Color Change Zandrite

I actually own two of these beautiful stones. I bought them probably six years ago, when JTV first offered them, and I put them in gold earrings. Wore them all the time, then my puppy ate one out of my ear, and I had to pry his mouth open to get it. I have since placed one in a ring, and the other is still waiting for a home. This is a manmade gemstone, not a natural gemstone. It changes from a purple, to blue, and it is really lovely. I hope to add more to my collection. I love them! There are two different color choices the purple to blue, or the pinkish red, to green which is referred to as Alexandrite Zandrite. I do not own any of the Alexandrite version, just the purple to blue.

Fun Friday The Letter O: Opals

Today is Fun Friday at our Blogging For Fun group, and we are up to the letter O. O is for Opals.
Opal is the birthstone for October, and it is an old wives tale that if you wear opal, and it is not your birthstone, it will bring you bad luck. I have never found this to actually be true. The two pictures shown are Mexican fire Opal, and a very fine Australian opal. Fining an opal with the play of color, of that fine opal is very difficult. Most are milky white with very little play of color to them. I own one with awesome play of color, but it is a doublet, which brings its value down just a bit. A doublet is a real opal, but it is a very small opal, that is actually sliced off of the more not so nice part of the stone, and placed on a more durable substance such as synthetic spinel. There is also fire opal that comes from Brazil, but it is a more yellow color, rather than the orange that I love. The ring I believe is Mexican fire opal cabachon, but it could also be fire agate, or carnelian. It has two tanzanite accent stones on either side. I would love to sell this one, but I scratched the setting, when setting the stone, so I am fortunate enough to be able to keep it in my collection.

Citrine Stud Birthstone Earrings

New in my Etsy store today, these Citrine stud earrings. They are sterling silver, post style, with butterfly backs. Each citrine measures 5mm round. Citrine is the birthstone for November. These are great for every day wear. Be sure to check out my store for all my great items. I am having a Valentines Day sale, with 25% off. Be sure to read the store homefront for details to get the sale prices. I also offer a convenient layaway for those who may wish to use it.

Calling All Bloggers To The I Blog I Care Movement

Want to help the Red Cross, but maybe you just don't have the extra money right now? Then you can help by putting this badge on your site, and then following the rest of the directions. It is easy, and it is free.

1. Copy the “I Blog, I Care” badge and the rules (1 to 6) on this page.
2. Post these in one or all your blogs.
3. Tag/invite your other friends to join by sharing this with them.
4. Leave your post URL here: The Twitterer
5. For every fifteen (15) blogs joining the I Blog, I Care Movement, a $1.00 donation will be given to the International Committee of the Red Cross. You can also donate directly here: http://www.icrc.org.
6. Spread the love and show you care.

So come on, and get your post up, and your links up, and your badge up, and start blogging, and caring. What do you have to lose, nothing but oh so much to gain.

Peridot Stud Earrings In My Etsy Shop

New for my store, as promised are Peridot stud earrings. These are sterling silver, post style, with butterfly back earrings. I love stud earrings, because you can wear them all day, all night, and with any type of outfit. I will be adding Citrine, and White Topaz next week. These are 5mm round, genuine Peridot gemstones. Peridot is the birthstone for August. These are available for purchase, in my Etsy store. Be sure to check out all my great items, Valentine's Day is coming. Speaking of Valentines Day, I have a sale going on. 25% off all purchases, until Feb 14th. You must use code Valentine to get the savings at cashout. I also offer a free layaway service, so take advantage of that.

Color Change Diaspore My Favorite Gemstone

As a gemstone collector, the color change gemstones are by far my favorite. I own two small Alexandrites, and this color change Diaspore, also known as Turkish Diaspore, and sold under the trade name of Zultanite. I actually blogged about this stone, some time ago. I had set it in silver, and said I might actually put it in gold, at some point. Well I did, and I absolutely love it set in the yellow gold. I put two very small lilac Tanzanites on either side of it. This is by far one of my favorite pieces. I can not wear it for every day wear, though, because it only has a hardness of about six, making it vulnerable to dings. Watch the video below to see the actual color change that color change diaspore makes.

Mexican Yellow Labradorite and Ruby Ring

Description

This is a sterling silver size 5 ring, featuring a 8mmx6mm antique cushion cut rare Yellow Labradorite from Mexico. There are round rubies on both shoulders of this lovely, and feminine ring. Yellow Labradorite is very close in chemical makeup to Bytownite, but it has a much lovelier color of yellow than Bytownite, and even has some peachy undertones to it. You will love this ring, and it will match anything you wear that day. From now until Valentines Day 25% off all my store items, see my storefront for details.

You still have time, until January 30th, to enter to win the Paradise Necklace, at the top of this blog.

Valentines Day Sale

Starting today through Valentines Day, get 25% off all items in my Etsy store. You must use the code valentine when cashing out, to receive the sale price, refunded to you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Visit my Etsy store today, and get some shopping done.

