This is a transparent, usually very clean, blue gem, ranging from deep blue to light gray blue to yellowish grey. It is sometimes called dichroite, and in its sapphire blue color it is sometimes referred to as water sapphire or lynx sapphire. It is a lovely, brilliant stone but not as durable as sapphire. We are just beginning to see this stone in jewelry, and it is still a good value. It is abundant, still very low priced, and one of the most attractive jewelry options for the near future.

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Jade has long been revered by the Chinese. White jade (yes, white) was believed by the early Chinese to quiet intestinal disturbances, while black jade gave strength and power. A very early written Chinese symbol for "king" was a string of jade beads, and jade beads are still used in China as a symbol of high rank and authority. Jade is also an important part of the Chinese wedding ceremony (the "jade cermony" hold a prominent place here), for jade is considered "the concentrated essence of love."

Jade is a very tough, although not too hard, translucent to opaque gem, often seen in jewelry and carvings. There are really two types of jade - jadeite and nephrite - which are really two separate and distinct minerals differing fromone another in weight, hardness, and color range. Both are called "jade."

Jadeite, the most expensive, more desirable variety, was the most sought after by the Chinese after 1740. It is not found in CHina, however, but in Burma. Some fine jadeite also comes from Guatemala. It is found in a much wider range of colors than nephrite: green, mottled green and white, whitish gray, pink, brown, mauve, yellow, orange, and lilac. In fact, it occurs in almost every color. But with the exception of green, which comes in shades that vary from the light to a beautiful emerald green, colored jade is usually pale and unevenly tinted. THe most desirable color is a rich emerald green sometimes referred to as imperial jade. Smooth, evenly colored pieces of this jadeite are highly prized, and, in fact, can be classed as precious stones today. The mottled pieces of irregular green, often seen carved, are less valuable, but still more rare and valuable than nephrite jade.

Nephrite jade, the old and true Chinese jade, resembles jadeite but is slightly softer (yet slightly tougher and thus less easily broken)and has a much more limited range of color. Usually fashioned in cabochon cut, or round beads, or in carvings, it is regularily seen in dark green shades sometimes so dark as to look black, hence, black jade. Nephrite green is a more sober green than the apple green or emerald green color of good jadeite. It is closer in color to a dark, sage green or spinach green. Nephrite may also be a creamier color, as in mutton fat jade. Any fine Chinese carving that is more than 230 years old is carved from Nephrite (jadeite was unknown to the Chinese before 1740).

Nephrite has been found in many countries, including the United States, where in the late nineteenth century Chinese miners panning for gold in Claifornia discovered large boulders of nephrite jade that they sent back to China to be cut or carved. It is also common in Wyoming, Alaska, and British Columbia.

Nephrite jade is much more common than jadeite and is therefore much less expensive. But it is a lovely, popular stone, used extensively in jewelry and carving.

Jade is a wonderful stone and imperial jade is breathtaking; no wonder it was the emperor's stone! But jade has long been "copied" - misrepresented and altered. Just be sure you know you are buying what you think you are buying.

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Labradorite is a fascinating stone that is starting to appear in some of the more distinctive jewelry salons, especially in beads and carved pieces. A member of the feldspar family, the most frequently seen variety is a grayish, almost opaque stone,within which startlingly brilliant flashes of peacock blue, greens, and/or yellows are visible at certain angles.

A beautiful, shimmering red to orange variety (and occasionally green or bi-color) known as sunstone is also beginning to enter the jewelry scene. Mined in Oregon, major US retailers, such as Tiffany are featuring this wonderful, truly American gem. Finland also produces a very lovely variety resembling peacock hues, or the colors seen on the wings of butterflies. It can also exhibit a "cat's-eye" effect.

Labradorite is usually cut in cabochon style, but sunstone also occurs in a transparent material that makes a beautiful faceted gem. This is a stone that is still relatively inexpensive and one to consider seriously if you want something striking and unusual.

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Lapis, a birthstone for December, has been highly prized since ancient Babylonian and Egyptian times. An amulet of "great power" was formed when Lapis was worked into the form of an eye and ornamented with gold; in fact, so powerful that sometimes these eyes were put to rest on the limbs of a mummy. In addition, it was recognized as a symbol for capacity, ability, success, and divine favor.

Genuine lapis is a natural blue opaque stone of intense, brilliant, deep blue color. It sometimes possesses small, sparkling gold- or silver- colored flecks (pyrite inclusions), although the finest quality is a deep, even blue with a purplish tint or undertone and no trace of these flecks. Occasionally it may be blue mottled with white.

