Definitions

Abalone belongs to the phylum Mollusca, a group which includes clams, scallops, sea slugs, octopuses and squids. Abalone are in the Gastropoda group and these members have only one shell. They belong to the genus Haliotis, which means "sea ear", referring to the flattened shape of the shell. They are rounded or oval and have a row of respiratory pores along one side of their shell. They cling tightly to rocky surfaces and must be pried loose. There are many types of abalone, black, flat, pink, green, blue, pinto, red, threaded and white.

Agate (above is crazy lace agate) is a form of chalcedony quartz colored primarily by bands or wispy inclusions. The patterns may be straight, concentric, or shaped in landscape-like patterns. They are composed of multicolored twisting and turning bands with patterns sometimes resembling an eye. They come in various colors, opaque to translucent, extremly varied patterns and are quite striking. There are many agates, Blue Lace, Botswana, Crazy Lace, Fire and Tree just to mention a few.

Amazonite is the blue-green variety of translucent to transparent microcline feldspar (an igneous rock). It gets its name from the Amazon River where it was first discovered. There are 2 color varieties--the more common pastel aqua and the other, a deep blue/green. Although amazonite is named after the Amazon river, the gem was in fact known in the Old World long before South America had been discovered. The Ancient Egyptians used gem quality green microcline in many forms of ornamentation.

Amber is a beautiful stone that is cut and polished and used as a valuable gemstone. It is also a fossil and can contain many preserved insects and other animals and plants that are tens of millions of years old. The odd inclusions that are often seen in amber usually add to amber's unique look and in many cases greatly increase its value.

The fossils that are encased in amber probably got there when they flew or crawled on to the fresh seeping sap and then got stuck. The sap oozed over the trapped animals and perhaps fell to the ground and was later covered by dirt and debris. The sap later hardened and became a fossil.

The fossils are mostly insects such as gnats, flies, wasps, bees and ants. Occasionally more exotic insects are trapped in the amber such as grasshoppers, preying mantises, beetles, moths, termites, butterflies, etc. Other non-insect animals are found in amber too such as spiders, centipedes, scorpions and even frogs and lizards. No really large animals like mammals or birds are seen in amber but feathers and fur have been seen. Invaluable plant remains have also been found in amber including flowers, mushroom caps, seeds, leaves, stems, pine needles and pine cones. The rarity of the trapped fossils controls the value of the amber more so than the quality of the amber. Remember these are fossils and are not the same species that are alive today. Amber has greatly increased the knowledge of the evolution of insects and plants as well as enlivening the interest in paleontology in general.

Amethyst is a fairly common purple to lilac gemstone, ranging in translucence from the fairly opaque to the more highly valued and higher quality transparent stones. Amethyst is of the Quartz family. Amethyst tends to loose its color if left in the sun. Although it must always be purple to be amethyst, it can and does have a wide range of purple shades. Amethyst comes from the Greek and means "not drunken".

Black Onyx is also known as chalcedony. Onyx comes in brown, white, grey and black. Onyx tends to chip or crack rather easily.

Bloodstone is in the opaque, green, spotted variety of chalcedony. The dark green of bloodstone is spotted with red because of the presence of iron oxides. These distinctive spots seem to resemble blood, thus giving the stone its name.

Carnelian is a finely-grained form of Quartz mineral. It has a uniformly reddish-brown color that shifts to a deeper red when left in the sunlight. The color is due to iron. It is a member of the chalcedony family.

Goldstone is a sparking man-made gemstone. Brown Goldstone is a dense soda-lime glass colored by cuprous oxide (copper). Like its brown cousin Blue Goldstone is also man-made.

Howlite is named for its discoverer Henry How, a Nova Scotia geologist. Howlite is always white or gray but can be easily dyed. It is found in continental evaporite deposits with other baroate and evaporite minerals. It forms in nodules that appear like the heads of cauliflower. Veins of black web-like streaks often are interlaced throughout the nodules, adding to their character.

Jasper is a massive, fine-grained, opaque variety of chalcedony, believed to protect against sight defects and drought. It occurs in shades of brown, grayish blue, red, yellow, and green and mixtures of these. The above is Purple Jasper.

Labradorite is truely a fascinatingly beautiful mineral. Its a mineral whose charm is not fully noticed and may be overlooked if not viewed from the proper position. Generally a dull, dark looking mineral with no special virtue until the colorful shiller is observed glowing on the surface. Labradorite can produce a colorful play of light across cleavage planes and in sliced sections called labradorescence. The usually intense colors range from the typical blues and violets through greens, yellows and oranges. Some rare specimens display all these colors simultaneously.