Baltic Amber The Living Gemstone

One of the coolest gemstones ever, is Amber. Amber is an organic gemstone, which means it was once living. There are very few organic gemstones, Amolite, pearls, coral, and amber are the ones I am aware of. These two videos are awesome, and will give you a better perception of Amber. Be sure to enter the contest to win the free necklace, posted at the top of this blog.

Bold Pear Shape Garnet Pendant Enhancer

Just listed in my Etsy store, is this sterling silver bold pendant enhancer, featuring a 12mmx8mm pear shape Garnet gemstone. The bail on this is huge, and could easily accommodate an omega chain. If you would love to purchase this lovely pendant, it is 39.99 and I do offer a layaway service, and combined shipping.


Don't forget to enter to win the Paradise Pendant, shown at the top of this blog. It would make an amazing gift for any woman, you would like to have it, even yourself. All the rules are listed, and it is easy to enter.

SS Garnet Ring In My Etsy Shop

This lovely sterling silver ring, is a size 5, and features a 5mm round red garnet. This garnet has a purplish hue to it, in certain lighting. That means it could be a Rhodolite Garnet, rather than a typical red garnet. It is very flattering on the hand, and could be worn as an engagement ring, if you like the unique and different. Garnet is the birthstone for January, and this would make a lovely birthstone ring. The price is awesome, and it is available in my Etsy store, for only 19.99

Don't forget to enter my contest to win the free necklace, shown at the top of this blog. One winner will win it, let it be you. Just follow the easy directions posted at the top of this blog.

New Pieces To Come Soon

These blue topaz stud earrings were a huge hit. I sold three pairs of them, and have ordered settings to make some more, in other colors. I did a survey back before Christmas, and the majority of my readers said earrings were the piece of jewelry they wear the most. So I am going to concentrate on earrings, and of course rings, which I personally love. I have new settings coming, and should have new pieces to share soon. If anyone has a certain stone they would like to see, let me know, and I will see what I can do. Don't forget to enter to win the necklace giveaway, it is easy, and free. See the top of the blog for details.

Does Tanzanite Come In Other Colors?

As promised yesterday, I am doing a post on colors of Tanzanite. You are probably wondering what made me think of such a thing. Well a couple of things, actually. If you know Tanzanite, then you know it does not come out of the ground that lovely purple/blue color. It comes out green, or brown, and then is heat treated to the desired color. Like all treated gems, some take to the darker, more sought after color than others do. I have actually seen green Tanzanite, because I owned some. That is its actual natural color. I sold it for a very good profit, from what I spent on it. I wish I had kept it now. They were very small stones. So the other day I was watching gemstones, on JTV, and they very quickly mentioned something about pink Tanzanite. Now I was not actually paying attention, but did go to their website to see if they had such a thing. No, they did not, nor did they have pink Zoisite which is the proper name since only the blue/purple variety can actually be called Tanzanite. So I did some searching online, to see if there was such a thing as pink, or yellow Zoisite. I did find a website selling such material. You can view the pieces they have here. I am not promoting their site, but since I do not have any samples of my own, I wanted my readers to see what these lovely varieties of Zoisite look like. What ultimately peaked my interest was a parcel of gemstones I recently purchased. I have been trying to learn to identify my stones that are bought in parcels, and unidentified. I have a round pale yellow stone, that is trichroic in nature. So of course I wanted to know what it is. There are only a few trichroic yellow gemstones: chrysoberyl, spodumene, and topaz, plus a tanzanite of course would be as well. Any of the stones mentioned would have very good value, with the exception of maybe spodumene, which would basically make it a yellow kunzite, which is not at all the sought after color. Whatever it is, it is a most interesting gemstone, and I can not wait until I can investigate it with a refractometer. By the way pink zoisite in cabochon form is know as Thulite, and zoisite in green cabochon form is known as antolite, put together they make ruby in zoisite.

