Ethiopian Opals are not only beautiful, but they generally cost less than similar-quality Opal from Australia. This surge of public awareness has developed in just a few years without a major mining company or jewelry brand spending millions of dollars to promote them.
Citrine crystals occur in a wide range of sizes, and Citrine sizes up to 20 carats are readily available in jewelry. Although Citrine is available in standard shapes and sizes, many high-end jewelry designers and gem carvers have fashioned the warm yellow gem into unusual cuts for jewelry and carvings.
Chrysocolla is a blue green crystal with a high copper content. It is opaque in transparency with a vitreous to dull luster. Chrysocolla is a Phyllosilicate mineral often found in rounded masses, vein fillings or crusts. It is also made up of Malachite, Cuprite, Quartz, Azurite, and Limonite.
Azurite is a secondary mineral that usually forms when carbon-dioxide-laden waters descend into the Earth and react with subsurface copper ores. Azurite is not a common or abundant mineral, but it is beautiful and its blue color attracts attention.
Ammolite is a trade name given to a thin iridescent aragonite shell material that is found on two species of extinct ammonite fossils. Gem-quality Ammolite produces a spectacular display of iridescent color when it is observed in reflected light.
There’s only one commercial source of natural Ametrine: a deposit in eastern Bolivia. Legend has it that a Spanish conquistador discovered the location in the 1600s, but it was lost for more than three centuries. Ametrine began appearing on the market again during the 1970s. The mine named the “Anahi” also produces natural amethyst and citrine. Fine Ametrine shows medium dark to moderately strong orange, and vivid to strong purple or violetish purple.
In today’s world, Amethyst is viewed as a semi-precious crystal but in traditional times, it was a very precious stone. The beauty of Amethyst is evident whether the stone is in its natural state, cut or polished into jewels. It is the birthstone for Pisces and the February birthstone along with being the stone for the 6th anniversary of marriage.
Abalone is a variety of mollusks or sea snails with feet and tentacles. Its ear-shaped Shells are made up of microscopic pieces of calcium carbonate, stacked one on top of the other, almost like tiny Lego blocks. Each of these brick-like layers has a clingy protein material between them. This adds to the exceptional strength of the Abalone Shell.