Fun Friday The Letter V: Vesuvianite

It is Fun Friday again, at my Blogging For Fun group. We are working on an A-Z meme, and we are up to the letter V. V is for Vesuvianite. I do not own this particular rare gemstone. It is also called Idocrase. Vesuvianite is a brown, green, or blue silicate gemstone. The most sought after color is the lovely green color, as shown in the video. It got its name from the origin it was originally found, which is Mt Vesuvias. There is a blue variety called Cyprine, which was found in Franklin, NJ, and Norway. It is said to be a sky blue color. I have not actually seen this variety, but I would love to. Californite is the name given to jade like Vesuvianite found in California. It has a hardness of 6.5 on the Moh's hardness scale. So it is a gemstone that can be faceted, and worn in jewelry. Gem quality Vesuvianite is very rare, and difficult to find. You may find it in cabochon, or in carvings. Happy gemstone hunting!

Green Quartz One Of The More Rare Quartzes

There are several kinds of Green Quartz on the market. Some are more rare, and uncommon than others. Prasiolite, which is a very soft, pale green, is the most common form in the market today. Prasiolite is not a natural gemstone, in the sense that the color is made by heat treating pale Amethyst, to get the minty green color. It does not occur naturally in nature. I do own some Prasiolite, as well, but do not have pics, as it has not been set in jewelry as of yet. This Green Quartz pictured, however, is natural in color, and even looks like a good quality Emerald. I had two of these, but one sold a few years ago. These were a gift to me, and I am told these are very rare, and not many are found anymore. It is small a 6mmx4mm oval, and does have some minor inclusions. It is set in a dainty sterling silver ring casting, and is available for sale it my Etsy store. It has a hardness of 7, on the Mohs Hardness scale. While that makes it a sturdy stone, it should be worn with care, and not worn for housework or other areas where it can get dinged.

Canary Yellow Tourmaline Ooh La La

I would like to remind everyone, about my sales promotion. The first person to buy 25 dollars, before shipping, from my Etsy store, will get a free SS Black Sapphire ring, which is pictured in a previous post. I only have one, and the first person, to verify purchase through this blog, will win it.




Tourmaline, is such an amazing gemstone. It comes in almost every color of the rainbow, and is a very durable and tough stone. Canary yellow tourmaline is a new find of gemstones, out of Africa. Though yellow tourmaline is not new, it always had just a hint of brown to it. This new find of tourmaline, when heated, turned an amazing canary yellow color, and is flawlessly clean. This one pictured, is unheated, and therefore natural in its color. It does have a very slight hint of brown to it. It is also pleochroic, with changes to lovely green colors. I actually set it in a marquis setting, because it would absolutely not set in any oval setting I tried. I absolutely love this stone, and hope to get one of the canary colored tourmalines, someday.