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Gemstone & Fine Materials Information
Gemstones have been a fascinating and delight source for mankind for centuries. Their mysterious appeal,
unique colors, the play of light within them self, their rarity and durability have made them valuable.
Gemstones and crystals are considered being part of the natural wonders of the Earth and have been
thought to possess certain magical powers.
They were extensively used in numerous jewelry making, decorating ornaments or as talismans and amulets,
as therapeutic aids, or religious rituals objects.
Fine Pewter
Fine Pewter is a treasured alloy favored by the world's foremost artists. It is ranked as fourth most precious metal in the world, following platinum, gold, and silver. Known for its ability to withstand time, fine pewter will not rust or deteriorate.
Around the 12th century pewter was only within the reach of the wealthy where it was found on the tables of castle halls and in the houses of rich merchants and churchmen. Later its use spread into taverns and cottages. With the introduction of pottery and glass its use declined during the 18th and 19th centuries, but it has seen a more recent revival. It is now fashionable to buy pewter for every day use instead of silver. Pewter is easy to store, never wears out and on special occasions it provides a splendid display. It can also be readily engraved with an inscription by any competent jeweler.
About the only thing, which has changed in pewter manufacturing, is the composition of materials. Originally pewter was made from a composite of lead and tin. Today, however, the raw materials consist of 97% tin with the balance made up of copper, bismuth and silver. The products are guaranteed lead-free and quite safe to be used for all kinds of food and drink.
Why is pewter so praised? It's lasting value! Pewter will not tarnish, rust or deteriorate in any manner. It doesn't require polishing like Silver does. Pewter can be polished but others prefer to let the Pewter age with an antique look. Pewter can be hand washed with soapy water and dried.
Many items produced during the Middle Ages can be found in museums today. It is a very easy medium to work with which allows the metal worker to produce items with exceptional detail. Fine Pewter today is very collectable, affordable, and cherished for its longevity and lasting value.
Onyx, Sard & Sardonyx
Onyx, along with sard, sardonyx and agate are some of varieties of the microcrystalline quartz, chalcedony. Characteristic of onyx include its straight bands rather than curved bands of those found in agate stones. The name onyx derived from the Greek for 'fingernail', a reference to the width of the banding's.
Chalcedony can be found worldwide, such as Brazil, Germany, India, Russia, and United States. Because of its beautiful and colorful banding's and fibrous structure and a hardness of 6.5 to 7, chalcedony has been used for centuries for carving sculptures and intaglios, Roman cameos, inlay works or just cut and polished beads. Especially the stones which have several layers and each of a different color, usually are carved with different pattern or designs in each layer.
Onyx, this semi translucent to opaque quartz comes naturally in a variety of colors, such as oranges, reds, brown, or white bands. Sard is a brownish red variety which similar to agate. Sardonyx has the blending color of sard and onyx, the straight white bands and the brownish red. Black onyx doesn't occur black in nature; it is a chalcedony (a variety of quartz) that has been dyed completely black. The dye treatment is permanent.
Along with dyed lapis, dyed chalcedony such as black onyx is accepted in the trade. Not like rubies, emeralds, or jade which have higher value, dyed lapis and dyed black onyx usually start with very moderate priced and most buyers are informed of the stone dye treatment. The treatments provide a practical means of making low-grade stones look better and provide more availability and varieties for the jewelry making trade. Since ancient Egyptian times, onyx has been stained and treated to improve and change its color to fit in a wide range production of ornament and jewelry.
Black onyx is a useful stone for helping people become more concentrated and less distracted. It also believed by Indians and Persians that onyx can protect them from the evil eye, stopping nightmares and reduce labor pain for woman. Many psychic readers use onyx to aid past-life and between-lives regression work. Advised by gemstone and healing art theory, it is a good practice to leave your onyx to recharge its energies in sunlight.
Labradorite
Laborite, also called Labradore. Labradorite got the name after peninsula of Labrador in Canada, where it was found. It shows a ply of color (labradorescence) in lustrous metallic tints, often blue and green. They are found in Canada (Labrador, Newfoundland), also in Australia (New South Wales), Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, and the United States.
Commonly used for bead necklaces, brooches, charms, pendants, rings, jewelry and ornamental objects.
Moon Stone
Moonstone is one of the many varieties of feldspar (adular). The feldspars are a group of calcium, sodium or potassium aluminum silicate minerals. The well known varieties include labradorite, amazonite, and moonstone.
Moonstone color ranges from colorless, yellow, to pale sheen white or blue. While some moonstone have clear and transparent look, the milky-white variety have blue or white sheen (schiller) similar to moonshine, the so-call adularescence. Moonstone are usually cut in cabochons to show their beautiful and attractive effects and soft subtle colors.
Moonstone is considered as the most powerful fertility crystals. It supports women's connection to the Goddess and the moon, soothes and heals the emotions and mind. Moonstone is also a good luck stone, especially for lovers. From Southeast Asia to Europe, the moonstone is associated with love and was worn to attract a lover. It prevents young child from night terrors, protect travelers at night and on the sea, and advances women's wisdom.
