GARNET
Search Jewelry with Garnets
Color:Garnets will occur in many colors including red, purple, orange, yellow, green, brown.
Mining Locations:
Garnets are found world wide, but some varieties are unique to one area only. Tsavorite, for example is found only in the Tsavo Area of Kenya.
Fun Facts:
Garnet is the official birthstone for January, and is often given as a 2nd Anniversary gift.
During the Middle Ages, garnet was regarded as a gem of faith, truth and constancy. Garnets used to be used as a symbol for lasting love, given when lovers would be apart, to ensure a quick return. This superstition had its roots in Greek mythology. All garnets have also historically been associated with blood related topics, such as remedies for hemorrhages. Asiatic tribes fashioned bullets out of garnets, instead of lead, as they believed the garnet bullets were more deadly.
AMETHYST
Search Jewelry with Amethysts
Color:By definition must be a shade of violet or purple. Turns pale mint color reminiscent of aquamarine with heat treatment.
Mining Locations:
Primarily Brazil, Russia, East Africa.
Fun Facts:
Amethyst is the official birthstone for February, and is used for the 4th, 6th, and 17th wedding anniversaries.
Amethyst is a purple variety of the mineral quartz. Until the beginning of the 20th century amethyst was quite rare, costly and as a result associated with royalty. Amethyst has always been linked to the thinking process, enhancing meditation and relaxing the body thereby ensuring clarity of vision. It inspires creativity, courage and valor.
In Ancient Greece amethyst was thought to prevent drunkenness. In Greek mythology the god of wine, Dionysus, fell in love with a nymph, who ran from him. In a panic, she called upon Artemis, goddess of maidens, to save her from the drunken god. Artemis turned her into a white quartz statue. Later, Dionysus felt badly for what he had done. As a sign of affection, he poured wine over the statue. As the white turned to purple, he vowed that anyone who wore an amethyst would be immune to drunkenness.
AQUAMARINE
Search Jewelry with Aquamarines
Color:Pale to medium blue, often with a modifying green component.
Mining Locations:
Brazil and Nigeria are sources of the finest aquas.
Fun Facts:
Aquamarine is the official birthstone for March. Because it is said to reawaken love in long-married couples, and it is also used for the 16th and 19th wedding anniversaries.
Aquamarine is a pastel greenish-blue variety of the mineral beryl. Its name is derived from the Latin words for water and sea. In ancient times, it was believed that sailors wearing aquamarine pendants would be protected from the perils of the sea. The stone symbolized happiness and eternal youth. It was viewed in Christian symbolism to bring moderation and control of passions to its owner. It is a gentle and peaceful gemstone, and it is said to fortify one's sense of self-esteem.
EMERALD
Search Jewelry with Emeralds
Color:Green with modifying blue or yellow.
Mining Locations:
Columbia has the finest emeralds followed by Brazil, India, Pakistan, and East Africa.
Fun Facts:
Emerald is the official birthstone for May, and traditionally is given for the 20th and 35th anniversaries.
Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl, owing its vibrant color to a trace amount of chromium. Emeralds have been cherished since man first discovered them. Emerald was the sacred stone of Venus and Hermes drafted the Words of Creation on an emerald tablet. The Holy Grail is reputedly carved from a large emerald crystal that fell from Satan's crown as he descended from Heaven to Hell!
Today emerald is regarded as a stone of the heart. It is said to promote domestic bliss and to instill loyalty and sensitivity in couples. Thus it makes for a great gift for lovers.
PEARL
Search Jewelry with Pearls
Color:All colors, some natural some dyed.
Mining Locations:
Worldwide. Japan is famous for Akoya pearls and China is known for fresh water pearls.
Fun Facts:
Pearls are the official birthstone for June (along with moonstones), and are traditional gifts for the 1st, 3rd, and 30th anniversaries.
Natural pearls are formed when an irritant becomes lodged in a pearl oyster or in a mussel and gets coated with a natural secretion of calcium carbonate called nacre. In the beginning of the 1900's, it was discovered that a spherical bead could be placed in an oyster, and pearls could be "cultured".
