It aids digestion, and removes toxins from the body. Citrine is a good healing stone, especially for heart, kidney and liver. It helps fighting diabetes.
Mystical power: Citrine symbolizes light-heartedness, joy and happiness. Citrine is a great protective talisman. It calms and soothes. Citrine is the signature of wisdom and peace. It stimulates the mental body and aids the opening of the bridge between higher mental body and intuitional levels. Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit. It enhances creativity, and motivates writers.
Deposits: Citrine is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Spain, Uruguay, Scotland, USA (California, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada) and Russia. Brazil is the main source of citrine.
- Coral
Gemstones: Coral
Color: Coral comes in a variety of colors: in red, rose, orange, blue, white and black.
Description: Coral is the skeletal material of calcium carbonate, built up by small animals that live in colonies in the sea. Red, pink, and white coral is mostly calcium carbonate. Black and golden coral is conchiolin. Coral is usually branchlike and occurs in a variety of colors, of which the most sought after are rose red to red. In addition to coral, a number of other organic materials, including amber, pearl, ivory, and jet, are considered gems.
Wedding anniversary: Coral is the anniversary gemstone for the 35th year of marriage.
Care and treatment: Coral is especially fragile. Protect coral from scratches and sharp blows. Store corals in separate boxes. Also avoid large temperature changes. Do not clean coral in a home ultrasonic cleaner.
From the stone history: A variety of forms were used in the Indian jewelry for the earrings, in which pearls, filigree, gems, and coral appeared in floral compositions based on the contrast between the different colors. Coral is thought by the ancients to be a stone.
Shopping guide: Corals are beautiful in rings, necklaces, and pendants. Coral is said to protect children and it is given as a gift to children in many countries. Coral is often imitated by plastic, glass, porcelain, and stained bone. Natural coral has a distinctive wood grain texture which can help identify it as the real thing.
Healing ability: Coral is used in difficulties of the lungs and digestion. It relates to the circulation of the blood and to the heart. Coral helps restore harmony in the event of emotional conflict. It works against nutritional deficiencies, depression and lethargy.
Mystical power: Coral is said to cure madness and give wisdom. Coral is used to build an emotional foundation. Coral protects children. It aids in the safe crossing of rivers, passages through tempests. It excites nerve power, brilliancy and gladness and is a true health-giver. Note that coral loses its powers when broken.
Deposits: Coral is found on the African coasts, Australia, Japan, Mediterranean coasts, Malaysia, and the West Indies. The best coral comes from the Mediterranean Sea, particularly off the coasts of Algeria and Tunisia. A black horny coral growth, probably conchiolin, which hardens on exposure to air, has been obtained off the islands of Hawaii.
- Diamond
Gemstones: Diamond
Stone's names: Diamond, Brilliant.
Color: Diamonds are usually colorless. However, brown, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, red, gray and black variations are also found depending on the impurities present.
Description: C Native carbon Diamond is a mineral composed of pure carbon. It is difficult to accept that chemically this brilliant gemstone is the same as black opaque graphite and even ordinary soot.
Diamond is the hardest natural substance, with a hardness of 10 on Mohs' scale, so it can be cut or polished only by another diamond. It can be identified by its hardness and adamantine lustre. Despite its extreme hardness diamond is brittle and at 4,289 degree C a diamond will completely burn up leaving nothing behind.
Diamonds are the most popular gemstone of all time. Diamonds used for jewelry are graded on the basis of color from blue-white to yellow.
Grading also is done on the basis of purity, which varies from perfectly clear, extremely pure stones to those with many impurities and flaws. Diamonds are said to be of the first water when very transparent, and of the second or third water as transparency decreases. Diamond stones are weighed in carats (1 carat = 200 milligrams) and in points (1 point = 0.01 carat).
The hardness, brilliance, and sparkle of diamonds make them unsurpassed as gems.
The name's origin: Diamond derives its name from the Greek word adamas, which means "invincible".
