Posts Tagged ‘Protection from Negativity’
Topaz, the Birthstone of November
November 5, 2011 | 
Author Happy Birthday to the intense, secretive and (by and large) quiet Scorpios. No astrological sign is more loyal than you, if we “win your approval.” I see some of you smiling.
WHAT IS TOPAZ……..
Topaz is the birthstone of November and it is part of the nesosilicate subclass of the silicate family. Nesosilicates are the simplest formation of silicates (an individual silicon-oxygen tetrahedral). The chemical name of topaz is aluminum, silicate fluoride hydroxide and its chemical formula is Al2SiO4 (F, OH)3
Topaz crystals are often prismatic with two different prisms forming a rounded or sharp diamond shaped cross section. Its terminations are usually covered by a dome that resembles a roof top.
The facets and ends of topaz crystals are believed to have both positive and negative energies through which a request to the universe can be focused and then manifested on earth. More on that in a few paragraphs.
Not only is Topaz the hardest silicate mineral, it is #8 out of 10 on the Moh’s scale of hardness.
MANY HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY DON’T CARE FOR TOPAZ…
Topaz, the birthstone of November and one that is considered a Scorpio and Sagittarian stone, is a crystal that I have recently come to appreciate. Over the years, many folks told me they had a November birthday and came back with “I don’t like my birthstone.”
Most expressed that yellow topaz looked washed out, saying they much preferred citrine as their birthstone. With yellow and gold not being my favorite colors and having heard it over and over, I could understand what they were saying.
Three things caused my topaz epiphany: seeing NATURAL yellow topaz, realizing that topaz comes in colors other than “drab” yellow and discovering silver topaz. I have come to appreciate and love topaz and chances are that you will too once you read about it.
COLORS OF TOPAZ….
Topaz crystals come in a range of transparent to translucent colors. In addition to yellow, topaz can be blue, brown, orange, clear, gray, green-red, red yellow, silver, multi-colored and the more rare reddish pink. There is also rutilated topaz.
HEALING AND METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Topaz is a lovely mellow and empathic stone to have, whether you are a November baby or not.
Topaz supports our affirmations, manifestations and visualizations. Topaz represents “the laws of attraction” and manifestation. Its vibration provides the magnetic effect while its gentle colors influence the manifesting.
One beautiful aspect of topaz is that its energy is directed to where it is needed most. Topaz soothes, heals, stimulates, recharges, re-motivates and aligns the meridians of our body.
Topaz encourages honesty, openness, forgiveness, creativity, individuality, self realization, expression of our ideas and confidence in our decisions. This lovely stone helps us discover our inner “riches.”
Topaz releases tensions and discourages doubt and uncertainty. Topaz encourages a trust in the universe to let us “be.”
Topaz sheds light on our path, taps into our inner resources and emphasizes a successful attainment of our goals.
Topaz is a stone of love and good fortune and its vibrant energy brings joy, generosity, abundance, good health, relaxation. This gentle stone makes us feel confident and philanthropic and encourages us to share our good fortune and spread sunshine all around.
Topaz cleans the aura and replaces negativity with happiness and love. Negativity does not survive around joyful topaz.
Topaz can speed up “spiritual journeys” that normally involve long and hard work.
SOME TOPAZ COLORS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS…
Blue Topaz: connection to the angelic realms, brings ancient wisdom, communication, expression, calms and soothes the whole body, reduces stress, inspires, uplifts, eases throat issues
Clear Topaz: self confidence, utilizing our talents and skills, taking action, removes self imposed restrictions, strengthens nerves, nervous exhaustion, increases appetite, activates metabolism
Green Topaz: sense of wonder, freshness and joy, brings peacefulness, provides strength to those who have many and long drawn out challenges, benefits heart and lungs, lymph drainage, assimilates nutrients, “be kind to yourself” message
Imperial Topaz: connection to higher self, understanding of who we truly are, path to enlightenment, clears meridians, cleanses chakras, confidence, and belief in our abilities, creating ideas and the confidence to make them happen, aids nervous system and exhaustion, optimum metabolism, stimulates appetite
Pink Topaz: hope and optimism, comforts and soothes emotions, encourages us to love ourselves (and ultimately others) benefits blood flow, and heart function
Silver Topaz: psychic awareness, communication with higher realms, remembers forgotten memories and ancient wisdoms of this and past lives, clear and analytical thinking, lessens and removes all kinds of blockages, increases blood flow and efficiency of body system, beneficial for respiratory, circulatory and digestive issues
Smokey Topaz: extremely protective, stimulates intellect, encourages abstract thinking and creativity and manifestation of it, lessens negativity, tension, exhaustion and pain issues arising from liver , gall bladder and endocrine gland dis-orders, benefits blood circulation, nervous system, detoxifies body, strengthens liver and kidneys, gallbladder, spleen, tissue regeneration, digestion and sexual dysfunction
Yellow Topaz: energizes all areas of the physical body, brings vitality energy and a sense of power, aids liver, gall bladder, spleen, pancreas, stomach, skin and nervous system, helps eating dis-orders, enhances emotional and mental states
FOLKLORE AND LEGEND…
The Egyptians believed that Topaz had a connection with “Ra”, their sun god. They made topaz amulets and wore them for his protection.
