Autumn Jewelry & Opal Beads for October
This month's theme is autumn gems and October's stone Opal.
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Autumn Jewelry
Autumn Gems
Opal - October's Birthstone
Types of Opal
Peruvian Opal
15% Offer
Autumn Jewelry
Autumn is a great time to make some classy seasonal jewelry.
Amber is ideal for this time of year, along with all types of brown, dark
greens, gold, and misty yellow.
Pearls, nature's treasure from the deep, can be very effective mixed with
other beads & especially as they come in autumn colors too.
Let these fabulous fall colors with a touch of gold capture your
imagination as well as your eye.
Try mixing contrasting colors like brown and gold with blues and green.
Some of the most popular gemstones that make fabulous autumn jewelry are
listed below.
To see any of these gemstones in our US store, just click the picture.
Gems for Fall
Agate
Agate is the obvious stone to use in Fall.
It forms by filling a cavity in its host rock, resulting in round nodules,
with bands like the rings of a tree trunk, looking like eyes.
Agate was highly valued as a talisman in ancient times and has been used
as a traveler's amulet for centuries.
It is believed to bring good fortune, health, wealth and long life.
Some call its strange patterns 'cosmic caterpillar tracks'.
Others' swear that wearing these beads can heighten the spiritual
consciousness and balance the body's physical and mental states.
Dzi is one of the most mysterious of all the beads known today.
These shiny Tibetan agate beads, patterned with mystical eyes are among
the most treasured beads in the world. "Dzi" in Tibetan means:
"shine, brightness, clearness, and splendor.
Carnelian
Another stone from the quartz family, usually bright orange to reddish
orange. Carnelian is for confidence.
Said to help blood disorders and eliminate toxins from the body.
Carnelian is in tune with the energies of the Earth, making you feel
anchored and comfortable with your environment.
A good stone for people starting new projects or who feel they are going
nowhere.
It motivates, allowing you to find the energy to make the most out of
life.
Citrine
"Citrine" comes from the French word for lemon, and is any quartz crystal
or cluster that's yellow to orange.
The darker, orange colors were traditionally the best, but today people
prefer bright lemony shades to mix with pastel colors.
Sunny citrine brightens all jewelry, blending especially well with the
yellow gleam of polished gold.
The yellow color is a natural reviver, and citrine focuses the mind
bringing a feeling of self-esteem.
Coral
Coral was long thought to be a strong talisman against evil spirits and
hurricanes.
It is also said to reduce blood flow.
Naturally its color ranges from white to red, but most red coral these
days is dyed. However, these days almost any color can be made by dying
white coral. It grows in branches that look like underwater trees.
Flake Stone
The most common flaked stone is goldstone which is ideal for autumn
jewelry.
A man-made stone, first created by alchemists trying to make gold -
however, all material has properties, these are transmitter stones.
Causing light to pass through you in order to convey or receive a medium.
Revitalizing, energizing, and encouraging a positive attitude and
individualism
Jade & Aventurine
For 5,000 years Imperial China used the word "jade" as something precious.
Because jade is said to have all the attributes most valued in society.
A symbol of purity and serenity, it is delicate, but will not break - is
beautiful, but not impermanent, it can be flawed with lines, but still
pleasing. It is believed to radiate divine unconditional love and balance
the emotions.
The most famous type of jade carved in China is from Burma, with shades of
green, lavender, yellow, white and grey.
Jasper
Jasper was highly valued in ancient times, not only for its beauty, but
also for its magical and medicinal properties.
Jasper is known as the "patron stone of counselors and healers".
Red jasper is an intensely protective stone, stabilizing the aura and
bringing contentment.
Poppy jasper is dark red with black flecks.
Picture
jasper is pale brown with darker patterns - named from pictures formed by
patterns caused by trapped fossilizes algae.
Fancy jasper is creamy brown with lavender or green swirls.
Lapis
Lapis Lazuli is gemstone straight out of fairy tales of the Arabian
Nights: deepest blue with golden shining Pyrite inclusions which twinkle
like little stars.
Through the ages, lapis has been associated with power, wisdom, and love.
The twinkling inclusions are not gold but pyrite, caused by iron.
The blue color comes from the sulfuric content of lazurite.
For many people lapis is a stone of truth and friendship. A powerful
gemstone that should not be worn by those who lack strength of character.
Malachite & Rhodonite
Malachite is green with irregular black banding. Its green stripes have
the ability to soothe and bring rest - helping sleep, meditation, the
circulation and balancing emotions.
The copper content helps rheumatism.
The magic of malachite is also thought to attract love and wealth.
Some say malachite travels the world in search of energies to change.
