Materials
- Agate
Agate, due to its very fine crystalline make-up, shows as either clear or patterned and can be found in a wide variety of colors. It has been thought that agate attracts strength and provides protection from bad dreams. Agate also protects from stress and energy drains.
- Amethyst
Amethyst is crystalline quartz in shades of purple, lilac or mauve. The amethyst symbolizes piety, humility, sincerity and spiritual wisdom. The amethyst has long been thought to open the spiritual and psychic centers.
- Amazonite
Amazonite balances feminine and masculine energy. It promotes kindness and practicality. It is an excellent stone for artists.
- Aventurine
Aventurine is mainly quartz and is known as the stone of luck and chance. It is said to increase perception and creative insight. It is also thought to have a stabilizing effect on the emotions.
- Bloodstone
Bloodstone, sometimes knows as heliotrope, is a form of jasper that is primarily green with splashes or patterns of red. It is said to be a stone of courage, purported to boost clarity, adaptability and intellect. - Blue Lace Agate
Blue lace agate is one of the rarest and most popular of the agates. This is a calming, uplifting stone that encourages peace. - Botswana Agate
Botswana Agate consists of delicate swirls of milky colors and hints of smoky gray that define this lovely stone mined in Botswana, Africa. It’s considered a feminine power stone, and is thought to draw positive energies from plants and water to aid in focus and creativity. - Bronzite
Bronzite is actually of the pyroxene group that has been chemically "weathered." The process creates a new, opaque stone with a sub-metallic luster. Bronzite often contains inclusions of highly reflective minerals that give it the beautiful bronze-like effect when polished. It is believed to give a sense of certainty when goal-setting and help one take control of his decisions. It is used to encourage good behavior and help dispel restlessness. Bronzite's high energy yield makes a very good gemstone for the fast pace of current society. - Carnelian
Carnelian, a form of agate, is a rich and translucent reddish-orange. Carnelian is thought to control anger and jealousy and to promote courage and confidence. - Chrysoprase
Chrysoprase or chrysophrase is a gemstone variety of chalcedony (a cryptocrystalline form of silica) that contains small quantities of nickel. Its color is normally apple-green, but varies. It is said that chrysoprase helps to make conscious what was unconscious, and strengthens the workings of insight and the higher consciousness.
- Citrine
Citrine is a yellow-to-golden member of the quartz mineral group. It has been called the "stone of the mind". Ancient cultures believed that placing a citrine on the forehead of an elder would increase his psychic power. Also it has been used to open the mind to new ideas and promote clarity of thoughts.
- Crystals
Crystals are either natural stones or a cut and polished piece of glass. The term is used interchangeably. - Flourite
Fluorite is an interesting and beautiful stone because often more than one color occurs in a single stone. Fluorite is said to absorb and neutralize negative vibrations. - Garnet
Garnets are said to bring constancy to friendships and garnets have also been thought to bring success in business. - Geode
A geode is rock mass containing a cavity lined or filled with crystals that have grown unimpeded. - Heliotrope
Heliotrope, sometimes known as bloodstone, is a form of jasper that is primarily green with splashes or patterns of red. It is said to be a stone of courage, purported to boost clarity, adaptability and intellect. - Hemalyke
Hemalyke is an artificial version of hematite, made with ground hematite or iron oxide and resin. - Hematite
Hematite is a heavy, silvery-black stone, believed to focus the intellect, improve the memory and dissolve negative energy. Wearing hematite jewelry has the reputation for encouraging favorable outcomes for lawsuits and petitions. - Jade
Jade is prized all around the world and considered sacred in China. It can be found in many different colors, although green is the color usually associated with the name. Jade is universally thought to bring good fortune and promote longevity. - Jasper
Jaspera form of quartz, like agate, tends to be more opaque. It can show solid colors, bands or patterns, called “picture jasper”. Believed to aid in clearing the mind and/or centering energies, it is considered an aid to concentration. - Kazuri beads
Kazuri is the Swahili word for “small and beautiful”. The beautiful ceramic beads are of clay from the Mt. Kenya area and have been meticulously handcrafted and hand painted to reflect the rich and varied colors of Africa. Kazuri beads are fair traded. The company was begin in 1971 when Lady Susan Wood hired two disadvantaged women to make beads in a small shed on her property. She soon realized that there were many more in the local community who would benefit from regular employment and Kazuri Beads was born. By 1988 the factory had expanded to more than 120 people and, when Mark and Regina Newman bought the company in 2001, they pledged to continue to provide these employment opportunities. - Kyanite
Kyanite is an interesting gem that was discovered during the nineteenth century. The most highly prized kyanite is the vibrant blue or blue-green hue. It is said that the fan-like clusters or blades that are formed by kyanite make it an ideal stone for restoring energy balance. It is also thought to quickly create stillness and tranquility, making it an excellent stone for meditation. - Labradorite
Labradorite derives its name from the principal location where it is found, Paul's Island Labrador, a region of Atlantic Canada near the island of Newfoundland. Labradorite is a translucent to transparent mineral that occurs in crystalline masses, and occasionally in tabular crystals. It is excellent for strengthening intuitions. Some people use labradorite to stimulate imagination, develop enthusiasm, new ideas, and to see more clearly in meditation. - Lapis