The Romans also believed that Topaz was associated with their sun god, Jupiter.
As early as the 1100s, topaz (and rubies too) were believed to be powerful healers of many physical complaints. They were soaked in wine and the “medical” remedy would be consumed.
Legendary belief is that topaz removes our fascinations and directs its energy toward increasing our strength. It is believed to make those wearing it “invisible” in emergencies.
PRIMARY SOURCES OF TOPAZ
The most common sources of topaz are Minas Gerais, Brazil, Pakistan, San Diego, CA, the Thomas Range in Utah, the Ural Mountains in Russia and Mexico.
Posted in Our Blog | 
Tags: abundance, aligns body meridians, blog on november birthstone, blog on topaz, blogs by gem maven, blogs by the gem maven, blogs on Facebook, Calming, confidence in decisions, creativity, crystal blogs on Facebook, crystal for sagittarians, crystal for scorpios, crystals, crystals and gems, crystals and gems blog, crystals and gemstones blog, crystals blog, crystals cure many issues, discourages doubt, discourages uncertainty, eases tension, empathic stone, forgiveness, gems blog, gems heal, gemstone blog, gemstones, gemstones and crystals, gemstones blog, generosity, healing gems, Healing Properties, heals, honesty, mellow stone, november birthstone, november birthstone blog, openess, Protection from Negativity, Relaxing, rock blog, self realization, soothes, spreads joy, spreads sunshine, stone for sagittarians, stone for scorpios, stone of good fortune, stone of love, supports affirmations, supports manigestations, supports visualizations, topaz blog | 
Comments Closed
Sapphire, the Birthstone of September
September is here. September reminds me of how lucky I am not to be in school wondering how many snow days we would be getting in the upcoming winter. Obviously, I wasn’t raised in South Florida.
Happy Birthday to our modest, discriminating and well organized Virgo friends. Virgos are great. They can do something that I have never been able to do… Balance a checkbook!
September’s birthstone starts with the same first letter as the word September….Sapphire AKA Blue Corundum
The origin of the name “sapphire” could come from different languages. The Greek word “sappheiros” means “blue stone.” The word “sapphire” can come from the Roman word “sapphirus”, a word they also used for lapis lazuli. Sapphire could also be derived from the Sanskrit word “Sani” which means “Saturn” since sapphires are associated with the planet Saturn. If that is the case, then why aren’t sapphires the stone for Capricorns, the astrological sign ruled by Saturn? In general, sapphires are associated with the astrological signs of Virgo, Libra and Sagittarius. Blue sapphires are particularly beneficial for Geminis.
Like rubies, emeralds and other stones, sapphires were considered to be a prized possession by the royalty. Sapphires were believed to keep kings safe from harm or envy.
Sapphires are usually blue, however they can be any color other than red or dark pink, which are considered rubies. Pinkish orange sapphires are known as padparadscha.
The chemical makeup of sapphires is very similar to its close relative, ruby. Both are aluminum oxides with impurities. While chromium, the primary impurity in rubies, creates pink hues, sapphires have varying amounts of iron, titanium and / or chromium which produce a whole host of colors: blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, green, gray, black or colorless. Yellow or green sapphires are a result of lesser amounts of iron.
Like rubies, sapphires are a very hard mineral, #9 on the Moh’s hardness scale. So, why are sapphires so hard when both of their main components, aluminum and oxygen are both lightweight elements? The simplest explanation is that oxygen forms a particularly strong bond to aluminum. These strong bonds pull both the oxygen and aluminum atoms closer together making it harder and more dense.
