GEMSTONES
TOURMALINES
Tourmalines comes in one of the widest color range of any gemstone. The most desired colors are intense pink and green, also called rubellite and chrome. The Dutch imported it in the 17th century from Sri Lanka to Western and Central Europe. They named it Turamali, which in Sinhalese means “stone with mixed colors”. Tourmaline crystals only showing one color are quite rare. Most crystals will show various color tones. 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. This is a softer stone and contact with hard surfaces should be avoided.
BLACK TOURMALINATED QUARTZ
Each quartz has its own unique pattern, caused by the needle inclusions of black tourmaline. This type of quartz is one of Linette’s favorite stones because of its mysterious edgy look.
Rutilated quartz is another variety of quartz and have golden looking rutile needle inclusions.
AMBER
Amber is fossilized, hardened resin from pine trees between 30-50 million years old. Amber is often brown, yellow or orange and sometimes it will have hints of white. Occasionally it will have inclusion of insects and plants.
PEARLS
The process of a growing pearl is a fascinating process that requires dedication and patience. The growth in the oyster bed starts with a core in the cultivation process. In a natural pearl a shell, fishbone or sand floats into the pearl oyster and the mollusk starts to produce a pearl. Pollution is one of the factors that have reduced the supply of natural pearls. Therefore, in the cultivation process humans causes the mollusk to start producing a pearl by placing a foreign body in it. Pearls are one of natures miracles but also very delicate and should be worn with caution.
MOONSTONE
Moonstones are a part of the feldspar group and are found in several colors among white, blue, grey, light peach and brown. The stone has a white shimmer like moonshine, therefore the name. Deposits of moonstone are found in Sri Lanka, Brazil, India, Burma, United States and Madagascar.