Category Archives: Stone Jewelry

Pietersite Gemstone

Pietersite Gemstone

Pietersite Gem

Pietersite is the trade name for a (usually) dark blue-gray breccia aggregate made up mainly of hawk’s eye and tiger’s eye. It was discovered by a man named Sid Pieters in 1962 in Namibia. He registered his find in Britain and the discovery was published in 1964, named Pietersite in his honor. Currently there are only two known sources of pietersite; China and Africa. These two forms of pietersite are similar but still somewhat different from each other. The Chinese pietersite’s fibrous mineral is a magnesium-rich alkalic amphibole. The African (Namibian) variety is mainly crocidolite.

Pietersite belongs to a branch of the tigers eye family called riebeckite. Tiger’s Eye is what geologists refer to as a pseudomorph, one mineral that changes into another. Tiger’s Eye began its life as the mineral crocidolite, a form of asbestos. Unlike tigers eye, the surface of a Pietersite looks rather chaotic, with streaks and colors in every direction. This because during formation of the crystal, the materials that compose it were broken apart, swirled every which way, and then were reformed and cemented together by quartz. Stones and crystals that go through that process are referred to as brecciated.

Colors in Pietersite include various blues, golds and reds, that may appear together or alone. Blue is the rarest color, followed by red. The blues range from a baby blue to dark midnight hue. Golds can be light to very deep and rich, sometimes having a reddish hue. All fibrous color variations will have a superb and striking chatoyancy, the bright and subtly changing shimmer of color that moves along the surface of a gemstone as it is viewed from varying angles.

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Orthoclase Gemstone

Orthoclase

Orthoclase

Orthoclase, is an important tectosilicate mineral which forms igneous rock. It came from the Greek for “break straight”, and belongs to the feldspar family of minerals, which also include moonstone, amazonite, spectrolite and labradorite. Orthoclase is a transparent yellow feldspar resembling citrine quartz or yellow beryl and is primarily found in Madagascar. Orthoclase is often colorless or champagne-colored.

Orthoclase have a vitreous luster and resemble other feldspar minerals in crystal habit, methods of twining, and especially by having cleavage surfaces inclined to each other at an angle of 90 degrees, or nearly so. It is often white, gray or flesh-red in color and sometimes occurs as colorless crystals. All feldspars weather readily under the action of both atmospheric agencies and acidic surface waters, yielding a form of clay known as kaolin. Orthoclase is extensively used in the production of porcelain and glass.

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Mystic Topaz

Mystic Topaz

Mystic Topaz

Generally, Topaz of any type is a good jewelry stone and it is historically one of the most important gemstones. With its relatively high refractive index and hardness of 8 Mohs scale, with no special sensitivity to chemicals, it can be used, with appropriate care, which should be protected from hard knocks, in any jewelry application. The name topaz is most probably derived from an island in the Red Sea, “Topazos”, today called Zabargad, the ancient source of peridot.

While, Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect. This gemstone is an enhanced stone that is treated with special properties to give it an extra ordinary look. Mystic Topaz is a patented stone that is only sold in small amounts of numbers each year. However, this stone has become very popular and its popularity is likely to continue.

Topaz in general is very affordable and the sizes of the stones can be large in many cases. If you are looking for a great looking stone that is still traditional, but gives off a wonderful array of colors, look into Mystic Topaz. It should be noted that there are different stones that are sometimes used to create Mystic Topaz; however, usually the colorless stone will give the wearer the best results. Mystic Topaz comes in a variety of sizes and can be very affordable even in sizes above 1 carat.

Mystic Topaz is usually made from colorless Topaz. Colorless topaz is a common form of gemstone, however Mystic Topaz adds a very thin layer of titanium to the bottom of the stone (the pavilion). This small amount of coating causes the stone to give off a beautiful rainbow and iridescent colors. Most stones show beautiful blues, greens, yellows and even warm tinges of red.

Mystic Topaz does not occur naturally, however it is very affordable and usually used solely for ornamental jewelry. One of the more popular uses for this stone is for it to be set in a ring. However, it can also be found on earrings, bracelets and charms.


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Mystic Quartz

Mystic Quartz

Mystic Quartz

Quartz is one of the most common minerals on earth and is well known in the gems world. It is attractive and durable, as well as inexpensive, and can be cut and carved in many forms and sizes. Quartz is named after a Slavic word for “hard”. A new high tech enhancement process applied to colorless stones such as quartz and topaz produces an interesting new variety we call “Mystic Quartz”.
Mystic quartz displays a stunning rainbow effect that makes it all at once unique, fashionable and different.

