A little about Rock Crystal Quartz

I just love rock crystal!   The colourless variety of quartz, high grade rock crystal can easily glitter like the harder (and more costly) white topaz, lower grades look like shaped ice cubes and occasionally pieces have internal fractures that can create colorful refractions.

Here is a bit of information on this pretty stone - technical, historical and metaphysical: 

Crystals forms when minerals in magma cools beneath the Earth's surface.  If the minerals happen to be silicon dioxide and it cools to a temperature below 573 degrees Celsius it will begin to crystallize into rock crystal.   If there are significant concentrations of other minerals within the silicon dioxide, different types of quartz will form.

Rock crystal is found worldwide and  huge crystals weighing tons have been found - although they're rarely of cuttable material.     Rock crystal can have inclusions of goethite, gold, pyrite, rutile and tourmaline.  

Rock crystal can be confused with other colourless gems as well as glass imitations.  A useful test is to look for birefrigence or double refraction, which whilst low, is often still discernable in a transparent stone.   A quick way to test for it is to place the gem on a white piece of paper with a clear and straight black line drawn on it.   When looking through the top, you may be able to see a slight doubling of the line.   Note that you may have to turn the gem in different ways to test for this as it is dependent on the crystal structure not the cut. 

The name crystal comes from the Greek word for ‘ice’.  Pliny the Elder believed that rock crystal was eternally frozen water ice and it certainly can look like it. Japanese myth says that quartz formed from the breath of the revered white dragon. As such, rock crystal was regarded as the perfect jewel and came to symbolize perfection or the pursuit thereof.  In first century Rome, a mystic named Apollinus of Tyana used quartz to "transport" himself. Apparently he dematerialized and materialized in the presence of Caesar Domitian and used the gem to disappear and reappear at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius!

Many cultures used rock crystal for mystical purposes.   It is found regularly in burials in passage tomb cemeteries in Europe and the Irish word for quartz grian cloch, means 'stone of the sun'.  An ancient Celtic practicewas to place nine small Quartz crystals in water, boil it, cool it, and then drink the enhanced water for nine consecutive days - apparently it would restore and maintain health.

Modern metaphysical beliefs ascribe certain benefits too -  as a powerful healing and energy amplifier.  For healing it is considered a master healer, stimulating the immune system and bringing the body into balance.  Natural rainbows are found within many quartz crystals (caused by internal fractures) and these stone draws off negativity and disperse healing energy to the body and environment.

So there you have it.  Rock crystal 101!    

Photo above is of a gorgeous pair of rock crystal and sterling silver earrings.  The gems are a fascinating cut - half cabachon and half highly faceted.  The result is a beautiful white flash amongst the sparkle! They'll be on my site soon :)

A little about Swarovski crystals

Another week has come around and I find myself, once again, asking what I did with the last week!? I know I have been reading alot. Even hubby has started to comment. I've really only read about 11 rather thick books since Christmas... I have trouble finding time to read the rest of the year so I've got to cram in as much now as I can before I go back to work properly :D

I'm still working on gemstones and getting their information typed up - I imagine it is not a job that is going to happen as quickly as I first imagined. So I'll just keep plugging away at it.

I was asked to be part of a Valentine's Day promotion this week. I don't work that often with Swarovski crystals since gemmies are my 'thing' and I generally prefer to work with natural stones, rather than manmade. But in celebration of the event I have made a small selection of Valentine inspired pieces with Swarovski and silver. You can see them all on my website under Valentine Selection. As you can see from the picture above, they are very pretty and very sparkly!

Swarovski is named after Daniel Swarovski, who invented the first crystal cutting machine in 1892 and founded his crystal business in Wattens, Austria in 1895. The popularity and quality of crystal continued to increase and Daniel's business also branched out into Swareflex (road safety products) and Swarovski Optics (precision optical instruments).

In league with Christian Dior, Swarovski created the famous aurora borealis finish for crystals in 1956. In 1976 Swarovski started making crystal decorative objects and shortly after chandelier components. They have continued, in the years since, to be a world leader of created crystals. Perfect for anyone who likes a bit of 'bling' to enjoy!

Smoky Quartz

Firsty apologies for my tardiness - time has gotten away from me again!

There is something terribly attractive about smoky quartz. To think about a stone that is a brown-grey doesn't excite I admit, but some lovely fat faceted stones do tempt me!!! It is quite a difficult stone to match with other stones - I have successfully matched it with sage green pearls, with amethyst, citrine and rock crystal quartz and of course white pearls. But some combinations that you would think would work, just don't!

Smoky quartz in its darker forms is often called 'morion' or 'cairngorm'. The colour is caused by gamma rays either naturally occurring or artificial. As a quartz it has a good general hardness of 7 and as such is a fairly hardy stone. It occurs worldwide and has been found as crystals weighing up to 300kg (640lb)!

Metaphysically, smoky quartz is a grounding or anchoring stone and is a great antidote to stress. Lifting fear and depression it brings calmess and dissolves negative emotions. Such a beneficial stone, it should be worn for long periods, particularly as a pendant.