About Stones

Agate - brings stability to your life.

Color: Agate comes in most colors. Agates range from transparent to opaque in a variety of beautiful colors. It presents various tints in the same specimen. The stones can be artificially stained to produce combinations of color more vivid than those found in the natural state.

Birthstone: Agate is the birthstone of Taurus (Bull): April 20 - May 20.

Varieties: There are several types of agate. Varieties include Blue, Blue Lace, Crazy Lace, Green, Indian, Moss, Tree and Wood. The Moss agate or mocha stone contains visible impurities in the form that resemble moss.

Healing ability: Agate is cooling stone, it reduces fever, quenches thirst, beneficial in stomach area. It quiets the pulse and heart throbs and insures good health and a long and prosperous life. Botswana Agate: Use with high-pressure oxygen therapy. Fire Agate: Master healer with color therapy, enhances all essences. It grounds and balances, binds sexual & heart chakra, burns energy. Moss Agate: Emotional priorities, mental priorities; circulatory, pancreas & pulses, blood sugar balance, agriculture.

Mystical power: Agate guards against danger. Wearers become temperate, continent and cautious. It helps one view themselves with more clarity and see the world through a broader viewpoint. Wearing Agate is believed to cure insomnia and to insure pleasant dreams.

Deposits: Important sources of agate are Russia (Ural mountains), Brazil, Eygpt, Germany, India, Italy, Madagascar, Mexico, Uruguay and the USA (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana ).

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Amethyst - one of the Earth's beautiful stones.

Color: Found in abundance, in its purest form, Amethyst is colorless. The finest quality Amethyst is medium to medium dark in tone, vivid in intensity, and purple, reddish purple to bluish purple in hue. Heating removes the color from amethyst or changes it to the yellow of citrine. Most commercial citrine is made in this manner.

Birthstone: Amethyst is the birthstone of Aquarius (Water Bearer): Jan. 20 - Feb. 18.

Varieties: Oriental amethyst, or purple sapphire, is not quartz but a variety of corundum, a much harder and rarer stone.

Healing ability: Ametyst magnifies psychic abilities and right-brain activity. It strengthens immunity, while energizing and purifying the blood. Ametyst relieves headaches, improves blood sugar imbalance.

Mystical power: The Greek work "amethystos" basically can be translated as "not drunken" , expresses the ancient folk belief that the stone protects its owner against drunkenness. As the myth goes, drinking wine from an Amethyst goblet would prevent one from becoming inebriated. The gemstone still symbolizes sobriety. Amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy. Because of that, amethyst was very important in the ornamentation of churches in the Middle Ages. Bishops still often wear amethyst rings. Amethyst is associated with a number of superstitions, being regarded as a love charm, and as a protection against thieves. In Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned from it. Placed under the pillow at night, the beautiful amethyst is believed to produce a calm and peaceful sleep. Amethyst is given as a symbol of sincerity, security, and peace of mind.

Deposits: Amethyst is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Siberia, Canada, India, Bolivia, and Argentina and some African countries. Zambia being a significant source for Amethyst. Generally, amethyst from South America tends to be available in larger sizes than African amethyst but amethyst from Africa has the reputation for having better, more saturated, color in small sizes. Very dark amethyst, mostly in small sizes, is also mined in Australia.

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Aquamarine - a symbol of beauty, honesty, and loyalty.

Color: Aquamarines are found in a range of blue shades, from the palest pastel to greenish-blue to a deep blue. While the choice of color is largely a matter of taste, the deeper blue gems are more rare. Aquamarine is a pastel gemstone, and while color can be quite intense in larger gemstones, the smaller Aquamarines are often less vivid.

Birthstone: Aquamarine along with bloodstone are birthstones of Pisces (Fish): Feb. 19 - March 20.

Wedding anniversary: Aquamarine is the anniversary gemstone for the 16th and 19th year of marriage.

Healing ability: Aquamarine works against nerve pain, glandular problems, toothache, and disorders of the neck, jaw and throat. It strengthens liver and kidneys. Aquamarine diminishes problems with eyes, ears and stomach, relieves cough. Moreover, aquamarine protects from perils of the sea, including seasickness. It is said to help ease depression and grief.

Mystical power: Aquamarine has a soothing effect on "just married" couples, assisting them in working out their differences and insuring a long and happy marriage. Aquamarine is said to re-awaken love in long-married couples and signify the making of new friends. It also provides courage and strengthens the will. Aquamarine protects against the wiles of the devil. Others say that the Aquamarine is an excellent stone for meditation.

