

Back to Top AmberĪmber deposits have been found that range between 360 and one million years old and belong between the Carboniferous and Pleistocene geological periods. The deeper the color of the amazonite, the more intense the effect is said to be. Perhaps the strongest recommendation of its metaphysical powers is that Amazonite is said to make your married life happier. Amazonite, though not common, is still very affordable.Īmazonite is said to calm one's emotions and soothe nerves, and to enhance creativity and the ability to express oneself. Its relative softness of 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale makes Amazonite vulnerable to scratches and requires some care. Amazonite does not undergo any kind of treatment. Amazonite, is usually cut with a rounded and convex polished surface. A Brazilian legend tells that the Amazons, the legendary female warriors, gave green stones to the men who visited them. It is named after the Amazon River in Brazil but surprisingly no deposits of it have been found there. It is also said to assist one in finding lost objects!Īmazonite is a variety of green microcline feldspar. Metaphysical Properties : Chalcopyrite is believed to increase happiness and believe in oneself. Apache Gold semi precious gemstone cabochons take a high polish. Due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, gravity is pulling the entire town down the slope!Ĭhalcopyrite has been referred to as Fool's Gold because it is such a bright gold color and the black in this material is dark black, creating quite a striking contrast. Now it is mostly a quaint little tourist town. Blasting in the mines frequently shook the town, sometimes damaging or moving buildings after one blast in the 1930s the city jail slid one block downhill intact. By 1953, after belching copper for more than 70 years (and about 800 million dollars worth!), the mine was closed down. United Verde moved to open pit mining instead of underground. One of the mine fires continued to burn for twenty years. In 1918 fires spread out of control over 22 miles of underground mines, burning the inflammable massive pyrite. It is bright and shiny gold Chalcopyrite in a black Schist found in "The Big Hole" in Jerome, Arizona. Located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff is the once thriving mining town of Jerome, Arizona. This lovely semi precious gemstone cabochon material is known as Apache Gold. Agate is a relatively inexpensive stone except for some varieties with unusual banded or scenic markings. Often tiny quartz crystals form within the stone and add to the beauty and uniqueness of individual stones. It usually occurs as rounded nodules or veins. Agate is a variety of chalcedony formed from layers of quartz which usually show varicolored bands. Agates are found in almost all colors of the rainbow. Pearls don't even qualify as mineraloids, as they are not only the result of an organic process they are also composites, containing both the mineral aragonite and the protein conchiolin.Īgate Ancient Coins Amazonite Amber Amethyst Ametrine Ammonites Apatite Aqua Aura Aquamarine Aventurine Bumble Bee Jasper Chalcedony Charoite Chinese Writing Stones Chrysocolla Chrysoprase Cinnabar Citrine Coral Diamonds Druzy Emerald F luorite Fordite Gaspeite Hematite Hemimorphite Iolite Jade Jasper K2 Afghanite Kyanite Laboradite Lapis Lazuli Larimar Malachite Moldavite Moonstone Mother of Pearl Ocean Jasper Onyx Opal Orthoceras P eanut Wood Pietersite Pearl Peridot Prasiolite Prehnite Psilomelane Quartz Rhodochrosite Ruby Ruby Zoiscite Sapphire Smoky Quartz Sodalite Sugilite Tiger's Eye Topaz Tourmaline Turquoise VarisciteĪgate is a hard stone, usually within the range of 7-9 on the Mohs scale. There are also many gemstones that are not true minerals, but which are gemstone varieties of recognized minerals.Ī few gemstones are mineraloids (not true minerals) such as opal, amber, and moldavite. A few gems are oxides and only one gem, diamond, is composed of a single element, carbon. All gemstones have some characteristics falling short of perfection though even the seemingly perfect Diamond. Most gems are silicates which can be very stable, hard minerals. Most gemstones have good hardness (above 5) and a high index of refraction (the higher the index of refraction the greater the sparkle).

Others are too common and are given a semi-precious status. Some minerals can be very beautiful, but they may be too soft and will scratch easily. Generally speaking, a gemstone is a stone that is beautiful, rare, and durable (resistant to abrasion, fracturing and chemical reactions). There are over 3,000 different minerals, but only about 50 are commonly used as gemstones! So what makes a gemstone?
