Gemstone Blogs
A DIZZYING DICHOTOMY – MARCH’S BIRTHSTONES, AQUAMARINE AND BLOODSTONE
A DIZZYING DICHOTOMY – MARCH’S BIRTHSTONES, AQUAMARINE AND BLOODSTONE You cannot find two more different stones to pair together. Aquamarine, a blue variety of beryl,...
NEW YEAR, NEW STONE – GARNET, JANUARY’S BIRTHSTONE
Sometimes, garnet would share its place with another stone. More often than not, it was jacinth, a variety of zircon set in the breastplate of...
WHAT’S IN A STONE? – THE HISTORY OF THE BIRTHSTONE
The concept of the birthstone is either Jewish, Christian, or pagan in origin, depending on your interpretation. Regardless of which group started it, the religious...
Fantastic Flashes and Fulmination - Fulgurite, the Lightning Glass
Despite the name, fulgurite is not a stone, it’s a glass. Some don’t even classify it as a proper mineral, but instead as a mineraloid....
YES, IT’S GLASS – MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MOLDAVITE, THE METEORIC GLASS
Moldavite is not crystalline. It was made up of crystalline materials and rock that melted and formed moldavite, however. But because it by itself is...
That Can't be True! – How Social Media Influences Crystals and You for Better or Worse
The impact that crystal influencers have on business is can be rather extreme. For instance, the moldavite boom generated unprecedented levels of demand for what...
Brandite - The World of Trademarked Stones
Correct, you cannot claim the intellectual property rights to nature since it isn’t your intellectual property. However, you can trademark names and symbols (like logos)...
Painting with Stones: Minerals to Paint
Virtually every continent in the world has at least one culture that in the past used gemstones for painting, dyes, or pigments. Let’s examine some...
WHAT'S IN A CUT? THE MOST POPULAR CRYSTAL CUTS
Not all cuts are the same. Some have a purpose beyond being aesthetically pleasing, while others try to maximize another quality at the expense of...