Deposits: Aquamarine is found in Brazil, India, Russia (Ural mountains) and USA (Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina, Colorado and Vermont). Aquamarines are mined in a number of exotic places including Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan and Mozambique. Brazil is the source of the finest aquamarines.

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Aventurine - a stone of confidence and tranquility.

Stone's names: Aventurine, avanturine.

Color: Aventurine is a soft green semi-translucent to mostly opaque stone with mica flecks. Aventurine also comes in silvery, yellow, reddish brown, greenish-brown, bluish green and orange. It contains inclusions of small crystals that reflect light and give a range of colors - depending on the nature of the inclusion.

Healing ability: Avanturine is said to increase libido. Releases fear and anxiety. Green aventurine strengthens one's blood and muscle tissues.

Mystical power: Aventurine is said to increase confidence, and gratitude, promotes emotional tranquility and positive attitudes. Aventurine is a wonderful stone to use daily, especially during meditation and prayer.

Deposits: Aventurine is found in Brazil, India, China, Japan, Russia, Tanzania, and USA. Extensive beds in mica schist occur in the Russian Ural Mountains. Green aventurine, colored by a chrome mica, has been found in the state of Tamil Nadu (formerly Madras), India, China, and in Rutland (Vermont).

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Chalcedony - promotes calm and peace.

Stone's names: Chalcedony, Calcedony.

Color: Chalcedony can be virtually any color of the rainbow. It is commonly pale blue, yellow, brown or gray with nearly waxlike luster. A white, buff, or light tan species of chalcedony are also occured.

Healing ability: This beautiful stone is believed to banish fear, hysteria, depression, mental illness and sadness. Chalcedony reduces fever. Wearing chalcedony is believed to be excellent for eyes.

Mystical power: Chalcedony prevents from touchiness and melancholy. Worn by many to promote calm and peace. Chalcedony also stimulates creativity.

Deposits: Chalcedony is found in many parts of the world, but the most prized Chalcedony are from India, Madagascar, Burma, Brazil, Mexico & USA.

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Coral - a symbol of youth, health and hope.

Color: Coral comes in a variety of colors: in red, rose, orange, blue, white and black.

Healing ability: Coral is used in difficulties of the lungs and digestion. It relates to the circulation of the blood and to the heart. Coral helps restore harmony in the event of emotional conflict. It works against nutritional deficiencies, depression and lethargy.

Mystical power: Coral is said to cure madness and give wisdom. Coral is used to build an emotional foundation. Coral protects children. It aids in the safe crossing of rivers, passages through tempests. It excites nerve power, brilliancy and gladness and is a true health-giver. Note that coral loses its powers when broken.

Deposits: Coral is found on the African coasts, Australia, Japan, Mediterranean coasts, Malaysia, and the West Indies. The best coral comes from the Mediterranean Sea, particularly off the coasts of Algeria and Tunisia. A black horny coral growth, probably conchiolin, which hardens on exposure to air, has been obtained off the islands of Hawaii.

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Hematite - helps to keep inward peace.

Stone's names: Hematite, Haematite.

Color: Hematites occur in opaque red or red-brown.

Varieties: Many of the various forms of hematite have separate names. The steel-gray crystals and coarse-grained varieties have a brilliant metallic lustre and are known as specular iron ore or looking glass ore. They are used as intaglios in men's signet rings. Thin scaly types are called micaceous hematite. Much hematite occurs in a soft, fine-grained, earthy form called red ochre or ruddle. Intermediate between these types are compact varieties, often with a reniform surface (kidney ore) or a fibrous structure (pencil ore). Red ochre is used as a pigment in paints and crayons, a purified form, rouge, is used to polish plate glass.

Healing ability: Garnet helps fighting against venereal diseases, it has a positive influence on a bladder. This stone also helps to treat hysteria.

Mystical power: Said to be a good healing and grounding stone, it strengthens the body and improve resistantance to life's stresses. Hematite inspire inner life and helps to keep inward peace.

Deposits: The most important deposits of hematite come from a sedimentary deposit: the Lake Superior district in North America. Other important deposits include Minas Gerais (Brazil), Cerro Bolivar (Venezuela), Labrador, and Quebec.

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Jasper - brings joy into life.

Color: Jasper exhibits various colors, but chiefly brick red to brownish red. It owes its color to admixed hematite , but when it occurs with clay admixed, the color is a yellowish white or gray, or with goethite, a brown or yellow. Often jasper is multi-colored.

