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Content:
Aquamarine Beads For March
Frosted Matte Beads
Chalcedony For Spring Jewellery
Early 2020 Bead Fairs
Beads Up North!
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Minimum order £5 or $6, and can only for used at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com.
Folklore says it protects sailors’ and is the treasure of mermaids. The gemstone is also supposed to have powers that reach to land too, helping married couples solve their problems and drive off evil. Aquamarine is associated with the thymus gland and is very soothing worn as a necklace.
Also thought to help coughs, reduce fluid retention and calm the nerves. The Romans used aquamarine for stomach troubles and believed it could cure liver and throat problems. Aquamarine brings courage, aids quick intellectual response, and protecting the aura.
Colour ranges from a very light turquoise blue to a bluish green. Darker blue colours are the best, greener less valuable. Check the clarity of the stone. Because aquamarine has a light pastel colour, it’s important to be free of flaws or inclusions.
Examine the cut from different angles checking light reflects evenly off the surface of the gem, and that there are no scratches. Aquamarine is usually heat treated and sometimes irradiated. However, it will become paler if left out in the sun.
Clean aquamarine in with warm soapy water and a soft bristle brush. As with all gemstones, protect from scratches and sharp blows.
To see all aquamarine at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com
Matte beads give a satin organic character to your jewellery – an extra air of quality. And they feel as soft as they look: content, comforting, and attention grabbing.
Beads are matted the same way nature frosts stones or glass on the sea shore: by weathering. Naturally stones can take decades or even hundreds of years to reach their finish – but we have a trick to speed things up!
MrBead has loads of matte. Most we buy already frosted, but MiMi also mattes shiny beads. The best beads for matting are large agates with lots of stripey character.
She mixes an abrasive compound similar to diamond dust with grit and water in our tumbler, and spins the beads. The softer stones frost quickly, but many take hours. Then the beads are hand dried and grit poked from the holes. Picture below shows matte beads drying on MiMi’s clothes hanger!
Dark banded agates are particularly enhanced this way, with the satin finish looking absolutely magical.
Many frosted online at our category Matte Beads – but to see our full range of matte beads, visit us at a bead fair new you soon.
Try making matching chalcedony earrings and a bracelet. Use small beads with subtle silver spacers for style. Sell them in a white or light-blue box.
Romance
Chalcedony is ideal for the lady you love or to use on wedding jewellery. Some people even use chalcedony wedding rings. Set in white gold or silver, it creates just the right look.
What is chalcedony?
Its name is said to come from an ancient Greek town called Chalkedon, which is now in Turkey.
Chalcedony is a fine-grained variety of quartz with a waxy luster and compressed crystals. Because of this structure, it’s usually semi-opaque – which creates a soft glow as the light diffuses through the stone. Ideal for graceful jewellery.
The stone has been carved into ornaments for thousands of years – and in the past, its heavenly blue colour is why it was called Mecca or St Stephen’s stone.
Colour
Chalcedony comes in every colour, but for jewellery it’s usually light milky blue with a hint of pink. Being porous, it’s been dyed blue and pale minty-green for centuries – and today sometimes its colour enhanced to emerald green and even tangerine and peachy pink.
Formation
Chalcedony is formed in volcanic rock cavities where silica-rich water flows through. Traces of iron oxide in the water create the pinkish and sometimes red colour.
The gemstone can be seen in the Arizona Desert, where petrified trees have formed from chalcedony replacing the ancient forest. Native Americas there called the stone sacred as they believed it brought stability to the tribe.
Properties
Chalcedony is a feminine stone, full of yin energy. Thought to balance the emotions, bring stamina, and promote kindness and charity.
It’s said to be good for love too, as it lowers anger and depression. The gemstone also absorbs negative energy and promotes a feeling of enthusiasm. It is believed to lower blood pressure with its anti-inflammatory properties and heal the lungs, so good for smokers!
History
Chalcedony was carved into arrowheads, tools, knives, cups and bowls for tens-of-thousands of years. Sailors wore it as a talisman, and it’s the birthstone for those born under Sagittarius.
For our chalcedony beads go to MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com
Minimum order £5 or $6, and can only for used at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com.
Shows booked so far next year, click Bead Fairs 2020
A show not to be be missed, now combined with a new Lace & Textile section. There will be more exhibitors than last year and an extra hall.
However, we do have limited space for a few new exhibitors, but it’s booking fast! For details, click the Exhibit tab on the Beads Up North site linked below.
Full details at Beads Up North!
Key code FREEPOST anytime on UK orders over £30 for free shipping at MrBead.co.uk.
See our beads at MrBead.co.uk or MrBead.com
April 2020 is the 15th full year of the MrBead newsletters, and I thank you all for such enthusiastic comments and appreciation. To see the past newsletters click here.
To see all the original old newsletters click here.
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