Birthstone: Diamond is the birthstone of Aries (Ram): March 21 - April 19.
Wedding anniversary: Diamond is the anniversary gemstone for the 30th and 60th year of marriage.
Care and treatment: Diamonds should be stored separately. They can scratch other jewelry as well as each other.
From the stone history: Diamonds from Indian deposits were known in ancient times. In the West the limited use of diamonds began in the late Middle Ages. The diamond, was thought to give its wearer strength in battle and to protect him against ghosts and magic.The first river-bed diamonds were probably discovered around 800 B.C. Large demand provided an incentive for the production of false diamonds as early as 1675 in Paris.
Only 20 per cent of diamonds are suitable for cutting as gems. The rest are discolored or contain flaws. Because of their extreme hardness, diamonds have a number of important industrial applications. They are used in drill bits, glass cutters, masonry saws for shaping building stone, and for cutting other diamonds.
Shopping guide: Diamonds are special gifts due to their glamour, rarity, durability and beauty. Diamonds are welcome gifts for all occasions. They are beautiful symbols of love around the world.
A diamond with proper proportions will send all light entering the diamond out of the top of the stone. This is considered an ideal cut and what you should be looking for.
If you want a nice diamond be prepared to pay a nice price. Low price means low quality.
Be aware of numerous imitations of diamonds: cubic zirconia, synthetic moissianite, synthetic rutile, strontium titanate, colorless topaz, colorless sapphire, and many others. Scratching glass is useless test as many imitations made of quartz , which also scratches glass. Consult a professional, independent retail jeweler to insure you are getting the real thing.
If you are making a large investment in a diamond make sure that you are getting a diamond grading report from a reputable gemological laboratory.
Healing ability: Diamond is a great assistance for all brain diseases. It is beneficial in stomach area. Diamonds strengthen the owner's memory.
Mystical power: Diamonds give faith, purity, life, joy, innocence and repentance. They assist in developing concentration and in beeing straight-forward and honest. It is believed the diamond loses its brilliance with the health of the wearer, regaining it only when the owner recovers.
Diamond is an antidote to poison and is capable of detecting poison by exhibiting a moisture or perspiration on its surface. Supposedly, the higher quality the diamond, the better it supports these qualities.
Deposits: Diamonds are mostly found in Australia, Ghana, Zaire, Russia, USA (Arkansas, California, Colorado, and North Carolina), and Brazil.
Famous diamonds:
Jubilee diamond, flawless, clear white diamond weighing almost 651 carats in rough form, it was found in the Jaegersfontein mine in South Africa in 1895. It was faceted into a cushion brilliant of about 245 carats in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, from which it takes its name.
Cullinan diamond in 1905, the world's largest-known uncut diamond. When found by a worker loading a truck in the De Beers mine at Jagersfontein, Orange Free State, on June 30, 1893, the blue-white stone weighed about 995 carats. After long study the Excelsior diamond was cut (1904) by I.J. Asscher and Company of Amsterdam into 21 stones ranging in weight from less than 1 carat to more than 70 carats. Cullinan diamond, world's largest gem diamond, which weighed about 3,106 carats in rough form when found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, S.Af. Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, who had discovered the mine three years earlier, the colorless stone was purchased by the Transvaal government and was presented (1907) to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII. It was cut into 9 large stones and about 100 smaller ones by I.J. Asscher and Company of Amsterdam.
Excelsior diamond, which until the discovery of the Cullinan had been the largest known diamond. The stones cut from the Cullinan diamond, all flawless, are now part of the British regalia. The two largest are the largest cut diamonds known, and the larger of these is the Great Star of Africa, or Cullinan I, a 530.2-carat, pear-shaped gem set in the English sceptre. The other is the most valuable stone in the imperial state crown, the 317-carat Cullinan II, sometimes called the Second Star of Africa.