The most enduring legend concerning pearls is the story of Cleopatra dissolving a priceless pearl in the wine she drank in Mark Anthony's presence as a testament of her love. Truth be told, wine, nor anything else safely drinkable by humans, would be able to dissolve a pearl!
RUBY
Search Jewelry with Rubies
Color:Red with orange or violet modifiers.
Mining Locations:
Myanmar, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, East Africa and others.
The most famous source of fine rubies is Burma, now known as Myanmar. The legendary ruby mines of Myanmar are older than history. However, presently due to a US embargo on Burmese rubies it is illegal to import and sell them in the US.
Fun Facts:
Ruby is the official birthstone for July, and it is the gemstone for the 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries.
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. When corundum occurs in any other color it is referred to as a sapphire. The brilliant red color of the ruby has supported many tales. One is that rubies store vast quantities of heat and when placed in water, they will cause the water to boil. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but some people still swear that if you hold a ruby in your left hand, you'll feel bursts of heat. Ruby is a powerful stone and has long been considered a magnet for prosperity, attracting abundance both materially and spiritually.
PERIDOT
Search Jewelry with Peridots
Color:Medium green with yellow modifiers.
Mining Locations:
World wide but Norway and The United States produce the finest examples.
Fun Facts:
Peridot is the official birthstone for August, and a traditional 16th Wedding Anniversary gift.
Peridot is the gem variety of the mineral olivine, a magnesium iron silicate. The Egyptians fashioned peridot beads as far back as 3500 years. Turkish Sultans amassed the largest collection of peridot during the Ottoman Empire. There are thousands of peridots on view at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. It was also a popular Victorian gemstone. Peridot has long been associated with the sun, bestowing royal dignity on its wearer. It’s also been known to protect against evil spirits, when fashioned as a bead, strung on hair from an ass' tail, and worn as a bracelet on the left arm. Try that as a fashion statement!
SAPPHIRE
Search Jewelry with Sapphires
Color:Every color except for RED (than it's a ruby!)
Mining Locations:
Madagascar is the major source currently. Others include Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and East Africa
Fun Facts:
Sapphire is the traditional birthstone for September and the official stone for 5th, 23rd, and 45th anniversaries.
Sapphire is an aluminum oxide, occurring in every color of the rainbow. When it is red, it is termed ruby. It is a stone of great hardness and durability. It can also have phenomenal characteristics like asterism (star sapphire) and color changing (like alexandrite). The history of the sapphire dates back to at least the 7th Century BC, when they were used by the Etruscans. The sapphires used by the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans were imported from India and what is now Sri Lanka. Sapphires were reputed to protect kings from harm and envy. In the 13th Century, it was written that sapphires had the power to protect against poverty, make a stupid man wise and an irritable man good-tempered.
OPAL
Search Jewelry with Opals
Color:Colorless, white, black, orange and yellow.
Mining Locations:
Australia, Brazil, United States, and other locations worldwide.
Fun Facts:
Opal is the official birthstone for October, and is used as the 14th and 18th Anniversary gift.
Opal is a hydrous, silicon dioxide. It is unlike other minerals because it is not crystalline! It is considered to be a hardened jelly. Its water content varies from 6 to 10% in gem opals.
Opals have a rather bad reputation, stemming from the plot of a popular Sir Walter Scott novel in the 19th century. The heroine of the novel has her life force caught in the beautiful opal she wears in her hair and she dies when the fire in the opal is extinguished. Opal was treasured in the Middle Ages and was called ophthalmios, or eye stone, due to a widespread belief that it was beneficial to eyesight. Blonde women wore opal necklaces to protect their hair from losing its color. Some thought the opal's effect on sight could render the wearer invisible.
CITRINE
Search Jewelry with Citrines
Color:Yellow to range with modifying brown.
Mining Locations:
Brazil is the main source.
Fun Facts:
Citrine is the gemstone for the 17th Wedding Anniversary, and is often used as a birthstone for November.
