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Leeleeko Jewelry
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What is a gemstone?
A gemstone is a stone used
for personal adornment that is beautiful, durable, and stable. Beauty is
based on color, luster, transparency, or cutting and shaping with lapidary
techniques. Durability is the resistance to damage and is dependent on hardness
and tenacity. Tenacity is the resistance to bending and breaking, while
hardness measures the resistance to scratching. Stability refers to the
gem's ability to retain color in spite of heat, light, or chemical changes.
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What is
a semi-precious stone?
The two terms precious and
semi-precious are not widely used these days. The designation began in part
because diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald were taxed at a higher rate
than other gemstones. Many people think semi-precious indicates a gem of
lesser value and hardness, which is not true, and the main reason why the
term semi-precious is no longer widely used.
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F G H
I J K L M N O
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Arizona Tiger Eye
is a type serpentine. Known for
is brilliant chatoyancy and translucent amber color. Chatoyancy is
the sheen or optical reflection in tiger eye. The high reflectivity
of the stone when polished makes it difficult to photograph.
It is a soft stone and care must be taken when shaping and
polishing. It is really a stunning stone and difficult not to
fall in love with once you’ve seen it or worked with it.
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Bertrandite or Tiffany Stone
is composed of many minerals,
that vary from sample to sample. It is rare, because it comes from an
area in the west desert of Utah where beryllium is mined and is crushed
during the mining process. The name bertrandite is misleading as it
is not the major mineral in the stone. The name tiffany stone came from
the patterns in the stone resembling tiffany glass. It is an opalized
stone that forms in nodules, composed mostly of opalized fluorite with
other minerals such as quartz, chalcedony, dolomite, rhodonite, manganese
oxides, bertrandite, beryl, opal, and others. Most commonly patterned
in purple, blue,
 white and black it is an unusual and beautiful gemstone.
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Chrysocolla
is an attractive
blue green unique in the mineral world. The beauty of this gemstone
is further enhanced by the intricate swirling patterns it contains.
Chrysocolla forms in oxidation zones of copper rich ore bodies. In
it's pure form Chrysocolla is soft and fragile. However, Chrysocolla
which has been "agatized" in chalcedony quartz is more durable and
easily polished. It is a copper bearing mineral found wherever
copper deposits occur. Notable deposits are found in Africa, Chile,
England, and the U.S. |
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Eudialyte
is a somewhat rare
gemstone, which is well known for its distinctive colors including magenta,
pink, blue, yellow and brown. Eudialyte is actually made up of several
minerals; Sodium, Calcium, Cerium, Iron, Manganese, Zirconium, Silicon,
Hydrogen and Chlorine. Eudialyte is usually found embedded in the host
rock surrounded by other minerals. Most of the Eudialyte on the market
today comes from the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Eudialyte’s rare beauty
and distinctive colors have made it popular among mineral collectors.
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Graveyard Point Plume Agate
comes from the Owyhee mountain area,
on the Idaho Oregon border. It is named for the beautiful plume like
patterns within the agate. The colors range from a creamy white to yellow,
pinks, reds, and different shades of blue. Iron pyrite can add a nice
sparkle to this stone. Inclusions of other minerals, create fascinating
scenes to fuel the imagination.
The image on the right
the pendant is back lit to show the translucence of the agate.
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Imperial Jasper
comes
from Guadalajara, Mexico. One of the fine jaspers on the market, this
collectible material is porcelain hard and comes in many varieties.
This jasper forms in nodules and usually has a chalky white exterior.
Typically it come in shades of pink, red and green.
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Lapis lazuli
is prized for
it’s intense blue color. It has been mined in Afghanistan for over
6,000 years. Formed from more than one mineral with the main
component of lazurite. Most lapis lazuli also contains white
calcite, blue sodalite and pyrite. The finest color is intense blue,
lightly dusted with small flecks of golden pyrite. Patches of pyrite
help in identifying the stone as genuine and do not detract from its
value. In addition to the Afghan deposits, lapis has been extracted
for years in the Andes, where the deep blue stones rival the quality
of those from Afghanistan. Lesser sources include the Russia,
Siberia, Angola, Burma, Pakistan, California and Colorado, Canada
and India..
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