Winbow Samuel's blog

turquoise stones

Turquoise stone is becoming increasingly rare and costly because the finest material comes from Iran. Despite its fragility it is much prized and never seems to go out of fashion.

It is an opaque mineral consisting essentially of phosphates and is of a colour ranging from sky-blue to apple-green. The best turquoise is, however, dark and should be totally free of any black veins or white specks. It must be cut en cabochon. It is sold by the carat, a very rare procedure for an opaque stone.

Turquoise is an excellent investment, but if it is to retain its value it should be cleaned at least once a year with diluted ammonia liquor. This restores its original colour which otherwise tends to become greener with age. It should never be stored with other jewelry or cosmetics.

As I mentioned earlier, the finest turquoise comes from Iran, b specimens from Sinai and China are almost as beautiful. Russian and American turquoise is of a decidedly poorer quality.

Tiger's Eye

Tiger's Eye, much like the eyes of a female cat, glitters with a small ray of light on the surface. This property of stone is known as chatoyancy. It is a brown quartz silicon dioxide having lustrous yellow and brown parallel fibers. The presence of iron oxides gives the stone the color of yellow-gold.

Tiger's Eye is very popular in jewelry making. It has the grounding energy of the earth, but embellished with glowing warmth. This stone is perfect for people in need of more confidence to accomplish their goals. It helps people to recognize self resources and use it for the attainment of their dreams apart from making them judge

situations and determine the best possible way to approach it. Roman soldiers wore it, engraved with symbols, to protect them during battle.

Tiger's Eye is the anniversary stone for the ninth year of marriage and astrological sign for capricorn. It is found in the regions of South Africa, but the best stones is acquired from West Griqualand.

Pearl Gemstone

Pearl is one of the most beautiful precious stone on the earth and we often use it to decorate our life and bring us luck. Known as "queen of the oceans", pearl, like coral, is a victim of pollution. The name denotes a calcareous concretion with a silvery lustre formed within the shell of certain bivalve molluscs known as pearl oysters around some foreign body. There are two types: natural pearls, formed inside wild oysters, practically impossible to find nowadays, and cultured pearls in which the production of the pearl is artificially induced. Natural pearls have no nucleus, but in the cultured variety the pearl is formed round a spherical bead inserted into the oyster shell. The oyster tries to render this intrusive body innocuous by sealing it off in a cyst of nacre.

Both natural and cultured pearls are a sound investment as their price is never likely to come down; quite the contrary, it continues to rise inexorably.

The finest natural pearls are fished almost exclusively from the Persian Gulf and the China Sea, while the best cultivated ones come from Japan, Korea and more recently Australia.

The price of a pearl depends much on its provenance, colour and iridescent lustre (known as the "orient") perfect shape and above all size. In fact, the most important characteristic in computing the value of a round pearl is its diameter, which should exceed 8mm.

The finest colours are pinkish-white, bluish-white and white- white. Avoid pearls of a yellowish, greenish or brownish tint. Grey, blue and black pearls are to be found in certain volcanic regions such as Tahiti and may be even more expensive that the white variety.

Pearls may also be of different shapes: round, oval, button and drop (often used for earrings) or of an uneven form, which are known as "baroque" pearls.

Pearl is a rare and living substance and should be treated with great care. If you live in a hot climate, your pearls should be washed in sea water at least twice a year; in cooler climates, once is sufficient. They should not be brought into contact with perfume or other jewelry, which might scratch them.

Remember what I said about investments? Well, if you have a daughter who is coming of age, forget about the bank account, spend the money on a string of pearls. In five years time she will appreciate the difference and be eternally grateful.

Coral

Coral is not a mineral but a hard calcareous substance consisting of the continuous skeleton secreted by many tribes of marine coelenterate polyps for their support and habitation. It is found growing plant-like on the sea-bottom. With pollution on the rise everywhere it is becoming increasingly rare, to the extent that even the most prized, the Mediterranean coral, is threatened with extinction.

Coral was very popular until a few years ago, but has now become too expensive for most pockets. Its increasing rarity does. however, make it a good long-term investment. You would be wise to buy Italian coral rather than specimens from the Far East, which have often been adulterated.

The best corals are generally considered to be those of a deep rose red colour, though some jewelers would tend to disagree. Understandably so, when it is almost impossible to find more than one or two necklaces of this shade in a hundred ! As regards white and pink varieties, choose without hesitation the colour known as "angel's skin".

Weight-wise, coral is worth more on today's market than gold, which is why it is such a sound investment provided, and I stress this, it is of the best quality. The finest specimens come from Sardinia and Tunisia; larger, less fine ones from Japan and China.

Coral is cut en cabochon or used for beads and sometimes small carvings. Beware of imitations, such as coloured shell or bone.

Amethyst gemstone

This is a variety of quartz coloured by traces of manganese, titanium and iron. It is of a pale lilac, mauve or bluish violet colour. Very popular in the past, its current value is stable as new mines have recently been discovered. Moreover, its worth has been further undermined over recent years by the flood of tasteless objects made in Brazil.

The best investment is an amethyst of average size weighing between 4 and 8 carats, as dark as possible, but not so much so that the light is prevented from reflecting, and with a deep lustre.