Healing ability: Medicinal values were long attributed to jasper, including a belief that wearing it strengthened the stomach. Jasper was also believed to cure gynecological problems.

Mystical power: Leopard skin Jasper is said to bring one what they need. Poppy Jasper is said to help bring joy into life. Opalite Jasper is said to help one sleep. Jasper was thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites.

Deposits: Jasper is common and widely distributed, occurring chiefly as veinlets, concretions, and replacements in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, as in the Urals, North Africa, Sicily, France, India, Venezula and Germany. Some varieties are color-banded, and beautiful examples of jasperized fossil wood are found in Arizona, U.S. In USA Jasper is also found in California, Utah and Wyoming.

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Lapis Lazuli - is a gemstone compared to stars in the sky.

Stone's names: Lapis Lazuli, Lazurite.

Color: Lapis Lazuli occurs in various shades of blue with some qualities being speckled with white calcite and some with yellow pyrite . The finest Lapis Lazuli is even blue color with little or no veining from other elements.

Healing ability: The stone is said to increase psychic abilities. Lapis is said to be a cure for melancholy and for certain types of fever. Lapis lazuli eliminates negative emotions. It relieves sore throat pain.

Mystical power: Traditionally believed to increase mental clarity, virility, and calm. Lapis Lazuli is energy focuser for teachers, lecturers and speakers. Enhances creative self-expression. It is believed to be useful in relieving depression and promoting spirituality. Lapis Lazuli is also powerful during meditation.

Deposits: The main supplies of Lapis Lazuli are found in the Afghanistan, Egypt, Canada, Chile, the US, and South America. The most important sources are the mines in Badakhshan, northeastern Afghanistan, and near Ovalle, Chile, where gemstone is usually pale rather than deep blue.

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Moonstone - brings love into ones life.

Color: Moonstones come in a variety of colors, ranging from colorless to white, gray, brown, yellow, orange, green, or pink. Clarity ranges from transparent to translucent.

Birthstone: Moonstone along with alexandrite and pearls are birthstones of Gemini (Twins): May 21 - June 21.

Healing ability: Moonstone aligns vertebrae. It is good digestive aid. Moonstone also soothes and balances the emotions.

Mystical power: Moonstone is believed to be protective for women and babies. It's also associated with the sea and planting cycles. Moonstone is said to balance yin and yang. In India, moonstone is regarded as a sacred stone. It is believed to bring good fortune. Legend says that Moonstone is a highly prized gift for lovers as it arouses tender passion.

Deposits: Moonstone is found in Brazil, European Alps, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and USA (Pennsylvania and Virginia). Sri Lanka produces the highest quality moonstones.

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Onyx - a symbol of eloquence.

Stone's names: Onyx, Sardonyx (with white and brown bands).

Color: The layers in these stones range from translucent to opaque for sardonyx. The stones vary in color, too. They may be white or gray, ranging to many colorful varieties. Sardonyx stones usually contain flat-banded, white and brownish-red bands. Onyx is a gemstone with alternating light and dark bands, which are colored in brown, red, black, white and grey.

Birthstone: Sardonyx is the birthstone of Leo (Lion): July 23 - Aug 22.

Varieties: Varieties of onyx include carnelian onyx, with white and red bands, and sardonyx, with white and brown bands.

Healing ability: Onyx is used as a heart, kidney, nerve, capillary, hair, eye and nail strengthener. Onyx is said to help one sleep. This gemstone helps to eliminate apathy, stress and neurological disorders.

Mystical power: This gemstone eliminates negative thinking, it is also believed to sharpen the wits of the wearer. Onyx is said to bring spiritual inspiration. It is a great assistance in holding emotions and passions under control. Black Onyx is used to help one change habits.

Deposits: The chief localities of onyx are India and South America.

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Pearl - symbolizes love, success, and happiness.

Color: The color of pearls varies with the mollusk and its environment. It ranges from black to white, with the rose of Indian pearls esteemed most. Other colors are cream, gray, blue, yellow, lavender, green, and mauve. All occur in delicate shades. Cultured pearls are being produced in virtually every color of the rainbow.

Birthstone: Pearl and cultured pearl along with alexandrite and moonstone are birthstones of Gemini (Twins) : May 21 - June 21.

Varieties: Jewelers commonly refer to saltwater pearls as Oriental pearls and to those produced by freshwater mollusks as freshwater pearls.

Healing ability: Perls eliminate emotional imbalances. They help one master the heart chakra, aid stomach, spleen, intestinal tract & ulcer problems.

