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| AGATE |
a form of Chalcedony found in all varieties of colors. |
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| AMAZONITE |
a Feldspar mineral with a mottled green appearance. A green stone
that can go from pale seafoam in color to dark teal. |
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| AMBER |
fossilized tree resin dating back 20 to 40 million years ago. Its
color varies from golden yellow to orange and red. |
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| AMETHYST |
a quartz with manganese creating different shades of purple (from
pale violet to a deep, intense purple) according to the iron presence
during formation. |
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| AVENTURINE |
from the quartz family. Green Jade-like color and opaque. Quartzite
composed of interlocking quartz particles and mica crystals. Used
in ancient China for the seal of the emperor. |
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| AZURITE-MALACHITE |
grows in granular masses and crystalline structures. Cobalt blue
with patches of green. Name is derived from the word Azure or blue.
Combines the minerals azurite; blue, and malachite; green, no two
stones are ever the same. |
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| BLOODSTONE |
opaque dark green stone with red flecks, the spots are attributed
to Christ's blood. A variety off quartz found in massive foundations. |
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| BLUE LACE AGATE |
light blue with soft white banding. Another form of chalcedony (quartz)
gemstone known for its hardness and unusual appearance. |
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| BLUE TOPAZ |
transparent semi-precious gemstone ranging in color from pale baby
blue to a brilliant deep light blue color. |
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| BOTSWANA AGATE |
multi-colored with many bands and patterns. Each bead can be different
ranging from a solid dark color to an almost translucent pale color
to ones with many bands. See Agate. |
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| BOULDER OPAL |
a rich brown stone resembling fossilized wood. |
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| CARNELIAN |
an agate which is from the chalcedony family of minerals. Uniform
deep translucent orange/red. The color comes from iron. |
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| CITRINE |
a from of quartz found in a vibrant yellow color ranging from yellow
to golden yellow. It is a form of amethyst that has turned this color
by being heated (which can happen naturally as well as being influenced
by man). |
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| CORAL |
comes in many colors and varieties. The most common used in jewelry
is in shades of red. Coral formations occur in reefs throughout the
earth's oceans, most typically in shallow waters. |
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| FANCY JASPER |
a multi colored jasper ranging in color from pale grey, to shades
of lavender, mauves, greens, and browns. |
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| FLUORITE |
comes in almost every color. Purple, green, colorless, white, yellow,
pink, red, blue and black. Transparent to translucent. |
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| FRESH WATER PEARLS |
are farmed in fresh water and grown in mussels. They are usually
light in color and can be died to almost any permanent color. |
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| GARNET |
blood red, solid in color. The name is derived from the Latin word
granatum (pomegranate) alluding to the garnets color and seed-like
crystal formation. |
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| GOLDSTONE |
rust-brown with tiny copper/gold glitter. It is said to have been
originally created when alchemists were working towards creating
gold. |
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| GOLDSTONE, BLUE |
deep blue with tiny copper/gold glitter. |
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| HEMATITE |
Iron rich dark steel gray with metallic sheen. Crystallizes in tubular
and rhombohedral masses columnar or granular shapes. It's trade names
are black diamond, black pearl, and Alaskan black diamond. In Tahiti,
some people try to pass it off as Black Pearls. |
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| HOWLITE |
Milky white, usually with a grey matrix. Found crystalized in white
nodules and compact masses. |
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| IOLITE |
Blue and yellow with violet and/or gray undertones. Translucent stone
ranging from fairly pale to deep grey/blue. |
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| JADE |
Green opaque and semi-opaque primarily, although, it comes in many
other colors; red, brown, and blue. Formed in large masses, Nephrite
jade comprises actinolite contributing to color which varies from
olive grey, green-grey, spinach green, misty green, apple green,
light green. |
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| JASPER |
Jasper is an opaque and fine grained variety of Chalcedony. It is
found in many colors including: red, brown, pink, yellow, green,
grey/white and shades of blue. |
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| LABRADORITE |
a form of feldspar. Labradorite is a very interesting mineral. Depending
on the angle from which the specimen is viewed, it can appear to
be a nondescript gray-green rock or it can display a grand range
of colors(usually blue or green) known as labradorescence or schiller
that flashes out at you at different angles as you turn it. This
phenomenon can be seen in specimens which are uncut, but it is fantastically
clear in cut and polished specimens. |
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| LAPIS LAZULI |
is a combination of minerals principally lazulite giving the deep
blue color and a minimally calcite white color with inclusions of
pyrite sometimes seen as flecks - brass yellow in color. It was prized
by ancient Egyptians for use in jewelry, but also powdered for use
in cosmetics, medicines, and ritualistic ceremonies. |
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| LEOPARD SKIN JASPER |
Leopard Skin Jasper is a strikingly beautiful member of the Quartz
family. It is usually a tan stone covered with colored dots, like
the skin of a leopard. Colors can include from tan, pink, red, grey
and black. |
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| MOONSTONE |
from the feldspar family. White with a blue or white sheen like the
shine of the moon. This is caused by the reflection of light from
the internal structure, made up of alternating layers of albite and
orthoclase feldspar from the feldspar family. Translucent whitish
color with iridescent blue or white sheen. |
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| MOSS AGATE |
this stone gets its name from the green patches of color which resemble
moss growing on a rock. Various shades of gray with streaks and flecks
of dark green to black. Transparent to opaque has varying shades
of green, brown, yellow and white. |
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| MOTHER OF PEARL |
in its natural state is usually a beautiful shimmery tan and often
called "Caramel Mother-of-Pearl". When Mother-of-Pearl is bleached,
it turns a snowy, shimmery white. Mother-of-Pearl is also sometimes
black. May be referred to as "Oyster Shell". |
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| ONYX |
a member of the chalcedony family which also includes carnelian,
agate, bloodstone, etc. Occuring naturally in a variety of colors,
black onyx is polished to enhance appearance, a member of the quartz
family. |
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| PERIDOT |
Silicate of Magnesium and Iron. Peridot is the gem form of the mineral
olivine. Because the iron which creates the color is an integral
part of its structure, it is found only in green, ranging from a
summery light yellowish green to a 7-up bottle green. |
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| PIETERSITE |
The surface of a Pietersite looks rather chaotic, with streaks and
colors going every direction. During the formation of the crystal,
the materials that make it up were broken apart, swirled every which
way, then were reformed and cemented together by Quartz. Stones and
crystals that go through that process are refered to as brecciated.
