October's Gemstone

Opal displays rainbow-like hues that have been prized for thousands of years . In the 1960s a team of Australian scientists analysed Opals with an electron microscope and discovered that small spheres of silica gel cause "interference and refraction manifestations". These spheres act on the light that passes through the gemstone and create the rainbow of colors that we see.

Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts of Australia. Opals are often cut in cabochon, a rounded half-circle form, to best display their fire. The exceptions to this rule are the highly prized fire opals mined in Mexico, which have a warm, beautiful transparent red or golden color. Fire opals are sold in more traditional, faceted gemstone cuts and conventional settings.

Opals Love to be Worn
Opals always contain water – usually between 2 and 6 per cent, but sometimes even more. If stored too dry or exposed to heat over a period of time, Opals will show fissures and the play of colour will become paler. Therefore, Opal jewelry should be worn as often as possible, for then the gemstone will receive the needed humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer.

Opals throughout history.

• In Australia, there is an Aborigine legend claiming the Opal sprung into being when the foot of the creator touched ground on a mission to bring peace to all human beings. The opals sparkle like the rainbow the creator walked on to visit the Earth.
• The Roman writer Pliny describes opals as a stone having "the fire of the carbuncle, the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green color of the emerald, all shining together in incredible union."
• Shakespeare called opals "the queen of gems."
• An opal was set in the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor and in the crown jewels of France.
• Queen Victoria broke a 19th century stigma on opals by giving the gems as wedding gifts to many of her royal relatives.
• French actress Sarah Bernhard, whose birthday was in October, always wore birthstone opals, popularizing them at the turn of the 20th century.

Opal Folklore for Health

• Opals cure eye diseases and infections.
• Opals resolve depression.
• Dispel bad dreams with opals.

Other Opal Folklore

• Opals instill faithfulness, confidence and good luck to the wearer.
• Opals enhance creativity.
• For the lonely, Opal aids in the search for true love.
• Black opals worn near the heart protect against the evil eye.
• Wearing jewelry containing opal will focus the energies of Venus and the zodiac sign Libra through the gem to it's wearer.
• In the 15th century blond maidens valued nothing more highly than necklaces of opals, for to wear these ornaments their hair was sure to guard its beautiful color.
• And my personal favorite, it was thought to render the wearer invisible!

Opal as a gift.

• As the birthstone for October, it makes a great birthday gift. An alternate birthstone for October is Tourmaline.
• Opal is the birthstone for the zodiac sign Libra, making it appropriate for birthdays between September 23rd and October 23rd.
• It is the suggested gem gift for 14th and 18th year wedding anniversaries.
• It is the official gemstone of Australia. As such it could be a good gift for displaced Australians, a little piece of home, or a great souvenir for those who have visited Australia.

This photo is a boulder opal a friend of mine brought back from Australia. I created a beaded bezel for it using peyote stitch and seed beads. The necklace is strung seed beads, Swarovski crystal and Czech glass beads. I love how the pattern on this side of the opal is reminiscent of a waterfall.

If you've created anything using Opals, feel free to leave a link to it here.

Sources:

Valuable Stones - The Online Encyclopedia of Gemstones, http://www.valuablestones.com/libra.htm.

Gem by Gem - International Colored Gemstone Association, http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/opal.html.

Precious Stones Guide vol. 9, http://www.jjkent.com/articles/history-folklore-opals.htm.

April's Gemstone

Receiving a gemstone gift often has a poetic, special significance which can be even more special when that stone relates to the month in which you were born. For those of you born in April it would seem you are destined to be rich, for your gemstone is none other than the Diamond!

What is a Diamond?

Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to earth. It was even said by some that they were the tears of the Gods or perhaps crystallized lighting or hardened dew drops. In addition, the fact that white light is composed of all colors convinced the ancients that the diamond, the gem of light akin to the sun, was a combination of all the other precious stones.

The name Diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable, is a reference to its hardness. It is well known that Diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamonds are four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby). Only another Diamond is capable of polishing a Diamond. Diamonds range in color, the majority having yellowish tinges. Diamonds also form in the rest of the colours of the rainbow, with the rarest being red then green, purple, blue. No two diamonds are the same. A diamond's most distinguishing characteristics are its inclusions or marks that are often invisible to the naked eye. A diamond's clarity is determined by the presence or absence of these inclusions, with fewer being better. The greater a diamond's clarity, the greater its brilliance and value. Diamonds began being 'cut' in the sixteenth century to improve their optical effects. Diamonds are a polymorph of the element carbon found in Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, Australia, and the United States of America.