Hope diamond, sapphire-blue gemstone from India, one of the largest blue diamonds known. It is thought to have been cut from a 112-carat stone brought to France by the jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and purchased by Louis XIV in 1668 as part of the French crown jewels. This stone, later called the French Blue, was recut into a 67-carat heart in 1673 and disappeared after the crown-jewel robbery of 1792. The 45.5-carat Hope diamond, named for the London banker Thomas Hope, who purchased it in 1830, was apparently formed from it. The Hope diamond is on display in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Regent diamond, also called PITT DIAMOND, a brilliant-cut stone with a slight blue tinge that once was the outstanding gem of the French crown jewels; it was discovered in India in 1701 and weighed 410 carats in rough form. It was purchased by Sir Thomas Pitt, British governor in Madras, who published a letter in the London Daily Post to counter rumours that he had stolen the gem. The stone was cut to a 141-carat cushion brilliant called the Pitt diamond and was purchased in 1717 by the Duke of Orleans, regent of France--hence its present name. In 1792 it was stolen along with other crown jewels but was recovered. Napoleon I wore the stone in the pommel of his sword. It has been on display in the Louvre since 1887.
Great Mogul diamond, the largest diamond ever found in India. It was discovered as a 787-carat rough stone in the Golconda mines in 1650 and subsequently was cut by the Venetian lapidary Hortentio Borgis. The French jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier described it in 1665 as a high-crowned rose-cut stone with a flaw at the bottom and a small speck within. Its present location is unknown, and some believe that either the Orlov diamond or the Koh-i-noor may have been cut from this stone after its loss following the assassination of its owner, Nader Shah, in 1747.
Shah diamond, yellow-tinged stone of about 89 carats that bears three ancient Persian inscriptions, indicating it was discovered before 1591, probably in the Golconda mines in India. The inscriptions are to Nezam Shah Borhan II, 1591; Shah Jahan, son of Shah Jahangir, 1641; and Fath 'Ali Shah, 1826. Given to Tsar Nicholas I by Fath 'Ali Shah in 1829, it is displayed in the Diamond Fund of Russia in Moscow.
Orlov diamond, rose- cut gem from India, one of the Romanov crown jewels; it is shaped like half an egg, with facets covering its domed surface, and the underside is nearly flat. It weighs nearly 200 carats. According to legend, it was once used as the eye of an idol in a Brahman temple in Mysore and was stolen by a French deserter, who escaped with it to Madras. Others contend that the authenticated history of the Orlov extends to the middle of the 18th century, when the stone (believed to be the long-missing Great Mogul diamond) belonged to Nader Shah, king of Persia. After his assassination it was stolen and sold to an Armenian millionaire named Shaffrass. In either case, it was purchased in 1774 by Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, who in an unsuccessful attempt to regain favour gave it to Empress Catherine II the Great. Catherine had it mounted in the Romanov imperial sceptre, and it is now part of Russia's Diamond Fund (which contains the tsarist regalia) in Moscow.
Sancy diamond, fiery stone of Indian origin that is shaped like a peach pit and weighs 55 carats. It has a long history and has passed through many royal families. Purchased in Constantinople about 1570 by Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, the French ambassador to Turkey, it was lent to the French kings Henry III and Henry IV. Later it was purchased by Queen Elizabeth I of England and descended to the Stuarts. After the flight of James II from England to France in 1688, it reappeared among the French crown jewels of Louis XIV and was stolen with these in 1792. It reappeared in 1828, when it was purchased by the Russian prince Demidov, in whose family it remained until 1900. Later it became the property of Lady Nancy Astor.
Florentine diamond, clear, pale-yellow stone weighing 137 carats; of Indian origin, it was cut as a double rose with 126 facets. Once owned by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who lost it when he fell in battle in 1477, the stone came into the possession of Pope Julius II and the Medici family early in the 16th century. Maria Theresa of Austria acquired it through her marriage (1736) to the Duke of Tuscany, and it subsequently became part of the Austrian crown jewels. Seized by the Germans when they took over Austria just before World War II, it was recovered by the U.S. 3rd Army and returned to the Viennese by Gen. Mark Clark.
