| Gems & their definitions |
Lapis Lazuli
In the fourteenth century, lapis lazuli stones were ground up and mixed with oils to create the highly prized and very expensive ultramarine used by artists (such as da Vinci) in paintings (such as those in
the Sistine Chapel). Ultramarine was known as "blue gold" because it was more expensive than gold at times. Lapis was forbidden to commoners in ancient Egypt, where only royalty could wear it. Blue was
divine to them, so lapis was ground into a powder that was used to add color to royal Egyptians and their statues. However, lapis necklaces were given to shy Egyptian children to help them be
courageous. Ancient Hebrews believed the blue lazurite in lapis was symbolic of heaven and the gold pyrite flecks symbolic of the sun, and some Biblical scholars believe that Moses' Ten Commandments
were carved on lapis tablets.
Tourmaline
Tournaline is one of my favorite gemstones. It occurs naturally in some form of every color, and some of them are popular enough to have their own names, including the ruby-red tourmaline known as
rubellite and a pretty blue-green tourmaline called indicolite. Did you know that when tourmaline is rubbed, it can become statically charged and attract lint, dust, or small pieces of paper? It's sometimes
referred to as "the electric stone" for that reason; this characteristic is related to the properties of pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity.
Peridot
Peridot comes in such a cheery, bright shade of green, it's no wonder that it has been symbolic of happiness, loyalty, and friendship. It has had an interesting history throughout ancient cultures, including
everything from preventing "terrors of the night" to being strung on donkey's hair and tied around the left arm to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptians even believed that peridot disappeared in sunlight and
glowed at night, so it was mined in darkness. Today, most of the world's production of peridot is mined on the San Carlos reservation in Arizona . . . but I'm not sure whether it's mined during the day or
night!
Opal
I have many opals in my gemstone collection, and its play-of-color makes it one of my favorite stones. There are so many beautiful varieties of opal, including black opal and fire opal, each with its own
unique beauty and characteristics. The most common characteristic associated with opal is the magical play-of-color that precious opals display. It was likely because of that appearance that Australian
aborigines believed that opals were formed when "the Creator, who arrived on Earth at the end of a rainbow," touched the ground with his foot. In that place, according to their legend, the rocks "came
alive with color" and sparkled. They also believed that fire came from those same opals.
