AMBER...prehistoric fossilized tree
sap....sunny, beautiful amber....while the honey colored is the most
prevalent, it comes also in shades of a fantastic green--heat treated
to get this way, but beautiful all the same...I actually found some
amber while rock hounding in New Jersey...(see, good things DO come
from New Jersey)...not gem quality, but I was happy to find the small
pieces....
AMETHYST...one of my favorites in
gem stone and color....found mainly in Brazil and
Africa...unfortunately, some disreputable folks out there irradiate
their amethyst to give it a dark color...I do my best to find the
real McCoy...I have been lucky to find some small pockets of
amethyst while rock hounding---in New Jersey of all
places...amethyst is in the quartz family
CITRINE...is really in
the quartz family....from the palest yellow to dark orange....like warm
sunshine on a spring day....or the golden color of the harvest
moon......
JADE...mystery seems to surround
this stone.........it is cool and warm at the same time.....it is
translucent (Chinese & Taiwanese jade) or it can be opaque (African
jade)...the color range from all shades of green, white, yellow, pink
and lavender...Taiwanese jade is my favorite and what i use in my
creations---the color is rich and lush, not washed out like most
Chinese jade.
LAPIS...a truly royal stone (where
the phrase "royal blue" comes from).....known for it's rich, deep,
royal blue sometimes flecked with pyrite.....due to over mining, it
is getting more difficult to find quality lapis......it might not be
long before it disappears totally...today, almost all of the lapis
on the market is dyed.
MALACHITE...is a very sought after
stone.....the color, striations and patterns are what make this unusual
stone....besides jewelry, many things are carved out of malachite to
make striking decorations for the home: table tops, jewelry boxes, lamps
bases, tiles, etc.
Here is
something that I am sure most people do not know: malachite (powered,
then mixed with water and other stuff) is also used in certain
tropical fish medication...
aren't you
thrilled to have this bit of trivia?
ONYX...a beautiful black stone....very
popular throughout history....it has a depth and richness to it that most
black stones lack...
TURQUOISE...a stone that has been
synonymous with the south-west and Native Americans since the
beginning of time......it is a beautiful stone that varies in color
from the palest green to the deepest blue...and it is a stone I am
addicted to---I can never have enough of it...
