Category: Gemstones
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Amethyst
Amethyst, a semi-precious stone, is the traditional birthstone for February. It is a violet variety of quartz and is found in South America, North America, Africa and Asia. The best amethyst comes from Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and the far east. Greek for “not-intoxicated”, amethyst was believed to prevent drunkenness and in fact people made… Read more
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New Burma Jade and Yellow Jade
New Burma Jade and Yellow Jade This month we’re featuring two beautiful types of jade. New Burma jade encompasses a variety of green shades including olive, sea green, and peridot. New jade is a semi-translucent serpentine stone. It is found all over the world. Yellow jade is also a natural serpentine, whose shades vary from… Read more
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Stone of the Month—Tree Agate aka Moss Agate or Dendritic Agate
Our beautiful summery and refreshing stone of the month is Tree Agate. It has green veins on a white background, giving it a cool, leafy-glade type of feeling. The green veins or dendrites, come from the Greek word “dendron” meaning “tree.” Tree agate or Moss agate is also associated with summer in that it is… Read more
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African Jade
African Jade is named for its point of origin. There are two main types of jade—jadeite and nephrite. This month’s jade is the nephrite variety. Its name comes from the Greek word for “kidney” because nephrite was thought to cure illnesses of the kidney and spleen. African Jade is one of the oldest and most culturally… Read more
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African Turquoise Gemstone
I think by now that everyone has had enough winter. To help us think “spring” our stone of the month is beautiful African turquoise, a stone whose color will remind you of an idyllic time at the beach on a warm summer day. African “Turquoise” is not true turquoise but rather a jasper that looks… Read more