Gemstones - Background and Lore - Chalcedony

Chalcedony is one of the oldest, most abundant, and most popular gemstones. The ancient Turkish seaport gave this gem it's name. This stone has been considered a powerful talisman and were thought to prevent drowning or drive away ghosts and bad spirits.

Chalcedony's affordability and range of colors and patterns make it a popular with gem collectors.

Chalcedony sources include Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Scotland, US, and Uruguay. It has a hardness of 6.5-7 on the Moh's Scale and a good toughness rating.

Some varieties of chalcedony include agate, amethystine chalcedony, bloodstone, carnelian, chrysocolla-in-chalcedony, chrysoprase, dendritic agate, fire agate, iris agate, jasper, milky chalcedony, onyx, sard, and sardonyx.

Chalcedony's color can change when exposed to heat, but light has no effect. hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid should not come in contact. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are usually safe, but warm soapy water is best. Some alternatives include amber, hematite, jade, lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstone, rose quartz, shell, tiger eye, and turquoise.

Chalcedony is said to prevent touchiness and melancholy. Worn by many to promote calm and peace. Chalcedony also stimulates creativity.

Gemstones - Background and Lore - Carnelian

Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony. It ranges from translucent to semitransparent yellowish orange, orangy red, or brownish orange. It is often made into beads or cameos.

It was believed that carnelian could transform bashful speakers into eloquent ones.

Carnelian is found in Brazil, India, and Uruguay. It is a 6.5-7 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness, and it's toughness is good.

When exposed to heat, the carnelian's color may change, but it is stable when exposed to light. It doesn't tolerate exposure to hydrofluoric acid.

Carnelian is commonly heated to enhance it's color. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are usually safe,, but warm soapy water is best.

Some alternatives to carnelian are amber, fire opal, jade, and sard chalcedony.

Carnelian - general healing stone. Restores the natural energy flows of your body. Carnelian is the most powerful POWER stone for focusing, realization, and self actualization. It reminds us to be in the moment.

Gemstones - Background and Lore - Bloodstone

The Bloodstone is an opaque to semi-translucent kind of chalcedony. It is dark green flecked with red. The Greeks called it heliotrope because it flashed red when dunked into water while faced sunward. Medieval Europe considered the bloodstone to be a talisman that stirred passion, stopped bleeding, and brought healing.

Rich men in the time of King Solomon held the stone in high regard and often used it in their seal rings. It is still set in men's jewelry today. Bloodstone is popular in Christian jewelry because of its distinctive pattern resembles the blood of Christ.

Bloodstone is the alternate birthstone for March. It has a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on Moh's Scale, and a toughness that is said to be good. The color of the stone may change if exposed to high heat, but it is unaffected by light. It does not stand up to hydrofluoric acid.

Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are not recommended for this stone. It is best to use warm, soapy water.

Bloodstone is said to aid in healing, especially related to the blood. Increases courage and charitability.

Purple Gemstones

March Specials
15% off of purple gemstones – iolite, amethyst, tanzanite, spinel, purple sapphire, and lavender chalcedony.

Somewhere between the passion of red and the calmness of blue lies the mystery of purple. Those with a passion for purple are creative and spiritually in tune with life. As a combination of red and blue, people who pick purple as their favorite can be balanced, yet exciting or steadfast yet vivacious. Those attracted to softer purples such as lilac and lavender describe themselves as refined and romantic. Express your royal nature with effervescent purple gems like amethyst, iolite, and tanzanite. Relax into sensual pastel hues with pastel Purple Sapphire or Lavender chalcedony. Unleash your inner Goddess by adding purple gems to your wardrobe.

Here is some useful information on popular purple gems:

Amethyst is February's birthstone. Early Greek legend, and its purple wine color, associated amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. Other legends led to beliefs that amethyst gems kept their wearers clear headed and quick witted. Russia and South America is where most amethyst can be found. It ranges in color from pale lilac to rich purple. Amethyst is a 7 on the Moh's Hardness Scale, and it has good hardness. The safest way to clean amethyst is with warm soapy water.

Iolite gets its name from the Greek word for violet. And Iolites shades range from cool shades to dark blue and violet. It is transparent to translucent and pleochroic - this means that it shows different colors from different angles. From some angles it can look colorless, gray, violet, or yellow. This optical property allows the gem to act as a strong light polarizing filter, a feature that Viking navigators found useful. Iolite is a 7-7.5 on the Moh's scale and has fair toughness. It is best to use warm soapy water to clean this gem.

Tanzanite is a relatively new gemstone that first turned up in 1962 in Northern Tanzania. Tanzanite is often heat treated to achieve colors that include light to dark violetish blue and bluish purple. It is a special-care gem for 2 reasons: sensativity to thermal shock and the potential for cracking. Tanzanite is best in jewelry pieces that won't be too exposed to accidental bumps - such as earrings or pendants. It is a 6-7 on the Mohs scale and the toughness is fair to poor due to potential cracking and thermal shock.

Some other purple gems that I will discuss in another blog are purple sapphires, purple spinel, and lavender chalcedony.