Star of the South, unblemished, 129-carat white diamond with a rosy glow, one of the largest ever found in Brazil; it weighed about 262 carats in rough form. It was discovered in 1853 in the Bagagem River (in Minas Gerais state) by a slave woman, who was given her freedom and pensioned as a reward.
- Emerald
Gemstones: Emerald
Color: Emeralds occur in a variety of green colors. The magnificent green color that gives extraordinary value to this gem is due to small amounts of chromium and vanadium. Some emeralds have yellowish to bluish overtones. The stone loses color when strongly heated.
Description: Al2Be3[Si6O18] Emerald is grass-green variety of beryl that is highly valued as a gemstone. The physical properties of emerald are essentially the same as those of beryl. Emeralds and are cut in a variety of different shapes, ranging from the traditional rectangular step-cut, known as the "emerald cut," to rounds, ovals, squares and cabochons. Because of emerald's high value, attempts were long made to manufacture it synthetically. These efforts finally met with success in the mid of thirties in Germany. Nowdays synthetic emeralds are manufactured in the United States. Aquamarine crystals are placed in a water solution and used as a seed to produce emeralds. The crystals thus grown appear very similar to natural crystals and rival them in color and beauty.
The name's origin: The name emerald comes indirectly from the Greek smaragdos, a name that seems to have been given to a number of stones having little in common except a green color.
Birthstone: Emerald is the birthstone of Taurus (Bull): April 20 - May 20.
Wedding anniversary: Emerald is the anniversary gemstone for the 20th, 35th and 55th year of marriage.
Varieties: Uralian emerald is in fact yellowish green or emerald-green andradite (variety of garnet).
Care and treatment: Clean your emerald with a soft, dry cloth. Oil is used during the stone treatment, therfore you should never clean an emerald with an ultrasonic cleaner because this oil could be removed or damaged. In addition, do not clean emerald in hot soapy water since it too can remove this oil. Avoid sudden temperature changes as emeralds lose their color when strongly heated.
From the stone history: The ancients appear to have obtained emeralds from Upper Egypt, where it is said to have been worked as early as 2000 BC, during the life of Pharaoh Sesostris III. Greek miners were working the mines in the time of Alexander the Great, and later the mines yielded their gems to Cleopatra. Cleopatra was an avid emerald collector. Remains of "Cleopatra's Mines" were discovered about 1817, they are situated on the Red Sea coast. South America's rich bounty of emeralds was discovered by 16th Century Spanish explorers, who found large emeralds in the possession of the Aztecs and Incas. The Moguls of India, including Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, loved emeralds so much they inscribed them with sacred text and wore them as talismans. Some of these sacred stones, called Mogul emeralds, can still be seen in museums and collections today. For example, one talismanic emerald is deep green and weighs 78 carats. Around the edge in Persian runs the inscription: "He who possesses this charm shall enjoy the special protection of G-d."
Shopping guide: Emeralds have long been cherished for their brilliant green beauty. Highly valued and desired, the brilliant green color of emerald has never ceased to dazzle. For centuries only those of great wealth could venture upon so priceless a gift, the symbol of faith, kindness and purity. A fine quality emerald of good color and clarity is more valuable than diamonds. There are a lot of unknowns about emeralds that may confuse you, as a consumer. Consult a professional, independent retail jeweler to insure you are getting the real thing.
Healing ability: Though not meant to replace traditional medical treatment, emerald is extensively used for physical and emotional healing. Emerald has refreshing soft green color, which has amazing healing powers for eyes, and it is a good talisman for any eye trouble. If worn about the neck or finger, emerald prevents convulsions in children. Emeralds are also an antidote for poisons and poisonous wounds. It aids with ailments of the spine. Emeralds help fighting all mental illness and neurological disorders.