Citrine is a yellow or golden variety of quartz. Known as the "Success Stone," Citrine attracts abundance, power, self-confidence, and self-discipline. It is known to be a happy, "cuddly" stone. There’s also a chakra based interpretation that views citrine as uplifting, bright, energizing and inspirational. It encourages the flow of Chi and activates intuition.
TOPAZ
Search Jewelry with Topaz
Color:It is most commonly colorless, but colors include blue, pale green, and the spectrum of yellow through sherry orange to pink, and most unique, red. Cherry red, pink, salmon, champagne and peach are the rarest and most expensive.
Mining Locations:
Brazil is most noteworthy, but it is found in many other locales.
Fun Facts:
Blue Topaz is the official gemstone for the 16th wedding anniversary, and is a modern birthstone for both March and December. Yellow Topaz is the birthstone for November.
Topaz is an aluminum hydroxyl-flourine silicate. Strong chemical bonding makes it the hardest of the silicate minerals. Topaz was used in ancient Egypt and Rome, where it was imported from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). During the Middle Ages topaz was thought to strengthen the mind and prevent mental disorders as well as sudden death. It has been considered a "cooling" gem, much like ruby is considered a "hot" gem. Topaz was thought to have the ability to quickly cool boiling water and flaring tempers.
TURQUOISE
Search Jewelry with Turquoises
Color:Turquoise, blues, and greens
Mining Locations:
Well known deposits occur in Persia, Sinai Peninsula, China, Chile, Egypt, Turkey, Mesoamerica (Arizona).
Fun Facts:
Turquoise is the official birthstone for December (along with Blue Topaz), and is the 11th anniversary stone.
The use of turquoise dates back to 3000 B.C.-4000 B.C. in Sinai. It was the primary holy stone for Native Americans living in the Southwestern United States. Every Navajo carried a "personal" piece of turquoise. Middle Eastern tradition claimed that turquoise prevented accidents, especially falling. It was a talisman for horsemen, to keep them from falling off the horse. Modern mystics believe Turquoise helps the wearer to stay centered and "at home" in any environment. It is said to bring wisdom, understanding, trust, and kindness. It helps initiate romance, and this makes it a good stone to give to a new love.
ONYX
Search Jewelry with Onyx
Color:Black, white, brown. red and many others with treatment.
Mining Locations:
Predominantly mined in Brazil, India, California and Uruguay.
Fun Facts:
Onyx is sometimes used as an alternate birthstone for February. Onyx in general is used for the 7th anniversary, and Black Onyx is used for the 10th anniversary.
Onyx is a variety of microcrystalline silicon dioxide or chalcedony. It is often banded with white and used for cameo carvings. Most varieties of onyx, including black, are the result of dying. These dyes have been used for hundreds of years and do not fade or distort over time.
Onyx is often used for rosary beads, as the Christians held on to the pagan beliefs that onyx had great medicinal benefits. Onyx was thought to make wounds heal faster and childbirth go smoothly. Black Onyx is said to help overcome grief, banish old habits, and encourage happiness and good fortune. White onyx, on the other hand, is said to soothe quarreling couples.
MOONSTONE
Search Jewelry with Moonstones
Color:Moonstones are known to occur in colorless, white, blue-white, and pale shades of peach and apricot. The rarest and most expensive will be colorless with a floating blue color that seems to hover above the stone. This phenomenon is termed adularescence.
Mining Locations:
Worldwide.
Fun Facts:
Moonstone is used for the 4th Wedding Anniversary, and is a birthstone for June (along with pearl).
Moonstone is a variety of albite feldspar, which is a sodium aluminum silicate. In India it was believed that moonstones placed in the mouth during a full moon would allow you to correctly envision the future. Until the 19th century, moonstones were thought to make people invisible, allowing only their spirits to wander about. A variation of that belief still persists today. It's been claimed that moonstone can lead to psychic immortality because it fortifies the spirit to stand alone from the body. Moonstone is also known as the Traveler's Stone; it is thought to protect the traveler from the perils of journey.
SPINEL
Search Jewelry with Spinels
Color:All colors.
Mining Locations:
Sri Lanka, Brazil, Thailand, Myanmar, and United States
Fun Facts:
Spinel can be used as a gift for the 22nd Anniversary.
