Who doesn't love a cute fluffy bunny?

So I got home from a long afternoon in the field (I doubt I'll be able to walk tomorrow - more on this later) to find my little bunny JD ready for a nap. He loves to flop on his side and snooze away on a pile of blankets I have for him in the kitchen. He was a little cool, so I took one of his baby blankets and tucked it around him and put his 'kitty' next to him to keep him company. [Kitty is his stuffed tiger houseslipper which he loves to clean, snuggle with, and toss around!] Of course then I had to take a picture!

Stone of the Week - Amazonite (Amazonstone)

Amazonite or Amazonstone, belongs to the major mineral group of Feldspars, and the subgroup called Microcline. Feldspars are a group of minerals composed of aluminum silicates, and are the most common rock forming minerals on Earth. Amazonite derives its name from the Amazon River located in South America (even though it has not been found along the river).

Amazonite usually refers to the pale blue to richer blue colors of Amazonite.


Amazonite is commonly further divided as two varieties. Amazonite or Amazonstone is often the pale blue-green colored stone, sometimes a light sky to slightly richer blue color. Russian Amazonite is the variety that has a very rich blue-green color with streaks of white. It has a rather limited occurrence, and is primarily collected in Russia and Colorado (US). It is believed that Amazonite gets its blue-green color from the inclusion of water and lead within its molecular structure.


Russian Amazonite often refers to the richer green/blue-green variety with white striations.


Amazonite has been used throughout history for ornamental decoration for its lovely blue-green colors as well as its play of color (schiller). Amazonite was used by ancient Egyptians in numerous carvings; they possibly considered it a medium between the humans and gods. Some use it for metaphysical purposes, as it is thought to have a calming effect. Today it is commonly used for lapidary/jewelry purposes, though care must be taken as it can fracture easily. A popular form is a combination of Amazonite with other minerals such as Pyrite, black Tourmaline, and varieties of Quartz.

Amazonite makes for a lovely color to add to jewelry. As pictured in the pendant on the left, it is also sold with a combination of minerals including Pyrite, Tourmaline, and/or Quartz.



If there's a stone you would like to know more about - drop me a line! Have a mystery stone? Feel free to post a comment about it, including a link to a picture, and it could be featured on this blog!


Amazonite Facts:
Chemical composition: K[AlSi3O8]
Crystal System: Triclinic
Color: Blue-green
Habit: Prismatic, Tabular
Fracture: Irregular/Uneven, Conchoidal
Cleavage: Perfect
Luster: Vitreous
Transparency: Opaque to translucent
Hardness: 6-6.5
Specific Gravity: ~2.55
Streak: White
Occurrence: Worldwide, but most commonly in the US, Madagascar, and Russia



References
A Guide to Rocks and Fossils by B. Busbey III, R. R. Coenraads, P. Willis, and D. Roots. Published 2002 by Fog City Press. ISBN: 1877019518

Rocks, Minerals, & Fossils of the World by C. Pellant and R. Phillips. Published 1990 by Little, Brown and Co. ISBN: 0316697966

Mindat – Microcline. http://www.mindat.org/min-2704.html

Wikipedia – Amazonite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazonite

Couldn't make it to Tucson? -> My latest Etsy Treasury!

I know many jewelry makers would love to go to the Tucson gem shows in Arizona, but sadly can't go. So I decided to bring a little of it to us with a new gemstone treasury on Etsy!

Check out these lovely beads at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=29685

Do so soon - it'll only be up for another day!

Stone of the Week - Calcite

Calcite is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth, and is found in a wide variety of geologic formations. The beautiful formations called stalactites and stalagmites that are found in caves are perhaps the most spectacular. Calcite is commonly associated with limestone, as well as hydrothermal veins, hot spring and evaporite deposits, and some igneous & metamorphic rocks. It can grow in a variety of crystal forms – more so than any other mineral. Calcite is made of calcium carbonate, or CaCO3, and is one of two common polymorphs (crystal forms) of calcium carbonate, the other being Aragonite.

Calcite occurs in a vareity of forms as seen in these samples of calcite.


Calcite can be found in a wide range of color, the most common being white and yellow, but also occurring in shades of green, blue, orange, gray, purple, red, and brown. One way to test for calcite is by using acid, such as very dilute hydrochloric acid; when dropped onto a sample containing calcite it will fizz vigorously. Some have also reported using vinegar, although it produces a weaker fizzing action. [Always use caution with acids regardless of how ‘weak’ or dilute they are.]

Some of the more unusual colors of calcite include blue, green, and peach/orange.

A neat property of calcite is its ability to produce a double refraction. This is best seen in calcite that is in a clear rhombohedral form (at one time specimens like these were called Iceland spar). Calcite is also the main constituent in shells for marine organisms, and found in many fossils. Calcite is said to have been valued by ancient peoples for building material once they realized it could be crushed and mixed with water to form cement and plaster. Calcite is sometimes used in decoration or jewelry, but must be handled with care (if not enhanced) as it is more fragile.

Calcite as it appears in its perfect rhombohedral shape (left) and the very clear optical calcite showing double refraction (right).


If there's a stone you would like to know more about - drop me a line! Have a mystery stone? Feel free to post a comment about it, including a link to a picture, and it could be featured on this blog!


Calcite Facts:
Chemical composition: CaCO3
Crystal System: Trigonal
Color: Commonly white & yellow, also peach/orange, gray, blue, purple, green, red, and brown.
Habit: Crystalline, prismatic, tabular, scalenohedral, rhomobohedral, stalactitic, massive, concretions
Fracture: Conchoidal
Cleavage: Perfect
Luster: Vitreous to pearly
Hardness: 3
Specific Gravity: ~2.7
Streak: White
Occurrence: Worldwide, though the UK is known for very excellent crystals, and optical calcite is collected in Iceland.