The color, brilliance and clarity of the final product depends on the quality, cut and polish of the original gemstone. That’s why only by the first quality quartz that can makes mystic quartz. Mystic quartz displays all the colors of the rainbow in one stone. The shades of color are displayed in kaleidoscopic designs.

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The Pinky Morganite

Morganite

Morganite

In the first decade of the twentieth century, several new gemstone varieties were discovered in Pala, California. They include kunzite, the pink variety of spodumene; and morganite, the pink variety of beryl. Kunzite was named after the famous American gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, who spent most of his career as the chief gemologist at Tiffany & Co. Morganite was named in honor of the legendary financier and gem collector, J.P. Morgan. In fact it was Kunz who suggested naming the newly discovered beryl after Morgan, who was Tiffany’s largest customer.

Beryls are beryllium aluminium silicates rich in minerals. Pure beryl is colourless. However, on account of its structure, it is in a position to intercalate foreign elements such as iron, manganese, chrome or vanadium. If manganese is intercalated in beryl, the rather plain, colourless gemstone turns into an enchanting pink treasure: morganite. Today, this gemstone mainly comes from deposits in Brazil, Madagascar, Afghanistan and California. Its good hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale is the reason for its excellent wearing qualities.

There are morganites in many fine pink hues. Some are decidedly pink, whilst others tend more to lilac or light violet, or there may be a hint of orange. The color of morganite always emanates charm, esprit and a touch of tenderness. This gemstone has a wonderful gift: even in stressful times, it shows up the brighter aspects of life.

Alongside emerald and aquamarine, morganite is certainly the best known gemstone from the colorful group of the beryls. Women the world over love morganite for its fine pink tones which radiate charm, esprit and tenderness.

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The Green Rare Maw-Sit-Sit

Maw Sit Sit

Maw-Sit-Sit

Maw-sit-sit is one of the more unusual gemstones in the world, from its curious name to its variable chemical composition. It is a recent find, first identified in 1963 by the late Swiss gemologist Dr. Edward Gubelin. It was named after the village in northwestern Burma which is close to the site where it was first found. Typically maw-sit-sit is green with distinctive dark-green to black veining.

Maw-sit-sit is a chromium-rich metamorphic rock with brilliant emerald green blotches and bands interspersed with dark green-black blotches. It is found in Tawmaw, Myitkyina-Mogaung District, Kachin State, Myanmar. The source location for maw-sit-sit lies in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the historic imperial jadeite mines of northern Burma. Thus far maw-sit-sit has only been found in this single location, making it a rare material indeed. Because it is so rare, it is a popular gem among collectors but is not readily available through most jewelers. Because the gem is rare, it is typically set into gold rather than silver.

Some of the the confusion between jadeite and maw sit sit has to do with the fact that both stones are mined in the same area. For a long time, many assumed that maw sit sit was just a variety of the jade. It wasn’t until gemologist Eduard Gubelin studied the stones that it was determined that they are, in fact, two separate gemstones.

Maw-sit-sit is considered to be a rock rather than a mineral, since it is composed of a number of different minerals, including kosmochlor (a mineral related to jadeite) and varying amounts of jadeite and albite feldspar. It is often classified as a member of the jade family but it is not really a variety of jadeite. Sometimes maw-sit-sit is called a “cousin” of jade, which seems appropriate.

Mali Garnet, Another Precious

Mali Garnet

Mali Garnet

Mali Garnet, one of the rarer varieties within the garnet group, is a mixture of the species grossular and andradite, therefore it is sometimes called “grandite.”

In the large and varied garnet family of gemstones, there are six common varieties that are recognized based on their chemical composition: pyrope, almandine, spessartite, grossularite, uvarovite and andradite. There are also some mixed members, such as rhodolite garnet, which is a mixture of pyrope and almandite by composition. New hybrid garnets continue to be discovered. In 1994 a mixture of grossular and andradite garnet was discovered in the West African country of Mali, and was named mali garnet. This discovery drew a lot of interest because the grossular and andradite varieties are among the rarest and most valuable garnets. Members of the grossular group include tsavorite and hessonite. The most famous member of the andradite group is the rare demantoid garnet.

Grossular Garnet is found in a variety of colors including, yellow, brown, white, colorless, green, violet red, and orangey red. Stones from the deposit in Mali are typically yellowish green or brownish green. Some gemologists refer to them as a grossular-andradite mixture.

The most valuable mali garnet is the extremely rare chrome green color. Generally speaking, yellow, greenish yellow and yellowish green stones sell for higher prices than the brownish stones. As with any gem, size, clarity and cut can affect the value significantly, with dispersion being a special value factor for Mali garnets.

