The Rarest Gemstone On Earth: Bixbite

If you hear Bixbite called red emerald, it is not an emerald, but a marketing strategy. Bixbite is a member of the Beryl family and is extremely rare and almost impossible to find in larger sizes and good clarity. It is a type 3 gemstone and normally very heavily included just as an emerald is. I would love to own a Bixbite.

History Of Mexican Fire Opal

Since the birthstone for October is Opal, I am sticking with that theme, for now. Did you know there was an orange Opal, or even red? It is rare fire Opal found in Mexico. It forms from volcanic lava. You can read more about Fire Opal by clicking the link. Fire Opal can also be found in Brazil but it is not nearly as beautiful as the Mexican variety. It has a milky cloudy look to it. The ring shown is most likely Fire Opal. But since I did not test it before I set it, I can't say for sure. It could also be Mandarin Garnet, or Carnelian either of which would be fabulous with that color. It does have some inclusions but does not take away from its beauty. One of my favorite pieces. I love orange, and orange gemstones are not easy to come by. Like all opals, fire opals are very fragile. With a hardness of around 6 it is best not to have an expensive Fire Opal ring, or bracelet. If you really wanted something pricey earrings or a pendant would be better. Opals are also sensitive to all kinds of chemicals so use caution when wearing and cleaning your opals.

Sold Sapphire and Diamond Pendant

My 10k white gold synthetic orange sapphire and diamond pendant has been sold. A young man bought it for his girlfriend and I am sure she will love it. Another six dollars to be donated to the Missing and Exploited Children's website. I believe I mis stated myself in a previous post saying 10% of Etsy sales would go to the Hunger Site, in fact as the banner above states 10% of Etsy sales will go to missing and exploited children. Still time to help out, until December 31, 2011.

Ethiopian Opal and Precious Opal

Opal is the birthstone for October. I love Opals, but of course nice Opals. Not all Opals are nice. Some have no play of color and appear milky white. I do not care for these opals. I own one very nice Opal but it is a triplet, which really is just a slice of really fine quality opal cemented to usually Spinel or Quartz. Australia and Ethiopia are the two places in the world that offer the finest quality Opals. Watch the videos below to see what I mean. I have never seen a faceted Opal as fine as the faceted Ethiopian Opal shown in the video. My oh my it is stunning!

My New Love Interest

LOL, I bet you were thinking something else. I am kind of moving away from gemstone jewelry, and starting to be interested more in making polymer clay pieces. I was thinking of starting with charms, they are so adorable, and then seeing how that goes. I love charm bracelets, and you can really make some sweet ones for the holidays. I still will collect my gems, and make jewelry, I just don't think I want to sell it. I want to keep it, LOL!

Be An Avatar For Halloween: Tutorial

It is that time of the year, time for great Halloween costume ideas. I loved the movie Avatar. The young lady in the video is very talented. If you want to be Avatar for Halloween watch the simple video and learn how.