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The Science Behind the Stones - Magic Materials!

When I was little I loved looking at stones and gems. I was like a crow- attracted to sparkly and shiny things. As I got to school I began to learn more about the science behind these geodes and natural geological production of the stones.

So here are a few of the semi-precious stones that I use:

Jade - used to describe two silicate minerals: Nephrite and Jadeite which is a sodium- and aluminium-rich pyroxene. The term Jade is derived from: French l'ejade and Latin ilia, also from the Spanish term piedra de ijada (first recorded in 1565) or "loin stone", from its reputed efficacy in curing ailments of the loins and kidneys. Back in the day people used to carve it for weapons, hilts of swords, and ornamental jewelry- popular in Latin America and Asia.

Tiger's Eye- is a silicon dioxide, SiO2, and a member of the quartz group with a golden to reddish brown color and a silky luster. This is one of my favorites b/c my brother was born the year of the Tiger and my hometown is Princeton- and the mascot is the Tiger. When I was little my dad said I used to run around going "Rawr!" I also love Red Tiger's Eye.

Quartz- is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra. I like it b/c it looks like a pretty prism and refracts light well.

Malachite - copper carbonate mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This mineral comes in Bright green, dark green, blackish green, commonly banded in masses; green to yellowish green in transmitted light. I just love it cause it's green. :)

Aventurine- is a form of quartz, and the most common color is green, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue, or gray. Chrome-bearing fuchsite (a variety of muscovite mica) is the classic inclusion, and gives a silvery green or blue sheen. Aventurine is a rock, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed "aventurescence."

Turquoise- I love this blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium. The chemical formula is CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O. The word is derived from an Old French word for "Turkish", because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey, from the mines in historical Khorasan Province of Persia. Pliny referred to the mineral as callais, the Iranians named it "pirouzeh" and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl. I love it because it reminds me of the sky and water in Bermuda.

Howlite- a calcium borosilicate hydroxide (Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5), is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits. The most common form of howlite is irregular nodules, sometimes resembling cauliflower-

Colors most common are: white, colorless, brown

Pearls - are just little spheres produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of the "mother of pearl", a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form and come in white, pink, silver, cream, golden-colored, green, blue, black, yellow, rainbow. They can be Freshwater or South Sea (also Tahitian).

Jasper- this is a form of chalcedony and is an opaque impure variety of silica, usually red. The name means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived via Old French jaspre (variant of Anglo-Norman jaspe) and Latin iaspidem, from Greek ἴασπις iaspis, from a Semitic language Hebrew יושפה yushphah, Akkadian yashupu, ultimately from Persian یشپ yašp.

Tiger Iron - this is an altered rock composed chiefly of tiger's eye, red jasper, and black hematite. The undulating, contrasting bands of color and luster make for an attractive motif, and it is mainly used for jewelry-making and ornamentation. Tiger iron is a popular ornamental material used in a variety of applications, from beads to knife hilts.

Tiger iron is mined primarily in South Africa and Western Australia. Tiger's eye is composed chiefly of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is colored mainly by iron oxide.

Swarovski Crystals- I know a TON about these crystals because I used to work for Swarovski and was required to watch hours and hours of video on how they're made. I worked at boutique in Crystal City/ Arlington, VA when I lived in DC and was studying for my LSATs and one day Madeline Albright walked in and bought 3 pins. Amaze-balls!

Swarovski is Austrian Crystal- which is very precisely cut glass- cut by a laser beam. It's so precise that they make lenses for binoculars and rifle scopes. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, which was replaced by a "S.A.L." logo, which was finally replaced with the current swan logo in 1988. Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance.

I love these because when I was a child I loved prisms and refractions of light- and my best friend is Roy G. Biv.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

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