Hermatite
Hermatite is an iron oxide, metallic, opaque stone found in iron-mining areas. The name hermatite in Greek means 'blood'. The synonym bloodstone is derived from the fact that, when cut the hermatite pieces, the saw coolant becomes colored red.
These are few hermatite varieties, such as iron luster, red iron ore, red ironstone, red glass head. Color varied from black, black-gray, brown-red. Some hermatite stones may have iridescent surfaces and play of light on it. The "specular" hermatite is the shiny crystals once used as mirrors.
Main deposits are found in New Zealand, Cumberland, England, Quebec of Canada, Brazil, Bangladesh, China, Minnesota of U.S.
With a hardness of 6 1/2, same as marcasite, Hermatite is easily carved and was popular for use in carving hollow cameo portraits knows as intaglio. In now a days, hermatite is popular carved as small to medium souvenir ornaments, fashion jewelry pendants. It also cut and polished into beads, cabochons to make bracelets, necklaces, rings etc.
It is believed that hermatite gathers and calms scattered energies and ensures the wearer alertness, vivacity, and success in litigation and is a must for the lawyer. It also believed to ensure sexual impulse.
Malachite
Malachite is a common ore of copper, a hydrated copper carbonate comes in a brilliant green. After cutting, it shows a banding of light and dark layers with concentric rings, straight stripes, or other figurative shapes. The name might derived from the green color in Greek called 'malache'.
Main sources of malachite come from Australia, Russia, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Zambia, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah of U.S. and Australia.
Sometimes, malachite intermixed with other copper minerals, such as blue azurite and chrysocolla (called azurmalachite), or rusty red of limonite.
Because it has differing shades of green banding similar to agate and low hardness 3.5 to 4, malachite was very popular with the ancient Egyptians, Isreal, Greeks, and Romans for jewelry, magic charms, ornaments, amulets. It was ground into powder and worn as eye shadow. Russians also used malachite to decorate their palaces, to panel the walls and to inlay the stone in various mosaic ornaments. Painters use malachite as pigment for mountain green.
Today, with reasonable prices and perfect cleavage, malachite may be carved and polished as decorative stone for beads, buttons, carved figurines, boxes, jewelry ornaments, and other decorative objects. Jewelry smith or stone cutter work hard on this semiprecious specimens in order to show the best decorative marking. The malachite cabochons with concentric eye-like rings are called malachite peacock's eye.
Malachite has low hardness and easily scratched. It is sensitive to heat, acids, ammonia, and hot water. You can clean the malachite stone by wiping it with lukewarm, soapy water and rinse.
Malachite was associated with strong love goddesses in many cultures around the world. It's believed have capability of protecting wearer from the evil eye and bringing good luck. It aids childbirth labor and get an easier and faster birth.
Mother Of Pearl
The inner nacreous layer of a mollusk, or of a snail shell which has an iridescent play of color, is called mother-of-pearl or mother of the pearl.
Nacre (also written as nacker or naker) is a synonym of mother-or-pearl, is the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell.
The while color mother of pearl call mother-or-pearl of the pearl mussel, can be found inside the pearl oysters, which grow in the warm tropical sea of Asia or North America. It has been popular used in carved cameo, inlay decoration in woodcarvings.
The one with a blue-green iridescent color play are called mother-or-pearl of the paua mussel, or abalone shells, most from New Zealand, (now a lot of them from China). The abalone shells are also called sea opal. Because it has beautiful color effects similar to those found in opal, abalone shells has been used for centuries by Maori people for inlays in mystical carvings and jewelry ornaments. Now mother of pearl are popular used in rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry ornaments, as well as wood crafts inlaid's, panel work decorations.
According to gemstone healing art, mother of pearl soothes and reduces stress and worry balances physical energy, puts one in touch with the all-nurturing Sea Mother.
Tiger's Eye
Tiger's eye is a translucent to opaque quartz containing yellow and brown fibrous inclusions. It has a silky luster and brown and gold stripes because of the iron oxide staining. The stone cut en cabochon with a gold band along the center and the silky sheen resemble a cat's-eye due to the fibrous structure. The eye will move when the stone is turned from side to side.Most important deposits are found in South Africa, where it is found in thick slabs, together with the less common hawk's eye. The other tiger's eye are found in Sri Lanka, Australia, Burma, India, United States.
The ancient Egyptians used tiger's eye stone for amulets to transmit the power of Ra, the sun god, for it is said tiger's eye contain the power of the sun and of earth. Roman soldiers kept tiger's eye with them when they went to battle so they would be brave and for good luck.
Tiger's eye have many healing properties including helping flow in communication, helping soften stubbornness, helping wearer reduce stress by decreasing sensitivity, energizing a weak or exhausted person. it is also believed tiger's eye is a natural luck and money bringer, a protective stone against the evil eye and good for travelers.
Soapstone
Soapstone is a soft heavy compact variety of talc having a soapy feel. It is often used to make hearths, tabletops and ornaments.
Talc is a fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate. It is used in a variety of products including talcum powder.
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