For many centuries, most gem spinels were misidentified as sapphires or rubies because they have similar properties and occur in the same geological deposits. The two inch faceted "ruby" in the center of the British Imperial Crown was only recently identified as a spinel! The earliest spinels used as ornaments were found in Buddhist tombs in Afghanistan. In Europe, spinel was reputed to have medicinal powers and to cure illnesses of unknown causes.
Crystal healers promote Spinel for happy marriages. The stone is thought to set aside the ego to enable to become devoted to someone else. It helps to encourage great passion, and provides longevity. All three of these are arguably conducive to a happy marriage!
QUARTZ
Search Jewelry with Quartz
Color:All colors.
Mining Locations:
Worldwide.
Fun Facts:
Clear Quartz can be used as a birthstone for April (diamond is the alternative stone for this month).
Quartz is a common variety of silicon dioxide that often crystallizes into well formed hexagonal prisms. It occurs in many colors, purple amethyst, yellow citrine, and a smoky variety, referred to as smoky quartz. The colorless, transparent crystals represent the modern concept of "crystal".
Crystal balls with a truly mystic significance are always made from quartz. Quartz crystals are among the earliest talismans. Examples of rock crystal objects date back to 75,000BC. Every culture on the planet has attributed magical power to quartz crystals. The Japanese considered it "the perfect jewel", symbolizing patience and perseverance, the infinity of space and purity. Native Americans used quartz crystals as a hunting talisman and "fed" them with deer's blood. Crystal balls were brought to Europe from the Near East by the Crusaders. They were credited with the ability to cure diseases. In Scotland and Ireland, farmers used crystal balls to keep livestock healthy.
Crystal healers consider Clear Quartz the most essential of their stones. Its main applications are to clarify thoughts, purify and cleanse the body, bring self-esteem, balance chaotic emotions, increase emotional energy, and focus the mind.
MALACHITE
Search Jewelry with Malachite
Color:Various shades of green often banded.
Mining Locations:
Zaire has the best quality, but malachite is associated with copper deposits worldwide.
Fun Facts:
Malachite is a gift for the 13th wedding anniversary.
Malachite is a copper hydroxyl silicate. It is a decorative stone that has been historically used by royalty to fashion table tops, columns and wall coverings in many of the world’s palaces. Malachite was used by the ancient Egyptians for carvings, and also powdered for makeup. Russian legends claim that those who drink from a malachite goblet will be able to understand the language of animals. Malachite is said to attract love and money. Shop owners are advised to keep a piece of malachite in their cash registers.
KYANITE
Search Jewelry with Kyanite
Color:Usually blue but can also be white, gray or green
Mining Locations:
Brazil, India, US
Fun Facts:
Kyanite is an attractive mineral that has a near sapphire like blue color in some especially nice specimens. Kyanite aids in creative expressions such as art, dance, music, and writing.
Metaphysical healers use Kyanite as a claming stone. It helps to focus the mind and dissolve mental and emotional confusion. It helps the wearer let go of his or her anxiety.
TIGER EYE
Search Jewelry with Tiger Eyes
Color:Honey brown, reddish browns and bluish brown
Mining Locations:
Africa predominantly, but relatively common throughout the world.
Fun Facts:
Tiger Eye is traditionally given as a 9th Anniversary present.
Tiger-eye is a chatoyant (cats' eye effect) variety of microcystalline quartz. It is known as the Stone of Perception. Its constantly changing appearance reminds us that life is always changing, and the stone helps the wearer to accept change and new directions in life.
AMBER
Search Jewelry with Ambers
Color:Light yellow, green, dark reddish orange, and many variations of these.
Mining Locations:
Abundant along the shores of the Baltic Sea where it is mined extensively from tertiary glauconite sands that are from 40 million to 60 million years old. Also found in the Dominican Republic, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Sweeden, Ukraine, United States
Fun Facts:
Amber is one of the oldest known gems. It is the fossil resin from pine trees that flourished some 25 to 50 million years ago. Globs of this aromatic sap poured down from prehistoric trees, often trapping insects, twigs, bark and leaves thus making Amber one of the few gemstones of organic origin. The ancient Greeks saw amber as hardened tears or rays of sunset. In ancient India and Egypt, amber was burned as incense, believed to purify the surrounding area.
