Beautiful Beryls
Some of my favorite gemstones are in the Beryl group. This mineral family includes emerald, aquamarine, heliodor, golden beryl, and morganite. Beryl is a relatively hard mineral, making it outstanding for jewelry. I wanted to learn a little more about my favorite three-emerald, aquamarine, and morganite.
Emerald is a beryl found mostly in Colombia. There are also deposits in Russia, Brazil, and Australia to name a few places, but the Colombian emeralds are some of the most beautiful. An emerald with good color and quality can be worth more than a diamond! The chromium that gives it its intense green color can also cause it to be brittle. Thus the emerald cut-a rectangle with the corners cut off- was developed to prevent breakage.
Aquamarine, the March birthstone, is another beauty. This blue to greenish-blue stone is named after seawater and is said to protect those who travel on or near water. Other claims I've read are that aquamarine promotes fearlessness, youth and happiness, and truth. One place they are found is in the mountains of Pakistan. Like most gemstones, the truly precious ones are eye clear and a more saturated blue to blue-green. I love them all, precious or not!
This is a ring I made with morganite, silver, and gold. Morganite is found in different shades of pink, from light pink to peach to lavender. It was first found in California and then later in Madagascar. It is named for banker J.P. Morgan who was also a mineral collector. I love this stone in it's peachy-pink form. And also with a little gold!
This is just a little bit of information about some stones you may see in my jewelry. I'd love to know...what are your favorite stones?
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