Rhodonite is usually pink to red or orange, very popular in 18th-century
Russia where it was used extensively to decorate the Russian court.
Rhodonite has similar properties to malachite.
Mookaite
Mookaite forms in Western Australia. An Australian aboriginal healing
stone that bestows strength. It helps heal wounds and encourages the desire
for variety and new experiences.
Mookaite helps us to be kind to others is a very protective stone too.
Opal: October's Gemstone
What is Opal?
All of Nature's fury can be seen in fine opal. Like a Rembrandt: fire,
lightning, all the colors of the rainbow and the shine of far seas.
Australia supplies about 95% of the world's opal from the outback.
Aborigines there believe their creator came down to Earth on a rainbow to
bring the message of peace to all humans. And at the spot where his foot
touched the ground, opal was born.
The name Opal could have came from many places. In Greek "opallios",
translates as "color change", and to the ancient Romans "opalus", was a
stone from several elements. Pliny, a Roman author, wrote that opal
combines the sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the
golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire.
Types of Opal
Fine opals shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colors
called "opalising". Depending on the rock and location they have names like
Harlequin, Peacock, Mexican, and Fire Opal. Most opal has this play of
colors except "Common Opal", a name give to all others, like Pink Opal.
Because demand outstrips supply, fine opalizing opal is very very
expensive, so is sold in individual beads for hundreds of US dollars each.
Therefore, the type of opal common in necklaces is non-opalizing opal &
usually pink opal from Peru (more below).
Opal's fantasy-like play of color is caused by small spheres of silica
creating interference and refraction manifestations. The spheres, which are
arranged in compact structures, dissect light through the gemstone, turning
it into the rainbow effect, always new and different.
How to Value Opal
The most important criterion for determining the price of fine opal is the
play of color, the colors themselves and their pattern. If red appears when
looking through the stone, all the other colors will also. Value also
depends on body color, transparency, and original location. Body color can
be black, dark or light, or colored. Black Opal or a dark grey body has the
most brilliant play of color. Black Opal from Lightning Ridge or Mexican
Fire Opal is the best. Crystal opal, is the next best, and should be more
transparent with a deep play of color. White or milky opals show more
diffuse color and are the cheapest.
To best bring out the play of color in a fine opal, the stones are cut
and polished to round or oval cabochons, or any other softly domed shape.
Only the best qualities of Fire Opal are suited to faceting. The opal
cutter removes any impurities using a diamond cutting wheel, before working
out the rough basic shape, fine cutting, and finishing with sandpaper and
polishing with a wet leather wheel.
How does Opal Effect You?
Opal is thought to solve depression and to help its wearer find true love.
Opals are supposed to enhance the positive characteristics for people born
under the sign of Cancer. With Black Opal recommended to Scorpios and
Boulder Opal for Aries. The opalizing effect reflects changing emotions and
moods of people. People prefer different opals for different moods. Opals
are like human emotions: each type creates different feelings.
Peruvian Opal
Peruvian Opal comes in faint pink, light blue and light mint-green tones.
From the Andes Mountains near San Patricio, Peru, just like the name
implies. Although native South Americans have been using the stone for more
than a thousand years, it only became widely available commercially within
the last decade or so. It is usually translucent to opaque with no play of
color and often has lots of black and tan dendrites. Most Peruvian Opal
beads are semi-opaque to opaque.
Peruvian opal's metaphysical properties are similar to other opals.
Helping to intensify your traits and characteristics and deepening your
personal understanding. Peruvian Opal in particular is used to activate the
heart charka and to assist you during spiritual journeys.
Looking after Opal
Due to 2 to 6% water, opals easily become brittle and if stored too dry or
exposed to heat over a longer period of time, they will show fissures and
the play of color will fade. Therefore, Opal jewelry should be worn as
often as possible, for then the gemstone will receive the needed humidity
from the air and from the skin of its wearer. In earlier days opal's
sensitive surface was oiled, but today they are sealed with clear resin.
To buy our Pink Peruvian Opal Nugget Beads click here
To see more What's New click MrBead.com
or MrBead.co.uk
UK customers can see us on 1st November at The Big Bead
Show, Sandown Park, Surrey - and at the Hobbycrafts Show in the NEC,
Birmingham, 13th to 16th November
Special 15% Offer !
Sample our beads with 15% discount in our MrBead bead store, just key
in "opal" at the checkout (without the inverted commas) and click "Redeem
Coupon".
Offer valid until Thursday October 2nd 08 - so act now! Only for use in
our MrBead store at the checkout and not valid with any other offers.
To go to our MrBead store click MrBead.com
To go to our UK MrBead shop click MrBead.co.uk
