Natural Stone Jewelry

Natural stone jewelry can be interpreted as many different things to many different people. When you think of gemstones, what type do you think about? There  are rough cut stones, polished stones, all different shapes, sizes, colors, and settings for jewelry.  That is what makes this type of jewelry so unique and chances are you probably won’t see the same piece on anyone else.  Semi-precious stones, when cut the correct way, will turn into very pretty gems making them ideal for jewelry.

The possibilities are virtually endless.  With so much variety you’ll find something easily to match any type of apparel you have.  Jewelry designers all have their own style of making the individual pieces which adds to the variety even more.

After viewing the jewelry you should think about how it makes you feel. The same stone in a different setting will bring on a whole different meaning. Some can really stand out as an “attention getter” where as others should be a little more subdued depending on the matching apparel.
Let’s take a look at some of the common types of natural stones used for jewelry designing.

• Quartz – One of the most abundant natural stones.  Can be used as a beautiful adjunct to any jewelry piece with its many shapes.

• Amethyst – This purple stone is a member of the quartz family.  This beautiful gem can be found in many different shades of purple and is also used for the February birthstone.
  

• Citrine- This is also a quartz crystal and can be seen  in a very light color of yellow to a more deep color with a hint of orange.

• Moonstone – This colorful crystal is commonly found in a blue-white sheen and goes great when placed with any other crystal to bring out its rainbow beauty

• Ruby -    This deep red stone goes well with quartz to finish off any bracelet or ring.  This mineral can also be used as a choice for those with a January birthday.

• Garnet  -  This is a darker hue of red than the ruby.  It can also be used as a January birthstone.

• Emerald – This is a deep green mineral from the beryl family.

• Onyx - This is a black variety of chalcedony.  It is frequently used in carving cameos, since the layered colors allow the necessary contrast of the background.

• Lapis Lazuli – This is a beautiful blue stone with inclusions of pyrite and white calcit which adds to the sheen.

There are so many other stones to choose from it is hard to even list them all.

These stones have the earth’s energy within them. Some are stronger than others but the healing energy properties can be felt by those who are sensitive to the energy. Once you have figured out what the properties of the stones are, you can determine how the energy of the stone can benefit you.   Besides the beauty of  semi precious stones, this is an added benefit of natural stone jewelry that most people don’t know. Gemstones that are found in nature and are not cut or altered would be considered their natural form. Although maybe not as pleasing to the eye, it is completely natural, containing all of their natural energy.
It is important to know what your buying when choosing a piece of jewelry made from natural stone.
Many designers create their pieces with synthetic stones. Sometimes without a trained eye you may not know the difference between the two but the brilliance and color is not as good.The synthetic stones do not have any energy properties in them. Make sure they  are “genuine” gemstones. Yes it is true that some semi-precious stones are created in the laboratories but the interpretation on whether
they are real or not would be up to you. This also holds true when purchasing a gemstone necklace or bracelet made with sterling silver. There is a big difference between “silver plated” and pure sterling silver.As you can guess, the plating is just that, an outside cover.

More about Gemstones:
While there are many different gemstones available, each one is so unique that every semi precious stone will be sure to grab your attention. Variety is the spice of life as they say.Nature has provided us a natural product to enhance our lives with. Crystal jewelry is also fairly inexpensive compared to precious stones so everyone is able to enjoy it. But let’s not forget the healing energy properties mentioned above. The energy from the semi precious stones can only add to the benefits, which is always free!!