Here is an interesting tidbit: Emery boards (AKA nail files) are composed of cardboard and emery. Emery, a hard rock, composed primarily of corundum with some other minerals, is used as an abrasive. So, if the next time you get a manicure or pedicure and your thoughts turn to sapphires or rubies, you will know why.
Since sapphires are considered one of the 4 precious gems (along with diamonds, emeralds and rubies), sapphire specimens are often appraised. Their value depends upon several variables: color, clarity, size, how it is cut and where it was mined. Sapphires and rubies are often found growing in the same area, with one sometimes more prevalent than the other.
Since sapphires are popular, artificial sapphires have been lab created for over a hundred years now. They are often subjected to heat treatments which can intensify the blue.
Because sapphires are particularly hard and durable, they have many applications in the decorative, industrial and electronic fields. They have been used in wrist watches, infrared optical instruments, windows and solid state electronics, to name a few.
Even though rubies and sapphires are very similar in composition, they each have their own metaphysical “properties.” The properties of rubies can be found in our July Birthstone blog. Even though all sapphires share some of the same properties, the various colors of sapphire have their own specific vibration and metaphysical properties. We will touch on some of the main properties of sapphires with an emphasis on blue sapphires.
Sapphires represent wealth, success and strength. They ease our frustrations, help us achieve our dreams and desires and provide us with life’s “gifts.”
Sapphires give us a powerful mind, thought process, ESP, dream recall and meditative astral travel. Sapphires open up and sharpen our mind and intuition, removes negative thoughts and allows us to focus and bring our ideas to fruition. These blue gems bring us wisdom, a desire for learning, contentment, serenity, pleasure and an appreciation of beauty. Sapphires are also used in hypnosis and past life regressions in helping us remember our prior lives, their lessons and the emotional issues that we carried over from them into this life.
Many folks believe that there is a connection between the blue sapphire and blue of our sky. Maybe that is why this fabulous gem is associated with the angelic realms.
For those who may be easily persuaded by others or who rely on others for advice, listen up. Sapphires can make us more confident in our knowledge and opinions.
Their association with serious Saturn should bring no surprise that sapphires are all about organization, self discipline, restraint, staying focused, achieving goals and providing help with the tasks that seem mundane.
Many channelers work with blue sapphire to awaken both the throat and third eye chakras. When these two chakras are in synch, the 3rd eye vision and psychic abilities are increased making it easier to receive information from higher realms.
In addition to the many emotional and spiritual properties, sapphires have some pretty phenomenal health and healing benefits. Blue sapphires can ease headaches, vertigo, inner ear and eye issues. They are also beneficial for blood and cellular dis-orders, curtailing excessive bleeding and for fortifying the walls of the veins.
Today, Australia supplies the largest amount of sapphires with the finest specimens coming from there, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asia countries. Sapphires are also mined in Pakistan, Madagascar, East Africa, Africa and the U.S.
Posted in Our Blog | Tags: august birthstone blog, blog on blue corundum, blog on red corundum, blog on sapphires, blog on september birthstone, blogs by the gem maven, blogs on Facebook, blue corundum blog, corundum blog, crystals, crystals and gems, crystals and gems blog, crystals and gemstones, crystals and gemstones blog, crystals cure many issues, dream recall stone, gems blog, gems heal, gemstones, gemstones and crystals, gemstones blog, intuitive stone, Protection, protection from envy, protection from harm, Protection from Negativity, red corundum blog, rock blog, sapphire blog, stone for achieving goals, stone for blood disorders, stone for cellular disorders, stone for eye issues, stone for headaches, stone for inner ear, stone for libra, stone for libras, stone for mundane tasks, stone for organization, stone for past life lessons, stone for past life regression, stone for regression, stone for sagittarius, stone for self discipline, stone for staying focused, stone for strenghtening veins, stone for vertigo, stone for virgo, stone for virgos, stone of royalty, stone to stop excessive bleeding, third eye stone, throat chakra stone | Comments Closed
Peridot – August Birthstone
Welcome, August!
And thank you for your fabulous birthstone, “Peridot” …the 16th wedding anniversary gemstone.
Happy Birthday to all of you proud and fabulous Leos.. You ROCK!