Mystical power: Many virtues are ascribed to emerald. It is said to drive away evil spirits, and to preserve the chastity of the wearer. Emerald is said to bring wisdom. Believed by the ancients to empower the owner with foresight into the future, an emerald is regarded as an amulet for good fortune. The emerald gives faith, success in love, and discovery of false friends. It changes color in the presence of false friends or false witnesses. It promotes constancy of mind, true friendship, and felicity in domestic life. As a love token, it registers the degree of love. If pale, love is waning. An emerald symbolizes rebirth and youth. According to legends, emeralds strengthen the owner's memory, quicken the intelligence and assist in predicting the future. When worn, the stone is supposed to prevent epilepsy attack, and when held in the mouth it is believed to be a cure for dysentery. It is supposed to assist women at childbirth.
Deposits: Today, most of the world's emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil and Zambia, About 1830 emeralds were discovered in the Urals (Russia). They have been worked on the River Takovaya, northeast of Sverdlovsk, where they occur in mica or chlorite schist. Emeralds have been found, also in mica schist, in the Habachtal, Austria, in granite in Eidsvold, Norway, and in a pegmatite vein piercing slaty rocks near Emmaville, N.S.W., Australia. Fine crystals have been obtained from Hiddenite, N.C., in the United States.
- Garnet
Gemstones: Garnet
Color: The versatile garnet comes in a virtual rainbow of colors, including pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, violet, green, colorless, occasionally black, brown and many shades of red and green. The most common color of garnets is reddish brown. Bohemian Garnet is deep red gemstone, Russian Demantoid and African Tsavorite are vibrant green.
It can be translucent to transparent, sometimes opaque with a vitreous or resinous lustre. The best known type of garnet is red semi-precious stone pyrope, one of several red gems, which the ancients used to call Carbuncles.
Garnets are actually one of the largest families of gemstones. Most natural garnets are mixtures of two or more of the following pure species: pyrope, almandine, spessartine, uvarovite, grossular, andradite. Garnets occur in a very wide variety of formations, colors, and clarities.
- Hematite
Gemstones: Hematite
Stone's names: Hematite, Haematite.
Color: Hematites occur in opaque red or red-brown.
Description: Fe2O3 Iron oxide. Hematite is a silvery, shiny opaque stone that almost looks like metal. Hematite is heavy and relatively hard oxide mineral, that constitutes the most important iron ore because of its high iron content (70 percent) and its abundance.
The name's origin: Hematite derives its name from the Greek word haem (blood ) in allusion to its red color.
Varieties: Many of the various forms of hematite have separate names. The steel-gray crystals and coarse-grained varieties have a brilliant metallic lustre and are known as specular iron ore or looking glass ore. They are used as intaglios in men's signet rings. Thin scaly types are called micaceous hematite. Much hematite occurs in a soft, fine-grained, earthy form called red ochre or ruddle. Intermediate between these types are compact varieties, often with a reniform surface (kidney ore) or a fibrous structure (pencil ore). Red ochre is used as a pigment in paints and crayons, a purified form, rouge, is used to polish plate glass.
From the stone history: Ancient Egyptians used hematites as ornamental objects placed inside their tombs. Red ochre was used by preistoric artists in their cave paintings. Nowdays hematite may also be used as a polishing powder and as a paint pigment.
Shopping guide: As hematite hardness is 5.5 - 6.5 it will scratch glass, but is in turn scratched by quartz. It can be identified by this property and by its streak, which is the color of the dried blood.
Healing ability: Garnet helps fighting against venereal diseases, it has a positive influence on a bladder. This stone also helps to treat hysteria.
Mystical power: Said to be a good healing and grounding stone, it strengthens the body and improve resistantance to life's stresses. Hematite inspire inner life and helps to keep inward peace.
Deposits: The most important deposits of hematite come from a sedimentary deposit: the Lake Superior district in North America. Other important deposits include Minas Gerais (Brazil), Cerro Bolivar (Venezuela), Labrador, and Quebec.
- Iolite
Gemstones: Iolite
Stone's names: Iolite, Dichroite or Cordierite.
Color: Iolite is a transparent, violet-blue, light blue, blue, rich blue-violet stone.