Diamonds in Love

A diamond, if not forever and a girl's best friend, is still for love. It is the most popular gemstone for engagement rings, and also the gem for both the 10th and 60th marriage anniversaries. It was said that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds which have a magic that nothing else can ever quite equal. For centuries the diamond has had the unique status of being the ultimate gift of love. In 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, beginning the tradition of diamond engagement rings. And the reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the vena amoris, the vein of love, ran directly from the heart to the top of the third finger on the left hand.

An old English ballad tells of the romance of a beautiful princess who gave her suitor a ring set with seven diamonds as a memento on his departure for a sea journey. Some distance from home, he observed that the diamonds had turned pale. He saw this as a sign that the princess had found a new love. He hurried back just in time to prevent her marriage to another. Need we add...they lived happily ever after.

Diamonds in History and Religion

In ancient times only kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage, and invincibility. In the Talmud, a gem supposed to have been the diamond was worn by the high priest and served to show the guilt or innocence of one accused of any crime. If the accused were guilty, the stone was supposed to turn dim; if innocent, it shone more brilliantly than ever. The Hindus classified diamonds and rubies according to four castes. The Brahman diamond meant power, riches, friends and good luck; the Kshatriya diamond was reputed to prevent the onset of old age; the Vaisya stone was supposed to bring success; and the Sudra was supposed to bring all manner of good fortune.

Diamond Lore

This is the section where I tell all the fun little things about the gemstone that some people believe and some people do not. Wow, there's quite a few for the Diamond! Perhaps because ancient people believed diamonds were the combination of all the other precious stones they added all the other stone lore to that of the diamond? Whatever the reason, the diamond seems to be the ultimate super gem (perhaps even the source of superhero powers ). Here's a few highlights:

A symbol of purity, diamonds unite relationships by bringing love and clarity into a partnership. Like the emerald, the diamond was said to be a reliable test for fidelity. A stone placed on the breast of a sleeping lover was expected to make him tell all. Alternately, to rest a diamond on a wife's head without her knowledge while she slept. If she was faithful, she would turn to her husband in her sleep; if not, she would move away.

The hardness and durability of the diamond protects its wearer from evil. A diamond is believed to represent peace, innocence, fidelity and serenity and purity. It has always been associated with strength and good luck. Diamonds bring power, riches, success, friends, everlasting youth and the promise of serenity and contentment. For the insomniacs among us, a diamond gives calm sleep and takes away nightmares.

Here's my favorite, soldiers believed that a diamond carried into battle would keep them safe from harm and even render them invisible. And perhaps the most useful for today's lifestyle, a large diamond is an ideal tool to block against geopathic or electromagnetic stress which can come from cell phones. But remember, according to ancient lore the magical powers of a diamond only work if the gem has been freely given.

March's Gemstone

Tumbled Aquamarine Stones

Aquamarine, named by the Romans after it's resemblance to the sea. Aquamarine is a member of the beryl mineral family. Aquamarines vary in color from almost colorless pale blue to blue-green or teal of different intensities, caused by traces of iron. Naturally occurring deep blue stones are the most prized. Aquamarines are often heat treated to change a blue-green or teal colored stone to a pure blue. This results in a permanent color change. Women across the globe love it for its fine blue shades which can complement almost any skin or eye colour.

Polished and Cut Aquamarine

Aquamarine as a gift.

• The birthstone for March.
• The birthstone for the zodiac sign Scorpio.
• Suggested gem gift for 16 and 19 year wedding anniversaries.
• It is the offical state gemstone of Colorado.
  

The color of Aquamarine.

• The light blue of aquamarine brings feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship. The blue of aquamarine is a divine, eternal color because it is the color of the sky.
• Aquamarine blue is also the colour of water with its life-giving force.

Aquamarine folklore for protection.

• Safe voyage and protection against monsters and perils of the sea.
• The source of power for soothsayers who use it to tell the future.
• Wearing aquamarine, according to the old traditions, promises a happy marriage and is said to bring the woman who wears it joy and wealth into the bargain.

Aquamarine folklore for health.

• Cures ailments of the stomache, liver, jaws ans throat.
• It has also been recommended for toothaches.
• During the Middle Ages, an effective antidote against poison.

Aquamarine Bead Chips

Other historical uses of Aquamarine.

• Once used in eyeglasses in Germany to correct shortsightedness. The name for eyeglasses in germine is "brille" which comes from the mineral name "beryl". Aquamarine is a beryl.
• Beads of aquamarine are found in ancient Egyptian mummy tombs. They were used as a tribute gemstone to the Gods of the Nether world for safe passage.

Links to beadwork with Aquamarine.

• BeadAide Beaded Bead Charity Donation