I have known Nirado for decades and love her dearly.  If you would be interested in continuing to learn more about the healing properties of gemstones for people and animals, do subscribe to this newsletter.

 

Healing With Gemstones
This is the launching of my ‘new’ newsletter on Gemstones.  The purpose of it is to educate,  and then to provide choices of jewelry made with that gemstone.  I plan on it being a once a month thing, but it may be a little farther apart. Each newsletter will have the same format; the first part will be all about the gemstone, the second part will be jewelry I’ve made from that gemstone.  They are available for sale, simply email me to let me know you’d like to purchase it.  Keep in mind they are one of a kind pieces and once there is a request for that piece, it is gone.  I will let you know if there are multiple versions of the same piece.  All are made by me and I only do one at a time so there is no mass producing.  I absolutely love soaking myself in the energies of the stones, so when I’m not helping animals, I am making jewelry.  Not much time to mass produce.  :O)) 
With any luck and practice, my photography skills will improve.  I must ask for your patience on that.  If you feel to pass this, or any of my newsletters, on to your friends or family, please feel free to share.
Amazonite
The first stone I’d like to talk about is Amazonite. Oh what a yummy stone. The blue is like the Caribbean sky. The green with white stripes reminds me of a barber shop pole. LOL Last year I couldn’t stay away from it. I made pieces of jewelry of all kinds. I fell madly in love with Black Gold Amazonite. Now Guidance tells me the black tourmaline in the stone is great for blocking EMF’s from electronics. That makes me even more inspired this year because I am really into making jewelry to block the EMF’s from all the cell phone, portable phone, TV, etc. use that is more and more prevalent these days.

Location

The lovely aqua-green stone with white inclusions called amazonite was named for the region where it was said to have been first documented as found, the Amazon River. Although amazonite can be found in Brazil, it is not found near the river. Historians theorize that this beautiful lapidary material came from another location and to protect that specific area, visitors were told that amazonite came from the area near the river.

The popular green or blue-green material, with or without white striations or spots, is mainly mined in Colorado USA, Russia, Madagascar, China and Brazil. Other locations include Africa, Ethiopia and Australia.

amazonite pic
Appearance
The stone can be found in translucent to opaque material. It is the green to bluish-green variety of potassium feldspar, whose other colors include pink, white and grey.  The most valuable amazonite is the pale bluish-green.
The schiller (iridescence) in amazonite is caused by the inclusion of very thin crystalline plates, causing a scattering of light between the layers, or an iridescence also known as “schiller spar.”  If you find a vendor selling “rare, yellow” amazonite, beware! because the material is more than likely common nephrite.
Its relative softness of 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale makes Amazonite vulnerable to pressure and scratches and requires some care. The Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5 also makes amazonite a wonderful lapidary and carving material, and it easily takes a great polish. Amazonite does not undergo any kind of treatment or enhancement.

History

The darker green version of amazonite with white striations is better known as Russian and is found in several European areas where known use of the stone as a gem dates back more than 5000 years (about the same timeframe we can track wire jewelry to).  Known as a “stone of courage and hope”, native peoples in north Africa, especially Egypt, revere this deep green stone in the same manner that some American Indians do turquoise. Carvings, beads, and amulets made of amazonite were found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb, proving that this special mineral has been important in this part of the world for centuries. It has even been suggested that Cleopatra’s emeralds, which she famously collected, were actually amazonite.

Black Gold Amazonite contains Amazonite, Black Tourmaline, and Pyrite all in one light blue, brown, and black stone. This member of the feldspar family often forms near schorl (black tourmaline) and Albite, a white to transparent variety of feldspar family. Mined in Africa. AKA- Rainbow Amazonite, Black Cloudy Amazonite. The color spectrum of these beautiful beads runs from pale mint green to a rich brown hue. It is used as a semiprecious stone. It’s relative hardness is 6 – 6.5. From the same group comes the other three well known feldspars. Labradorite, sunstone and moonstone.
Healing Qualities:The healing powers of gems remain a controversial issue, but are mentioned for centuries by healers, shamans and medicine men. Whether it’s a fact or a placebo effect doesn’t matter, if it helps. The safest approach is to wear the gemstone in skin contact to the troubled part of the body. Amazonite is said to calm one’s emotions and soothe nerves, and to enhance creativity and the ability to express oneself. The deeper the color of the amazonite, the more intense the effect is said to be.  Metaphysically speaking, amazonite is said to be a mineral that soothes emotional processes, dispelling irritating and negative energies. It also soothes all of the chakras, especially the heart and throat. In the Bible, amazonite was one of the twelve stones included in the breastplate of the High Priest. It is associated with the astrological sign of Virgo. Amazonite is said to calm one’s emotions and soothe nerves, and to enhance creativity and the ability to express oneself. Perhaps the strongest recommendation of its metaphysical powers is that Amazonite is said to make your married life happier.

 (excerpt from Dale Cougar’s information)

On a personal note, I (Nirado) can tell you that when I am wearing the right stone for me, on any given day, I feel better.  I feel the stone’s communion with me.  It seems to just sink into my essence.  I can’t help but think that that is where we experience the healing. It may not necessarily be the mental definition of the stone, but the actual feeling of communion you receive from it when it is on or near you.  I will generally go by my feelings in choosing the stone I wear for the day, just as I go by the color I feel to wear on that day.  They will generally go together and enhance each other.