S T O N E S T O R I E S ...
AVENTURINE
Though there isn't a "d" in the word, when you see aventurine think "adventure." Think optimism. Think bountiful. Think practical enthusiasm. All are ingredients for adventure. If you long for change, aventurine is for you. It keeps various chakras open and unblocked, allowing good things to come your direction.
Its glistening effect comes from the small inclusions of shiny minerals. It was named for aventura, a type of Italian glass found by accident about 1700. Most aventurine is quartz, but the orange and red-brown shades (aventurine feldspar) are called sunstone. Many consider the green aventurine to be the most desirable. AMETHYST
Amethyst (pronounced am-eh-thist) crystals grow on the inside surface of agate geodes. While the crystals themselves may grow to be several inches, the geodes containing the amethyst crystals often reach several feet in height. This majestic gemstone ranges in color from deep purple to pale lavender depending on the presence of manganese and iron. Amethyst can also appear reddish-purple or yellow-purple depending on the combination of minerals present in the clear quartz.
Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote that amethyst holds the power to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken one’s intelligence. Healers have been using amethyst to increase their psychic abilities and intuition for centuries. Cross-culturally, this popular gemstone was used as a symbol of peace and unification. It is also thought to evoke feelings of serenity and calmness in those who wear it.
Amethyst is often used during meditation to provide an overall sense of spiritual balance. Some naturopaths will use amethyst to help treat insomnia and sugar imbalances, and to relieve headaches.
Amethyst is a naturally-occurring, macrocrystalline (meaning large crystal formations) variety of quartz. Geodes containing amethyst crystals are formed when clay, silt, sand or gravel are deposited and compacted by running water. Some of the largest amethyst geodes have been found in Brazil. Other locations where amethyst is mined include Sri Lanka, India, Uruguay, Madagascar, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Africa, Russia and the United States. Were amethyst less abundant, it would be even more highly-prized -- and expensive!
BOTSWANA AGATE
If there was ever a "man's stone," especially a "thinking man's stone," this is it. Think intrigue! Think distinction! Think southern Africa-the subtropics, Kalahari -lion, elephant, hippopotamus and crocodile country. Mix them together and you've got Botswana agate. Set these distinctly banded agate cabochons into rings and tie tacs (for the man of distinction) and belt buckles (for the man who wants intrigue) and you won't be able to keep them in stock. Better yet, make a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry for that one-of-a-kind man in your life and see what happens! I can almost guarantee you'll have his undivided attention. And when you've got that kind of attention, you've got him!
Agates were used in ancient times as talismans to protect the wearer from storms, to quench thirst and to bring good luck-all important things for surviving in the subtropics. Botswana agate, in particular, has been used traditionally to sustain attentiveness to detail. It's an ability needed by every successful person in today's changing but nonetheless difficult world, regardless of what kind of jungle that person goes off to each morning (or returns to in the evening).
CORAL
Coral is a tentacled skeletal creature with microscopic plants living inside its soft tissues. When it reproduces, the new life forms remain attached to their "parents," building reefs and atolls-a polyp living in clear, warm seawaters. At the same time the plants go on living inside them and drawing sustenance from the sunlight. Coral's greatest spiritual value is that it is like a wise teacher. It teaches us to value life and our place in it. It shows us the importance of living so that we make the world a good place for the children and grandchildren that follow. A beautiful symbol of the importance of creatures and plants living harmoniously together.
GARNET
It was said that Noah guided the ark by the light of a garnet lantern during the rain and darkness of the deluge. The stone was later used by travelers as a charm to ward off accidents and it was worn by the crusaders as an aid to safely find their way home. In Eastern Europe, garnets were worn to guard against vampires. In the 18th and 19th centuries, perfectly transparent garnet became the height of jewelry fashion.
The name comes from the Latin granum for "seed-like," as it was thought that red garnets resembled pomegranate seeds.
Garnet has always been considered insurance for travelers against misfortune. Likewise, some believe that it is useful in warding off bad dreams and as protection from theft. The stone is thought to attract love and soul mates and to enhance creativity. Garnet has been associated with the root, or red chakra; imbalances of which are said to be responsible for anxiety, irritable bowel and lack of energy.
Garnet is a blood red gemstone called pyrope, a complex silicate, but the term also refers to almandine and spessartite (which have very similar chemical compositions and can appear in a large range of colors: green-yellow-orange-violet-red). Garnet's deep wine color is due to its content of iron and chromium.