Amber is thought to emit a sunny and bright energy capable of calming nerves and enlivening the disposition. According to the crystal healers, it helps the wearer to find joy and humor, lightens the burdens of life, and promotes courage.
TOURMALINE
Search Jewelry with Tourmalines
Color:All colors.
Mining Locations:
Mined extensively in South America (esp. Brazil), East Africa and in Southern California.
Fun Facts:
Tourmaline is a birthstone for October, and is a traditional gift for the 8th wedding anniversary.
Tourmaline is an extremely complex borosilicate that occurs in more than 100 colors. It is hard and durable and very well suited for jewelry. It wasn't introduced into Europe until the early 1700's, when it was imported from the east. Shortly thereafter it was declared a stone of the Muses, inspiring and enriching the creative processes. It was a talisman for artists, actors and writers.
LAPIS LAZULI
Search Jewelry with Lapis Lazulis
Color:Royal to navy blue with mottling of gold and white. The name lapis is Persian for blue.
Mining Locations:
Afghanistan, Egypt, South America. Small quantities are also produced in Siberia, in Colorado in the United States, and in Myanmar.
Fun Facts:
Lapis is a traditional birthstone for December (along with turquoise and blue topaz), and can be used as an anniversary gift for the 7th and 9th year of marriage.
Lapis lazuli is not a mineral, but a rock consisting of as many as 15 different minerals. It is one of the oldest gemstones known. In Egypt, lapis beads, carvings, scarabs and jewelry date back over 5000 years! Ancient Egyptians considered it a sacred and prized stone. Looking like the star-studded night sky, it was thought to possess the energy of the sky, limitless in its wisdom. It was also believed that an Egyptian statesman was unable to tell a lie if he was holding a piece of lapis. Buddhists believed that lapis brought its owner peace of mind and the ability to dispel evil thoughts and relieve melancholy. Modern crystal mystics continue to credit lapis with the ability to improve one's mental and emotional outlook. It enables one to open his/her third eye.
FLUORITE
Search Jewelry with Fluorites
Color:Fluorite is a mineral with a veritable bouquet of brilliant colors. The range of common colors for fluorite starting from the hallmark color purple, then blue, green, yellow, colorless, brown, pink, black and reddish orange is amazing and is only rivaled in color range by quartz.
Mining Locations:
Canada, USA, South Africa, Thailand, Peru, Mexico, China, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Norway, England, and Germany.
Fun Facts:
The ancient Egyptians used fluorite to carve statues and scarabs, the Chinese have used it in carvings for over 300 years. In the 18th century, fluorite was powdered in water to relieve the symptoms of kidney disease. Among modern mystics, fluorite is known as the "Genius Stone.” It is said to increase concentration and aid in decision making.
AVENTURINE
Search Jewelry with Aventurines
Color:Aventurine ranges in color from green, peach and brown to blue and gray.
Mining Locations:
Brazil, India, Russia, Austria, Tanzania
Fun Facts:
Aventurine got its name from the creation of a synthetic stone that was created to imitate it. This stone, which we call Goldstone today, was created accidentally when some copper dust fell into a vat of liquid glass. The stone was created "A venturi," which is Italian for "By chance." Later, the name Aventurine was given to the NATURAL stone that featured these sparkles, and the manufactured stone was given the name Goldstone. Aventurine is a translucent to opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz. It contains small inclusions of shiny minerals which give the stone a sparkling effect known as aventurescence.
Aventurine has been used as a lucky talisman and is a popular stone for gamblers. Legends say that it is an all-purpose healer, used to reduce stress, develop confidence, imagination and improve prosperity. A legend from ancient Tibet says that aventurine was used to improve nearsightedness and increase the wearer's creativity. Many believe that aventurine has the capacity to calm a troubled spirit and bring about inner peace.
