Obsidian

Obsidian is a volcanic glass and is named after the Roman, Obsius. Used in jewellery for thousands of years, it can be black, gray, brown, red or green. It often has inclusions and when the light reflects off these you can get a golden, silver or even a rainbow sheen. Main deposits of obsidian are Ecuador, Indoniesia, Iceland, Itay, Japan, Mexico and the United States.

I love the dense and glassy look of obsidian and it is magnificent for creating dramatic jewellery. In a recent necklace (see below) unusual triangles of obsidian have been set against contrasting shining sterling silver. See the whole piece HERE

There are other versions of obsidian of course, such as snowflake or mahogany obsidian but I'll do those another time!

Metaphysically, Obsidian has strong properties. It exposes flaws, weaknesses and blockages and nothing can hide from its power! It is helpful for highly sensitive people and it can provide deep soul healing. Very effective for soaking up negative energies it stimulates growth on all levels and opens new horizons. For healing it gives insight into the cause of illness, aids digestion and detoxifies. Specifically, black obsidian is a creative stone, protective and supportive during change. Often used by experienced practictioners during meditation and scrying, it is matched with clear quartz to help ground and articulate what is revealed. If held briefly above the third eye (brow) it breaks through mental barriers.

Ametrine

Ametrine has always fascinated me. The beautiful combination of mellow wheaten yellow of citrine with the lavender hues of amethyst are such a lovely mix. I find myself automatically drawn to ametrine and own a few pieces which I wear regularly.

The above piece is just such a mesmerising drop and needs little in the way of decoration.

Ametrine, as indicated, is a combination of amethyst and citrine. Amethyst and citrine are both varieties of quartz, with amethyst being highly prized throughout history. Other popular types of quartz include rose quartz, rock crystal and smoky quartz. Well known deposits of ametrine are in Brazil and Bolivia. The colouring agent (the element in its chemical composition) for both amethyst and ametrine is iron. Both can be heat treated - amethysts will turn yellow, red-brown, green or colourless; citrine will give off a reddish tint.

Ametrine, like all quartzes, is a hardy stone with a hardness of 7.

As it is a combination stone, metaphysically it combines the benefits of both amethyst and citrine. It brings insight, elevates the consciousness, calms the mind and opens the 'third eye'. It stimulates creativity and optimism. For healing, it cleanses, energises and regenerates. To use, it should be placed on the solar plexus (upper abdomen).

Traditionally citrine has been considered a promoter of wealth and amethyst as a ward against drunkenness! Sounds reasonable - so ametrine should stop you getting innebriated (which could lead you to gamble or make silly decisions with your money) and thereby conserves your wealth !! LOL. Sorry, a bit irreverent there ;)

Labradorite

Ahhh, a busy day of jewellery making! Very satisfying :) And writing here two days in a row. Unheard of!!

I wanted to share this gorgeous faceted labradorite that I recently obtained. Full pic can be seen HERE. Although to initial appearances it is quite a steely grey, each and every piece has a beautiful flash of orange/yellow/green as it moves or is turned and just makes it irresitable. You can just see a faint flash in the above picture - it is much brighter in real life. It can be quite a difficult stone to match with other gemstones and I found with these large faceted flat nuggets silver went the best! What do you think?

Labradorite is named after the location it was found in Canada (Labrador), although it is also found (among others) in Australia, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia and the United States. It is a plagioclase feldspar (there are MASSES of feldspars out there!) and the lovely flash I noted in the above pieces, is specifically called labradorescence which comes in bright, rather metallic tints, mostly in the blue-green range. This schiller/colour play/flash is caused by the light bouncing off the internal structure of the stone (I could get all technical on you, but I'll refrain LOL).

It also comes in quite a dark background colour as well as colourless and with a brownish tint. The darker stones are often cut en cabachon to display the labradorescence the best. It is a relatively hard stone with a hardness of around 6 to 6.5.

Have you ever heard of Spectrolite? Well it is really labradorite from Finland that displays a particularly effective labradorescence.

OK, now to the metaphysical side of things....this stone does ALOT. No wonder I like it! :) To summarise....

Labradorite is considered a highly mystical stone. "A bringer of light" it protects the aura and raises the consciousness. It stimulates intuition and psychic gifts including a sense of knowing what is right. It calms overactive minds and energises the imagination, it banishes fears and insecurities and strengthens trust in both yourself and the universe. It works well on dispelling illusions and is a useful companion through change imparting strength and perseverence. For healing it treats problems with the eyes, brain, stress, metabolism, colds, gout, rheumatism, hormones and blood pressure. To use - wear over the higher heart chakra (upper chest).

Well... there you go... you learn something new everyday!

Ruby Zoisite

Hmmm, so much for writing in this blog regularly. Ah well. 2007 is a new year.....

Whilst my love affair with fluorite continues (see last post), I purchased some lovely anyolite, also known more colloquially as Ruby Zoisite. So, lets look at this rather pretty stone (pictured above as part of a new necklace with plum coloured ruby ;) see http://annettepiper.vstore.ca/product_info.php/products_id/387 for the full necklace ).

Zoisite is a mineral and was named after a collector by the name of Zois. It was first found in Austria in the early 1800s and was originally called saualpite. The gemstones of the zoisite family are the stunning purple-violet-blue tanzanite, the opaque deep pink thulite and anyolite, the medium to dark green stone with ruby.

Anyolite, as I've just said is green 'rock' it has black inclusions of hornblende and opaque ruby which can be quite large in size. Its name is from the native language of the Masai for 'green' and was first found in Tanzania in 1954.

The stone is ornamental and its opaque appearance and a rather brittle nature means it is usually cut into smooth shapes, which it wears well and which shows up its contrasting colours to the best effect.

I have recently become interested in the metaphysical uses of stones. Gemstones have, after all, been used for millenia as talismans and to assist in healing, as well as having some pretty amazing stories connected to them. I also get asked on occasion by clients as to what a stone can 'mean'. So here's a bit on the metaphysical side of Ruby Zoisite/ Anyolite.

According to The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, anyolite activates the crown chakra (consiousness) allowing access to soul memory and spiritual learning. It also amplifies the biogmanetic field around the body. So....any problems with maintaining that 'higher state of consciousness' or feeling a little lacking in the aura department, anyolite, or ruby zoisite is for you!