One of my favorite parts of being a jewelry designer is working with gemstones. I'm no gemologist, so a lot of the stones I come across are still very much a mystery to me. I am constantly amazed that these things are mined from the earth. Occasionally, I buy a some new beads that are beautiful, but that I really can't identify (which is usually because I somehow lost the label they came with!). Conveniently for me, one of the designers I work with at my 12 Lions boutique happens to be an actual gemologist. So I am always bringing her my mystery stones to identify! My latest mystery beads turned into this necklace here! I could not remember for the life of me what kind of stone these were made of. A man came into my shop last Saturday, loved the necklace, and wanted to know all about these stones. So of course, I ended up completely mispronouncing the name and saying random things, which were not true. Which was embarrassing. So, for the record: The stone is Chrysocolla!
I think this might be my new favorite stone, actually (with prehnite a close second....I will post some pictures of that one sometime soon!). I love Chrysocalla because it can look a lot like turquoise, but with more green, and with a rougher texture. I am also always interested in what the gemstones have been traditionally used for. According to crystal-cure.com, Chrysocolla is a "healing stone...used for strengthening the body's resistance and bringing about calm feelings where there is upset." Which I like. Maybe I will end up not wanting to sell this necklace either!! Either that, or I will just have to make one for myself....
