Monthly Archives: February 2017

About Stones: Boulder Opal

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Chakra: Brow

Lore: Boulder opal enhances mental clarity, emotional security and physical well-being. Connecting us to the stars, it facilitates extra-terrestrial communication.

Geology: Boulder opal or matrix opal is host rock containing opal-filled cavities. Opal is non-crystalline hydrous silicon dioxide. It has the same chemical composition as quartz but contains water and is not crystallized. the most highly prized varieties contain internal iridescence due to light diffraction.

Localities: Australia, Mexico

About Stones: Bronzite

Astrological Sign: Leo

Chakra: Solar Plexus

Lore: Bronzite is the stone of courtesy. It is helpful in all facets related to service and assistance. It stimulates decisiveness and courage.

Geology: Bronzite, or ferroan enstatite, is a magnesium iron silicate. It forms stubby prismatic crystals and, more commonly, greenish-brown or bronze-brown compact masses with a submetallic luster. A member of the pyroxene group, its associated minerals are serpentine, magnetite, enstatite and olivine.

Localities: Germany, Austria, North Carolina, Arizona

About Stones: Botswana Agate

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Chakra: Heart

Lore: Botswana agate encourages love. It stimulates exploration of the unknown, helps to release repressed emotions, and enhances creativity.

Geology: Botswanna agate is composed of layers of finely fibrous quartz. It is found in the form of nodules, its thin parallel bands following the contour of the cavity where the silica gel solidified. The name is derived from the African country in which it is found.

Locality: Botswana, Africa

About Stones: Blue Lace Agate

Astrological Sign: Pisces

Chakra: Throat, Heart, Brow, Crown

Lore: Blue lace agate is a highly inspirational influence when used for inner attunement. Use to reach high spiritual spaces and enter into high-frequency states of awareness. Blue lace agate helps build confidence in public speaking by encouraging focus and calm centeredness.

Geology: A variegated form of chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz, blue lace agate displays a blue and white lace pattern.

Localities: Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico

About Stones: Bismuth

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Chakra: All

Lore: Bismuth is a stone for transformation, allowing for orderliness and calm during the state of change. It stimulates cohesiveness in groups and relationships, supporting progression towards a common goal. Bismuth relieves feelings of emotional and spiritual isolation.

Geology: Bismuth is a silvery-white metal. Lab-grown “Hopper” crystals have a stairstep shape resulting from the edges growing more quickly than the crystal faces. Irridescent surface colors are due to surface oxides.

Locality: Laboratory grown in Germany

About Stones: Bertrandite

Astrological Sign: Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius

Chakra: Root, Sacral

Lore: Bertrandite supports a smooth transition when undergoing change. It assists in the verbalization of hidden feelings. Bertrandite is reputed to enhance sexual energy.

Geology: This relatively new material, an opalized fluorite, is also called Beryllium Opal,  “Tiffany Stone”  and Ice Cream Opalite. It occurs in a mixture of cream or white opalite with purple fluorite, traces of yellow bertrandite, along with other red or black mineral inclusions. Mineralized beryllium nodules altered by a fluorine-rich solution form in the sequence dolomite-calcite-chalcedony-opal/fluorite. The nodules are recovered from an area where the bertrandite rock is mined commercially for the recovery of beryllium used in the manufacture of satellites and aircraft. Bertrandite is beryllium silicate hydroxide.

Composition: Be4Si2O7(OH)2

Hardness: 6-7

Locality:  Brush Wellman Beryllium Mine, Juab County, Delta, Utah

About Stones: Azurite/Malachite

Astrological Sign: Sagittarius, Capricorn

Chakra: Brow

Lore: Azurite-malachite encourages an interest in our surroundings and fellow human beings. It encourages harmony between the intellect and feelings, and helps to release suppressed emotions.

Geology: Azurite-malachite is a rare alkaline copper carbonate formed by rainwater containing carbolic acid in the oxidation zone of copper ore deposits.

Localities: Arizona, West Germany

About Stones: Aventurine

Astrological Sign: Aries

Chakra: Solar Plexus, Heart

Lore: Aventurine enhances creativity and amplifies leadership qualities. It reveals what makes us happy or unhappy, stimulates dreaming, and helps make our dreams come true.

Geology: Aventurine is a massive green quartz that obtains its sparkling color from inclusions of fuchsite, a chromium mica. The name is from the Italian “a ventura” meaning randomly, a reference to the random deposits of mica contained within.

Localities: India, Brazil

About Stones: Apophyllite

Astrological Sign: Libra, Gemini

Chakra: Brow, Crown, Heart

Lore: Apophyllite helps create a conscious connection between the physical and the spiritual. It allows the recognition of truth and encourages tranquility, a calm attitude, and honesty. Use apophyllite on the higher chakras to facilitate astral travel.

Geology: Apophyllite is a sheet silicate that is formed hydrothermally. Tabular crystals are cubic or octahedral, sometimes dipyramidal or platy. Apophyllite may be colorless, white, or light shades of pink, green and yellow.

Localities: India, Mexico

About Stones: Apache Tear

Astrological Sign: Aries

Chakra: Root

Lore: Traditionally, the apache tear is said to be one of the tears shed by Native American women in mourning for their warriors who were driven from a cliff by the U.S. cavalry. It is used for comfort in times of grief, providing insight and acceptance.

Geology: The apache tear is a small black nodule of obsidian or volcanic glass. The main obsidian flow has been altered to a whitish porous rock called perlite containing unaltered transparent glassy nodules.

Locality: Arizona