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A Purplish Lepidolite

Lapidolite Gemstone

Lapidolite

Lepidolite is a lilac-gray or rose-colored phyllosilicate mineral of the mica group that is a secondary source of lithium. The mineral is noteworthy as one of the major sources of the rare alkali metals rubidium and caesium.

The lithium content in lepidolite does vary greatly however and low lithium lepidolite is nearly useless as an ore of lithium. The typical violet to pink color of lepidolite is characteristic and is the only field test available to identify lepidolite from other micas. Pink muscovite or very pale lepidolite may confuse an identification.

When Lepidolite was first discovered in the 1700’s, it was given the name Lilalite, for its lavender color (from the Hindu word ‘lila’ meaning play, game). Scientists eventually renamed the stone lepidolite, from the Greek lepidos meaning “scale.” The reference is to the scaly appearance of lithium flakes in the mineral. Lepidolite is not technically a gemstone, but a very beautiful purplish referred to by healers as the Peace Stone. Lepidolite can be laid directly on painful parts of the body. It helps with nerve pain, sciatica, neuralgia and joint problems.

Lepidolite, like other micas, has a layered structure of lithium aluminum silicate sheets weakly bonded together by layers of potassium ions. These potassium ion layers produce the perfect cleavage. lepidolite crystals accompany such other lithium bearing minerals such as tourmaline, amblygonite and spodumene and can add greatly to the value of these specimens. A rock made of granular pink lepidolite and red to pink tourmaline is used as an ornamental stone for carving. Single large plates or “books” of lepidolite can have appealling violet color and make attractive mineral specimens.

Noteworthy deposits have been found in Brazil; Ural Mountains, Russia; San Diego County, California; Mexico; Tanco Pegmatite at Bernic Lake in Manitoba, Canada; Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

Kyanite, Wonderful Manifesting Stone

Kyanite Gemstone

Kyanite

Kyanite, whose name derives from the Greek word kuanos sometimes referred to as “kyanos”, meaning deep blue, is a typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. Its color indeed can make it a lovely gem with a near sapphire-like blue. Usually its color is blue but also can be colorless, white, gray, green or yellow. Color is often not consistent throughout the crystal, often showing white streaks in a medium blue.

Kyanite is used primarily in refractory and ceramic products, including porcelain plumbing fixtures and dishware. It is also used in electronics, electrical insulators and abrasives. Kyanite has been used as a gemstone, though this use is limited by its anisotropism and perfect cleavage. Kyanite is one of the index minerals that are used to estimate the temperature, depth, and pressure at which a rock undergoes metamorphism.

Because kyanite is brittle in nature, it is seldom used in jewelry. Since hardness is related to the cut, kyanite is used best for earrings and pendants, which aren’t exposed to the stress a bracelet or ring could experience.

Kyanite opens and clears the body’s communication centers. For channeling or meditation purposes it works best when it is worn near the throat chakra. Kyanite never needs cleaned or charged because it is self-caring, self-sustaining. It carries a very “light” energy that attracts light beings. Wonderful manifesting stone.

Idocrase Vesuvianite

Idocrase Vesuvianite

Idocrase Vesuvianite

Idocrase is a rare gemstone, also known as Idocrase Vesuvianite. It is a green, brown, yellow, or blue silicate mineral. Vesuvianite occurs as tetragonal crystals in skarn deposits and limestones that have been subjected to contact metamorphism.

While the name idocrase is used for rare gemstone-quality specimens, the mineral is usually known by the name vesuvianite, since the first samples were found on the Mt. Vesuvius volcano.

The mineral was first identified and named by the famous German gemologist Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1795. Werner was also the first to identify chrysoberyl, and he was the mentor of Friedrich Mohs, inventor of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. The name idocrase is from the Greek and means mixed form, a reference to its crystals showing a mixture of other mineral forms.

Idocrase is not only rare, but transparent specimens that can be faceted count as very rare indeed. Most gem-quality idocrase is opaque with an appearance similar to jade. The opaque specimens have a greasy or resinous luster, while the rare transparent form has a vitreous luster.

Idocrase brings us closer to the higher realms and provides an easier link to our sense of higher self. It facilitates the seeing and the understanding of things on this earth that have no substance.

Psychologically, Vesuvianite is releases feelings of imprisonment and restraint, dissolves anger and alleviates fear and negativity. It helps to create a sense of inner security, opens the mind and stimulates inventiveness and the urge to discover, linking into creativity. Vesuvianite banishes depression and clears negative thought patterns so that the mind can function more clearly.

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