Amethyst has a very wide provenance, but the finest coloured specimens come from Brazil and the Urals. It is also mined in Madagascar, Ceylon, India and Australia

agate precious gemstone

This is a semi-pellucid variety of quartz. The colours are arraigned in strips or bands or blended in clouds and classified accordingly as moss, ribbon, dendrite, etc. The stone, widely distributed but not very popular, is generally brown. When used for ornamental purposes it has usually been dyed artificially as the porous nature of this mineral allows it to absorb material from solution. Brownish- orange agate is known as cornelian, the green variety chrysoprase, the blue variety chalcedony and the brownish-red variety carnelian. Black agate is onyx. Agate is used for inexpensive jewelry, ornaments and even ash- trays and precision instruments. It is found mainly in India, Brazil, Madagascar, China, Russia and Australia.

  Agate is an unusual stone. It has class as well as an earthy quality. There are many varieties of agate. Common types are: blue lace agate, moss agate, tree agate and petrified wood. Usually agate is shaped into cabochons or beads. It is commonly made into pendants, necklaces or earrings. I've seen beautiful blue agate pendants, bolo ties, hair sticks and fire agate bracelets. Agate is a variety of chalcedony that comes in most colors.

   Blue agate is as expected, light blue. Moss agate is dark green, often with clear patches. Tree agate is green and white. Petrified wood is usually brown, white or red. Agate can crack and chip rather easily even though its hardness rating is 7. Petrified wood is fossilized wood that has had its organic matter replaced by agate.

precious agate gemstone

Agate is one of the most precious stone on the earth, and we can use it to make great fashional jewellery to bring our life more colorful. Since agate is porous, it is usually dyed to enhance its natural color. Sometimes one can tell if a stone is dyed by looking at the cracks. If the cracks are darker, then dye was most likely used. Of course, this isn't a guarentee. Often treated agate is sold as Black Onyx. Agate is found in Brazil, Eygpt, Germany, India, Italy, Madagascar, Mexico and the USA (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah. Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming).

  The Agate Stone beads’ most noticeable properties overall are balancing yin/yang energy, courage, protection, healing, and calming. The metaphysical and healing properties of any specific type of Agate Semi Precious Stone depends to some extent on the color of the agate—from a Moss Agate Bead to a Botswana Agate Bead. But all agate gem stone beads have certain things in common. Agate Semi-precious Stones enhance creativity and strengthen the intellect, making them a beneficial stone for both students and artists. It is also known as a good luck stone. As a stone of harmony, one of the things Agate Stone Beads do is balance yin/yang energy.

Agate Semi Precious Stones increase energy. However, because it is a grounding stone, it does not increase energy at all times, but rather it enables bursts of energy as needed. In this way, agate—from Blue Ice Agate and Moss Agate to Botswana Agate and Golden Agate—is a conservation stone, and enhances longevity.

aventurine gemstone

Aventurine is one of the most precious stone on the earth, and we can use it to make great jewellery to decorate our colorful life. Shopping guide: Aventurine is a very charming inexpensive stone. It's claim to fame is having inclusions that look like sparkles. This is an easy identifying factor often called aventurescence. There was a custom of assigning various Masculine and Feminine Saints with a particular gem for use in talismans. The name Andrew or Andre (i.e. patron Saint Andrew) is associated with Aventurine. 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).

aventurine gemstone

Aventurine is one of the precious stone on the earth, and we use it to make great jewellery as decoration.

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.

Description: Aventurine is composed of two gem minerals, one is a plagioclase feldspar and the other is quartz . Both have a sparkling reflection from oriented minute inclusions of mica or hematite, which cause a slight metallic iridescence. The name's origin: Aventurine derives its name from Italian - per avventura - by chance. Wedding anniversary: Aventurine is the anniversary gemstone for the 8th year of marriage.

Care and treatment: Translucent aventurine often fades in the sun, therefore the aventurine jewelry is better kept in the dark place. From the stone history: For many centuries aventurine is used for jewelry, candelabra, girandoles, pipes, vases and bowls (sometimes very large), and for other ornamental objects. Unique ancient vase made of bright aventurine is displayed in Hermitage, art museum in St. Petersburg (Russia).

Agate earring

As one of the most precious gemstone on the earth, agate is the great stone that can bring us the power of confidence and make our life more colorful. No gemstone is more creatively striped by Nature than agate, chalcedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a wide variety of colours and textures. Each individual agate forms by filling a cavity in host rock. As a result, agate is often found as a round nodule, with concentric bands like the rings of a tree trunk. The bands sometimes look like eyes, fanciful scallops, or even a landscape with trees.

  Agate was highly valued as a talisman or amulet in ancient times. It was said to quench thirst and protect against fever. Persian magicians used agate to divert storms. A famous collection of two to four thousand agate bowls which was accumulated by Mithridates, king of Pontus, shows the enthusiasm with which agate was regarded. Agate bowls were also popular in the Byzantine Empire. Collecting agate bowls became common among European royalty during the Renaissance and many museums in Europe, including the Louvre, have spectacular examples.