LAPIS LAZULI
Royal blue lapis lazuli characteristically has either whitish or yellowish matrix or feathering. Since the earliest of times, lapis lazuli has been associated with strength and courage. The Sumerians believed that the spirit of their gods lived within the stone. That theme was adopted by the ancient Egyptians, who drew a connection between the speckling of the stone and the glittering stars in the night sky. One of the most famous uses of the stone is in the mask of King Tutankhamen, where it is inlaid with turquoise and carnelian in bright gold. It was used by European artists during the Middle Ages, ground as pigment for producing the color aquamarine.
From antiquity, lapis lazuli has been worn in the belief that it will ward off evil. In ancient Egypt, it was powdered and worn about the eyes to improve eyesight. Today, it is considered by some to be an aid to balancing the brow chakra (which influences vision and hearing). Imbalances of the brow (or blue) chakra are said to cause headaches, anxiety and disorders of the skin.
Lapis lazuli is an intense royal blue stone. Until the Middle Ages, it was referred to by the name sapphire (from the Greek for the color blue). The beautiful mixture of textures of white calcite (cloudy, patchy) and pyrite (brassy feathering) gives lapis lazuli its characteristic look. The stone has other ingredients: lazurite, sodalite and hauyne.
MOUKAITE
A type of jasper found in Australia with broad patterns of red-browns and golds that sweep through it which are actually finely-divided minerals such as clay and iron oxide. Sumptuous, voluptuous, and sensual-all are words we usually associate with physical pleasure rather than with spiritual values. Moukaite blends the two. Because it makes us more comfortable with our bodies, our physical activities elevate our spirits. Visualize an Olympic diver poised on the end of a diving board. A gymnast flipping through the air. A runner whose whole body and spirit are part of that running. Lovemaking when it is really love-making. That's the kind of pleasure moukaite helps us experience. My friend Margie is so convinced of this gemstone's combined physical/spiritual values, she made herself a headband with the words "Moukaite-Powered" beaded across it.
TIGER EYE
Look into the eye of a magnificent tiger. That creature's animal magnetism gleams in this golden-yellow, deeply banded gemstone. Tigereye is actually silicified crocidolite in quartz. When it's cut into cabochons, that iridescent undulating luster (chatoyancy) is as hypnotic as the eye of an actual tiger. All you have to do to know the spiritual value of tigereye is think of its name. Tigereye promotes clear-eyed vision. It helps us see ourselves and the world around us more perceptively. Like the great cat it's named for, this gemstone knows the importance of being attentive. When we keep our eyes wide open, we are more apt to act appropriately and at the appropriate moment. It's an approach to life that can help us live longer and embrace life as an exciting learning experience. When things get tense around you, look at that tigereye ring or pendant you're wearing. It's there to remind you: stop, look and listen before you do any leaping.
TURQUOISE
Turquoise, a stone ranging in color from blue to green to yellow, is filled with wonderful patterns of brown and black matrix that are composed mainly of copper deposits. Although turquoise has captivated man's imagination for centuries, no one is sure exactly when it was discovered. Prehistoric people used and prized it for its blue-green colors because carved pieces have been found in burial and archeological sites spanning the globe. Steeped in history and intrigue, it is truly a captivating stone. It has been used in religion, art, trade, treaty negotiations and of course as treasured jewelry to many kingdoms and peoples.
Turquoise is one of the official birthstones for the month of December, and is heralded as the stone of communication. It encourages enthusiasm, thus inspiring new projects and bringing to light undiscovered artistic abilities. Turquoise also provides understanding and encourages attention to detail while attracting prosperity and success.
The lines of coppery matrix provide a large amount of energy to its wearer. This may be one reason why the stone has long been prized as a powerful talisman with healing properties. It is believed that turquoise can help balance the blue throat chakra, enhancing the ability to communicate while increasing resistance to viruses, helping to relieve sore throats and allergies.
It is mined across the globe, and each location yields specific stone colors and characteristics ranging from the bright sky blue-matrix free Sleeping Beauty turquoise from Arizona to the rough, organic yellow colors and heavy matrix mined from Africa.
Chalk turquoise is a form of natural turquoise that has a white chalk-like consistency. It has the same chemical composition as turquoise, only without the copper (it's the copper that causes the blue turquoise color). It is dyed pleasing colors and stabilized to produce beads that are hard enough to use in jewelry.