Apophyllite is used as an aid to meditation and helps us make a conscious connection with the spiritual world. It has been used to help in mind over matter (eg fire-walking) and astral travel. It ...
A pyramid is any man-made structure where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point. The base of a pyramid may be either quadrilateral or trilateral, meaning that a pyramid may have either three or four vertical sides, but all pyramids must have trilateral sides. The measurements of...
Garnet - aren't these the wonderfully deep red gemstones which are often found in antique jewellery? Well, this is only the partial truth, as a warm and deep red is indeed the most frequently occurring colour for Garnets. But unfortunately only few people know that the realm of Garnets holds...
Lapis is a gemstone straight out of fairy tales of the Arabian Nights: deepest blue with golden shining Pyrite inclusions which twinkle like little stars.This opaque, deep blue gemstone looks back at a long history. It was one of the first stones ever to be used and worn for jewellery....
Malachite is copper carbonate formed from very small crystals. It is usually found with alternating layers of light green and darker green. These color layers give malachite its distinctive appearance.Malachite is sometimes called the stone of transformation for its ability to help you on your path to spiritual growth. It...
Stilbite is a very angelic energy. It is very uplifting and joyous to meditate with. Sit down and gaze upon it and it will take you to the angelic realm. It inspires creation and artistic talents are enhanced. It energizes the Solar plexus chakra providing one with increased personal energy....
Since at least 2950 BC, jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone, yu. The character for jade resembles a capital I with a line across the middle: the top represents the heavens, the bottom the earth, and the center section, mankind. The word yu is used in...
The many colors of fluorite are truly wonderful. The rich purple color is by far fluorite's most famous and popular color. Fluorite Pebble with Silver BraceletClick to view this item It easily competes with the beautiful purple of amethyst. Often specimens of fluorite and amethyst with similar shades of purple are used in...
Hematite is the most powerful gemstone to use for grounding. It can help you clear away confusion and orient you toward practical action in the real world. It brings the energy of higher consciousness down through the chakras to your root, and helps you transform that energy into physical reality. Hematite bracelets are...
The name "topaz" is derived from the Greek topazos, "to seek," which was the name of an island in the Red Sea that was difficult to find and from which a yellow stone (now believed to be a yellowish olivine ) was mined in ancient times. In...
Spinel crystallizes in the isometric system; common crystal forms are octahedra, usually twinned. It has an imperfect octahedral cleavage and a conchoidal fracture. Its hardness is 8, its specific gravity is 3.5–4.1, and it is transparent to opaque with a vitreous to dull luster. It may be colorless, but is...
Ametrine is especially inexpensive when you consider that it comes from only one mine in the world. Amethyst and citrine colors found in the same crystal of quartz. These bicolor yellow and purple quartz gemstones are called ametrine. Ametrine is most typically faceted in a rectangular shape with a 50/50 pairing...
Opal is a sedimentary stone. Under proper conditions, water percolates through the earth, becoming rich in dissolved silicates. When it enters a cavity, the silicates are deposited as tiny spheres. If they are uniform in size and shape, they will diffract light. If they are random in shape and arrangement,...
This gemstone is called the gemstone of the Vikings, Iolite is also very often mistaken for Tanzanite. It derives it's name from the Greek work 'ios' which means violet. This gemstone is bluish violet in color, Iolite with prominent blue color tones resembles blue sapphire and in lighter blue violet...
A tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra) is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral," and is one of the Platonic solids. Tetrahedron
Facets are flat faces on geometric shapes. The organization of naturally occurring facets was key to early developments in crystallography, since they reflect the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure. Gemstones commonly have facets cut into them in order to improve their appearance. Of the many hundreds of facet arrangements that...
Colour is often light-blue or white, colourless. Lustre is vitreous, pearly and is translucent. The hardness scale: 3 - 3 1/2. This crystal grown in clusters and is brittle and factures unevenly. It may fade if exposed to direct sunlight. It has natural termination points.Some peices are like wands, wide,...
The name Aquamarine is derived from the Latin aqua (water) and mare (sea). Aquamarine is one of our most popular and best-known gemstones, and distinguishes itself by many good qualities. It is almost as popular as the classics; ruby, sapphire and emerald. In fact it is related to the emerald both...
Sodalite crystals are vitreous and transparent to translucent, however massive specimens can appear opaque. Although Sodalite appears similar to Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite is a royal blue rather than ultramarine and rarely contains Pyrite, a common inclusion in Lapis. It is further distinguished from similar minerals by its white streak of Calcite....
Sugilite, a fairly recent discovery (1944) is found in Japan, Canada and India. The most important occurrence was found in 1975 in the Kalahari Desert, Northern South Africa. In 1979 a large deposit of gem grade sugilite was found 3200 feet below the original discovery. Sugilite is named for the Japanese...
Tiger Eye is a durable quartz composite. It begins as the fibrous blue mineral called crocidolite, which is comprised of iron & sodium. Most of us known crocidolite as asbestos. The transformation begins when quartz becomes imbedded between the fibers of crocidolite. This process will result in one of two...