Identifying Your Gemstones

A lot of people, like me, collect gemstones. Then after we get a bunch, we think now what should I do with these? Some people resell, make jewelry, learn to identify them, or just love collecting them. I decided I wanted to make jewelry, and learn to identify my gemstones. I also collect, and give them as gifts, as well. Last year I purchase three gemstone tools, to help me learn to identify my stones. Now I must say just having the tools, with no reading knowledge really is not helpful at all. I purchased Gemstone Identification Made Easy, and it was so helpful. I have the dichroscope, 10x loupe, and chelsea filter. The loupe is very explanatory, and simple to use. I must say though, it takes a very long time, to learn, and recognize any inclusions that help identify stones. I find it more useful for finding chips, cracks, and other flaws. The chelsea filter, though easy to use, again is only really useful for identifying a small number of stones. The dichroscope however, is very useful, and is simple to use once you get used to what you are seeing. I personally recommend you have a large number of lose stones, with some you already know what they are, to properly learn what you are seeing. The dichroscope has two small windows in it, when you look through the eye piece. The basic of it is, if you see the exact same color, or combo of colors in both windows, then it is a single refractive gemstone. If you see one color, or set of colors, in one window, and another tone or hue, or completely different color in the other box, then it is doubly refractive. I was confused at first, because I would see two colors in both windows, and because there was two colors I thought it was doubly refractive. Not true, if it is the same exact color combo, like orange/red, in both windows, it is single refractive. Look at it like looking in the mirror. If it matches exactly then it is single. Then you have to rotate the dichroscope, not the stone, to see if there is any new color that appears, or change in tone or hue, of colors from the first set of colors. If you see a second color, then it shows dichroism, if you see three colors then it is called trichroism. So how does all this info, help identify your gems? Because, there are only a very few number of gems that are singly refracting, and they are diamonds, garnet, spinel, glass, and plastic. So you can see how quickly you could eliminate a whole bunch of gems, if it is a single refracting stone. Once you have mastered the dichroscope you can simply sort your stones by single refracting, and double refracting, then if you have a refractometer, you can narrow it down to almost completely knowing what you have. I do not have a refractometer yet, but I intend to purchase one this year.

Tomorrow I am doing an interesting post on Tanzanite, and Zoisite, which was spawned by a yellow stone with trichroism, that I found in a recent parcel I purchased. Be sure to check back to read it.

So far I only have one entry to win the lovely necklace, posted at the top of this blog. Be sure to check it out, and get your entry in. How often do you get to win beautiful, free jewelry? You have nothing to lose.

Tsavorite Garnet the Green Garnet

Want to see some of the finest Tsavorite garnet ever, then watch the video below. Tsavorite is a rare form of green garnet, that can range from a grass green color, to a lovely emerald green color in its finest form. It is very rarely found in large sizes, and even small sizes are very expensive. I own only one Tsavorite garnet and it is about 5mmx4mm oval, and that is it. I would love to have one of these gem quality ones shown in the video. Wow wishful thinking, check out that size, and price. I would be afraid to wear it.

More Colors Of Garnet: Rhodolite Garnet

As I stated yesterday, Garnet comes in a variety of colors. One of those more exotic colors is Rhodolite Garnet. Rhodolite is a raspberry red color, with more intense pink color flashes, in natural light sources. The ring shown, is actually my wedding set, and yes I did it myself. I used to have a black spinel in there, but I took it out and put this lovely Rhodolite Garnet in. I love it! I do frequently remove stones, and replace them with others, in my own jewelry. I get a new look every few years, without having to buy a whole new set. The video below shows some more beautiful examples of this stunning gemstone known as Rhodolite Garnet.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win the beautiful necklace, shown at the top of this blog. The directions are there too. Don't miss out!

Happy Birthday, Garnet The Birthstone For January

Today is my Mom's 63rd birthday, so Happy Birthday. If you like here were born in January, than the Garnet is your birthstone. Garnet in its traditional color, is a brick red color. But did you know that Garnet actually comes in every color, except blue. It is a very durable gemstone, and certain Garnets are very expensive, and rare. Probably the most expensive would be the Demantoid Garnet, which is said to have more fire than a diamond. Garnets are natural in their color, and are not known to be treated. What comes out of the Earth is what you get. Below is a cool video, talking about the Garnet birthstone.

Top 2 Posts For 2009

So what were the top 2 posts, for this blog, in 2009. The number one post was my contest for a pink tourmaline ring, with 30 comments. You can read the post here, if you like. It was a contest in honor of my 40th birthday, and Sandi was the winner. I hope to have as much success, with my new monthly contests, for Crafting for Moms.

The number two post, with 14 comments, was titled Fun Friday Featured Etsy Store, Circle in the Sand. That was for a feature I did for a while on Friday's, but eventually ran out of people interested. Ducky has a wonderful store, and if you would like to check out the post again, it is here.

I hope 2010 will be successful for all my Etsy friends, and fellow bloggers.

My Top Entrecard Droppers

Be sure to check back tomorrow, when I will be rolling out something new called Crafting for Moms. Just a little something I thought up, and my mom will be assisting me with. I am hoping it will introduce a whole new world of lovely crafted items, to a whole lot of people.

Top Entrecard Droppers:

http://www.melissashomeschool.blogspot.com
http://mygypsygoods.blogspot.com/
http://greetjegreetsyou.blogspot.com
http://tipsforyourhome.blogspot.com
http://www.laaneloves.com
http://www.laaneworld.com
http://bookcon.blogspot.com/
http://www.throughtheeyesofdj.blogspot.com
http://www.louscircle.com

For the third month in a row, http://www.smalltownmommy.com, has been my top advertiser, for this blog. I placed my blog on her widget and received 68 clicks from her blog to mine.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Comments
Myspace 2.0 Layouts