Description: Mg2Al3O Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Iolite is a blue silicate mineral that occurs as crystals or grains in igneous rocks, only as a result of contamination of the magma by aluminous sediment. Iolite has a pleasing color of blue, but a rather extraordinary optical property. The gemstone changes colors depending upon which angle it is viewed from.
The name's origin: The name Iolite is derived from the Greek "los", meaning violet.
Varieties: The stones from the gem gravels of Sri Lanka have been called water sapphires due to the blue-violet color. Iolite is sometimes called dichroite because of its marked pleochroism: different colored light is transmitted in different directions.
From the stone history: Iolite, known as the Vikings' compass, due to it's ability to determine the direction of the sun on overcast days. When the legendary Viking mariners sailed the wide ocean, they used thin pieces of iolite as the world's first polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, they could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely. The natural mineral has little commercial use. When clear, iolite is cut as a gem. Synthetic magnesium iolite has a low thermal expansion and is used as a semirefractory material because of its resistance to thermal shock.
Shopping guide: Iolite necklaces and pendants wear better than iolite rings. Iolite is commonly cut into traditional shapes, and its most desirable color is a rich violet-blue. Iolite shows many colors in a single stone. It is very important to look at an iolite from several directions before you purchase, because the stone presents very different colors from different angles. If cut properly the stone shows its best blue color through the top of the stone. But viewed from another angle the stone may appear colorless. The price of iolites about the same as of nice amethysts in a good color. This pleasing violet gemstone is gaining widespread popularity for its beauty and its attractive affordability.
Deposits: Most of the Iolite available today comes from Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Madagascar and Brazil. Precambrian deposits of the Laramie Range,(Wyoming, USA), contain more than 500,000 tons of Iolite.
- Jasper
Gemstones: Jasper
Jasper brings joy into life.
Color: Jasper exhibits various colors, but chiefly brick red to brownish red. It owes its color to admixed hematite, but when it occurs with clay admixed, the color is a yellowish white or gray, or with goethite, a brown or yellow. Often jasper is multi-colored.
Description: SiO2 Jasper is opaque, fine-grained or dense variety of the silica mineral chert. Jasper, long used for jewelry and ornamentation, has a dull lustre but takes a fine polish. Its hardness and other physical properties are those of quartz.
The name's origin: The name jasper is from the Greek iaspis.
Care and treatment: The polish on jasper will often be washed away in water. Clean your jasper jewelry with a soft dry cloth.
From the stone history: In ancient writings the term jasper was chiefly applied to translucent and brightly colored stones, particularly chalcedony, but also was applied to the opaque jasper. Jasper was known as the great "rain-bringer" in the fourth century. For thousands of years, black jasper was used to test gold-silver alloys for their gold content. Rubbing the alloys on the stone, called a touchstone, produces a streak the color of which determines the gold content within one part in one hundred. Jasper is one of the gemstones, that used in commesso, also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly colored, semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century. The stones most commonly used are agates, quartzes, chalcedonies, jaspers, granites, porphyries, petrified woods, and lapis lazuli. Commesso pictures, used mainly for tabletops and small wall panels, range from emblematic and floral subjects to landscapes.
Shopping guide: Jasper is a very pretty, inexpensive gemstone. It is usually worn as beads or cabochon jewelry.
Healing ability: Medicinal values were long attributed to jasper, including a belief that wearing it strengthened the stomach. Jasper was also believed to cure gynecological problems.
Mystical power: Leopard skin Jasper is said to bring one what they need. Poppy Jasper is said to help bring joy into life. Opalite Jasper is said to help one sleep. Jasper was thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites.
Deposits: Jasper is common and widely distributed, occurring chiefly as veinlets, concretions, and replacements in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, as in the Urals, North Africa, Sicily, France, India, Venezula and Germany. Some varieties are color-banded, and beautiful examples of jasperized fossil wood are found in Arizona, U.S. In USA Jasper is also found in California, Utah and Wyoming.