August is a warm and sunny month (in many parts of the world) and Peridot, its birthstone, has a warm and sunny persona. Leos, who are ruled by the “sun,” are known for their sunny and warm dispositions.
No coincidences there! ; > )
The Gem Maven loves peridot and can’t stop singing its praises, so very little information on this “stone” is going to be left unturned. You may have to read this L O N G blog in piece meal.
PERIDOT IS A STONE OF MANY DISTINCTIONS……..
Peridot is the only stone that comes almost exclusively in one color: GREEN; yellowish green, olive green, brownish green, anything in between and very rarely brown.
Peridot has at least 3 different names (aka olivine and chrysolite) and two pronunciations (French and American).
Peridot has several nicknames ; “poor man’s emerald”, “gem of the sun” and “emerald of the evening.”
Peridot was originally discovered on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea off the coast of Southern Egypt . This island has been known as Zagbargad, Zeberged (Arabic for “olivine”), Seberged, Topazios and St. John’s Island
Originally, peridot was called “topaz” after Topazios (aka Topazos), one of the names of the small island where it was first discovered. Those names came from the word “topazein” which means “to conjecture” because that shark infested island was difficult to find.
PRONUNCIATION OF PERIDOT……
In the 18th century, the French were the first to name this gorgeous stone “peridot” which is why its correct pronunciation is “pare uh doe.” Some prefer to call it by the American pronunciation ending of “dot.” Further discussion on that will be avoided in this article.
EARLY HISTORY
This 4000 year old “iron magnesium silicate” stone was cherished by the Romans and Greeks as early as 3500 years ago. Since then, the availability and popularity of peridot has surged and waned over the years. Today, peridot is once again prevalent and popular.
Many of the beautiful “green emeralds” that Cleopatra had in her collection were believed to be peridot.
PERIDOT AND RELIGION……….
Peridot has played an instrumental part of religion. In the Bible, it is referred to as “pitdah”, the Hebrew name for peridot or topaz. During the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, the Crusaders brought peridot back to Europe. As a result, many Catholic Churches (the Cologne Cathedral for one) were adorned and decorated with this special gem. The popularity of peridot peaked during the Baroque era of the 1600’s and gained a new resurgence and interest when it was again discovered in Pakistan in the 1990’s.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME PERIDOT…..
There is no definitive origin of the name “peridot.” Some distinct possibilities can be …
The Arabic word faridat is “gem.”
The French word peritot means “unclear.”
The word “pedoretes” is a kind of opal according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Olivine is the French word for Peridot.
Chrysolite (not to be confused with chrysotile which is a form of asbestos) is Greek for “golden stone” or “gold stone”. Chrysolite usually refers to a more pale green peridot.
PERIDOT OFTEN GROWS IN IGNEOUS ROCK…..
TWO TYPES OF OLIVINE PERIDOT – FAYALITE AND FORSTERITE…..
Peridot is the gemstone variety of “olivine” a group of iron and magnesium rich silicates composed of varying amounts of magnesium, iron, silicon and oxygen. Two minerals which fall under the olivine category are fayalite and forsterite both found in igneous rock containing large amounts of iron and magnesium.
Fayalite (Fe2SiO4) contains iron.
Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) contains magnesium.
Since iron and magnesium are compatible and interchangeable metals which often grow together, it is often difficult to tell the two minerals apart.
MINING FOR PERIDOT….
Year ago, miners searched for peridot at night, marked their exact location and went back digging the next day. There are two theories behind the night searching. 1) The moonlight made it easier to see the green crystals. 2) The fiery green appearance of the peridot glowed with light even at night.
PERIDOT ALSO COMES FROM…..
Peridot is also believed to come from volcanic magma, so wherever you find peridot is a good indication that volcanic activity is nearby. This explains peridot being found along the black sands of Hawaii.
Peridot can also form as basalt (igneous rock formed from hot magma below the ground which flows onto the surface and cools). Basalt can also be found on our Moon, Mars and Venus. The very hot magma can be responsible for its fiery green appearance.
Fayalite peridot has also been found in pallasite meteorites, an iron-nickel meteorite.
MAGNESIUM AND IRON PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE COLOR AND VALUE …
Fayalite has higher concentrations of iron which creates a darker and less desirable peridot.
The high magnesium content of forsterite produces what most people consider to be a more attractive and popular light green peridot.
