Gem Fanatics

Tanzanite

2010-04-08T23:07:10Z

Tanzanite is a variety of zoisite found only in Tanzania -- hence its name. Tanzanite was discovered quite recently (1967) at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. It's an example of a gem "created" by the jewelry industry.

Serpentine

2010-04-08T23:15:07Z

"Serpentine" is an umbrella name for a group of minerals, mostly green, which grow in masses of interwoven crystals. When polished, the leveled surfaces of serpentine stones show writhing streaks of colors which look much like snakes or the skin of snakes.

Turquoise

2010-04-10T20:36:36Z

Turquoise is forged in fire and dryness, drawing its components from three sources. Its primary color comes from copper. It draws aluminum from nearby feldspar and phosphorus from apatite. All three substances must occur under volcanic conditions, and their mixture must remain dry for millions of years to produce turquoise. These unlikely circumstances have happened often all over the Earth. Turquoise is evidence that miracles do happen regularly.

Onyx

2010-04-12T20:39:25Z

The word "onyx" comes from the Greek word "onux," meaning "fingernail." Legend had it that Cupid cut the fingernails of Venus with an arrowhead while she was sleeping, and scattered the clippings on the sands of the shore. The Fates turned the goddess' nail clippings into stone so that no part of her divine body would perish. No, Venus did not have black fingernails. In ancient days, stones of many colors and kinds were commonly called "onux."

Moonstone

2010-04-14T18:00:00Z

Moonstone is an opalescent form of orthoclase, a variety of feldspar. Moonstone has a peculiar shimmering property called "schiller" that resembles the light of the moon. This mysterious stone is also called wolf's-eye, fish-eye, and water opal. Moonstone has an ancient and prominent history of metaphysical and healing properties.

Topaz

2010-04-14T22:58:19Z

The name of topaz comes from a Sanskrit word that means "fire." It is a brilliant gem, associated with the Sun since ancient times. Yellow topaz was sacred to the Egyptian Sun god, Ra, and to the Romans' Jupiter, also the God of the Sun.

Garnet

2010-04-16T23:01:48Z

Garnet has been valued as a gem stone for thousands of years. Its metaphysical and healing properties make garnet one of the most powerful of crystals.

Hematite

2010-04-18T18:00:00Z

Hematite is a shiny, metallic gray form of iron oxide. In fact, most of the world's iron ore is hematite, though not of gem quality. If you scrape a piece of hematite on a hard, rough surface it will leave a red-brown streak of rust; that is why hematite's name is derived from the Greek word for "blood." Since ancient times, hematite has been associated with blood, wounds, battle, and warriors.

Amethyst

2010-04-18T23:04:59Z

Amethyst's rich, royal purple clarity makes it one of the best-loved gem stones. It is also a powerful mystical stone of many metaphysical and healing properties.

Aquamarine

2010-04-20T23:09:56Z

Typically a clear sky-blue, aquamarine has long been renowned as the gem of far-seeing and sea travel. A light, happy stone that brings joy and serenity, aquamarine is a member of the beautiful beryl family of minerals.

Marcasite (Pyrite)

2010-04-22T23:12:26Z

Marcasite, sometimes called "white pyrite," has the same iron-based chemical formula as its shiny yellow cousin, iron pyrite or "fool's gold." However, marcasite is far softer and more brittle than iron pyrite; specimens crumble easily so marcasite is seldom used in jewelry. Still, marcasite shares many of iron pyrite's metaphysical and healing properties. Indeed, the name "marcasite" is derived from the Persian word for pyrite.

Peridot

2010-04-24T23:17:27Z

Peridot is the gem-quality variety of olivine, a green mineral of the many-branched quartz family. Olivine is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. On the island of Hawaii, one can bask on a miles-long beach of startlingly grass-green olivine.

Tourmaline

2010-04-26T23:19:43Z

Tourmaline is one of the most complex silicate mineral, with variations that result from the inclusion of many different elements. The principal sources of tourmaline are the United States, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Afghanistan.

Beryl

2010-04-28T23:22:48Z

Beryl is a family of gem stones that share an underlying chemical composition and crystalline structure. Few people are aware of beryl; they are most familiar with the names of its color variations. Emerald, aquamarine, bixbite, goshenite, heliodor, and morganite are all members of the beryl family. Pure beryl is colorless (goshenite). The color variations come from chemical impurities in beryl.

Obsidian

2010-04-30T18:00:00Z

Obsidian is a naturally formed glass. It is created when molten lava cools too quickly to crystallize and, instead, forms amorphous masses of silica. Obsidian can occur naturally in black, brown, grey, and sometimes red, blue, and green shades. Obsidian can also be treated with heat to change its color; many red, blue, and green obsidian artifacts are heat-treated to alter or enhance their natural colors.