Malachite is a famous and very popular semi-precious stone. It is named for the Greek word "mallow", a green herb. Its banded light and dark green designs are one-of-a-kind, and give it a unique ornamental quality unlike that of any other stone. The light and dark green bands are so distictive that malachite maybe one of the most easily recognized minerals by the general public. A popular design of ceramic ware which imitates this banding is named after the mineral malachite.

Mother of Pearl is the shell of mollusks such as mussels and oysters as well as of pseudopods (such as snails). White Mother of Pearl is from pearl-bearing oysters. Its reflective properties are high and it is one of the most commonly used types of this material. Mat Mother of Pearl is dull grey and has a low reflective power.

Obsidian is the result of volcanic lava coming in contact with water. Often the lava pours into a lake or ocean and is cooled quickly. This process produces a glassy texture in the resulting rock. Iron and magnesium give the obsidian a dark green to black color. Obsidian has been used by ancient people as a cutting tool, for weapons, and for ceremonial purposes and is sometimes found by archaeologists in excavations.

Obsidian can contain small bubbles of air that are aligned along layers created as the molten rock was flowing just before being cooled. These bubbles can produce interesting effects such as a golden sheen, known as Sheen Obsidian or a rainbow sheen called Rainbow Obsidian. Inclusions of small, white, radially clustered crystals of cristobalite in the black glass produce a blotchy or snowflake pattern producing Snowflake Obsidian. Small nuggets of obsidian that have been naturally rounded and smoothed by wind and water are called Apache Tears.

Opal is admired for its distinctive play of color. It is a semi-transparent solidified mineral composed of silicon and water. Ancient Romans believed opal to be a symbol of hope because it contains the colors of the rainbow. Arabs thought opals obtained their fiery colors while falling from heaven in flashes of lightning.

The Paua is found only in New Zealand coastal waters. The average paua is oval in shape and approximately 5 inches in length. Paua is mainly harvested for its meat, which is very similar to abalone except that the foot is entirely black. The shell is renowned for its deep scintillating blue green and turquoise colours and is often worked into jewelry.

Pearls are formed in shellfish - especially oysters and mussels - as a natural defense against an irritant such as a piece of grit. Layers of aragonite, known as nacre, are secreted around the irritant and gradually build up to form the solid pearl. Light reflecting from these overlapping layers produces a characteristic iridescent luster, also known as the "orient of pearl." An irritant is introduced to initiate the formation of a cultured pearl. In a "nucleated" cultured pearl a small bead is used as the nucleus upon which the layers of nacre are secreted. Pearls vary in color form white, or white with a hint of color (often pink) to brown or black, depending on the type of mollusk and the water. They are sensitive to acids, dryness, and humidity, and so are less durable than many other gems.

Rose quartz is one of the most desirable varieties of quartz. The pink to rose red color completely unique, unlike any other pink mineral species. The color is caused by iron and titanium impurities.

Rose quartz is used as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone. Although rose quartz is usually too cloudy to be used as a cut gemstone, a few exceptional pieces are found with enough clarity and color to make fine gems. Rose quartz is also a very attractive ornamental stone and is carved into popular spheres, pyramids, obelisks, figurines and ornate statues.

Rose quartz is found in Madagascar, India, Germany and several localities in the USA. Much rose quartz was extracted from a famous site near Custer, South Dakota, but now, most of the worlds supply of good carvable rose quartz comes from Brazil.

Sodalite is a scarce mineral that can be rock forming. Sodalite is named in reference to its sodium content. It is used for carvings and some jewelry pieces. Its light to dark pure blue color is well known in the semi-precious stone trade.

Tigerseye is an opaque form of included quartz that is streaked by spindle-like bands of light. These are a result of the presence of compact fibers of quartz that have replaced the original asbestos. Typically of a brown or brownish-yellow to a blue or blue-green hue, heated yellow-brown tigers-eyes may take on a reddish color due to oxidation of iron present inside the stone. When the color is a greenish grey, they are called cat's-eye quartz. A golden yellow reflection on a brown stone is called tiger's-eye. If the stone is blue-grey or bluish, it's colored by crocidolite, and is known as hawk's-eye. A darker brown, or mahogany-colored stone is known as bull's-eye or ox-eye.

Turquoise is sky blue to bluish green. The name means "Turkish stone". Turquoise is porous, so contact with liquids, oils or even perspiration should be avoided. Jewelry made with turquoise should be removed before washing hands, etc.. The pure blue color is rare, most stones contain the matrix from which it was found. Although the stones without matrix are rarer and more valuable, many people find the black matrix attractive, and makes the stone unique. Turquoise is commonly impregnated with plastic, colorless oil or wax to improve color and increase durability. Untreated turquoise will eventually turn green.