Lapis can range from pale, sky-blue through deep navy or royal blue, all speckled with glittering flecks of pyrite. It has been prized by many cultures since ancient times and is thought to promote spiritual love, wisdom and peace. - Lipidolite
Lipidolite, ranging from pale pink to deep purple with black inclusions, is considered a stone of openness and honesty. Often used to help bolster self-confidence it is said to be a good choice when facing business decisions. - Malachite
Malachite , banded, swirled or striped in bands of vivid green, gets its color and weight from copper. Both Egyptians and Europeans of the middle ages used malachite to protect children from evil spirits. Like almost any green stone, malachite is considered to encourage abundance and wealth. - Mookite
Mookite is a form of jasper in shades of browns and tans. It is considered a very protective stone and particularly effective for emotional protection. The term is also spelled “mookaite”. - Obsidian
Obsidian, with its glassy luster, is a distinctive stone. Obsidian is formed as lava from volcanic eruptions cools within the earth. The speed at which it cools prevents crystallization and the rock forms as solid volcanic glass. Its most common color is black. It has been used since prehistoric times for making tools, masks, weapons, mirrors and jewelry. It is the stone of the soft hearted and gentle people of the world. Some use obsidian to help block negativity of any kind. - Onyx
Onyx can be found naturally in almost any color except dark shades. Onyx has been a popular jewelry material for centuries in its many forms including black onyx, which is always dyed. Darker colors are said to promote discretion. - Peridot
Peridot is a gem variety from the olivine mineral group. The bottle green color is called peridot. Yellowish green is chrysolite. Olive green is olivine. The peridot was believed to be a stone of springtime by ancients who considered it a gift from Mother Nature. - Quartz
Quartz is the second most common mineral on the planet and is a major component of most types of rock. Some of the major varieties include rose quartz and amethyst, as well as forms, of agate, onyx, jasper, carnelian, citrine and tiger’s eye. Stones called “rock crystals” are clear and transparent. Clear quartz is said to bridge the physical world with the spiritual and to promote communication between them. - Quartzite
Quartzite generally found in shades of white and gray can also show varieties of pink, orange and red due to varying amounts of iron oxide in the ore. - Rhodocrosite
Rhodocrositeis a rosy-pink stone with white banding. It is thought to be a stone of gentleness and forgiveness and an aid to increasing self-esteem and love. - Rhodonite
Rhodonite is an opaque stone in shades of lavender through deep rosy-pink with black runners, rhondonite is considered a strongly feminine stone and reputed to enhance sound sensitivity and promote self-confidence. Sometimes called the singer’s stone. - Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz, translucent and almost always a little cloudy, rose quartz ranges from pale to medium pink, and has been universally considered the stone of love for centuries. It has long been thought to promote all the best aspects of love, peace, comfort, joy, tenderness and hope. - Ruby Zoicite
Ruby Zoicite is a predominantly green stone with splashes of vivid fuchsia. Ruby zoicite is reputed to enhance creativity and individuality as well as increase energy and vitality. - Sardonyx
Sardonyx is a member of the quartz family featuring bands of reddish-orange-yellow colors; it is often believed to help eliminate negative thinking and enhance spiritual inspiration. - Serpentine
Serpentine, depending on where it was mined, can show colors ranging through white-gray, yellow-green and brown-black and is often splotchy or veined. Stones called “new jade” are most likely serpentine rather than actual jade. A stone of spiritual and emotional cleansing it is also thought to attract love and money. - Snow Quartz
Snow Quartz or “milk quartz” is a cloudy white stone thought to calm and soothe and bring good fortune. - Sodalite
Sodalite is an opaque stone of dark blue with white streaks considered a stone of trust and rational thought. It is thought to enhance insight. - Tiger-eye
Tiger-eye is most often in shades of brown with a band of lighter, translucence running through it. Rarer are shades of red or gray-blue. Since ancient times, the stones have been thought to protect from the “evil eye” and to promote wealth and stability. It is also thought to be a lucky stone for gamblers. - Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque stone and, when natural, is seldom completely clear of black or copper inclusions. It’s considered a lucky stone by cultures both ancient and modern from the American southwest to China and Egypt. Turquoise is one of the oldest protection amulets, and was also known as a symbol of wealth in many ancient cultures. Turquoise is the symbol of friendship. - Unakaite
Unakaite, also called epidote, derives its name from the Greek epidosis, meaning "growing together". It is a combination of red jasper and green epidote solidly bound together. From this we get the meaning that what comes together belongs together. Unakaite is said to lift your spirits when you are feeling down - this is the gemstone to help you to see the beauty in life. - Zebra Stone
Zebra stone , sometimes called Zebra marble, is named for its distinctive, contrasting layers of black and white. As a member of the jasper family, it is has long been considered grounding stone and Zebra Stone, in particular, is believed to encourage energy, stamina and endurance.