Semi precious stones

In our previous article, which you can check here, we have explored the metaphysical properties of lapis lazuli. In this text we focus our attention on the composition of this visually very attractive stone.

Lapis lazuli has one of the cutest blue color amongst the other gemstone and semiprecious stone. The other blue colored members of the mineral kingdom that are most frequently found are corundum (sapphire), spinel, topaz, tourmaline, and zircon. Among the less common species, we can find attractive specimens of kyanite, iolite, benitoite, apatite; rarely diamond; also semi-opaque, turquoise, and sodalite.

The lovely blue stone known as lapis lazuli has since the earliest times been applied to all kinds of decorative purposes, for mosaic and inlaid work and as the material for vases, boxes, and so on, and was the original sapphire of the ancients. When ground to powder it furnishes a fine blue paint, but it has now been entirely superseded for this purpose by an artificial product.

The texture of lapis lazuli is very typical and cannot be seen in other gemstones. You can easily identify it, as there are lines or spots of white and gray over the blue or dark blue matrix that make a unique and distinctive texture. Once you see it, the ease of identification with always be there with you to set apart this mineral.

Lapis lazuli stone has a delicate beauty and can be used in jewelry especially in form of beads for necklaces and bracelets, but what do we really know about its composition?

Although to the eye so homogeneous and uniform in structure, lapis lazuli has been shown by microscopic examination to be composed of calcite colored by three blue minerals in varying proportions. All three belong to the cubic class of symmetry, and are mainly soda aluminum silicates in composition ; their hardness varies from 5 to 6 on Mohs’s scale. Lazurite, has specific gravity varying from 2.38 to 2.45, and hardness about 5 to 5.5. Hauynite – a tectosilicate mineral with sulfate and chlorine – is about the same in specific gravity, 2.4 to 2.5, but slightly harder, 5 to 6. The third most common part of lapis stone is sodalite. It is the lightest in density, 2.14 to 2.30, with roughly the same hardness as hauynite 5 to 6, and has a refractive index of 1.483.

The hardness ranges between the degrees 6 and 7 on Mohs’s scale. They come in two major forms – orthoclase and plagioclase.

Moonstone, which is mainly pure orthoclase, alone is not at all common in jewelry. It forms such an admirable contrasting frame for large colored stones that it deserves greater popularity. No doubt the cheapness of the felspar stones goes against their proper appreciation. The milky, bluish opalescence from which moonstones take their name is caused by the reflection of light at the thin twin-lamellae of which the structure is composed. They are always cut more or less steeply en cabochon.

Sunstone is a felspar containing flakes of hematite or goethite which impart a spangled bronze appearance to the stones. Good material occurs in parts
of Norway. The remarkable sheen of labradorite or blue felspar has its origin in the interference of light at lamellar surfaces in the interior. The uniformity of the colour over comparatively large areas testifies to the regularity of the lamellar arrangement. The finest specimens were brought from the Isle of St. Paul off the coast of Labrador, where they were first discovered in 1770. Large masses also occur on the coast itself.

Amazon-stone or Amazonite is an opaque green felspar. It obtains its name from the Amazon River, where, however, none has ever been found. There may have been some confusion with a jade or similar stone.

Occasionally clear colorless felspar has been faceted, and then closely resembles rock-crystal. A careful determination of the refractive indices and the specific gravity serves to discriminate between them.

We often overlook the healing aspects of jewelry. In our series of individual stones, we will now discuss hematite and its jewelry as being used in healing ad meditation. In our previous post we talked about hematite as a stone for healing. Holistic health is an important subject, so we further discuss here the usage of this stone in jewelry. In different hematite jewellery items, we are able to find quality gemstones embedded, and really, it is rather difficult, almost impossible to have low quality hematite stones in jewelry. This implies that we can use the stones with their inherent metaphysical powers already present in our jewelry. They can be our source of constant healing and meditative power in addition to their decorative function.

What is the science behind these claims? Magnetism, for one, is the most crucial phenomenon behind the magnetic jewelry made of hematite. Here is a video depicting the obvious magnetic properties of this stone.

It is generally not known what the real effects of our hematite beaded magnetic bracelets and other items are, but this type of gemstone jewelry is definitely known to work, and have a number of health related benefits. Given that we have tested our affinity towards hematite – some people have problems with this stone, so be aware of this fact – there is nothing stopping us from trying our own hematite healing jewelry. This iron plentiful stone (hematite is iron oxide) is able to indirectly act upon our blood system, and tackle problems with our circulation.

Hematite is a black stone – we should all have probably seen these metallic stones already. Black means grounding and protection. So hematite is a grounding tool. We can either use it in meditation, or Yoga, or for spiritual protection. It is beneficial to establish a good link to the earth element before our meditation practice. Hematite jewelry can help us to protect and ground our metaphysical experiences.

Some are simply drown toward this gemstones, and for them purchasing a hematite healing ring or pendant is as natural as it can be. This crystal will work in synergy with our auras. Let us determine ourselves as to whether there’s a flow of energy to and from our energy field, in which case hematite will induce positive and energetically beneficial effects, helping us achieve a good internal balance.

There is no great wisdom here, try and see how this jewelry works. Best practice ever.

This is really what a holistic approach means. It is not really related to healing particular organs. It is to a greater extent about working with our minds, bodies, and spirits to establish equilibrium. Hematite when embedded in our jewelry items will have some invisible workings, and will provoke our holistic healing. We should only take care of the compatibility issue first, and test our sensitivity to the physical and metaphysical

The question I am posing is the following: where do you expect to see one of the world’s largest diamonds? When I first saw the video showing this 218 carat diamond I was really stunned. Such elegance, such style, such cut and transparency – just amazing.

So the answer. Try Macau – where you can see and feel the so called ‘Star of Stanley Ho’. There is a permanent display of this amazing stone. You can visit it at the Casino Grand Lisboa.

According to the GIA gemological institute, this precisely measured 218.08 – c jewel is the largest diamond in the category of cushion cut diamonds, with clarity of internally flawless or flawless, D color grade. For all of you who does not know it, the D grade is the most perfect of all grades (more on diamond color grading you can find here).

In the unveiling speech given at the presentation, Dr. Ho explained that this phenomenal piece of jewelry, which is by the way named after him (how modest), reflects their “timeless commitment to Macau”. Dr. Stanley Ho, currently at age 85, is the king of Macau’s entertainment and gaming industry — you must give him a credit indeed, as he is still very much hands on. You never know what’s going to happen next, since, as always, not all the cards are on the table. As the competition heats up in Macau it remains to be seen who holds the ace of hearts, but chances are this star looks set to shine for a very long time.