Lapis Lazuli

A gemstone that has been used for thousands of years for human adornment - many samples of this beautiful blue stone have been found in Egyptian tombs and in other archaeological digs. This gemstone is formed from a number of minerals - important ones being Sulfur (the coloring agent), Calcite (controls how many white inclusions occur in a particular piece) and Pyrite (gives sparkle and depth). "Lazuli" is derived from the same Latin word as "Azure" - hence: Blue Stone.

DUMORTIERITE

A deep blue stone, with occasional small traces of grey to cream inclusions (most bead related items are made from Dumortierite aggregate, rather than Dumortierite crystal). The aggregate is equivalent to quartz in hardness, though.

Aqua Aura

Aqua Aura is natural, clear quartz that has a permanent transparent, somewhat iridescent blue surface treatment. The exact process is a trade secret, but is said to be a combination of heat, pressure and exposure to vaporized pure gold. The gold is permanently bonded to the crystal structure of the quartz, creating the surface color. Since this is a surface treatment, care should be taken not to scratch the surface.

AMBER BALTIC

Amber is the fossilized, hardened resin from pine trees that lived about 50 million years ago. Most deposits of Amber are found in the Baltic region. Amber sometimes has tiny air bubbles, fracture lines or tiny inclusions (insects or parts of plants can sometimes be seen). Amber is very soft and can also be affected by acids or solvents. It can also be ignited by a match and will smell like incense (a pleasant smell). Amber is extremely light weight - people who are unfamiliar with it can mistake it for plastic, especially if there are few inclusions in the specimen. If synthetic Amber tested with the match method - it will smell like plastic, not incense.