Blue Agate....Truth, Loyalty and Reliability

In its natural form, agate--especially South American agate--is often grey. The art of dyeing agate has been a closely guarded secret that's been perfected in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, one of the most important centers for cutting and dyeing since the early 16th century. With this brilliant blue, they've outdone themselves.

Blue is associated with truth, loyalty and reliability. Its importance for healing has been recognized since the Golden Age of Greece. It was revered in ancient Indian and Chinese civilizations. Today, healers who work with color use blue stones for diagnosing and treating throat-related problems. And poise and serenity have always been associated with blue light. Even the expression "feeling blue" comes from blue's cool, sedative effect. No wonder even people who don't "love blue" are drawn to people who do.

Mineral Information - Microcrystalline quartz, banded chalcedony, infused with iron

Chemical Composition - SiO2

Color - Blue

Hardness - 6-1/2 - 7

Specific Gravity - 2.60-2.65

Please note that all metaphysical or healing properties listed are collected from various sources. This information is offered as a service and not meant to treat medical conditions.

Gemstone Optical Properties

Optical properties refer to the way gemstones interact with light. Color, interference and inclusions are all examples of optical properties. The first optical property is also the most obvious--color. 

Color 

Color happens when light hits a stone and some spectral (think of the rainbow) colors are absorbed, and some are passed through the stone or reflected back. A ruby, which appears red to our eyes, reflects red light, and all other colors are absorbed. So what causes a ruby to be red and a sapphire to be blue (or yellow or pink) is based on which colors of light are reflected or absorbed. 

Color variations are caused by impurities within the stone, typically other minerals alone or in combination. 

There are different categories of colored stones. 

Idiochromatic: Some gemstones are called idiochromatic, or self-colored. These stones are colored by an essential part of their chemical composition. For instance, you cannot have peridot without iron--it is an essential part of the gemstone. Iron is also what makes peridot green. Therefore, all peridot is green. An idiochromatic stone will ALWAYS be a particular color since there is no way to remove the impurity that lends the stone its color without changing the nature of the stone.

Pleochroic: Pleochroic stones appear to be one color when viewed from one direction, but a different color when viewed from a different angle. Iolite is a terrific example of this; blue when looked at straight on, but when rotated 90 degrees, it appears grey. Another great example is alexandrite. Under incandescent light, the stone appears pinkish red, but in natural light, it is a bluish green color. 

Multicolored: Tourmaline is a fine example of a multicolored stone. Within one crystal, different levels of impurities will produce a wide variety of shades and colors. 

Color is one of the most appealing aspects of gemstones, and an important factor to consider when designing jewelry.

Interference 

Interference happens when light reflects off of structures within a gemstone. Iridescence, such as seen in opal and labradorite, is an example of interference. The play of color seen in moonstone is referred to as adularesence or schiller.

Chatoyancy (cat's eye effect) and asterism (star effect) are also caused by the interference of light.

Inclusions 

Some people might consider any inclusion to compromise the value of a stone. However, sometimes inclusions will add interest and uniqueness to an otherwise humdrum gem. 

Anything can be an inclusion. Think of a dragonfly trapped in amber--that's an inclusion! Rutiles in quartz and prehnite are also inclusions. Some particularly interesting inclusions are actually gemstones within gemstones. 

Inclusions can also be invaluable in identifying a gemstone since some kinds of inclusions only occur in certain gemstones and others occur only in stones from a particular location, such as a distinct water-lily like inclusion found in peridot from Arizona. There are even certain inclusions that can help identify whether a stone is natural or synthetic. An example would be veil and feather patterns that occur in flux-melt emeralds.

Application 

All of these optical properties are important when choosing a particular stone. For instance, sapphires look best under natural light--in incandescent lighting, they tend to look dull and unsaturated. If a jewelry artist wants to design a beautiful necklace, but their intended audience will wear it only while bathed in incandescent light sources, sapphire might not be the best choice. Alternatively, iolite is a beautiful stone, but because of its pleochroic nature, it might not be suited to being set in a way that it is always rotating, showing its grey tones. 

Inclusions can add interest and depth to a design. Some designers will actually highlight an area with an inclusion in a stone. And if a person had a cabochon with a star, they may not want to put it in a pair of earrings that wouldn't catch the light in the same way as a ring or a pendant. 

Being aware of a gemstone's optical properties can take your design to the next level of beauty, and possibly price point! 

Source: http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/beading_resources.asp?docid=d40l&doccat=articles&WT.fmg_linksection=21WP6WSKLWNX4&cid=547411164140881430&_rid=247438.1706.649225&WT.mc_id=NL130806

What necklace should I wear today?

So you are preparing to dress for the day and not sure of the length that is best for the neckline of the top you are planning to wear.  We just wanted to share a few fashion tips on picking the best necklace for the neckline of your top.

Hope it is helpful to you.  It sure has been for us!

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Sage Jewels on Etsy

Calcite is about 4% of the Earth’s crust

Calcite is a carbonate mineral and is the most stable form of calcium carbonate.  It is one of the most common minerals on the face of the Earth, comprising about 4% by weight of the Earth's crust and is formed in many different geological environments. Pure calcium carbonate is colorless, but calcite is often colored by various impurities, including iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc or cobalt. Thus you will find calcite in a range of colors including black (extremely rare), blue, clear, green, orange, pink, red, yellow, and white.

Calcite gets its name from "chalix" the Greek word for lime.  Calcite is a common constituent of sedimentary rocks, limestone in particular, much of which is formed from the shells of dead marine organisms. It is the primary mineral in metamorphic marble, occurs as a vein mineral in deposits from hot springs, and may also be found in volcanic or mantle-derived rocks. Calcite is often the primary constituent of the shells of marine organisms, like the hard parts of red algae, some sponges, and parts of the shells of some bivalves (such as oysters).

In folklore, it is said that Calcite is considered to be a powerful energy amplifier, which aids memory, is good for arts and sciences, and brings emotional balance.