What On Earth is Green Aventurine?
Not all stones that glitter are gold -- some of them are Green Aventurine. Due to its natural charm, it is often used as beads or cabochons for jewelry pieces. Read on about this popular stone.
What On Earth is Apache Tears Obsidian?
Ancient lore holds that those who possess or hold an Apache Tear Obsidian should never shed a tear again. It is because the women of Apache already cried enough tears for everyone who mourns.
What On Earth is Apophyllite?
Since ancient times, Apophyllite stones have been used for healing practices by Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Indians. They were considered ‘miraculous’ and could heal various ailments.
What On Earth is Aragonite?
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral considered as a “cousin” of Calcite. But a glance at its history and unique properties will tell us that this ancient mineral is a gem in its own right. Read on to learn more about this 4.6-billion-year old mineral.
What on Earth is Azurmalachite?
Azurmalachite has a specific gravity of 3.6-4.0 which is higher than an ordinary rock. With a Mohs hardness of 4, this stone can easily scratch or break. This is why it is only used in applications that require minimal impact or abrasion.
What on Earth Is Ammonite?
Ammonite fossils have a flat spiralling shell with grooves, ridges, and a wide chamber or opening called phragmocone. These fossils can be turned into crystalized stones called Ammolites through the process of compression and mineralization.
What on Earth Is Ametrine?
Dealers and jewelry enthusiasts often keep an eye out on Ametrines that have a sharp boundary between yellow and purple. These gems are becoming rare and limited these days. Read on to unearth the history, lore, and metaphysical properties of this bi-coloured beauty.
What on Earth Is Almandine Garnet?
Like other garnet varieties, Almandine Stone is translucent and has a vitreous or glass-like luster. It can occur in different shapes: as an individual crystal, granular aggregate, or stream-worn pebble.
What on Earth Is Albite?
Compared to other feldspars, Albite takes a longer time to get crystallized. Because of this, the mineral can't take on a large and well crystallized form. Albite can be found in Canada, Brazil, Labrador, and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
What on Earth Is Blue Lace Agate?
Blue Lace Agate looks stunning when paired with pastel-coloured gemstones and sterling silver. When handpicking your stone, judge by its colour and clarity. Make sure it’s crystal clear and doesn’t have noticeable cracks or scratches.
What on Earth Is Onyx?
This mesmerizing banded variety of the oxide mineral, chalcedony , holds the beauty of the sky in all its phases. Its deep black base resembles the stillness of the night, with alternating curved bands of gray and white that mirror dusk, dawn, and day. Onyx is a translucent to opaque material, made of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2).
What on Earth Is Fulgurite?
Fulgurite is exactly the next best thing to holding a lightning bolt in your hand. When cloud-to-cloud lightning discharges into the surface of the earth, it will likely strike at organic materials such as sand, stone, and clay. These materials undergo rapid chemical and morphological transformations. This is how Fulgurite, or commonly known as a lightning fossil, takes shape. Fulgurites are natural glasses. They are sometimes referred to as heaven and earth’s work of art.
What on Earth Is Angelite?
Angelite is a trade-name for a semi-transparent, pale glacier-blue or lilac-blue anhydrite variant. Anhydrite crystals are evaporites, occuring in areas where gypsum stones have been in contact with water, which has then evaporated, leaving the crystals behind.
What on Earth is Smithsonite?
Smithsonite is a mineral ore of zinc that occurs in a variety of colors, such as brown, bluish-grey, purple, pink, blue, green, yellow, grey, white, and colorless. What sets it apart from other gems is the pearly-to-silky luster that gives it a specific play of light across the stone’s surface. Most notable localities where smithsonite is excavated are France, England, [...]
What on Earth is Snowflake Obsidian?
Snowflake obsidian is a variety of the obsidian stone which is black and includes numerous white spots resembling snowflakes. What produces the blotchy snowflake pattern is the inclusion of small, white spherulites (radially clustered crystals) of cristobalite in the obsidian. The gem can be found in the USA, Canada, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, New Zealand, Greece, Chile, Argentina, Peru, [...]
What on Earth is Specular Hematite?
Specularite or specular hematite is a beautiful stone with a silvery and shimmering surface and a black undertone that may come across as navy blue or grey. Sometimes it can occur in dull formations, but it usually has a distinct metallic luster and includes traces of mica. Specularite can be found worldwide, but it is primarily found in England, Italy, [...]
What on Earth is Spessartine Garnet?
Typically occurring in orange to reddish-brown, spessartine garnet is a rare gem that blends with other species of the garnet stone, such as Malaya and Mandarin garnets. Its colors may vary from black, gray, yellow, yellowish-brown, pink, red, dark red, brown, and orange, while some can be multicolored. Spessartine garnet can be found in the USA, Brazil, China, Sri Lanka, [...]
What on Earth Is Rutile?
Rutile might not be a stone one hears about often, but it’s a gorgeous, natural stone with many unique physical and metaphysical properties.The Physical Properties of RutileRutile is one of the five forms of titanium dioxide that are found in nature, and the uniqueness of its appearance can be perfectly described with its alternate name: angel hair. Most often it [...]
What on Earth Is Iceland Spar?
Iceland spar is a fascinating stone that you’ve likely seen on TV if you’ve watched the first episodes of History’s TV show Vikings. In those times, it was called the sunstone, but let’s see what we know about it today!The Physical Properties of Iceland SparIcelandspar is an optically clear variety of calcite, containing mainly carbon, calcium, and oxygen. It's colorless [...]
What on Earth Is Hiddenite?
Hiddenite is an interesting stone. It is a green-colored variety of spodumene that took some time for researchers and gemologists to define and catalog. Let’s have a closer look at this beautiful stone and its properties.The Physical Properties of HiddeniteHiddenite is the mineral variety of spodumene containing aluminum, lithium, oxygen, and silicon. Its striking, emerald-like green color has earned it [...]