Amber is a fossilized resin from an extinct species of resin-producing trees which flourished some 40-60 million years ago in what is now known as the Baltics, specifically Poland, Russia and Lithuania. Baltic amber which has been submerged in the Baltic Sea region is considered the highest quality in the world. Speculation in the wide variance of colours is often attributed to the type of tree that the resin was formed from, as well as the different earth and insect components it absorbed in its movement. Amber can be found in many colour varieties including shades of cognac, green, and lemon. Some colours such as cherry amber are created through heating and chemical processes. Along with its beauty, it has been known for its electromagnetism and purifying properties. The name Amber is actually derived from the Greek word for “electron”, which is the name origin for electricity. Return to top
Amethyst is a type of quartz and is the most valued member of the quartz family. This gemstone displays varying shades of deep purple to lilac and mauve. Amethyst can be found in many parts of the world. The combination of deep purple with a rose tint being the most popular colour. Ancient healers considered this gemstone to have strong healing properties and referred to it as “natures tranquilizer”. Return to top
Amethyst
Brecciated Jasper
Brecciated Jasper is a beautiful example of the Jasper family found in a range of rich, warm tones of red, orange and brown. Brecciated Jasper is composed of sharp angled fragments or “breccia” embedded in a fine grained matrix. Initially fractured, the cracks between the fragments are later “healed” by the heat and pressure forcing new material into the gaps. Brecciated Jasper can be found in Asia, Egypt and parts of Lybia. Return to top
Carnelian is a type of Chalcedony which belongs to the Quartz family. This popular gemstone is found in Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, South Africa and the United States. It is most commonly found in a range of colours from deep brownish orange to a pale milky orange colour. This stone is featured in much folklore and often thought to purify the blood and enhance fertility and passion. Return to top
Carnelian
Citrine
Citrine is a variety of quartz ranging from pale yellow to darker hues of brown and orange. Pale yellow or light orange is the natural colour of citrine and examples of darker reddish brown stones are usually heat treated. Natural Citrine can be found in the Ural Mountains of Russia and also in France and Madagascar. Citrine crystals can form together with amethyst or smoky quartz to create a bi-coloured quartz called Ametrine. Return to top
Crazy Lace Agate is found only in Northern Mexico in the Sierra Santa Lucia. Agates are a multi-coloured variety of Chalcedony that form as nodules inside volcanic rocks. This gemstone provides a wide array of twisting, swirling patterns of soft pastel tones highlighted by bold reds and blues. This stone is not treated or dyed and these colourations are completely natural giving a unique and distinctive design to each stone. Return to top
Crazy Lace Agate
Garnet
Garnet appears in a variety of colours including shades of green but probably the most recognizable is the deep, crimson red gemstone. The rarest is the blue garnet discovered in Madagascar in the 1990’s. Garnets are found in the United States, South Africa, South America and parts of the United Kingdom. This gemstone dates back thousands of years to Ancient Egyptian times and was said to act as a talisman and provide protection. Return to top
Golden Sheen Obsidian is a type of naturally occurring glass created when certain types of volcanic lava flow come in contact with water. This process produces a glassy texture resulting in rock. Golden Sheen Obsidian contains small bubbles of air that aligns along layers of molten rock. This light refraction through the tiny bubbles produces the stunning sheen effect. Return to top
Golden Sheen Obsidian
Labradorite
Labradorite is a truly fascinating and beautiful mineral. It is widely known for its iridescent properties or “labradorescence caused by the play of light across the many planes and cut sections of the gemstone. The striking and intense colours range from blues and violets through to greens, yellows and oranges. Also known as spectrolite, it is found in Canada, Northern Europe and Madagascar. Return to top
Lapis is considered a rock, not a mineral. It is a combination of various minerals, primarily lazurite with traces of blue sodalite and pyrite(fools gold). Lapis is found in varying shades of blue with hints of violet and flecks of gold. This gemstone has been mined for more than six thousand years and is found in Siberia, Chili, Pakistan and parts of North America. The ancient Egyptians used Lapis for seals, eyelid cosmetics and often carved it as a decorative adornment on vases and figurines. Return to top
Lapis
Lemon Quartz
