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Garnet - The Colors, Shapes, and Sizes

2008-2-14 »Author: admin »

Garnets are incredibly attractive and unique stones. They come in a multitude of colors and because of its great properties can be cut into many shapes and sizes. If you are looking for an attractive stone for almost any piece of jewelry, whether it is a ring, earring, charm or bracelet, you should definitely look into garnets, here is some more information.

Garnets are known well for being a deep, warm, red, however garnets come in several wonderful colors including green, orange, brown, yellow, and earth tones such as cinnamon. The only color that a garnet does not come in is blue. Usually the most popular and valuable garnets are the deep, warm red ones. Since garnets have been around and popular for thousands of years, many garnets are sold as antiques.

Garnets can be cut and shaped into almost any size or shape. They have a crystal structure and decent hardness of 7.5 to 8. This hardness allows them to be worn on a daily basis; however it is important to note that any hard impact can shatter a Garnet. Besides crystal structures, Garnets can also occur in grain form. While grain form is less popular than the crystal form, it can be made into a wide variety of jewelry as well. Sometimes grainy Garnets are used in industrial applications such as abrasives.

Garnets are usually found set in rings, as earrings, on bracelets and pendants. If you are looking for a stylish stone that comes in almost any color, make sure to look at the attractive Garnet.


How and Where is Garnet Formed and Found?


Garnets are extremely interesting and fascinating gemstones. There refractive qualities are wonderfully delightful and their myriad of colors will fit anyone’s style. The most popular colors that Garnets appear are red, green, orange, earth tones such as smoke and cinnamon. The only color not available as a Garnet is blue. Garnets are a form of neosilicates and are created from the elements of calcium, manganese and iron. Besides these elements, other elements do occur including chromium and titanium. Garnets can be found in crystal form or in a grainy form. In fact, the word Garnet comes from the Latin word for grainy – gannatus.

Garnets are usually found as dodecahedral crystals, but are known also to form in trapezohedron habits. The crystalline structure is that of an isometric system, meaning they have three axes that are all equal in length and also considered perpendicular to one another. Garnets are usually hard minerals with a hardness score of 7.5 to 8 on Moh’s hardness scale, however it should be noted, they can still crack easily and will break into sharp fragments.

Garnets are found all over the world, however, while rare, the highest quality Garnets come from East Africa. Other regions where Garnets are found are in certain parts of Europe and South America.

Garnets have two main uses, first they are used for ornamental jewelry and because of their crystal structure and attributes can be cut and shaped very easily. Garnets are also used as an abrasive, obviously in their grain form.

Amethyst - The Color, Shapes, and Sizes

2008-2-10 »Author: admin »

Amethyst is a beautiful stone that is in the quartz family. Amethyst is the most precious quartz mineral and comes in a few distinct colors including violet, purple, rose, lavender and mauve. When it comes to value, the most valuable color is that of a deep purple with tinges of violet. There are many gemstones that are similar in consistency to Amethyst, one of them is Citrine. Citrine is Amethyst that is heated; it turns yellow orange in color.

Amethyst is a relatively hard substance. It is rated a 7 on the Moh’s scale which means it is a great stone to make ornamental jewelry out of. However, it should be noted that Amethyst can fracture when hit with too much force, even though it has a rating of 7 on Moh’s scales it is still 1/15 the hardness of a diamond.

Amethyst can come in many sizes and while jewelry grade, Amethyst is very rare, other types of Amethyst can be meters long. Yes, meters long. For instance, Amethyst was founded in Mexico in 1900; it measured 33 feet, by 16 feet, by 10 feet and weighed over 8 tones. However, the largest jewelry grade Amethyst stones found are usually about the size of a fist, some weighting about 700 carats.

Amethyst can be found all around the world, however the major deposits of Amethyst are found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and Madagascar. Amethyst found in Southern Brazil are usually light violet. Uruguay Amethyst are the most beautiful, but can have blemishes. The Amethyst in Madagascar are usually red in color. Amethyst is also found in parts of Germany and in Russia, located by the Ural Mountains.


Amethyst - Where it’s Formed and Found

Amethyst is a type of quartz that is extremely popular and used mainly for ornamental jewelry. Amethyst usually comes in beautiful hues of violent and purple. Sometimes it might be a lavender or pink. However the most sought after Amethyst are those that have a deep purple hue.

Amethyst’s scientific formula is SiO2 it is made from Sulfur and Oxygen. The color of Amethyst was first attributed to manganese, however today; some people attribute the violet color to Ferric Thiocynate.

Amethyst is created from quartz, usually from alternate shifts of right and left handed lamellae. Lamellae is a geological term used to denote shifts in the earths crust. Amethyst is usually found crystallized and may have what is called thumb markings. Thumb markings are due to rippling or fractures in the crystals. Amethyst is a pretty hard gemstone and on Moh’s scale is rated with a hardness of 7. Amethyst’s hardness makes it perfect for ornamental jewelry, however it should be noted that even with a hardness of 7, it is still only 1/15 the hardness of a diamond.

Amethyst can be found in many parts of the world; however Southern Brazil and Uruguay have the largest deposits in the world. Madagascar is also well known for its Amethyst deposits. In Germany, there are many areas where Amethyst have been found including the Idar- Oberstein district in Germany and Russia also has some deposits, mainly near the Ural Mountains. In the United States, Amethyst can be found, however it is usually not jewelry grade.