- Lapis Lazuli
Gemstones: Lapis Lazuli
Stone's names: Lapis Lazuli, Lazurite.
Color: Lapis Lazuli occurs in various shades of blue with some qualities being speckled with white calcite and some with yellow pyrite. The finest Lapis Lazuli is even blue color with little or no veining from other elements.
Description: Lapis lazuli is a semiprecious stone valued for its deep blue color. The source of the pigment ultramarine, Lapis lazuli is not a mineral but a rock colored by lazurite. In addition to the sodalite minerals in lapis lazuli, small amounts of white calcite and of pyrite crystals are usually present. Because lapis is a rock of varying composition, its physical properties are variable.
The name's origin: The name lapis comes from word pencil in Spanish.
Wedding anniversary: Lapis Lazuli is the anniversary gemstone for the 7th and 9th year of marriage.
Care and treatment: Lapis Lazuli can easily be scratched or chipped. Water can dissolve the stone's protective coatings, hence clean your lapis lazuli jewelry with a soft dry cloth.
From the stone history: Lapis Lazuli with deep azure blue color, often flecked with golden pyrite inclusions, was treasured by ancient Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations and often worn by royalty. Lapis lazuli was widely used by Egyptians for cosmetics and painting . Persian legend says that the heavens owed their blue color to a massive slab of Lapis upon which the earth rested. Lapis Lazuli was believed to be a sacred stone, buried with the dead to protect and guide them in the afterlife. Lapis lazili is one of the gemstones, that used in commesso, also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly colored, semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century. The stones most commonly used are agates, quartzes, chalcedonies, jaspers, granites, porphyries, petrified woods, and lapis lazuli. Commesso pictures, used mainly for tabletops and small wall panels, range from emblematic and floral subjects to landscapes. Visit all-that-gifts.com - the online store that offer a large collection of pictures decorated with natural precious and semiprecious stones. For centuries Lapis Lazuli has been prized for jewelry. But it has also been used to make the beautiful blue paint ultramarine and has been used as a source of writing instruments. Ultramarine is used in paints, lacquers, and decorating materials. It has a particularly brilliant blue color and is very lightfast.
Shopping guide: Lapis lazuli has been widely used as a semiprecious stone throughout history. It is most often seen as a necklace of beads or carved pendants. Fine natural Lapis Lazuli can be rather pricey. Jewelry with the high quality stones with no calcite or pyrite veins can be quite expensive. Much of the jewelry that is sold as Lapis is an artificially colored jasper from Germany that shows colorless specks of clear, crystallized quartz and never the goldlike flecks of pyrite.
Healing ability: The stone is said to increase psychic abilities. Lapis is said to be a cure for melancholy and for certain types of fever. Lapis lazuli eliminates negative emotions. It relieves sore throat pain.
Mystical power: Traditionally believed to increase mental clarity, virility, and calm. Lapis Lazuli is energy focuser for teachers, lecturers and speakers. Enhances creative self-expression. It is believed to be useful in relieving depression and promoting spirituality. Lapis Lazuli is also powerful during meditation.
Deposits: The main supplies of Lapis Lazuli are found in the Afghanistan, Egypt, Canada, Chile, the US, and South America. The most important sources are the mines in Badakhshan, northeastern Afghanistan, and near Ovalle, Chile, where gemstone is usually pale rather than deep blue.
- Malachite
Gemstones: Malachite
Color: Malachite is an opaque, banded stone, the colors in the bands range from a very light green to almost deep green.
Description: Cu2CO3(OH)2 , Malachite is a semi-precious stone and also a valuable copper ore, hydrous copper carbonate. It is responsible for the green color of tarnished copper and bronze. Because of its distinctive bright green color and its presence in the weathered zone of nearly all copper deposits, malachite serves as a prospecting guide for that metal. Malachite has been used as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.
The name's origin: Malachite derives its name from Greek word malakos - soft. According to another theory the word malachite comes from Greek malhe, which means grass.