Mystical power: Pearl is said to help one see themselves and help improve self-worth. As an emblem of modesty, chastity and purity, the pearl symbolizes love, success, and happiness.

Deposits: The finest Oriental pearls are found in the Persian Gulf. Other notable sources of fine-quality pearls include the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka, the waters off Celebes, Indonesia, and the islands of the South Pacific. In the Americas, the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, and the waters of the Pacific coast of Mexico have yielded dark-hued pearls with a metallic sheen as well as white pearls of good quality. Freshwater mussels in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere have produced pearls of great value, as for example those from the Mississippi River. Pearling is a carefully fostered industry in central Europe, and the forest streams of Bavaria, in particular, are the source of choice pearls. Freshwater pearling in China has been known from before 1000 BC. Cultured pearls: Northern Australia established its first cultured pearl farms in the 1960s, that by the mid-1970s were an established industry, producing pearl shell as well as pearls. Japan and Australia are the largest producers of cultured pearls, though Fiji also produces some.

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Peridot - is a symbol of fame, dignity, and protection.

Stone's names: Peridot, Chrysolite (golden yellow peridot). Color: Peridot is a stone with a sparkling pale green color. It occurs in lime, yellowish green, olive green or medium dark green hues.

Birthstone: Peridot along with sardonyx are birthstones of Leo (Lion): July. 23 - Aug. 22.

Varieties: Chrysolite is a golden yellow variety of peridot.

Healing ability: This beautiful stone is worn or carried for general healing purposes. Peridot increases strength & physical vitality. Peridot protects against nervousness and aids in healing hurt feelings. It helps liver & adrenal function. Peridot is also thought to protect lungs, sinuses, and wrists from illness and injury.

Mystical power: Peridot is used to help dreams become a reality. This very popular stone is believed to attract love. The deep green hue of the peridot also suggests a connection in wealth-attracting. Peridot calms a raging anger. It is also useful to dispel negative emotions, and it is believed to promote sleep when worn to bed.

Deposits: Peridot is found in Australia, Brazil, China, Eygpt, Burma, Pakistan, Norway, and USA (Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico). Much of the today's Peridot comes from Arizona. Very large crystals are found in the Mogok district of Myanmar and in the Minas Gerais in Brazil. Peridot has been mined from St John's Island in the Red Sea for over 3500 years. In 1994, an exciting new deposit of peridot was discovered in Pakistan, and these stones are among the finest ever seen.

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Tiger eye - offers courage, energy, and luck.

Stone's names: Tiger eye, also spelled tiger's-eye and tigereye. Tiger eye is also called crocidolite cat's-eye or African cat's-eye.

Color: Tiger eye has a rich yellow and golden brown stripes, with a fine golden lustre when polished.

Varieties: Hawk's-eye is similar to tiger eye, except that the crocidolite was replaced by quartz before altering to iron oxide. It therefore retains the gray-blue or green of the asbestos.

Healing ability: Tiger eye relieves high blood pressure. Tiger eye wear is very helpful in the presence of following diseases: bronchial asthmakidney, rheumatic heart disease, otitis and psoriasis.

Mystical power: Tiger Eye is used for focusing the mind. It is said that Tiger Eye offers protection during travel, strengthens convictions and confidence. This very warm stone is beneficial for the weak and sick.

Deposits: The most important mine for Tiger Eye is in South Africa. The best stones come from Griqualand West.

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Turquoise - brings happiness and good fortune.

Color: The color of turquoise ranges from sky blue through various shades of green to greenish and yellowish gray. Turquoise is opaque except in the thinnest splinters, and has a feeble, faintly waxy lustre.

Birthstone: Turquoise along with zircon are birthstones of Sagittarius (Archer): Nov. 22-Dec. 21.

Healing ability: Turquoise is said to be a guard against all diseases. It assist in tissue regeneration, subtle body alignment & strengthening.

Mystical power: Turquoise has been thought to warn the wearer of danger or illness by changing color. In the 13th century,turquoise was thought to protect the wearer from falling, especially from horses. Turquoise is also believed to bring happiness and good fortune to all. It's said that turquoise attracts healing spirits, making it a premier healing stone. Believed to be a protective stone, turquoise is worn to guard against violence and accidents. Turquoise is also a valuable amulet for travelers.

Deposits: Highly prized turquoise has come from Neyshabur, Iran. Numerous deposits in the southwestern United States have been worked for centuries by American Indians. Turquoise also occurs in northern Africa, Australia, Siberia, and Europe.

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