Hematite - The Different Colors, Sizes and Shapes

2008-2-8 »Author: admin »

Hematite is one of the more common minerals found on earth, in fact it is the primary ore that is used to make iron. Hematite is iron oxide, which is scientifically written as Fe2O3. It is extremely hard, even harder than iron, but very brittle and only scores a 5 to 6 on the Moh’s hardness scale.

Hematite comes in many different colors which are used in ornamental jewelry, as well as other products. Hematite can come in silver or gray, black, brown and brownish red and most notably red. Hematite gets its name from the Greek root word meaning blood. Its red color is the most striking and associated with war by not the Greeks but the ancient Romans that covered themselves in this mineral either as jewelry or as war paint, which they thought would make them invincible.

Hematite comes in many different sizes and is mined throughout the world in England, USA, Mexico, Canada, etc. Since it is essentially iron, it can be located in giant iron bands. It can be used as jewelry as solid stones the size of a kidney or in crushed powder form that can be used in fabrics and paints.

Varieties of hematite include Hematite Rose which is known for its circular blade arrangement, the Tiger Iron, which can include the colors silver, grey, red jasper and tiger eye quartz, the Kidney ore which is in the shape and color of a kidney and Specularite, which is very shiny silver and usually cut into stones.


How and Where Hematite is Formed and Found?

Hematite is a type of mineral that is extremely common and located in many regions around the world. Hematite is made from iron and is in fact the principle ore in making iron. Hematite is usually known as iron oxide and is written scientifically as F22O3. Hematite comes in many colors including silver, gray, black, earth tones such as brown, reddish brown and most notably red.

Hematite forms in mainly huge deposits of banded iron. While Hematite can form either in volcanic lava, hematite can also form near hot springs or near standing water. When Hematite forms near water it is usually grey in color. Hematite is also found in soil which is in tropical climates or has been weathered. Many soils that contain Hematite are usually red or reddish brown in hue.

Hematite is very common and can be found all over the world; however it is mainly mined for in England, by the border of the United States and Canada near Lake Superior, Brazil and Mexico.

There are many different varieties of Hematite, they include Bloodstone which is obviously red in color, Tiger Iron, which was created over 2 billion years old and contains silver gray hues and red jasper, Kidney Ore which usually comes in minerals that are lumpy kidney looking masses, Olithic Hematite which has earthy tones such as reddish brown and Specularite, this stone is shiny silver and gray and is quite often used for ornamental jewelry. Another popular type of Hematite is the Hematite Rose, it is usually has a circular arrangement of bladed crystals, making it resemble a rose.

The history and origin of Tiger's Eye

2008-2-2 »Author: admin »

Tiger’s Eye has a name that automatically evokes the description of this stone. While extremely interesting to look at, Tiger’s Eye is not as popular as the individual stones that make up this gemstone. Tiger’s eye usually includes shades of honey, yellow and browns. It is extremely similar to another type of Eye – the Hawk Eye, where instead of blue, caused by iron inclusions, it has inclusions of the mineral crocidolite that oxidizes and forms brown. Both Tiger’s Eye and Hawk’s Eye are fibrous in nature and structure.

This wonderful gemstone is created from the mineral quartz which is essentially any type of stone that is oxidized. Quartz is the most common mineral on earth and makes up to 12% of the earth’s crust. Quartz comes in many varieties including coarse quartz stones with larger crystalline structures and small fibrous crystal structures called cryptocrystalline. Small crystalline structures usually include Agate and Onyx; large crystal structures include Amethyst and Citrine.

Tiger’s Eye is usually used for ornamental jewelry and is cut for rings or charms. It is a truly magnificent looking gemstone and it is usually very affordable. Tiger’s Eye has been known for thousands of years and has many medicinal and mystical properties associated with it. It is said to stabilize one and to protect the wearer from evil and illness. Many times, Tiger’s Eye is given to children as a protectorate, as well as being fun to possess. However, for gemstone lovers, Tiger’s Eye makes excellent fine jewelry and is sometimes given as a birth stone.


What is Tiger’s Eye used for?

One of the more unique looking and interesting gemstones available for sale is Tiger’s Eye. Tiger’s Eye resembles the color and patterns of a Tiger’s Eye. It is also extremely similar to the Hawk’s Eye and instead of having blue, it includes an inclusions of crocidolite that has oxidized creating a beautiful brown hue.

Three main uses of Tiger’s Eye are for ornamental jewelry, as a talisman and for samples for gem collectors. It should be noted that the mineral Quartz, which Tiger’s Eye is formed from does have many uses, some for ornamental jewelry and others that are industrial and electrical in purpose.

Tiger’s Eye is made from Quartz which is Silica dioxide. This mineral is great for jewelry pieces due to the fact that it is hard, usually with a hardness of 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale, it is also very stable and can be worn daily.

Tigers Eye includes the colors of yellow or honey, red and brown. It usually comes with a very silky luster and is made from the fibrous type of Quartz (cryptocrystalline). Most of the time, these colors are either in lines or bent. This beautiful gemstone is usually very affordable and has been known to man for thousands of years. For those that are spiritual and into astrology, Tiger’s Eye is used for positive effects for oneself. In ancient times it was used to protect oneself from evil spirits and evil doers. While most people purchase this gemstone for its beauty, it is still fascinating and mystical to look at.