Colors include blues, rusty reds, golds and browns. Pietersite belongs
to a branch of the Tiger's Eye family called Riebeckite. |
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| PICASSO JASPER |
was formed when magna covered limestone fields during prehistoric
times. The pattern of color is from magma being forced through heat
and pressure fractures in the limestone, painting the material with
gray and tan colors streaked with black lines. This colorization
appeared to be like a Picasso painting, hence the name. |
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| PICTURE JASPER |
exhibits the spectrum of creams and browns. Picture jasper is a petrified
or silicated mud that dripped into gas pockets in molten lava. It
became super-heated and then solidified forming the unusual banded
patterns which are typical of this stone. Some say it is called Picture
Jasper because the pattern in the stones look like landscape pictures. |
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| QUARTZ CRYSTAL |
is colorless and transparent. It is also known as "Rock Crystal".
Other colors of quartz have special names such as: Rose Quartz, Citrine,
and Amethyst. Brown quartz is often referred to as Smokey Quartz.
Smokey Quartz is often irradiated clear quartz. |
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| RED JASPER |
see Jasper |
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| RHODOCHROSITE |
the pink color of rhodochrosite is caused by the element manganese
and it is formed when manganese is dissolved by ground water and
combines with a carbonate material and then drips off the ceiling
of caves and crevices deep underground. It is pink with white. |
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| RHODONITE |
is named after the Greek word for rose, rhodon. Its rose-pink color
is distinctive. Rhodonite is usually associated with black manganese
minerals which form attractive patterns in the piece. |
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| RHYOLITE |
consists mainly of feldspars and quartz. It includes a wide range
of colors that form intricate patterns. These all have a green matrix.
It enhances change, |
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| RIVER JASPER |
see Jasper. Off- white in color. |
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| ROSE QUARTZ |
Named for its pink color (from titanium), it's often crackled. It
is translucent and can range in color from pale peach to pink. |
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| SILVER LEAF JASPER |
is a silvery semi-precious gemstone, reminiscent of silvery leaves
in a forest, usually with very interesting patterns. Composed of
Silicon Dioxide. The terms jasper, onyx, agate and chalcedony are
largely interchangeable, however agates are usually more translucent
and characteristically, have banding or patterns of some sort. Jaspers
tend to be more colorful, more opaque and massive, lacking patterns. |
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| SMOKEY QUARTZ |
is a clear gray or brown variety of crystalline quartz, color ranges
from medium light tan to medium dark brown |
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| SNOWFLAKE OBSIDIAN |
Obsidian is natural glass formed by volcanic lava that cooled too
quickly. It is usually black. When there are bubbles or crystal inclusions,
it is often called snowflake obsidian. It is black with white markings. |
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| SODALITE |
is an opaque, navy blue stone usually with white streaks. Sodalite
is named in reference to its sodium content. |
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| TIGER EYE |
a variety of quartz. An opaque stone, with a silky sheen and natural
iridescence, which gives the illusion of an eye. Hence the name.
The color usually consists of golden, brown and black shimmering
bands, but examples are also found in a reddish brown color. |
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| TURQUIOSE |
an Opaque stone, which, as its name suggests is turquoise in color.
This turquoise color can range from green to blue. The presence of
copper gives turquoise a sky blue color with a dark matrix usually
black veining due to inclusions. It also sometimes has inclusions
of white Marble and Pyrites, much as Lapis Lazuli. |
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| UNIKITE |
an opaque granitic rock with main parts of aggregate being quartz
and feldspar, as well as greenish epidote, where the olive green
color is mixed up with salmon pink sections. |
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| YELLOW AVENTURINE |
Yellow opaque and semi-opaque. Most jade is green primarily although
it comes in many other colors; red, brown and blue. |
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| YELLOW JADE |
yellow translucent color. See Jade. |
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| YELLOW TURQUISE |
turquoise that has colors from yellow and green to brown. See Turquoise. |
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| ZEBRA JASPER |
a deep olive green stone with white banding. See Jasper. |