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Gemstone
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 Jade
is a term used for two different rocks made up of different silicate minerals.
Nephrite jade is composed of amphibole mineral actinolite. Jadeitite consists
almost entirely of jadeite. Nephrite and jadeitite were used by people from
ancient times for similar purposes. Both are about the same hardness as
quartz, and they are exceptionally tough. They are beautifully colored and
can be delicately shaped. Thus it was not until the 19th century that it
was determined that "jade" was in fact two different materials. Jadeitite
is rarer, found in fewer than a dozen places worldwide. Translucent emerald-green
jadeitite is the most valued. Jade is the official gemstone of British Columbia,
Alaska, and
Wyoming.
Healing Properties
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 Jasper
is an opaque, impure variety of silica
found in a large variety of colors and patterns. It takes a high polished
and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. Jasper was commonly
used and a favorite gemstone in ancient times. Patterns in the stone are
caused in it's formation by the flow patterns in sediment or volcanic ash
inundated with silica. The jasper may have been fractured or distorted after
formation, later bonding into irregular patterns or filling with another
material.
Healing Properties
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 Kyanite
(aluminum
silicate) is a blue green or colorless mineral which is found in metamorphic
rocks. Used commercially in ceramics and as a gemstone. Primary suppliers
are in the Ural Mountains, Italy, Switzerland, and the Eastern U.S.
Kyanite crystals have a distinctive shape of and form in elongated columns.
The name Kyanite comes from the Greek kyanos, which means “blue.” While
some specimens have a rich blue color most samples of Kyanite are transparent,
with a pearly luster. The mineral may also be streaked with white or other
colors, depending on impurities.
Healing Properties
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 Labradorite
is a unique and fascinating
mineral. At first glance it may appear to be dark and unremarkable until
the colorful shiller glows on the surface. Labradorite can produce a colorful
play of light across cleavage planes and in sliced sections called labradorescence.
The usually intense colors range from the typical blues and violets through
greens, yellows and oranges. Some rare specimens display all these colors
simultaneously. Light is refracted through layers within the crystal producing
the shiller, which is only seen if viewed from the proper angle in the proper
light.
Healing Properties
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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.
Healing Properties
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 Llanite,
also known as Llanolite, is found in Llano, Texas. This is a dark brownish
stone with rust color patches and spots of opal like iridescent blue. The
red and blue spots of feldspar and quartz are contained in a matrix of quartz,
apatite, zircon and other minerals.
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 Luna Agate
is found in Mexico and has become increasingly rare. It is characterized
by orbicular patterns and is a form of chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz.
Healing Properties
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