Posts Tagged ‘USA’
Amazonite
Posted on: September 26, 2011
Chemical Make-up :
Amazonite is made up of Potassium and Aluminium Silicate elements, with Iron impurities accounting for the green coloration.
Chemical Symbol: KAISi3O8
Amazonite (sometimes called “Amazon stone”) is a green variety of microcline feldspar. Its color varies from a pale green through to a deep turquoise green including blue-green colors… like the color of the pendant pictured below. The darker stones generally have a more intense vibration, but even the lighter stones will have an impact where needed.
The name is taken from that of the Amazon River, from which certain green stones were formerly obtained, but it is doubtful whether green feldspar occurs in the Amazon area.
History:
It is widely believed that Amazonite is named after the Amazonian women warriors. There is also a belief that Amazonite was named after the River Amazon. However, it is unlikely that the River Amazon was rich in Amazonite, as whilst Amazonite does occur in Brazil, it has never been discovered in the vicinity of the great river.
Sourses:
Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence. Formerly it was obtained almost exclusively from the area of Miass in the Ilmen mountains, 50 miles southwest of Chelyabinsk, Russia, where it occurs in granitic rocks. More recently, high-quality crystals have been obtained from Pike’s Peak, Colorado, where it is found associated with smoky quartz, orthoclase, and albite in a coarse granite or pegmatite. Crystals of amazonite can also be found in Crystal Park, El Paso County, Colorado. Some other localities in the United States yield amazonite, and it is also found in pegmatite in Madagascar and in Brazil.
Evaluation :
Amazonites are rated at 6 on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness. Amazonite is considered durable enough to wear everyday, but not an ideal choice for Rings.
Common Cuts :
Polished Amazonite used in jewelry is most ordinarily presented in cabochons or beads.
Cleaning :
Amazonite is best cleaned using warm water, a mild soap and a soft cloth. Avoid any sort of contact with heat and acids. Do not clean Amazonite jewelry in an ultrasonic or a steam cleaning device.
Because of its bright green colour when polished, amazonite is sometimes cut and used as a gemstone , although it is easily fractured.
For many years, the source of amazonite’s color was a mystery. Naturally, many people assumed the color was due to copper because copper compounds often have blue and green colors. More recent studies suggest that the blue-green color results from small quantities of lead and water in the feldspar.
History of Amazonite:Amazonite stone has been in use for thousands of years… and the way the Egyptians used it makes us aware of its importance in ancient times. An example of this us, is that part of the Egyptian Book of the Dead was engraved on Amazonite.
Jewelry made from this stone was found in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh, King Tutankamen.
From the Bible… it is believed and highly likely that this was the third stone in the breastplate of Moses.
It was a prominent stone for making amulets in ancient times… and the Assyrians connected it with their God Belus.
Medicine:
Amazonite calms emotions and empowers the wearer with courage. Additionally, Amazonite enhances self-expression and creativity. In addition to this, Amazonite works on the throat chakra and is especially effective at aligning the heart and solar plexus chakras. It can also be used to control levels of calcium within the body.
Achroite (Tourmaline)
Posted on: September 23, 2011
Chemical Symbol:
The general symbol for Tourmaline is (Na, Ca)(Li, Mg, Al)(Al, Fe, Mn)6(BO3)3(Si6O18)(OH)4
History:
This was certainly believed by the ancient Egyptians who believed that when Tourmaline traveled from its home in the earth’s core to the surface, it did so along a rainbow, which subsequently gifted the gemstone with all of the colors of the rainbow.
The name tourmaline comes from a Singhalese word, « touramalli », meaning “mixed colored stones” and was originally applied to an assortment of colored stones consisting mainly of zircons. Tourmaline occurs in every color of the rainbow and also in combinations of two or three colors.
Mineralogists gave tourmaline a variety of names, such as elbaite, tsilaisite, dravite, chromdravite, liddicoatite, uvite, schorl, achroite, buergerite, feruvite, foitite, povondraite and rubellite.