Wedding anniversary: Malachite is the anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage.
Care and treatment: Malachite is especially fragile. Protect malachite from scratches and sharp blows. Also avoid large temperature changes. Do not clean malachite in a home ultrasonic cleaner. Washing malachite in water will remove its protective polish. If setting or repairing in jewelry be careful of heat since a jeweler's torch can damage the stone.
From the stone history: Mining Malachite began as early as 4000 BC by ancient Egyptians. In the Middle ages, malachite was worn to protect from black magic and sorcery. In Ancient Greece amulets for children were made of malachite. In the New Stone Age came the discovery of the possibility of extracting certain metals from the ores in which they generally occur. Probably the first such material to be used was malachite, then already in use as a cosmetic and easily reduced to copper in a strong fire. It is impossible to be precise about the time and place of this discovery, but its consequences were tremendous. Namely it led to the search for other metallic ores, to the development of metallurgy.
Shopping guide: Malachite is a beautiful green earth stone with irregular black banding. It is easily recognized by its color, green streak, and silky or velvety lustre. It is beautiful in earrings, necklaces, and pendants. Imitation malachite has very regular black or white banding.
Healing ability: Malachite is said to aid in the regeneration of body cells, creates calm and peace, and aids one's sleep.
Mystical power: A gorgeous stone, Malachite is worn by many to detect impending danger. This beautiful green stone offers bands of varying hues and is believed by many to lend extra energy. It is believed that gazing at Malachite or holding it relaxes the nervous system and calms stormy emotions. Malachite is said to bring harmony into one's life. It is also believed that malachite gives knowledge and patience. Malachite is used as a children's talisman to ward off danger and illness. It is attached to infant's cradles.
Deposits: The most important mine is in Zaire. Notable occurrences are in Ural, Siberia, France, South Australia, Namibia and USA (Arizona).
- Moonstone
Gemstones: Moonstone
Moonstone - brings love into ones life.
Color: Moonstones come in a variety of colors, ranging from colorless to white, gray, brown, yellow, orange, green, or pink. Clarity ranges from transparent to translucent.
Description: (K, Na) AlSi3O8, Moonstone (also called rainbow moonstone) is soft milky white stone, the most valuable variety of feldspar with an rainbow sheen. Moonstone shows a silvery or bluish iridescence, that is caused by the intergrowth of two different types of feldspar with different efractive indexes. The term moonstone also has been applied to the plagioclase feldspars peristerite and labradorite, which also exhibit iridescence.
The name's origin: The moonstone named for its semblance in color to the moon.
Birthstone: Moonstone along with alexandrite and pearls are birthstones of Gemini (Twins): May 21 - June 21.
Wedding anniversary: Moonstone is the 13th anniversary stone.
Care and treatment: Moonstone can be easily scratched as it has a hardness of 6. Store moonstones carefully and never allow two specimens to touch each other.
From the stone history: Moonstone was very popular with the Romans, who thought it was formed out of moonlight, also used in Roman jewelry since 100 AD. In India moonstone is considered a sacred stone to this day.
Shopping guide: Stone has a rainbow-like array of colors and will pick up colors you wear. The best moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and a colorless body color. It is often worn in rings, pendants or bead necklaces.
Healing ability: Moonstone aligns vertebrae. It is good digestive aid. Moonstone also soothes and balances the emotions.
Mystical power: Moonstone is believed to be protective for women and babies. It's also associated with the sea and planting cycles. Moonstone is said to balance yin and yang. In India, moonstone is regarded as a sacred stone. It is believed to bring good fortune. Legend says that Moonstone is a highly prized gift for lovers as it arouses tender passion.
Deposits: Moonstone is found in Brazil, European Alps, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and USA (Pennsylvania and Virginia). Sri Lanka produces the highest quality moonstones.
- Obsidian
- Onyx
- Opal
- Pearl
- Peridot
- Tiger's-eye
- Topaz
- Tourmaline
- Turquoise
- Zircon