Lemon Quartz is a yellow variety of the quartz family. It is more lemon in colour than a citrine which can display deeper tones of orange. Most of the world supply of lemon quartz comes from Brazil. The gemstone grows in a hexagonal crystal shape and the shades of yellow are caused by Iron breaching into the colour centers of the stone. Return to top
Mookaite is the coined name for a silicified porcelainite. The main sources of this stone are from Mooka Station in the Southwest of Australia. Estimations of the age of Mookaite range from 105-115 million years old and its structure comes from fossilized sedimentary rock formations. Mookaite exhibits irregular patches of colour ranging from white through various shades of red, purple and brown. Return to top
Mookaite
Moonstone
Moonstone is an opalescent stone which can exhibit a wide range of colours from blue, peach, green, pink, yellow, brown or gray with a silvery sheen. The iridescence in moonstone is known as adularescence whose clarity ranges from transparent to translucent. This gemstone is found mainly in Canada, Kenya and parts of India and Sri Lanka. The ancient Greeks believed this stone ruled the planet Venus and named it Aphroselene after the goddess Selene. Return to top
Ocean Jasper is a rare mineral found in only one place in the world, the Ambolobozo Peninsula on the Northwest coast of Madagascar. The stone is immediately recognizable by its concentric rings of colour earning it the name orbicular Jasper. This gemstone has an astonishing array of colour combinations which helps create very unique looking stones. The supply is extremely limited by access, deposit size and location and can only be collected at low tide. Return to top
Ocean Jasper
Onyx
Onyx is a chalcedony quartz that is mined in Brazil, India, California and Uruguay. It has a fine texture and is black in colour. Some varieties of onyx display white bands or ribbons against a black or brown background which is known as “Sardonyx”. This gemstone is ideal for jewelry settings providing a high luster and rich appearance. The name Onyx comes from the Greek word meaning "claw". Return to top
Peridot is part of a group of minerals called Olivine, although gem stone quality peridot is quite rare. This gemstone is found in Burma, Norway, Hawaii and some Islands in the Red Sea. Peridot is one of a few gemstones that come in only one colour. The depth of green depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure and varies from yellow green though olive and greenish brown. The name peridot is said to come from the French word “peritot” meaning unclear. The largest cut 310 carat specimen of peridot is found in the Smithsonian Museum. Return to top
Peridot
Turquoise
Turquoise is named for the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine traders, more commonly known as “Turks”. The colour is of course mainly turquoise but can exhibit shade of greens, blues and browns. For centuries the most valuable turquoise was found in Iran, but today some specimens from the Southwestern United States can compete in quality. The name “Persian Turquoise” generally refers to any turquoise stone that does not have the black and brown veining commonly found in the US. Turquoise was a sacred stone in the ancient cultures of the Aztecs and Native Americans, featuring prominently in their spiritual rituals. Return to top
Red Coral is found on the rocky seabottom of the ocean floor, typically in very dark environments, growing in caverns and crevices. The orginal species, C. rubrum, is found mainly in the Mediterranean Sea. This coral grows from depthes of 10-300 meters, although the shallower of these habitats have largley been depleted from harvesting. The mining of red and pink coral has been permanently banned and it is illegal to import "real" coral. Most coral is actually sponge coral that has been dyed. An interesting fact is that coral and pearls, although drastically different in appearance, are chemically very similar. Return to top
Red Coral
Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz is a type of quartz which exhibits a pale pink to rose red hue. In crystal form, which is rarely found, it is called Pink Quartz. The colour crystals can be photosensitive and are subject to fading. Rose Quartz is most often found in a cloudy form and examples of clear gemstones are used for faceted cuts. It is found in Madagascar, India, Germany and several parts of the U.S.A. Historically, rose quartz was extracted from a famous site near Custer, South Dakota, but most of the world's supply now comes from Brazil. Return to top
Smokey quartz is a brown transparent quartz that is sometimes used for unusual faceted cut stones. This gemstone is often incorrectly referred to as Smoky Topaz. It is found in Scotland, Brazil, Utah and Switzerland. An interesting formation can occur within the crystal itself when a separate shape is discovered and is often referred to as a “phantom crystal”. Smoky quartz has been called “champagne on ice”. It is the national stone of Scotland having their national scepter displayed with a large smoky quartz crystal on top. Return to top