Sometimes the colors are at different ends of the crystal, while other times one color is in the heart of the crystal and another on the outside. When the later combination displays a pink center with a green rind it is called “watermelon tourmaline”. Achroite Tourmaline is a member of the Elbaite sub-group of Tourmalines.
This particularly rare, colourless stone is a variety of elbaite, an associate from the tourmaline group. It doesn’t show the strong dichroism characteristic on most tourmaline varieties and for that reason could be cut using the table facet either parallel or perpendicular to along the crystal. Colourless tourmaline can also be made by applying heat to light pink tourmalines.
Sources:
There are known Tourmaline deposits throughout the world including,Afghanistan,Africa,Brazil,Italy,Kenya,Madagascar,Mozambique,Myanmar (Burma),Nigeria,Pakistan,Siberia,Sri Lanka,Tanzania and theUnited States (California,Connecticut,Maine andUtah).
Achroite occurs with coloured tourmalines within the pegmatites of Madagascarand Pala (inCaliforniain theunited states).
Medicine and legend:
As with most gemstones, ancient civilizations credited Tourmaline gems with magical and mystical powers, including having the power to guard against danger and misfortune. Tourmalines are said to have an especially strong influence over friendship and love, lending permanance and stability to both. Tourmaline gems help to amplify psychic ability / energy and are an excellent aid to increasing self-confidence and understanding. Tourmaline is believed to help assist with tranquil sleep, calm nerves, improve concentration and creative processes and to be an aid to curing cancer.
Achroite Tourmaline is said to be especially effective at helping the wearer achieve a more harmonious relationship with higher beings / Gods.
Evaluation:
Tourmaline (regardless of variety) is rated at 7 – 7.5 on the Moh’s Scale of Hardness and as such is suitable for all jewelry uses and is considered durable enough to be worn everyday.
Found in an amazing variety, the sheer number of available Tourmaline colors is second to none and unmatched by any other gemstone. Tourmalines can be found in shades of blue, black, brown, colorless, green, orange, pink, red, yellow and other colors in varying shades and hues, varying from completely transparent to opaque. In addition to this there are also known occurances of bi-color, tri-color, multi-color and “Cat’s Eye” Tourmalines
Arguably the most desirable and valuable Tourmalines in today’s market are known as “Paraiba” Tourmaline. In 1989, Brazilian miners discovered tourmaline unlike any that had ever been seen before.This new type of tourmaline, which soon became known as Paraibatourmaline, came in incredibly vivid blues and greens, due to copper sulfate added to a tiny amount of gold as coloring agent.
This very rare stone demands extremely high prices on the market today.Expect to pay a premium for this variety. There is also currently strong demand for the “Verdelith” Green Tourmaline and Pink Tourmaline (Pink Rubellite). Demand is also increasing expotentioally for many of the varieties of Bi, Tri and Multi-colored Tourmalines, most notably “Watermelon” Tourmaline, which are bi-colored stones with a green border enveloping a red center.
Common Cuts: square or rectangular
Routine Enhancements:
Tourmalines are often heat-treated in order to lighten colors and to remove “silk” (a form of natural imperfection / inclusion).
Availability:
Tourmaline is a very widely available gemstone, with deposits occuring the world over. Whilst the occurance of very high quality, well-colored natural Tourmaline is rare, modern gemstone enhancements and treatments ensure that heat-treated natural Tourmalines are both available and priced at a level making them accessible to all.
Of the many Tourmaline varieties available, the occurrence of natural Achroite, or colorless Tourmaline, is somewhat rare when compared to the other Tourmaline varieties.
Care & Cleaning:
Use warm, soapy water and a soft brush to clean Tourmaline. Ultrasonic cleaners are generally safe. Never use chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid or ammonium fluoride to clean Tourmaline because it can erode the stone.
The ability of this stone to look like other gemstones led to some confusions.
Many gemstones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th Century once thought to be rubies are in fact tourmalines.
In South America, where the majority of such gem-quality material is found, green tourmaline is still referred to as the “Brazilian emerald”.
The quantity of such green stones which were mined in the early days of the Portuguese colonization and sent toPortugal as emerald will probably never be known.
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