Sodalite is sometimes confused with the more expensive and rarer, lapis and used as a substitute for it. However, sodalite rarely contains the silvery or golden flecks typical of most lapis. It may have some white veining, but more commonly it just exhibits the fine lapis blue without any markings. The lapis substitutes do transmit some light through the edges of the stone; lapis does not, since it is opaque.

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Malachite must have been the answer to a mother's prayer. According to legend, attaching malachite to the neck of a child would ease its pain when cutting teeth. Also, tied over a woman in labor, it would ensure an easier, faster birth; and it could also cure diseases of the eye. More important, however, it was believed capable of protecting from the evil eye and bringing good luck.

Malachite is also popular today, but perhaps more because of the exquisite color and a softness that makes it very popular for carving. Malachite is a copper ore that comes in a brilliant kelly green, marked with bands or concentric striping in contrasting shades of the same basic green. It is opaque and takes a good polish, but it is soft and should not be worn in rings. This softness, however, makes it a favorite substance for use in carved bases, boxes, beads, statues, spheres, and son on. It is also used in pins, pendants, and necklaces (usually of malachite beads).

Azurite is also a copper ore, but it occurs in a very vivid deep blue, similarly marked. Occasionally one will come across both the green and the blue intermingled in brilliant combinations of color and striking patterns. Both malachite and azurite make beautiful jewelry and lovely carving.

A particular note of caution: Never clean malachite or azurite with any product containing ammonia. In seconds the ammonia will remove all the polish, which will significantly reduce the stone's beauty.

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Moonstone is definitely a good luck stone, especially for lovers. As a gift the moonstone holds a high rank, for it is believed to arouse one's tender passion and to give lovers the ability to foretell their future - good or ill. To get this information, however, legend has it that the stone must be placed in the mouth while the moon is full. Perhaps a more important use, however, was in amulets made of moonstone, which would protect men from epilepsy and guarantee a greater fruit-crop yield when hng from fruit trees. The stone, in fact, assisted all vegetation.

The name "moonstone" is probably derived from the myth that one can observe the lunar month through the stone - that a small white spot appears in the stone as the new moon begins and gradually moves toward the stone's center, getting always larger, until the spot finally takes the shape of a full moon in the center of the stone.

Moonstone is a member of the feldspar family. It is a transparent milky-white variety in which can be seen a floating opalescent white or blue light within the stone's body. It is a popular stone for rings because as the hand moves the effect of the brilliant light color is more pronounced. The bluer color is the finer and more desirable, but it is becoming rare in today's market, particularly in large sizes.

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Obsidian is widely used by the Mexicans, probably becuase of its brilliant polished surface, for making images of their god Tazcatlipoca, and for polishing into mirrors used to divine the future. It has also been found in Egypt, fashioned into masks.

Obsidian is a semitranslucent to opaque glass that is smokey brown to black and sometimes a mixture of both. It is natural glass, not man-made. It is formed by volcanic activity, and is also called "volcanic glass." One variety, snowflake obsidian, exhibits white spots resembling snowflakes against or mingled with the black; some obsidian exhibits a stone iridescence; and some obsidian exhibits a sheen from within, as seen in moonstone.

Jewelry made from obsidian, which is available in great quantity and is very inexpensive, is apopular fashion accessory. It is particularly popular in Mexican and Indian jewelry, and is seen fairly extensively in the West and in Mexico. One must exercise some caution, however, because obsidian is glass and can be scratched or cracked easily.

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Onyx is not a good-omen stone, and it is certainly not one for the young lovers, since it is believed to bear an evil omen, to provoke discord and separate them. Worn around the neck, it was said to cool the ardors of love. The close union and yet strong contrast between the layers of black and white in some varieties may have suggested onyx's connection with romance. It was also believed to cause discord in general, create disharmony among friends, bring bad dreams and broken sleep to its wearer, and cause pregnant women to give birth prematurely.

But there isn't complete agreement as to its unlucky mature. Indians and Persians believe that wearing onyx will protect them from the evil eye, and that when placed on the stomach of a woman in labor it would reduce the labor pain and bring on earlier delivery. So you choose - good or bad?

Onyx is a lovely banded, semitranslucent to opaque quartz. It comes naturally in a variety of colors - reds, oranges, reddish orange, apricot, and shades of brown from cream to dark, often alternating with striking bands of white. The banding in onyx is straight, while curved bands occure in the variety of quartz known as agate. Onyx is used extensively for cameo and other carving work. It is also frequently dyed.

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