Peridot with pure green coloring and no inclusions is considered the most valuable. Any hint of brown diminishes the price. Experts say the finest peridot contains less than 15% iron and only minute amounts of chromium and nickel. More than 15% iron gives the peridot an overall dark “blackish green” color.
INCLUSIONS APPEARANCE SIZE USE IN JEWELRY
The clearer peridot (fewer inclusions) is often cut and faceted into a round, oval or octahedron shape. Peridot with more inclusions is often made into cabochons, which are perfect for showing off its phenomenal shine.
When light is shone on peridot, its fiery brilliant green separates and bends the rays of light passing through it, giving it a glowing velvety appearance and oily luster.
Until recently, peridot was seldom seen larger than 3 carats, which is one reason why it has always been a popular stone for jewelry.
WHERE PERIDOT HAS BEEN FOUND…..
More recently, peridot has been discovered in Afghanistan, Antarctica, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, the Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma) , Norway, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Sri Lanki, Tanzania and the U.S. (Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and North Carolina). Today, peridot has once again gained recognition and popularity.
Transparent olivine is usually found in the more arid areas like Arizona, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudia Arabia. Peridot has a tendency to decay when it is subjected to humidity and rain of other areas.
CONFUSION WITH OTHER STONES……
Over the years, peridot has been confused with other green stones. ie: apatite, chrysoberyl, diopside, emerald, green garnet, moldavite, sapphire, green tourmaline and green zircon to name a few.
FOLKLORE AND LEGENDS ………….
Peridot was considered a symbol of individual strength, vitality, fame, persuasiveness, eloquence and successful relationships and marriages. Peridot was believed to help dreams become a reality and bring growth in the future. It was used to ease angers and anxiety, calm high-strung individuals and cure nervous afflictions.
Egyptians believed that peridot would ward off all evil and evil spirits.
This green gem was used as a remedy for sinus problems and easing thirst brought on by high fevers. Powdered peridot was used as an asthma cure.
It was believed that drinking from peridot cups would increase the strength of other medicinal remedies. Egyptian priests drank from peridot goblets because they believed it would bring them closer to their goddess of nature, Isis.
Pirates loved peridot because they considered peridot powerful protection from all evil. They believed that those who wore peridot set in gold would be protected from having nightmares and other night fears.
HEALING PROPERTIES…
Peridot is a powerful tonic for our physical and mental well being. Peridot is beneficial for our heart, lungs, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, liver, adrenals thymus glands, ulcers, eyes, metabolism and digestion. This green gem heals and regenerates our tissues and is good for skin irritations.
Those ancient folk must have had a lot of wisdom because peridot does indeed ease anger, anxiety, stress, bad tempers, dehydration and high fevers. It’s also good for jealousy, resentment, spite, negativity, depression, obsessions and bi-polar issues.
There is no wondering why peridot is considered the “visionary” stone. This beauty clears our mind, helps us see our mistakes, learn our lessons from them and move on. It releases our past baggage and guilt from our subconscious and teaches us that old emotions are counterproductive.
Peridot helps both astrological signs which share the month of August. Peridot teaches Leos self forgiveness, taking responsibility for their life and eases their bruised egos and pride. Peridot helps Virgos get to the heart of the matter. It can also help them increase their confidence and assertive behavior (something many Leos already have). Also good for hypochondriacs. : > 0
Did I mention that Peridot also increases intuition?
There is more to this very special crystal, however at 1552 words and it being August 2nd already, it is time for this blog to get up.
WE HAVE THIS FABULOUS CRYSTAL IN STOCK….
Posted in Our Blog | Tags: August birthstone, august birthstone blog, benefits heart, blog by gem maven, blog on august birthstone, blog on peridot, blogs by gem maven, blogs on Facebook, chrysolite, crystals and gemstones blog, crystals blog, crystals cure many issues, eases emotional baggage, eases past hurts, eases stress, fayalite, forsterite, gems blog, gems heal, good for jealousy, good for liver, good for spleen, helps get to heart of the matter, increases assertiveness, increases confidence, negativity, olivine, peridot, peridot blog, peridough, Protection from Negativity, removes anger, removes guilt, rock blog, stimulates mind, stone for adrenals, stone for digestion, stone for hypochondria, stone for increased understanding, stone for intuition, stone for Leos, stone for the heart, stone for the pancreas, tisue regeneration, tonic for body and mind, visionary stone. increases intuition | Comments Closed