Just Witchy's Blog

He can smell a fire, before it starts to burn... Nosey disembodied voice: What are you singing?" The Smokey Bear song. Disembodied voice: Why? Because this month's featured gemstone is Smokey Quartz! One of the hottest and most dangerous gemstones on the planet! I need to warn everyone before the fire gets out of hand. Disembodied voice: Ummm, I don't think you have to worry about fire. Well you know the saying--Where there's smoke, there's fire. Disembodied voice: The gemstone is Smoky Quartz, not Smokey, and it gets its distinct color from natural radiation interacting with aluminum impurities, not from fire. Oh....

Why are there are so many songs about rainbows? Maybe because they can be found everywhere--even in stones! I present you with Rainbow Moonstone--the shinyite of the month!    Described as having a "light that flows" or "moonlight on water," Rainbow Moonstone is actually a very flashy form of white labradorite, and not technically a moonstone--making it more of a cousin rather than a sibling to moonstones. The labradorescence--the blues, greens, and oranges that give it its rainbow appearance come from light diffracting and scattering microscopic layers of albite and orthoclase. Significant deposits are located in Australia, Tanzania, Canada, and Brazil, but...

   What stone do Parakeets love? SEASHELLS!    I have it on good authority!    And not just because Charlie said so--mineral blocks made for bird cages are often made from crushed seashells.    But seashells also have a lot of spiritual uses as well! They are considered potent symbols of protection, femininity, and thought to harness the soothing energy of water. They represent the journey of life and are believed to help provide emotional balance. In addition, they are often associated with spiritual growth and are frequently linked to the deities of love as well as the oceans mysteries....

Today's featured stone is Adventureine--The Stone of Opportunity--prized for attracting luck, prosperity, and emotional healing and hearth health... Aventurine Ring Disembodied voice: You mean Aventurine. Yeah, that's what I said.  Disembodied voice: No, it's not. You said Adventureine. (EYEROLL) Okay, I meant aventurine. I'm pretty sure everyone knew what green gemstone I was talking about... Disembodied voice: Sometimes it's not green. Umm...what? Disembodied voice: Aventurine is a translucent quartz. The name comes from the Italian a ventura, which means by chance, referring to the 17th century Murano glassmakers who accidentally dropped metal shavings into molten glass--creating sparkling aventurine glass. Peach Aventurine Bracelets...

  Everyone knows that gemstones come in many colors--but when you think of Obsidian, you think of black, right? I know I do. It makes sense, since that is the most common color variety. But obsidian actually forms in a surprising range of colors? That's right! There is more to this gemstone than a Mohs hardness of 5-6.    Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass subject to chemical impurities such as iron, hematite, and feldspar which when combined with tiny gas bubbles can alter absorption and reflection, resulting in a multitude of colors and visual effects!    One well-known variety...