PIETERSITE
WHAT IS PIETERSITE: Pietersite is a trade name for a dark blue-grey breccia aggregate made up mainly of hawk's eye and tigereye.It is a variety of chalcedony (itself a variety of quartz) with embedded fibers of amphibole minerals in varying degrees of alteration. METAPHYSICAL PROPRETIES: Pietersite helps one see beyond the...
AMMOLITE
WHAT IS AMMOLITE: Recognized by CIBJO, the Colored Stones Commission, in 1981, Ammolite is the latest of only three new gemstones introduced in the last 50 years and one of three organic gemstones (including amber & pearl) and has been compared to Opal. Also known as Calcentine, Korite, Aapoak (Blackfoot...
PLUME AGATE
WHAT IS PLUME AGATE: Agate is one of the commonly found gemstones in the world. There are numerous varieties of stone making it is truly versatile and effervescent stone. Agate is banded chalcedony belonging to the crypto-crystalline quartz family. Agate is more like an umbrella term used to describe the...
KAMBABA JASPER
WHAT IS KAMBABA JASPER: The kambaba jasper is a sedimentary fossil of prehistoric algae from billions of years ago. It receives its blue-green color and black spots and swirls from the fossilised algae colonies. This means that it is not actually a type of jasper like the ocean jasper at...
BUMBLE BEE JASPER
WHAT IS BUMBLE BEE JASPER: Originating only inside the volcanoes of Australia and Indonesia, the Bumble Bee Jasper is a very unique and hard to find. It is formed from volcanic matter and a combination of various different sedimentary rocks, which is different than that of most Jasper, and hence...
OCEAN JASPER
WHAT IS OCEAN JASPER: Ocean jasper is a rare and colourful material from Madagascar.It has long been described as a variety of orbicular jasper.Found on the north west coast of the world's fourth largest island, the original material is now completely mined out.Orbicular jaspers are known for their orb-like or...
CHRYSOCOLLA
WHAT IS CHRYSOCOLLA: This stone is actually a copper ore. You’ll often find chrysocolla where you find copper deposits. You’ll also regularly find it alongside deposits of Malachite and Blue Azurite. These are considered cousin minerals.It comes in a range of forms, from balls and bubbly plates to stalactites in massive...
PINK MOOKAITE OPAL
WHAT IS PINK MOOKAITE OPAL: Australian Pink Opal is a marketing name, but is simply a different form of Mookaite, that is Pink Mookaite.Here we will refer to it as Pink Opal or Australian Pink Opal because it is the name you will find it under.It is an extremely bright...
DENTRITIC AGATE
WHAT IS DENTRITIC AGATE: Dendritic Agate gets its name from the tree-like dendrites that collect on the surface of this stone. The formation process begins with a silicon dioxide molecule, which is then formed into layers of microscopic crystals. Agates are cryptocrystalline quartz stones, meaning they have an internal structure...
TIBETAN QUARTZ
WHAT IS TIBETAN QUARTZ: Tibetan Quartz is nautarlly occuring Clear Quartz that is found at altitudes of over 15,000 feet in the Ganesh Himal Mountain range that borders Tibet and Nepal. This remote location is only accessible on foot during the warmer months so these crystals are collected by hand...
ONYX
WHAT IS ONYX: Onyx is a mineral, like marble, granite or quartzite. It is part of the quartz mineral group and is a layered stone. Some of its layers may contrast.In correct usage, the name refers to a (usually) black and white banded variety of Agate, or sometimes a monochromatic...
CARNELIAN
WHAT IS CARNELIAN: Carnelian is a red, orange, or amber variety of Chalcedony.Though often a solid color, it may also be banded, in which case it would be jointly classified as both Agate and Carnelian.It may contain lighter and darker zones (as very dark browns or white) within a single...
CRAZY LACE AGATE
WHAT IS CRAZY LACE AGATE: Crazy Lace Agate also known as Mexican Agate is a banded chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) that's infused with iron and aluminum and is often brightly colored and complexly patterned.This produces the creamy browns, blacks, greys and golds (and occasional pinks or reds) swirled together in this stone....
RUBY ZOISITE
WHAT IS RUBY ZOISITE: Ruby zoisite is a colourful metamorphic rock that features crystals of red corundum and green zoisite.It's not unusual for hornblende to also be present. Due to its striking colour stones are widely used for decorative purposes.The difference in hardness of the minerals corundum and zoisite can...
MOSS AGATE
WHAT IS MOSS AGATE: Moss agate is a semi-precious gemstone formed from silicon dioxide.It is a form of chalcedony which includes minerals of a green color embedded in the stone, forming filaments and other patterns suggestive of moss.The field is a clear or milky-white quartz, and the included minerals are...
MALACHITE
WHAT IS MALACHITE: Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral.Malachite often results from the supergene weathering and oxidation of primary sulfidic copper ores, and is often found with azurite, goethite, and calcite.Except for its vibrant green color, the properties of malachite are similar to those of azurite and aggregates of...