References
A Guide to Rocks and Fossils by B. Busbey III, R. R. Coenraads, P. Willis, and D. Roots. Published 2002 by Fog City Press. ISBN: 1877019518

Rocks, Minerals, & Fossils of the World by C. Pellant and R. Phillips. Published 1990 by Little, Brown and Co. ISBN: 0316697966

Wikipedia – Calcite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcite

Wikipedia – Aragonite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragonite

Bunny Treasury!

My newest treasury featuring bunnies!
Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=29192

Stone of the Week - Hematite

The name Hematite comes from the Greek word haima, meaning blood, probably due to the red streak color Hematite has. Hematite is an iron oxide, and is found in all three rock types. It can form in a variety of manners, including hydrothermally, as concretions, or even filling voids in rock. One of the most famous geologic formations in the world is the banded ironstone, which has alternating bands of shale or chert, with hematite or magnetite. Hematite has even been found on Mars, known as the famous Martian ‘blueberries’!

One of the most famous and most photographed geologic sites in the world is the banded ironstone formation.

Hematite is commonly seen as a gray mineral, however it can also form as a brown, brownish red, bright red, or shiny black color. It can form as tabular or rhombohedral crystals, sometimes forming a rose shaped mass called an iron rose, which is highly collectible. Other habits include massive, crusty, granular, radiating fibrous, and reniform or botryoidal. Specular hematite or Specularite has aggregates of silvery, metallic, flakes or tabular, anhedral crystals.

Specular hematite or specularite as photographed from two different angles.


Hematite has several uses, one of the most common being as an ore of iron. It has also been used in polishing powders, and included in red paint since ancient times. The Aztecs used the specular hematite as mirrors by grinding it up and creating polished flat pieces. Hematite is also found in jewelry, though most of the beads available are manmade/synthetic hematite.

Most hematite used in jewelry is actually synthetic, often called Hemalyke.


If you have a stone you would like to know about, please feel free to leave a request in the comments section. Have a mystery stone? Leave a link in the comments to a picture of it, and it may be featured as a part of this series!


Hematite Facts:
Chemical composition: Fe2O3
Color: Brown, Brownish Red, Red, Gray, Black
Habit: Crystals, massive, granular, earthy, fibrous, reniform or botryoidal
Fracture: Conchoidal
Cleavage: None
Luster: Dull, Metallic
Hardness: 6.5 (crystalline)
Specific Gravity: 5.3
Streak: Red, Brownish Red
Occurrence: Worldwide, abundant in the Lake Superior region


References
A Guide to Rocks and Fossils by B. Busbey III, R. R. Coenraads, P. Willis, and D. Roots. Published 2002 by Fog City Press. ISBN: 1877019518

Rocks, Minerals, & Fossils of the World by C. Pellant and R. Phillips. Published 1990 by Little, Brown and Co. ISBN: 0316697966

Mindat – Specularite. http://www.mindat.org/min-5574.html

Wikipedia – Hematite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematite

Jewelry Supplier Survey

Here it finally is, my survey of Jewelry Suppliers. I got this idea after reading a post on one of the Etsy boards where someone shared their positive experience with a supplier. We don't get to hear much how a suppliers customer service is or what the quality of products are, usually any info shared is about pricing which is ok, but its great to know the other things too.

So in my (albeit little) spare time this past week I developed this survey that I view as essentially a store review. I tried to keep it short as possible and as easy to answer as possible, both for the person filling it out (especially if you want to do it for more than one store), and also keep it easy for me to compile. Thus I have not included stuff you can find out by visiting the store website, like how much do they charge for shipping, what their minimum is, etc. Most of this is a simply ranking 1-5 or answer a,b,c style, with the option to add comments if you like. If you choose not to that's fine - I'm not forcing anyone to take it! I realize not everyone will be willing to share and that's fine - I thought this type of info would be helpful to get a better overall picture about the jewelry suppliers we use.

So without further ado, the survey is here below. Please feel free to copy it and paste into a comment and fill it out for however many stores you choose. I'll compile it all into a easier to read spreadsheet or something to share with everyone (of course you can read thru the comments if you don't want to wait!) If you feel uncomfortable doing this publicly, feel free to send it to me privately. If you don't want to answer a specific question feel free to leave it blank - just try to answer as many as you're comfortable with! Thanks to all those who participate!


1. Supplier's name:

2. Supplier’s website:

3. How much do you typically spend on an average order: (1) $0-50, (2) $50-100, (3) $100-200, (4) over $200, (5) prefer not to say

4. What type of supplies do you typically buy from this site (pick all that apply): (a) findings, (b) wire, (c) tools, (d) stone beads (e) glass beads, (f) crystals (g) pearls, (h) other [if you would like you can specify what ‘other’ is]

5. How was the ordering process (Please rate 1-5, 1 being difficult and 5 being easy):

6. How did you find their S/H charges (Please rate 1-5, 1 being too costly/poor shipping service to 5 being fairly priced/good shipping service):

7. What has your experience been with their customer service (Please rate 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best, or NA if you have not dealt with their customer service):

8. What has your experience been with the quality of product you receive (Please rate 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. If you want, you can do this for different types of items, such as: Findings 5, Stone beads 3, Crystals 4):

9. [Optional] Recommendations for specific items to order from that store (such as best place to buy wire, a specific finding, etc):

10. [Optional] Additional comments: