Posted by Alicia E. Staz on October 30th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals
Aquamarine is believed to endow the wearer with courage, happiness, and everlasting youth. It is said to increase intelligence and have a positive influence on love realtionships, especially married couples, by smoothing out differences. Aquamarine comes from the Latin term aqua marina which is translated “water of the sea”. It is the March birthstone and a suggested gift for the 16th and 19th wedding anniversaries. Hey, do ANY of these birthstones cause bad things to happen to the wearer??? I think not. {VBG}
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family and ranges in color from an almost colorless pale blue to blue-green or teal. The most prized color is a deep-blue aqua color. It is 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of hardness and has a hexagonal crystal structure.
A notable biblical mention of the stone is found in the Song of Solomon,”O daughters of Jerusalem, this is my beloved, and this is my friend. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl.” In the middle ages, beryl was supposed to give its wearer cheerfulness. It was called the “sweet-tempered stone,” and these qualities might perhaps account for the presence of a piece of beryl in the English crown. In the Middle Ages it was believed to give the wearer foresight and freedom from insomnia. Water in which an aquamarine had been soaked was believed to cure eye troubles and hiccups. Legends also say that it is the treasure of mermaids with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. This may explain why sailors have carried them so faithfully.
Ready for trivia…? The British Museum of Natural History owns an 879.5 carat flawless aquamarine with a lovely sea-green color.
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Posted by Alicia E. Staz on October 16th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals
Amethyst is thought to encourage celibacy, piety, and sobriety. “Amethyst” comes from the Greek word amethystos which is basically translated “not drunken.” The Catholic church has used it in decoration since the Middle Ages. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and a suggested gift for the fourth, sixth and seventeenth wedding anniversaries.
I love the Greek legend that explains the origin of amethyst. One day Dionysius, the god of drunkenness, was insulted by a mortal and swore that he would cause the next mortal he came across to be mauled by tigers. As it happened, the next mortal to cross his path was Amethyst, a beautiful young girl on her way to pay tribute to Diana. Diana, having known of Dionysius’ plan, turned Amethyst into a crystal statue to protect her from the tigers’ claws. When Dionysius saw the statue and realized what he had done, he cried tears of wine that stained the statue purple thus creating the stone we know today.
Unlike garnets that are found in many different colors, amethysts are all purple. The colors range from pale lilac to deep purple, with the deep colors being the most valuable. Amethyst can occur in 2 different forms: long prismatic crystals with a point (six-sided pyramid) at either end or druzes (crystalline crusts) with only one pointed end. Amethyst has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Just a bit of trivia - one of the largest amethysts ever cut is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in London.
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Posted by Alicia E. Staz on October 4th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals
The garnet has been dubbed the gem of faith, constancy and truth. Accordingly, the garnet is a symbol of friendship, love and devotion. It is the birthstone for January and the suggested gift for the second anniversary. Garnet happens to be my son’s birthstone as he was born on New Years’ Day, January 1, 2005. It is one of my favorites and graces my Mother Bracelet.
Garnets are most commonly red in color but can be found in a variety of colors, including purple, red, orange, yellow, green, brown, black, or colorless. So what makes a garnet a garnet and not an emerald, or amethyst? The garnet group of minerals shows crystals with rhombic dodecahedrons and trapezohedrons. The chemical elements in garnet include calcium, magnesium, aluminium, iron2+, iron3+, chromium, manganese, and titanium. The hardness is 6.5-7.5 and the specific gravity is 3.1-4.3.
The word “garnet” appears to originate with the Latin word granatus which means “grain.” This is possibly a reference to the Latin phrase granatum malum which means “pomegranate.” Pomegranate a red fruit with seeds (grains) similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals.
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Posted by Alicia E. Staz on September 20th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals
I am starting a series on birthstones. Many of the items at Beaded Royalty are designed with birthstones and I use Swarovski crystal beads exclusively because they are the best. Also called Austrian crystal, Swarovski crystal is the finest quality, full-lead crystal made today. Swarovski crystal contains a minimum of 32% PbO (lead), to maximize refraction and make the crystal optically pure. Swarovski crystal is faceted with tremendous precision and brilliant colors and/or coatings are added to create beads of dazzling beauty in a tremendous variety of shapes and sizes.
Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862 in Bohemia. Bohemia was one of the most important manufacturing centers for glass and crystal. As a young boy, Daniel watched his father work in his glass and crystal cutting business. When he got older, he completed apprenticeships with his father and at several other crystal-cutters. At the age of 21, he had an idea of a lifetime - develop a machine for cutting crystal. For nine years, he worked day and night on his dream. In 1892, he registered a patent for his invention: a machine that cut crystal to perfection every time. In 1895, he founded Swarovski with his brother-in-law Franz Weis and Armand Kosmann. They opened a crystal cutting factory in Wattens (near Innsbruck, Austria) where they could take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes of his machine.
It took the years between 1908 and 1913 to perfect the formula for a flawless crystal. This was done primarily by Daniel’s sons Wilhelm, Friedrich, and Alfred who followed in their father’s footsteps. Their goal was to create the very finest crystal in the world and to meet production demands that were growing every year.
Swarovski has invented and patented hundreds of unique products comprised of crystals. Here are just a few:
1931 - Crystal-set fabric ribbon, which could be applied directly to clothing, shoes, and any other accessory
1956 - Jewelry stone finish “Aurora Borealis”, which shimmers in every imaginable color
1967 - Machine cut simulated precious crystals
1975 - “Hot-Fix” technology adds a sparkling radiance to any item of clothing
1993 - “Crystal Mesh” revolutionized jewelry and fashion accessory design
1999 - “Crystal Tattoo” applies self-adhesive crystal jewelry stones to the skin
2003 - “Crystal Fabric” fuses fabric and crystal into a second skin
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Posted by Alicia E. Staz on September 13th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals
I love charms. I think they really add personality and individuality to a piece of jewelry. I have looked into the recent history of charms and thought I would share. Quite interesting…
Charms have been around since the very beginning of recorded history. Ancient man wore teeth and shells as adornments. The Egyptians used them to ward off bad spirits. However, the recent history of charms as we know them today began in the early 20th century. It was Queen Victoria who made charms a highly sort after fashion item. She wore small lockets containing family portraits, jewels and even locks of her beloved husband’s hair in charms on her bracelets.
Charm bracelets had their first peak of popularity in the United States after World War II. American soldiers returned home from Europe and the islands in the Pacific with souvenir charms for their sweethearts, wives and mothers. They had picked up trinkets made by native craftsmen representing items common to the particular area where they had been stationed. Jewelers quickly picked up on the trend and began to create charms for all occasions.
Today, charms are as popular as ever. Charms represent the wearer’s personality and special interests, such as pets, hobbies, career, or beliefs. They have a unique ability to commemorate special life events - births, weddings, graduations - and become a gift that can be added to over the course of a person’s life. Since they don’t tarnish, sterling silver charms like the ones I use at Beaded Royalty, many times become cherished family heirlooms when passed down from mother to daughter to granddaughter.
The fashion industry has even discovered the lure of the charm bracelet, flooding the market with new charm styles. Fashion leaders like Louis Vuitton have declared them the must-have accessory for any occasion. If the most recent history is any indication, it looks like charms will be in style for quite sometime.
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