Heart of Stone Studio Blog

Malachite

Malachite is a wonderful stone. Its deep green color resembles the greens of Nature. In fact, its name comes from the Greek word for the Mallow plant, whose leaves it was thought to resemble.

The mineral has been known from antiquity, and was mined by the Egyptians as early as 4000 BC. The early Greeks and Romans used it for jewelry. In powdered form it was used for eye shadow, and also was used as a green pigment in paintings until it was replaced by synthetic pigments.

Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide, usually found deep underground in association with copper. Along with Azurite, Malachite has been frequently extracted from copper mines around the world.

It is a relatively soft stone, with the Mohs hardness of around 3.5 to 4.

In a metaphysical sense, malachite is said to release negative emotions and anxiety, and provide a connection with Nature. It is said to harmonize with and stimulate the Heart Chakra. In the Middle Ages it was kept in bedrooms to prevent nightmares.

We have a number of wonderful malachite cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio webpage, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Chinese and Tibetan Turquoise

Turquoise is a mineral produced from copper aluminum phosphate hydride. The blue color comes from the copper, and the greens and blacks come from iron impurities.

China has become one of the world's leading producers of turquoise, with approximately 75% of the world's turquoise production. However, because of environmental degradation caused by strip-mining in Chinese mines, the government has closed a number of the mines and has imposed strict mining regulations, somewhat limiting the production of turquoise.

Chinese turquoise tends to have mostly blues and black as a color scheme.

Tibetan turquoise comes from the Himalayan area of Tibet. It tends to have more greens, from higher levels of iron impurities. It is the same source of turquoise that the Tibetans have used and worn for centuries.

Over the centuries it has been prized by Tibetans for its alleged healing properties. It is said to promote fertility, well-being, and prosperity, and has been worn in jewelry by both male and female Tibetans.

Most of the Chinese and Tibetan turquoise has been stabilized. In turquoise, stabilization is not a bad thing. It strengthens the stone, deepens and enriches the color, and aids in its overall protection.

There are two types of stabilizing mixtures. One, called clear shot, doesn't change the color of the turquoise. It just makes it richer and easier to see. The other, used on low grade turquoise, is called color shot because it adds dye to the stone.

Clear shot uses a resin or a plastic to strengthen the turquoise, which is often very soft when non-stabilized, and in the process creates a somewhat shiny surface like putting water on a river pebble.

We have a number of Chinese and Tibetan turquoise cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Peruvian Opal

Peruvian Opals come from the San Patricio area near the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Peruvian Opal is the national stone of Peru, and was considered by the Incas as a gift from Pachamama, the goddess of Mother Earth.

They are associated with copper mines, and as copper has become more expensive, the mining of Peruvian Opals has generally stopped, in favor of mining the copper.

These opals are made up of hydrated silicon dioxide, with small inclusions of chrysocolla, which is a copper silicate. The chrysocolla gives the opals their soft blue color, which has sometimes been compared to the blue of the Caribbean Sea.

Many of these stones are translucent, so that you can see light coming through them. Unlike other opals, the crystalline structure of these is unorganized, so that you don't get flashes of different colors. Instead, you get a very tranquil blue color.

The Mohs hardness of these opals is 5.5 to 6, making them somewhat harder than many other opals. However, they are very susceptible to heat, and excessive heat can make them fracture or lose their color.

In the metaphysical sense, Peruvian opals are said to be associated with the throat chakra, and are said to promote and facilitate communication, creativity, and the free flow of ideas.

We have a number of Peruvian opal cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Pinolite

Pinolite is a metamorphic rock that is a mixture of dolomite, graphite, and magnesite. The dolomite and graphite give the stone a gray and black color, while the magnesite appears in whitish clumps that look like the edible seeds of the pine tree, Pinus pinea.

Because of the white clumps, the stone has also sometimes been called Pinolith or Pine Stone, or Pine Nuts Pinolith.

It was discovered in 1873 in the Styria region of Austria.

In a metaphysical sense, the stone is said to have a calming and grounding effect, channeling energy from the ground through the body to the heavens.

We have a number of Pinolite cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.